Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 5, 2018)
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2018 ܂ SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Food bank for neediest gets boost New structures in Idanha should aid efficiency Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK IDANHA – To use the fellowship hall at the Idanha Community Church for meetings and community events, boxes of donated food must be moved to clear enough space so a dozen people can gather around the wood stove. When the meeting ends, everything is moved back – and more food brought in – for the weekly Friday food bank, which distributes food to residents in one of the neediest citiest in Marion County. In the six years the food bank in Idanha has existed, it has expanded significantly to meet the needs of the community, but has outgrown its space. The Idanha Food Bank serves more than 70 families and its food reaches over 170 people each month with the majority of the food coming from the MarionPolk Food Share. The Idanha Food Bank has received over $20,000 in grants and donations to build a series of new buildings to better store and distribute food. “It’s really been a boon culturally,” Idanha Commu nity Church pastor Gregg Ellison said. “I’ve seen peo ple flourish, so to speak, or bloom out a little bit here as they come and get the food and come out of their shells a little bit.” The need in Idanha The poverty level in Idanha – located in both Marion See IDANHA, Page 3A Pastor Gregg Ellison (from left), Debby Ruyle and Steve Kinney stand outside the under-construction new buildings for the Idanha Food Bank. BILL POEHLER/STATESMAN JOURNAL Willis wins OSU a showcase for Mass Plywood Paneling seat on Marion Co. commission Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Tyler Freres, Rob Freres and Kyle Freres of Freres Lumber Co. pose with the SEDCOR Manufacturer of the Year award. COURTESY FRERES LUMBER CO. After Peavy Hall collapse, Freres Lumber steps up Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK LYONS – The timing was terrible. As many of the world's major producers of engi neered wood products gathered at the International Mass Timber Conference in Portland in March, word suddenly filtered through the crowd: There had been a collapse during construction of Oregon State's University's Peavy Hall. Peavy was envisioned as a showcase for engi neered wood products and a beacon for the burgeon ing industry in the United States, but a 20foot sec tion of crosslaminated timber subflooring col lapsed. Kyle Freres knew he had to do something. His fam ily's company — Freres Lumber Company of Lyons — had $35 million invested in its own new engineered wood product. Freres' Mass Plywood Paneling is different than the See PANELING, Page 2A Recount in Idanha races A load of Mass Plywood Paneling leaves the company’s plant in Lyons headed for Oregon State University’s Advanced Wood Products Laboratory. SPECIAL TO THE STATESMAN JOURNAL Santa’s helpers keep season’s joy alive Christena Brooks Special to Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK All hope and faith, a child writes a letter to Santa Claus and slips it into the mailbox without his mom knowing. He’s curious if Santa’s really out there somewhere, and, if so, he really wants the big guy in red to know what’s on his holiday wish list. His Christmas experiment could end there, if it weren’t for Santa’s helpers. Here in Silverton, they are a United States Postal Service carrier and his wife, who quietly keep the season’s joy alive for the handful of local kids trying to reach Santa the oldfashioned Republican Colm Willis has defeated Democrat Bill Burgess for Marion County Commissioner Posi tion 2 by less than three percent in the final results of the Nov. 6 election, which were certi fied Monday. Willis finished with 48.5 percent of votes (62,694 total) while Burgess, the current Marion County Clerk, received 45.8 percent (59,234 total). The margin between Willis and Burgess was between three and four percent in each round of results from the election. Colm Willis “Our system gives people a voice, gives the people the ability to choose their elected representative,” Willis said. “I’m just grateful to get that opportunity. “I think one of the things that I’m excited about is I’m excited to look at the future of Marion County.” This will be the first elected office for Willis, who previously ran for U.S. House of Representatives in 2016. Willis will take the seat held by Republican Janet Carlson, who declined to run for reelection. He will join incumbent Republicans Sam Brentano and Kevin Cameron, who defeated Shelaswau Crier 50 percent to 44 percent in the Nov. 6 election, as Marion County Commissioners. A Democrat has not won an election for Marion County Commissioner, which includes the state cap ital of Salem, since 1976. “The interesting dynamic, if you want to take note of any, is that the county commissioners remain sol idly conservative, yet how did the rest of our races go? Not so great,” said Jeff Heyen, Marion County Re publicans chair. “It’s a purple county. Really, that didn’t change. We’re still solidly purple.” Burgess previously ran for Marion County Com missioner in 1998, 2000 and 2002, but lost each time. He has been the Marion County Clerk since 2005 and his term in that office runs through 2020, and said he will continue to serve in that position. way. Separately, in Town Square Park, Silverton’s Kiwa nis Club maintains a brightred “Letters to Santa” mailbox, in which kids are encouraged to drop letters all year ‘round. At the treelighting ceremony on Dec. 7, club mem bers will help kids who want to write to Santa on the spot, and then they’ll make sure the jolly old elf replies to them all. “We are big kids at heart – and love seeing kids happy,” said postal carrier John Zajdel. While on his regular rounds in Silverton and with See SANTA, Page 3A Online at SilvertonAppeal.com Vol. 137, No. 50 News updates: ܂ Breaking news ܂ Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: ܂ Photo galleries Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal 50 cents In the midterm election over 2,200 ballots – about 1.1 percent – of the 131,381 cast in Marion County weren’t accepted due to reasons like no signature on the ballot envelope, signatures didn’t match after multiple attempts to verify them or the label was peeled off. Burgess said less than one percent of ballots re turned were unable to be counted due to being mis marked or other issues. Oregon has had a voter registration database since 2006 that uses Department of Motor Vehicle regis trations or Oregon ID cards, though a few people use utility bills to prove residence, Burgess said. Burgess said an automatic recount in Oregon is re quired if the election is within 1/5 of one percent dif ference. He said there will be a recount of the vote in Idan ha in this election. No one ran for the three open city council spots in the city and Jeff Skeeters received five writein votes while Don Spier and Traci Martinez each got four votes of those received from Marion County. Burgess said those will be recounted at 9 a.m. Thursday and combined with the votes from Linn County, in which much of Idanha is located. Linn County also will recount its votes from Idanha. “That will be up to their council what to do with their results,” Burgess said. “We don’t actually count winners or things like that. Then it is up to the district themselves to determine who actually won.” bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com or Twitter. com/bpoehler