2
November
News
Photo by Aiex Houston
Band members perform polka numbers at the Model
United Nations club’s fall fundraiser. The Oktoberfest
festival promoted cultural awareness as well as serving
up food and fun.
Photo by Aiex Houston
Students mill through Model UN's Oktoberfest, purchasing traditional German food and listening to authentic German music. The Oct. 22 event served both as a fundraiser
for the club as well as an event to promote cultural awareness.
Model United Nations hosts Oktoberfest cultural evening
J ennifer S itton
The pungent sm ells of
warm German potato sal
ad and bratwursts wafted
through the street, students
wandered around wearing
little, green German hats and
the sounds of an authentic
accordion player were all part
of an Oktoberfest fundraiser
root beer garden. Money raised
will help subsidize the costs of
the MUN conference they will
attend in April at the University
of Oregon.
"These events help us raise
awareness," Gregory White,
senior, said. "They also help
us raise money to attend the
conference."
For the last three years,
according to which country the
team will represent at the MUN
conference. Past events have
included India Night, Brazil
ian Soccer Tournament and a
Sierra Leone movie night. This
year's Oktoberfest theme came
about after the team learned that
they would be representing the
interests of Germany at the 2011
conference.
wursts, sauerkraut and warm,
German potato salad, courtesy
of Philadelphia's and Zenner's
Sausage Company. Root beer
was also available at the root
beer garden tent.
Besides food, the Oktoberfest
also featured live music from
accordion player Steve Knapke,
president of the Rose City
Accordion Club, and a polka
u t o n b y tb e M o d e l U n ite d
a t io n s C l u b h e l d o n O c t.
s in c e T o d d J o n e s b e c a m e th e
a d v is e r, t h e M U N c lu b h a s h e ld
T h e m a in d r a w to th e e v e n t
w a s th e t r a d i t i o n a l G e r m a n
b a n d , a s s e m b le d o f m e m b e r s
o f W L H S 's s tu d e n t b a n d .
22. The event also included a
a country-themed fundraiser
food, which included brat
"We had a lot of enthusias
tic people running around
wearing German flags and
doing the chicken dance. It
was awesome," White said.
"The kitchen staff (Danielle
Grenier and Jacquoline Steeh,
seniors) was also incredible."
While the main point of
the Oktoberfest was to serve
as a fundraiser, according to
White, it ended up being a
fun' t a s t Y w a Y ttf ggSfld *L
Friday evening for those who
attended.
West Linn proposes aquatic center, plans to move forward
M ax B lumenthal
West Linn citizens are
pushing harder than ever
to have a w ater park. Now
design costs are still being
decided, as the planning
com m ittee has not chosen
w hat to include. The plan
is for the center to be built
The new pool would make it a lot easier
for the Swim Team. Right now we have
to bus all the way to Tualatin to prac
tice and we don't end up getting home
until 10 p.m., so we have basically no
time to do our homework.”
— Taylor Fletter, senior
there is an end product in
sight. West Linn Parks and
Recreation has put together
a team of consultants to
decide how to build the
center, w orking w ith a
group called OPSIS that
has built an aquatic center
in Vancouver, Wash, and
various other aquatic
centers around the country.
The proposal is sited
on Parker Road, on the
field next to Tanner Creek
Park, land that West Linn
has had annexed from the
state. Possible options for
the center include putting
in a recreational pool, lap
pool, w eight room and a
full gym. The prelim inary
in the next three years, w ith
the possibility of receiving
voter funding on the next
ballot in N ovem ber of 2011.
The group that’s
prom oting this is called the
WAC (West Linn Aquatic
Center) Com m ission.
They are trying to earn
support for the proposal
by obtaining grants to help
pay for it. However, the
proposal has m et some
opposition. People ask,
w hy isn't this m oney going
elsew here, for instance,
education?
However, it's im portant
to know that it is the voters
w ho chose where m oney
goes. M any of these voting
citizens therefore may
not vote in vital funding
m easures, opting to send
m oney for things w hich
they w ant, not w hat they
need. This has crossed
the m inds of the WAC's
planning com m ittee as
w ell w ho have looked to
com bine this proposal w ith
one that w ill put in a new
police station.
"Putting other facilities
on the proposal is possible,
there are couple different
task forces and City Council
decides that," Ken Warner,
D irector of Parks and
Recreation, said. Since the
current police building is
not up to code, they need
funding for a new one.
Voters turned dow n the go-
ahead for a new building
on the previous ballot. In
the future, the West Linn
Photo by Rachael Woolley
The proposed site for the Aquatic Center on Parker Road is located right next to Tanner Creek Park. The
design and construction strategies are still being discussed, as the final product is far down the road and
must be approved by voters.
City C ouncil w ill decide
w hether or not to combine
the proposals.
The revenue for the
aquatic center w ill also help
in the long run, financially,
according to the planning
com m ittee. People have
w ondered if now is the best
tim e for a new building
operation.
O PSIS reports that the
goal of the aquatic facility
w ould be to be financially
stable and not operate at a
deficit. Because West Linn's
average age is above that
of surrounding towns,
the am ount of senior
citizens, and the num ber
of young kids, som e
financial stability is a future
possibility.
A lap pool w ould also
be beneficial to high school
students on the Sw im
Team w ho now travel to
Lake O sw ego, Lew is and
Clark, or Tualatin for their
sw im m ing.
"The new pool would
m ake it a lot easier for us,"
Taylor Fletter, senior swim
team m em ber, said. "Right
now w e have to bus all the
w ay to Tualatin to practice
and w e don't end up
getting hom e until 10 p.m.,
so w e have basically no
tim e to do our hom ew ork."