WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
Group raising funds for skate park expansion
Lee Clarkson
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Members of the Silverton community are raising
funds for the expansion of Judy Schmidt Memorial Skate
Park, continuing the work of the man who was instru-
mental in the park's creation.
The park, located at 115 Westfield St., was a 10-year
project spearheaded by the late Jason Franz. Fundraising
organizer Sue Roessler said the work included car wash-
es, T-shirt sales, can drives and community support. On
Oct. 26, 2013, the skate park officially opened.
Many knew Franz as the guy who tuned up bicycles at
Fall Line Sports, Roessler said.
Franz died of a heart attack while mountain biking in
Silver Falls State Park on Oct. 6, 2019. At a vigil following
his death, numerous stories were told by youth and
adults about what Franz meant to them. Examples in-
cluded checking on report card grades, teaching kids how
to ride safely and giving big discounts to his customers.
The park, named after former City Council member
and community volunteer Judy Schmidt, was in the
process of working toward a Phase II expansion earlier
this year before the COVID-19 pandemic halted fundrais-
ing. The expansion was a dream Franz hoped to accom-
plish.
Roessler said community members have decided it's
time to resume the effort.
A local committee of adults and youth are looking to
add features for beginner skaters, install a light at the
park and create a memorial wall for Franz.
Once the project was given the green light by the Sil-
verton City Council, plans were drawn up by Dreamland
Skateparks. To date, the committee has raised $11,500 of
its $49,500 goal.
Those interested in donating to the project may do so
with a check made out to the Silver Fox Foundation with
"Jason Franz Memorial" written on the memo line.
Checks can be mailed to Silver Fox Foundation, c/o Chuck
White, P.O. Box 352, Silverton OR 97381.
For more information, email Roessler at sue.roess-
ler@gmail.com or go to the project's Facebook page at
bit.ly/JasonFranz.
The Silverton community is raising funds for the
expansion of the Judy Schmidt Memorial Skate Park
to honor the late Jason Franz. STATESMAN JOURNAL FILE
Gates' new
mayor was
recalled four
months ago
Bill Poehler
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
A burned hillside outside of Gates, Oregon. ABIGAIL DOLLINS / STATESMAN JOURNAL
Wildfire logging
Oregon proposing to
salvage log 3,600 acres
Bill Poehler
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
The state is proposing to salvage log at least 3,600
acres of trees in the Santiam State Forest that were
harmed by September's Beachie Creek, Lionshead
and Riverside wildfires.
The Oregon Department of Forestry’s reforestation
plan would plant between 6 million and 7 million trees
in the 24,700 acres of the forest that were damaged in
the wildfires.
Officials said 3,600 acres of new plantations need
to be completely replanted, 1,500 acres of trees need
treatment in order to be replanted, 5,400 acres have
operability issues including being in hazard locations
and 3,600 acres were identified for salvage harvest
and initial reforestation.
The value of the timber on those lands is unknown
because of the high number of privately forested
areas that likely will be salvage logged.
“The actual fire damage to wood quality is un-
known,” according to the draft plan released Monday.
“Fire killed timber starts to deteriorate quickly with
warm weather and its marketability quickly falls over
time. The amount of charred wood and resulting mer-
chantability is uncertain.
“Many acres of private forest burnt during the Sep-
tember fires which is expected to saturate near term
timber supply and may constrict the available opera-
tor pool. These factors create a high degree of uncer-
See LOGGING, Page 2A
COVID-19 confirmed
in Oregon mink farm
Tracy Loew Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
An Oregon mink farm has reported an outbreak of
COVID-19 among animals and workers.
Oregon Department of Agriculture spokeswoman
Andrea Cantu-Schomus declined to say which county
the farm is in or how many workers have tested posi-
tive, citing federal health privacy rules. The farm has
about 12,000 animals, she said.
Eight of Oregon’s 11 mink farms are in Marion Coun-
ty.
The farmer reported mink with symptoms to ODA
on Nov. 19, Cantu-Schomus said.
ODA took samples from 10 of the sick mink, and all
came back positive for SARS-CoV-2, the animal virus
linked to COVID-19 in humans. Cantu-Schomus was
unable to say how many mink were sick, but said the
10 were a sample of the population.
On Nov. 23, ODA placed the farm under quarantine,
meaning no animals or animal products can leave the
farm.
On the same date, the Oregon Health Authority
asked all workers on the farm to self-isolate, Cantu-
Schomus said.
OHA officials did not respond to an interview re-
quest.
Outbreaks in farmed mink have been reported in
several U.S. states and countries. Earlier this month
Denmark announced it would kill all 17 million of the
mink raised there after confirmation that 12 people
had been infected with a mutated strain of COVID-19
that had spread from mink to humans. That strain has
not been found elsewhere.
News updates: h Breaking news h Get updates from
the Silverton area
Photos: h Photo galleries
An appointment and a recall
In the previous election, 2018, no one filed to run
for mayor or city council.
Carmickle helped Daniel Tucker’s successful last-
minute run as a write-in candidate for mayor and Jim
Hensell as city councilor in that election. Carmickle
was appointed to the council in October 2019.
The city has been without a mayor since Tucker
resigned from the position for the second time in as
many months in May. McCormick has been acting
mayor since then.
Tucker orchestrated the recall of Carmickle in Au-
gust, citing his opposition to the city entering an in-
tergovernmental agreement for a joint sewer district
with the cities of Mill City, Detroit and Idanha.
Carmickle had four months left on his term as a
city councilor when he was recalled by a vote of 102-
91 (Hensell was recalled 106-85).
After the recall, he was unable to put much effort
into his mayoral campaign.
“I did the sign, $125,” he said, pointing to a cam-
paign sign in his front yard. “That was the extent of
my campaign. I did the website that I built myself.
Then I did the deal for the (voter’s) pamphlet and
that’s it. It either goes or it don’t.
See MAYOR, Page 4A
See MINK, Page 2A
Vol. 139, No. 50
Online at SilvertonAppeal.com
In August, he was recalled from the city council.
In September, his house and property burned
down in the Labor Day wildfires.
Now Ron Carmickle is the apparent Mayor-elect of
what is left of Gates.
Strange things happening in an election in Gates is
not a new occurrence, but a recalled councilor being
elected mayor in a four-month span is a new wrinkle
for a city that has been through a lot.
“Hopefully, once everything settles down, hope-
fully the council will work with me and I’ll work with
them and help and try to make good decisions,” Car-
mickle said. “It’s not up to me to make the decisions,
it’s up to the council.”
Carmickle has 112 votes in the Nov. 3 election,
beating acting mayor John McCormick’s 107 votes
and former mayor Jerry Marr’s 58.
He filed for the position before the recall election
and only he and Marr were on the ballots.
McCormick started a write-in campaign for mayor
weeks before the election, but it wasn’t until after
many Gates residents had received their ballots.
“They say that silent majority is very, very power-
ful,” Carmickle said.
The two open city council positions were appar-
ently won by Lisa McCall with 120 votes and Patrick
Rahm with 109 votes. McCormick wasn’t re-elected
to his city council seat, garnering 102 votes.
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Gates Mayor elect Ron Carmickle stands outside his
home which burned down in wildfires. ABIGAIL DOLLINS
/ STATESMAN JOURNAL