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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021
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APPEAL TRIBUNE
How to attend and be
heard at public meetings
Jordyn Brown and Whitney Woodworth
Register-Guard
USA TODAY NETWORK
Public meetings have had more turnout in the past
year as racial and pandemic-related issues have
stirred residents to engage with elected and public of-
ficials.
However, with tensions high around issues such as
mask mandates and vaccinations, some of these
meetings have devolved into yelling and confusion
from audience members, leading public officials to
walk out or temporarily halt the meetings.
Salem-area boards and councils have seen such ac-
tions in the past few months. The Salem Keizer Public
Schools governing board in August cancelled a public
meeting citing “disrespect, racial and transphobic
comments, and a disregard for health and safety pro-
tocols” at the prior meeting.
The trend continued at an Oct. 26 Portland school
board meeting where people protesting a potential
vaccine mandate for students refused to wear masks
indoors, prompting the board to suspend the in-per-
son meetings and move them online.
Community members attending meetings of public
officials for the first time may not realize laws dictate
what can and can’t happen in those meetings.
Here is how public meetings work in Oregon, what
people can expect when they go and how they can ef-
fectively participate.
What is a public meeting in Oregon?
A public meeting is any meeting conducted by
state, local or regional public officials to make deci-
sions.
This includes state officials, city councils, school
boards, committees and more. They are governed by
Oregon Public Meeting Law.
In order for the gathering to be a public meeting,
there needs to be a quorum, or majority of the mem-
bers of said board or public body, present. All public
meetings need to be announced ahead of time, giving
the public information about the time and place and a
way to access it.
Not all public meetings are open
There are different types of meetings though, and
each have different rules.
A work session is typically where the public body
will get together to discuss one or just a few small
items specifically. These typically don’t have public
comment portions.
A regular meeting will usually have several items for
discussion and decision-making actions by the public
body.
There are also special meetings, which can be called
with no less than a 24-hour notice, to make a decision
that has to be handled before the next regular meeting.
In the case of emergencies, the law allows special
meetings to be called with less than 24-hour notice to
the public, but the minutes from the meeting have to
explain why it needed to happen so quickly.
All these types of meetings must be open to the
public.
The only time a public body is allowed to meet in
private is in an executive session.
Executive sessions are used for more sensitive is-
sues, such as labor negotiations, personnel issues and
current litigation. While journalists can be present in
most executive sessions in Oregon, they are not per-
Wineblending
experience
device created at
Willamette
Valley Vineyards
Em Chan
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Rachel Robinson is ejected from the Oct. 14
Rutherford County (Tennessee) School Board
meeting by sheriff's deputies, after refusing to stop
talking to the board members after her time expired.
HELEN COMER/THE DAILY NEWS JOURNAL
mitted to report the information discussed.
Rules of order, or what happens when
Public bodies have to give notice ahead of time
when they are meeting and how the public can partici-
pate.
Typically, a public body also will post its agenda, or
what they plan to discuss, on their websites before-
hand. However, the law states that this notice should
include information on the “principal subjects” antici-
pated for the meeting, but “shall not limit the ability of
a governing body to consider additional subjects.”
Once in a meeting, the leader of the public body,
known as the chair, will ask if there are changes the
other members would like to make to the agenda. Then
after that is decided, they proceed with the agenda
items in the general order listed.
Public bodies have to follow “Robert’s Rules of Or-
der,” which dictate parliamentary procedure. These
rules explain the required steps to adopt an item, vote
on it, etc.
In order to move forward with discussion or a vote
on an item, one of the members has to make a motion
and another has to second that motion.
For example, a school board member could make a
motion to approve the purchase of new school buses,
and someone else would have to second the motion for
it to go to a vote. If nobody seconds a motion, it cannot
move forward.
How should you behave if going?
In many of the cases where board members have
walked out or had to pause the meeting, it’s because
public comment has devolved — audience members
talking over others or outbursts against board mem-
bers outside of the individual’s time to give input.
It is proper decorum to be quiet while others are
speaking at public comment and not yell or talk over
speakers, even if you disagree with them. Some boards
or councils may ask the audience not to make noises of
agreement or dissent. Clapping is typically discour-
aged in meetings, including during the public com-
ment portion of the Salem City Council.
People must also adhere to all state and local guide-
lines related to masking and distancing if that’s re-
quired.
The wine blending experience usually includes
multiple glasses, canisters, graduated cylinders
and wasted wine. But with the latest device from
Willamette Valley Vineyards, blending can be done
with just a few turns of a dial.
The device behind it all is called the Willamette
Barrel Blending System, as told by Jim Bernau, Wil-
lamette Valley Vineyards owner. This device is the
first in Oregon to be a straight-from-barrel Pinot
Noir blending experience, and is modeled after their
sister winery, Willamette Wineworks’ steampunk
prototype
The barrel blending system took years of re-
search and collaboration from Kyle Gunsul, WVV
shareholder and retired Oregon Health & Science
University medical technician, David Markel,
WVV’s director of research and development and
former Hewlett-Packard engineer, and more, Ber-
nau said.
“We started this project three and a half years
ago initially as just an idea: how do you create a
closed environment that meets the safety and med-
ical requirements of blending in-barrel?” Bernau
said. “We wanted to make sure that the wine
wouldn’t come in contact with the outside world, so
no yeast, bacteria, oxygen; so that was foundational
of device.”
The barrel blending system is currently sta-
tioned in the Orville Roth Barrel Cellar, a space in
the barrel cellar dedicated to the late Orville Roth.
When you enter the cellar, it’s quite a sight to be-
hold: it’s between 10 - 12 feet tall and about 20 feet
long. The wood device has seven, 60-gallon French
oak barrels atop of it, with two “stations” that have
dials and buttons of the front of the system, dictat-
ing percentage of wine and whether to dispense
them.
Wine blending basics
Wine blending is done to take the characteristics
of different grape varieties and combine them to
create different combinations of aromas and fla-
vors. The traditional wine blending experience re-
quires a winery to open multiple barrels and use a
wine thief, a special siphon to gather wine, to de-
posit the different wines into canisters for wine
blending patrons to use later. Once seated, patrons
can measure out the wine into graduated cylinders
and manually calculate the percentages of each
blend, crafting their own blend.
Primary issues that arise from this wine blending
is that the excess wine in the opened barrels are
compromised, since it has been exposed to the out-
side air and bacteria. The new barrel blending de-
vice would alleviate the issue of waste, since it
takes directly from the barrel and deposits the exact
amount as dictated by any of the dials on the front,
so whatever is left in the barrel can continue to be
used for future tastings.
See DEVICE, Page 3B
See MEETINGS, Page 3B
Obituaries
Viola Kollen
Merle G. Kaufman
MT. ANGEL - Viola
Kollen, age 94 of Mt.
Angel, OR passed away
peacefully on October 31,
2021 at Salem Hospital.
Viola was born on March
8, 1927 in Pierz, Minne-
sota to Leo and Loretta
Duerr. She was the oldest
of 8 children.
Viola worked for 28
years at the Mt. Angel
Abbey Press. From there, she worked at Wilco
Farmers for 10 years. After she retired, she vol-
unteered at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Viola was
devoted to her Catholic faith, was a member of
St. Ann’s Altar Society and attended daily Mass at
Mt. Angel Towers while she lived there.
Viola is survived by her son, David (Betty)
of Brookings, brother, Abbot Gregory Duerr at
Mt. Angel Abbey, sister, Sharon (Dale) Kadell of
Wilsonville and sister, Barbara (John) Nibler of
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, as well as 3 grand-
children, 3 great grandchildren and one great great
grandson, born hours before her death. She was
preceded in death by her parents, son, Dennis
Kollen, sisters, Erna Kasper, Esther Messer, Dorine
Nissen and Dolores Duerr.
Viola was devoted to her family and loved spend-
ing time with them. She willingly sacrificed her
time and energy to her family. One of the high-
lights of her life was a 6 week trip to Ireland to
visit her son and his wife. Viola enjoyed writing
poems, which were always treasured by her family.
She also had a love for dogs, especially her son’s
dog, Emma.
Services will be held under the direction of Un-
ger Funeral Chapel. Recitation of the Rosary will
be at 10:30 am with Mass to follow at 11:00 am
on Thursday, November 4 at St. Mary’s Catholic
Church in Mt. Angel. Interment is at Calvary
Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Mt.
Angel Abbey, 1 Abbey Dr., St. Benedict, OR 97373.
SILVERTON - Merle George Kaufman, 87, passed
away at home, surrounded by his family, on
November 2, 2021. He was born to George and
Florence (Kuenzi) Kaufman on October 6, 1934, in
Silverton, Oregon. As the owner of Kaufman Ma-
sonry for over 40 years, he completed many proj-
ects in the Willamette Valley. His artistic abilities
also showed through in his love of woodworking,
where he created many keepsakes for his family.
But most of all, he loved his family. His
grandchildren brought much happiness to his
life, which he quite often made known to others.
He married Sharon Young from Cissna Park, Illi-
nois, on May 6, 1967. He is preceded in death by
his parents, brother Fredrick and brother Steven
(Wilma) Kaufman. He is survived by his wife Sha-
ron and his four children, Fred Kaufman, Rodney
Kaufman, Tomina Kaufman and Sophia (Ivan)
Schurter; his four grandchildren, Jake, Maddie,
Brody and Henry; his sister Mary (William) Dett-
wyler and his brothers, Gary (Sue) Kaufman, Mel-
vin (Sally) Kaufman, Dean (DarylAnn) Kaufman
and Duane (Kathleen) Kaufman. He was also a
beloved Uncle to many nieces and nephews. The
family would like to express their appreciation to
all who cared for and supported him and his family
over the years, and especially in the last month
before his death. Private graveside services were
held at the German Apostolic Christian Cemetery
on November 5, 2021.
Due to the holiday,
our offi ce hours and
obituary placement
times may vary.
Please contact us at
503-399-6789 or
obituary@statesmanjournal.com
for further details.
OR-GCI0718270-01
Willamette Barrel Blending System is the first
straight-from-barrel Pinot Noir blending
experience in Oregon. The Pinot Noir clone
varieties available for blending at Willamette
Valley Vineyards include Pommard, Wädenswil,
Dijon 113, Dijon 114, Dijon 115, Dijon 667 and Dijon
777. ABIGAIL DOLLINS / STATESMAN JOURNAL
Monument
Continued from Page 1B
The proposed monument would have two inter-
connected management zones: an Upper Unit
(38,500 acres), that would preserve opportunities
for quiet recreation, solitude and other wilderness
values; and a Lower Unit (27,300 acres), where
management would focus on restoring ecological
health to those public lands.
Overall, the legislation would:
h Create a new 66,000-acre national monument
that would connect to the Painted Hills unit of the
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
h Authorize local land exchanges to consolidate
public lands ownership in the region and convey
approximately 1,300 acres to the City of Mitchell for
public recreation and local development;
h Protect all land located inside the national
monument by permanently withdrawing them
from new mining claims;
h Require development of a wildfire risk assess-
ment and a comprehensive monument manage-
ment plan that will include wildfire mitigation and
transportation management components;
h Continues to allow grazing within the monu-
ment.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in
Oregon for 13 years and is host of the Explore Oregon
Podcast. To support his work, subscribe to the
Statesman Journal. Urness can be reached at zur-
ness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801.
Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.