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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (July 31, 2019)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2019 ❚ SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Gates is in a scramble for sidewalks Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK GATES – To catch the school bus in this quirky, East Marion County city of 500 people, children walk in the middle of skinny roads to reach the stop near busy Highway 22. In his four years as mayor, Jerry Marr spent much of his time trying to figure out how one of the cities with the lowest revenues in the state could do something both simple and safe — build sidewalks. The city applied for a grant through the Oregon De- partment of Transportation’s Small City Allotment Program last year, and was awarded the maximum $100,000 in December 2018, though that was reduced to $85,000. New estimates from a project engineer are the pro- ject will cost $170,000 and now Gates is stuck between the prospect of finding another $100,000 in 18 months, drastically scaling back the project or giving back the money. “Basically, we have a year and a half yet to come up with some money,” current mayor Daniel Tucker said. “If we’re lucky, we’ll just have to have at least three more grants just to get it up to the point where we could afford to do it.” Gates has a combination of roads owned by ODOT, Marion County, Linn County and the city, and it can only do work on streets it owns. The streets it targeted for upgrading are Louisa Drive, Dogwood Drive, East Sorbin Street and Oak Street. Gates public works superintendent Greg Benthin sought a cost estimate for the work in the grant a pro- ject manager from construction company Keller Asso- ciates estimates $170,418. See GATES, Page 3A Q&A WITH RAQUEL MOORE-GREEN Newest legislator outlines her views Connor Radnovich Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Silverton High School FFA member Tyler Heater and his angus heifer Stella in a breeding class at the Marion County Fair earlier this month. PHOTO COURTESY OF SILVERTON FFA FFA GETS STATE FUNDING BOOST Oregon State Legislature approved $1.43 million in spending Christena Brooks Special to Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK They show farm animals, give speeches, judge soil quality, weld, fix cars and so much more. They’re known as “Future Farmers of America,” and they’re getting targeted state funding for the first time in eight years. The Oregon State Legislature ap- proved $1.43 million in spending on FFA programs and competitions in this state over the next two years. Silverton’s long-running FFA program and Mt. An- gel’s new club – restarted several years ago after a nine-year hiatus – have been self-supporting, thanks to generous donors and an annual auction. However, this new state funding, to be meted out by the Oregon Department of Education, will con- tinue to help local students participate and compete. About 7,000 Oregon high school students participate in FFA. Clubs at some high schools will use the new funding to waive individual students’ $20 member- ship fees to the national organization. Silverton’s FFA program already picks up those fees for anyone enrolled in FFA courses, but every lit- tle bit of funding helps, said club advisor Scott Tow- ery. A classic blue FFA jacket rings up at $80, a trip to nationals costs a minimum of $1,200, and the compe- titions leading to it – districts, sectionals and state – require plenty of cash too. Local members fundraise by selling Christmas trees at Wilco, holding plant sales, and cleaning up at the Oregon State Fair. So, as representatives and senators arrived for the 2019 legislative session, FFA advisors and students from around the state wrote letters and visited their lawmakers to request funding. “We have a lot of support at the state level right now,” Towery said. “I took a group of kids to the Capi- tol, and, on the day that this bill passed, three of our graduated members were able to be there.” In Mt. Angel, Kennedy High School’s FFA advisor and agriculture teacher is Korrie Shull. At Silverton See FFA, Page 3A State’s native trees declining Tracy Loew Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Oregon’s iconic Douglas firs are declining as the state’s summers have grown hotter and drier. Drought also is killing grand fir, and may be con- tributing to declines in Western red cedar and bigleaf maple. “A lot of people really notice it, especially driving down I-5,” said Christine Buhl, an entomologist for the Oregon Department of Forestry. “They see a lot of dead trees in the hills.” Oregon has experienced drought each summer since 2012, peaking in 2015. While rainfall and snow- pack have been close to average the past two years, temperatures in many areas still were above normal. Climate change is expected to increase drought in Oregon. Oregon Department of Forestry scientists conduct statewide aerial and ground tree surveys across 30 million acres each year, recording the number of dead and dying trees from all causes, including drought, storms, disease and insect damage. They look for indicators of of drought stress, such as sparse or asymmetrical crowns, an abnormally high number of cones, and brown or dead branches. In 2018, about 680,000 acres contained damaged or dead trees attributed to all causes. That’s fewer than at the peak of the drought but still higher than historic levels. Doug fir, Oregon’s official tree and largest timber cash crop, has been declining since Oregon’s drought began in 2012, Buhl said. Die-offs were first recorded in the driest areas, like south-facing sites, ridges and rocky areas. “Now, we’re seeing Doug fir dying in other areas where maybe they could have lived before,” Buhl said. That includes throughout the Willamette Valley. Tree mortality has dropped a bit in the past couple Raquel Moore-Green was sworn in as the newest member of the Oregon House of Representatives Thursday during a brief ceremony in the state Capitol with friends, family and future colleagues. Moore-Green now represents House District 19, a district previously represented by Sen. Denyc Boles, R- Salem, who herself was appointed to replace the late- Sen. Jackie Winters last month. House District 19 encompasses roughly 63,000 peo- ple in South Salem, Turner and Aumsville. While she had never sought public office before, Moore-Green has worked behind-the-scenes in state politics for years. She worked on the campaigns of Marion County Commissioner Kevin Cameron, and as a legislative aide for Cameron when he was in the Leg- islature and for Winters in 2019. The Marion County Commissioners selected Moore-Green Tuesday over two other finalists — House legislative aide Becky Mitts and Salem city councilor Brad Nanke. “Raquel’s background as a small business owner, her time working as a legislative staffer and her leader- ship and non-profit service in her community will make her a great addition to the Legislature,” said House Republican Leader Carl Wilson, R-Grants Pass. After the ceremony, Moore-Green sat down with the Statesman Journal for a brief interview. The ex- change below has light edits for clarity: Q: I’m curious about your perception of last ses- sion: It was considered broadly one of the more con- tentious sessions in recent memory and I’m curious how you thought it went from a political perspec- tive but also from a “what was done” perspective: Moore-Green: Obviously, there were some positive things done for Oregonians but I do feel that there were some things that did not favor many Oregonians well. The gross receipts sales tax — essentially a sales tax on the working class — that’s just an extra burden there. And I’ve said this before, as well, the repeal of the un- documented driver’s licenses, which the voters had voted on in 2014. Some of the good things that happened were that thousands upon thousands of Oregonians were re-en- gaged in the process of government and I think we saw that through the Timber Unity group and through ... the anti-vaxx moms. And I think that’s a good thing. I think any time that you can engage people in the proc- ess, because it’s their process. I mean, this is their gov- ernment. We are a government for the people and by the people, you know. On the Senate side, there was that nine-day walkout at the end of session. What’s your position on that? Do you think that was the right thing for them to do? I believe that they were representing their constitu- ents. And that’s what we’re called to do. We’re called to represent our constituents. I think they made a state- ment. You’ve been involved in politics behind-the- scenes for some time. I’m sure you have a good See MOORE-GREEN, Page 3A See TREES, Page 3A Online at SilvertonAppeal.com Vol. 138, No. 32 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 QEAJAB-07403y ©2019 50 cents Printed on recycled paper Raquel Moore-Green takes the oath of office. ANNA REED/STATESMAN JOURNAL