Image provided by: Friends of the Sandy Public Library; Sandy, OR
About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 1988)
• Mr '•* * 2 S A ND Y ( O r * ) P O S I Thurs January 21 ■•• A*’* K * * l9W i S « I) The Sandy Post Editorial & Opinion Scott N e w to n e d ito r K a rm d o H e d lu n d a d v e rtis in g re p re s e n ta tiv e Safety net reducing quality of programs Safety-net financing, approved statewide by voters and im plemented this school year, is adversely affecting the quality of education in the Sandy Elementary District. The safety net allows districts to levy the same amount each year without seeking a vote of the public. It does not allow for growth or for districts to make up losses in revenue from the state or federal governments. In the first year of the program, cuts were made in the San dy library program. Librarians were taken out of the libraries at Kelso and Eirwood schools, and the librarian at Sandy Grade School took over the operations at all three schools. The change has not been drastic, but it has had a detrimen tal effect. Classroom teachers now must teach library skills instead of allowing specialists to do that job. While classroom teachers generally are quailified to teach a broad range of subjects, they are not as highly trained in the specific area of library skills. Someone who reads reviews and orders books, organizes the library and sets up the card catalog is more qualified to promote reading materials and teach children how to find research materials. The change also has slightly increased the load on teachers. The libraries are occasionally closed in the district because no staff people are available to keep them open. The prospects for next year, under safety-net financing, also are not encouraging. Three teaching positions and three maintenance positions are scheduled for elimination unless taxpayers approve a levy or tax base. That could mean larger class sizes in the growing district. Also, the buildings in the Sandy Elementary District historically have been well maintained. But cutting the maintenance staff will not be without consequences. Maybe that is what the taxpayers want a clamping down on programs But taxpayers also should be aware of what they are getting, and our observation is that cuts in the library have hurt the quality of education in the district. LETTERS i five guidelines listed above is the on ly comprehensible choice Patty Klascius Sandy S to n e b u ild in g b e st fo r lib ra ry 1 would like you to strongly con sider the Stone building for expan sion of city services, specifically library and police As a member of the Policy Board of the Cooperative Library Network of Clackamas County, I studied the re c e n tly co m m issioned $45,000 library planning report by HBW Associates, national consultants on library planning S tu d e n ts a re n ’t ta u g h t basics Your article on the high school •‘Prescription (.earning la b " on Jan 14 was very positive and informative However, I feel Superintendent Kent Heaton deserves more credit After all. it was Mr Heaton who The chapter on site selection pro sold the program to the board And cesses for local libraries suggests convinced the teachers' union they five key factors to be considered should cooperate If it wasn't for Mr when acquiring sites for local Heaton, it never would have happen ed libraries They are Also. 1 think special comment is 1 Proximity to users at other ac needed concerning the 120 students tivity places 2 Visibility 3 Ac enrolled in the lab These students cessibility 4 Neighborhood com are not enrolled in the lab because of patibility and image 5 Site size and learning problems, but because they suitability weren't taught the basics in grades From my observations, the Stone one through eight I understand ap^ site meets or exceeds each and every proxim ately 30 percent of the one of these guidelines For these students entering ninth-grade are not reasons. I urge you to consider this prepared to work at that level site Meanwhile, back at the grade In addition, using this building now school they are conducting a study on has some unique advantages to the their quality program and maybe in Sandy city core If you wish to con 1080 or 1900 will make some minor tinue having a downtown, you must adjustments a ttra c t people there Having a Parents, if your student is getting library located in the center of town good grades, check a little closer will do this, helping to make adjacent luist week a ninth-grade student sites more attractive to other small helped me with a project When it businesses came time to pay for his labor, he Otherwise, considering the lengths told me seven hours When question of vacancy of the old Thriftway ed he recounted on his fingers and building, Crockett's and Buckboard came up with eight, so I paid him for Pizza i now occupied i, adding 8 4 , which was the correct amount of a n o th er large v ac an t building tune downtown will turn it into a ghost Now, to add insult to injury, based town on grades to date, this student will be While not a city resident myself, on the honor roll by y ear's end Isn't being on the high school board of that great' directors makes me extremely cogni P S This student does not know zant of total tax rates of our district's geography any better than basic patrons. math John King I believe taxpayers in this area Affordable Education Association need relief, and in my opinion the Sandy least expensive site that meets the sas Sj* . -V «*'*/» - .r ÛUR EDUOTIOMI MIÇTÛN iS TO ¡EACH KtSFÖNSlt ì UTY. KOLI IHbrKfcSStS P e rso n a lly s p e a k in g Task force m em ber defends option by PHIL JONSBI II Special fur The Post There has recently been con siderable effort on the part of several members of our community to have the Sandy City Council try to acquire the Stone building and move the library and police department there rather than to accept the task force recommendation to expand th«- pre sent City Hall The task forte report was such a brief statement of a complex issue that I, as a member of the task force would like to attempt to outline some of the reasons for our decisions I believe that all the task forte members would like to have recom mended a new city complex that would have satisfied everyone s needs, but we recognizetl that Sandy has been through very difficult economic times anti it w as felt that if we can't pass a school levy election we have no business buy ing addi tional property at major «- xjm - iis «- The following are some of the reasons we decided on City Hall ex pansion (USPS 481 180) < > " •» • • M » - » p o r » . «,«■ *« » o < » « K » ' H o -o n e l .~*t, ISv..<fcn. «-. *• IX.«U«W Rvfcl.,«,.«, Co « " * iu l . « Vo«.«. O »W vuk . «>»• ’ •>> Vo, c l Oo.. poeo«. 6 68 55 48 SUBSCRIPTION RATES I Mu'»n.wn*»*« tOVnN «e> — In onj Poe«« Coo»' S $1, M $14 00 M o » o'-*) Fo* i4x Coo«» %♦«»•« pO« »*>' Sandy Fov« Sandy O re g o n 97055 i « 00 $10 00 No 3 $17 00 Januory 7 l-ZHS • We don't believe government should be expanding Instead, they should make do" with modestly ex panded quarters • We don't believe taxpayers would pass a bond issue for buying addi tional property at a major expense Expansion of the present building would eliminate the need for addi tional property • We don't believe it would be credible to have the City Hall used only by a small staff and have the library and police department moved to a different location • We believe that there is better supervision of departm ents if they are not M attered in different loca- tions • We believe that the present loca tion of the police department has been a deterrent to vandalism of City Hall and Meinig Park • We don t believe the [»rune com mercial property should be taken off the tax rolls Remember that the taxes exempted from any property purchased by the city would lx- an ad ded burden to the remaining city tax payers The Stone property is a major tax contributor in the city and the loss of this over the period of a bond issue would be significant • If the Stone property was pur chased, not only would we lose the tax money, but choice property would not be available to a prospec tive com m ercial business, thus possibly fu r th e r d e lay in g the revitalization of the area • City Hall was designed so that it could be expanded, and the building was located on property so that it could be expanded • Acquiring another building would require the monthly cost of a phone system and other utilities, heat, m aintenance and additional in surance on two buildings instead of one • Cost estim ates of the Stone building did not include money for the Boitano property. We agree that parking is not the best at City Hall but if we are going to economize, people can walk an extra block or so I frequently go to City Hall and I have rarely had to walk even ' half a block from my car Expanding City Hall will not take away any parking spaces. At the time, I personally opposed locating City Hall where it is, but that is water under the dam " The in vestment was made, and I think we should make the best of it. The task force believed that the op tion to purchase the Stone building had some good features, such as good appearance, good parking, and the benefits to the general area of creating pedestrian activity, but after holding 10 meetings this sum mer and fall, we voted to recommend expanding City Hall. My personal feeling is that the ex pansion of City Hall could be ac complished for considerably less money than is currently proposed, and I hope the City Council will find ways to do this The task force did not have time to try to do this If the cost can not be cut considerably, 1 would not want to proceed with it. If economic conditions improve in Sandy, and if Oregon changes its tax system so that school support is taken off the taxpayers' shoulders, then we can think about getting some of the amenities we can't afford now G ro ce r basks in w a rm th o f ro a s t He didn't wear his familiar green apron Except for a couple of years off for World War II and a few years sam |)l ing and rejecting retirement. Boy Meger has been a grocer for 57 y ears The green wrap-around apron he wears is as much a part of him as his shy smile and th«* 1 way the ducks his head Or his funny habit of rubbing his hands together as he stands behind the counter of th«' l'routilale (¡eneral Store It was part roast and jiart love feast Sunday when people told tales on Meger at th«- lroutdale Historical Society meeting In honor of the oc< a sion, Meger took, off his apron and closed up shop for two hours The society gave the grocer a historical m arker to put on the front of his store The marker tells how tin- business was started ill l routdale in 1891. how it sold everything from buckets to Bull Durham " How Meger bought it in the 1940s after having been a clerk there sum- the age of 15. And then the marker adits something a bit unusual It say s. -Presented in 1988 to Boy Meger, who has sold his gixxls by lantern light in many a winter storm Heads bobbed in agreement when the tale was told about the 1908 !'I89 BOBCATS The Srincfy Post -v A him everythin" you’ve got ” Meger reached into the till and handed over the $20. Cox reported smugly. That same till used to contain wat ches that Meger exchanged for groceries with folks who were down on their luck And it hasn't been that long since the store offered charge The chatting is left to his sister, accounts If it hadn't been for Koy, there Elsie Simnitt. who takes her turn at would have been times when we the cash register There were lots of stories told Sun didn't eat." remembered Edna Alex day Sam Cox remembered th«- time ander he went into the store to ask Meger Ike Handy recalled the time his two for a $20 donation to help a Boy Scout young sons decided to run away from go to camp home Meger obligingly sold them the things they needed for the trip Meger. usually a soft touch, and charged it to their father’s ac re s is te d on that «xcasion He hail just been held up by a robber who stuck a count I always wanted to thank you for finger in his pocket to simulate a gun the fine service you gave them .’’ In addition to losing his « ash to the Handy deadpanned, remembering holdup man. Meger showed Cox an the night that half the community extensive list of donations already turned out to hunt for his kids made Meger beamed and grew red in the Cox. who has a certain reputation for persistence, argued a bit and then face Sunday as people kidded and moved in for the kill I don't unders praised hun Then he spent a half tand it. Boy All 1 want is $20 for a dozen precious words saying thank Boy Scout And you won't give it to you and took his plaque back to the me when I know that all anybody has store He was there bright and early on to do is come in here and stick a finger in his pocket and you'll give Monday In his green apron was the sound of a promise Boy would be at the store Spring came when the chains came off They also used to say that you didn't amount to do anything in Troutdale until Boy Meger talked to you Some people waited years for that honor He hoards his words as though lx- has a limited supply Sharon Nesbtt New Year's blizzard Meger slept in his unheated store in order to be there for his customers The power and th«- heat were off He put the bananas in the insulated meat r ase to keeji them from freezing To keep himself from freezing, he layered sweaters under his green apron But he failed to protect his ears and they turned a vivid purple Some people used to say that you knew winter was here when Meger put the chains on his car Sometimes he would clank to work on bare pave ment for weeks until the chains were really necessary But their sound by A D A M KRAFT
