JUNE 5, 2015, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A11
MOLES,
continued from Page A1
“There was a sandwich
board framed sign, right in the
middle of the sidewalk,” Brown
said. “(Guisinger) was told by
Ben he couldn’t do that. Nigel
said the mayor (Cathy Clark)
told him he didn’t have to move
it. Ben went back, but Nigel
was not available. Ben told an
employee to move the sign or
it would be confi scated. It was
moved.”
Temporarily, at least.
“The next day it was right
back in the same place, so Ben
took the sign,” Brown said. “I
also called and talked to an em-
ployee and said the same thing:
you can’t block the sidewalk
with the sign. We had the same
conversation three times before
the sign was removed. I also said
next time you will get a cita-
tion.”
Brown said that’s according
to the city sign code ordinance,
among other things.
“It’s also according to state
statute, just a lot of things,”
Brown said. “You can’t block
sidewalks.”
Guisinger said he’d been
asked to talk about signs at the
Keizer Economic Development
Commission – chaired by the
mayor – two weeks prior.
“I’ve met with the mayor and
I met with Lore (Christopher)
when she was mayor,” Guising-
er said. “Everyone realizes it was
a bad policy with signs. The city
has some bad rules on the book,
including the sign code. We’ve
had the conversation with all
these other people. People need
to see we’re in business on Riv-
er Road.”
Guisinger said the widen-
ing of River Road in the 1980s
encroached on parking lots for
businesses up and down the
main thoroughfare, severely
limiting space for buildings like
his, one of the oldest business
buildings in Keizer.
week with Connie Lemus,
the mother of the other vic-
tim. “(Blackman) intended to
harm the two boys. We’re try-
ing to let people know he’s
out there.”
Morales and Lemus resort-
ed to posting signs in the areas
where their sons were stalked
in hopes of getting the word
out. A Facebook post that in-
cluded some of the same in-
formation had been shared
several thousand times.
Morales said Blackman was
waiting for her son as he made
his way home from school
April 16.
“He was walking down Ver-
da and there was a car slowly
following. Once he crossed
the street, the car followed and
pulled in front of him, block-
ing his path. It caused him
to walk past the driver’s side
window and (Blackman) was
staring at him. He went up
to a house as though that was
where he was going and the
guy drove off,” Morales said.
After learning of what had
transpired, Morales called the
Keizer police and a detective
was at their home within an
hour.
“They had already learned
about the other attempt be-
cause the boy had run right to
the police station after the guy
disappeared. His mom said he
hid behind a tree while watch-
ing (Blackman) drive back and
forth looking for him,” Mo-
rales said.
As a result of the incident,
Morales now drops her son
off at school and relatives are
picking him up. He has also
missed several days as a result
of the incident.
In a letter to the judge,
Morales had encouraged Abar
to consider Blackman’s intent
as much as his actions.
“(The) sentence is really
the only amount of time that
myself and the other victim’s
mother will have any peace of
mind, because we will know
that Mr. Blackman will not
be able to harm our sons or
any other child in our com-
munity,” she wrote.
KIDNAP,
continued from Page A1
nearby hotel room and “de-
sired but did not admit to at-
tempting to lure the boys to
the room.” Blackman also ad-
mitted to pedophilia tenden-
cies.
Blackman’s lack of prior
criminal record was a factor
for the lighter sentence, said
the attorney for the state at a
sentencing hearing Thursday,
May 28.
Kandi Morales, mother of
one of the victims, was more
upset than Abar with the ac-
ceptance of a plea bargain.
“We couldn’t believe it,”
said Morales, who attended
the sentencing hearing last
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“I had the sign on the side-
walk,” Guisinger said. “It’s an
old building. There’s no way
to not block traffi c and still be
within code. The only spot was
on the sidewalk.”
When Brown told him the
decision was made above his
pay grade, Guisinger retorted
to get someone above his pay
grade.
“That probably came across
as jerky,” Guisinger acknowl-
edged.
On the evening of May 27,
Guisinger took to Facebook to
sarcastically thank city staff for
removing his business sign.
“And they ask why business-
es leave Keizer and how the city
can spur economic growth,”
Guisinger wrote. “Hint, don’t
steal signs from businesses.”
Guisinger called the sign be-
ing removed “baloney” and said
he was supposed to get a letter
from the city and get a certain
amount of time to remove the
sign or to fi ght with the city.
“Instead, they just take it. I
said that’s not right,” said Guis-
inger, who fi gured posting
about it on Facebook would do
more than yelling at city hall.
On May 28, Guisinger put
Moles donation signs up at city
hall, with one plus a dryer hook
by a tree outside Brown’s offi ce.
“It was more of a smart ass
move than I should have done,”
Guisinger said. “I fi gured if you
don’t like signs on River Road,
I’ll put it in front of city hall.
Then everyone and their dog
posts about it on Facebook.”
Just for good measure, Guis-
inger also put a dryer on the
sidewalk in front of Moles.
Guisinger said Brown and
Crosby came down to Moles
on May 29 and indicated they
would have to take the dryer.
“I said that’s not a sign,”
Guisinger said. “Technically it is
a monument. I said we can play
the code game if you want.”
A treaty of sorts was reached:
Guisinger was scheduled to
meet with Brown, Crosby and
city councilor Roland Herrera
this week.
“We’ll go through the sign
code and see what has to be
changed, then change it once
and for all,” Guisinger said. “I’m
not the only one being hit by
this. All of the businesses in my
complex are concerned. Other
businesses along River Road
are as well. I probably didn’t go
about it the best way, but if you
just write letters, no change oc-
curs. I had to step it up.”
Brown felt last Friday’s meet-
ing went well.
“We talked about what sign
options he has and how he can
increase his sign areas,” Brown
said. “He was friendly and
agreeable. We returned his sign
with a promise that he wouldn’t
place it on the sidewalk. All’s
well that ends well, I say.”
Guisinger said he’s fi ne being
the lightning rod for contro-
versy if it leads to changes ben-
efi ting Keizer businesses overall
along River Road.
“My hope is that we do get
a code change,” Guisinger said.
“This is the fi rst step of many
things so River Road can be
successful. If that’s what all of
this is, then I’m all on board. It’s
not just for Moles, but for Riv-
er Road as a whole. I want to
help the community. Thankfully
Nate was receptive and I’m glad
we have people like Roland in
our community. This was never
about me. We want to fi x bad
code and policy.”
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
Keizer Rapids Park will have
a different look by the end of
the summer.
Most obviously will be the
addition of the Big Toy play
structure.
Further south in the park,
Jerry Nuttbrock and his crew
are building a patio at the Keiz-
er Rotary Amphitheater this
month.
In between those two loca-
tions, Hans Schneider is look-
ing to build new sand volleyball
courts next month.
Nuttbrock received match-
ing grant program funds at the
Keizer Parks and Recreation
Advisory Board meeting last
month, as detailed in the May
22 Keizertimes.
After Nuttbrock got his
funding, Schneider talked to
Parks Board members about his
project, which followed up on a
discussion he had with the same
board in March.
Schneider will be talking
with Parks Board members
again this month to get funding
from the matching grant pro-
gram, which will have $15,000
for next fi scal year (starting in
July) according to the budget
approved by Keizer City Coun-
cilors on Monday.
“The (KRP) master plan is
laid out for three sand volley-
ball courts,” Schneider said last
month. “We are hoping to start
in mid-July. It will be a two or
three week process. We will be
putting in three courts. Based
on the funding we have, three is
reasonable.”
In his project application,
Schneider listed a total cost of
$48,810. In March, Schneider
pledged $20,000 towards the
project. That would be part of
the $25,000 listed for private
cash and materials donations.
The estimated value of labor
is $19,310, with the additional
$4,500 being requested from
the matching grant program.
Bill Lawyer, Public Works
director for Keizer, noted there
would be roughly $6,700 of
new System Development
Charges funds available if need-
ed. The courts would replace
the current sand court, which
Schneider has previously indi-
cated “wasn’t built properly.”
Schneider feels the project
can be done as scheduled.
“Our hard costs are between
$32,000 and $34,000,” he said.
“Between the money we’re
putting up, the grant money and
SDC money, I think it is very
doable.”
The courts will be 119 feet
in length, 73 feet wide. That
would require the excavation
and removal of 750 yards of dirt.
There would also be 12 inches
of aggregate covered with a
geotextile fabric and 20 to 24
inches of beach sand.
“The purpose of the three
sand volleyball courts is to pro-
vide a place for the community
of Keizer to play and practice
volleyball,” Schneider wrote in
his application. “I am extremely
interested in providing and de-
veloping a summer sand vol-
leyball program for the youth
of Keizer. This would be a huge
benefi t to both the local exist-
ing mid-high and high school
volleyball programs.”
VB courts could come in July
crossword