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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 2015)
PAGE A2, KEIZERTIMES, NOVEMBER 20, 2015 Gahlsdorf stepping down after 18 years presented by DRIVE A LITTLE – SAVE A BUNCH! 3893 COMMERCIAL ST SE • SALEM MORE INFO AT NORTHERNLIGHTSTHEATREPUB.COM UFC 194 Aldo vs. McGregor Saturday, November 28, at 11:00 am MOVIE: P AN [ PG ] Sensory Sensitive Show ONLY $3 Special showing for kids and adults with Autism or other sensory sensitivities. UPCOMING EVENTS SATURDAY, DEC 12TH —–———— 21 & OVER —————— Live Fights at 5 pm – Tickets $12 9 fi ghts in all on the HUGE screen! Reserved Seats Available Now Online MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL Every week on the Big Screen! CLOSED CAPTION MOVIE Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 6 pm. “Maze Ruuner” THANKSGIVING BREAK MATINEES - All Week XMAS BREAK MATINEES - All Break Long Today in History Twenty-four high-ranking Nazis go on trial in Nuremberg, Germany, for atrocities committed during World War II. — November 20, 1945 Food 4 Thought “Show me a man who claims he is objective and I’ll show you a man with illusions.” — Henry R. Luce, 20th century publisher The Month Ahead Friday, November 20 Oregon Symphony Association in Salem presents Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 27 with pianist Franceso Piemontesi. Also on the program: Concerto for Orchestra, Brahms’ Symphony No. 3. orsymphonysalem.org. Saturday, November 21 Whiteaker Middle School’s annual Stuff the Bus food drive. Deliver perishable food to school bus in the Keizer Safeway parking lot, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday, November 21 – Sunday, November 22 Old Fashion Christmas, Jackman-Long Building at Oregon State Fairgrounds. A nostalgic celebration of the holidays. Arts, crafts, antiques, food, live entertainment. Admission is $4. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Sunday. www.centraloregonshows.com. Sunday, November 22 The Creation, considered Joseph Haydn’s greatest work, will be presented by Festival Chorale Oregon, 4 p.m. at the Historic Elsinore Theatre. Tickets are $20, $15 for seniors, $5 for students. festivalchorale.org. Tuesday, November 24 Keizer Public Arts Commission meeting, 6 p.m. in council chambers at Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE. Thursday, November 26 Turkey Dash 5K Fun Run/Walk presented by the Keizer Chamber of Commerce. Registration opens at 7 a.m., race starts at 8 a.m. www.keizerchamber.com. Friday, November 27 Santa arrives aboard the Carousel Express at Salem’s Riverfront Carousel at noon, 101 Front Street NE in Salem. Free event. Sip complimentary hot cocoa while waiting in anticipation for Santa. Additional activities for a charge (photos, face painting, food services). More information www.salemcarousel.org Friday, November 27 – Sunday, December 13 The 1940s Radio Hour at the Historic Grand Theatre, downtown Salem. Presented by Enlightened Theatrics. Performances 7:30 p.m. Wed-Sat. and 2:30 p.m. matinees on Sundays. Tickets range from $15-$20. enlightenedtheatrics.org. 503-585-3427. Friday, November 27 – Sunday, January 3 Christmas in the Garden at The Oregon Garden, 879 W. Main Street, Silverton. Enjoy ice skating, traditional German Christmas Market with 18 artisan vendors, festive music, taste holiday foods, live reindeer, photos with Santa and walk through 400,000+ Christmas lights in the forest. Admission: $11 adults, $5 children, free for children 4 and under. Open 10 a.m. daily. More information at www. oregongarden.org. Saturday, November 28 Santa Claus arrives by helicopter to Volcanoes Stadium. Noon to 3 p.m. Free photos with Santa. Tuesday, December 1 Holiday Tree Lighting at Walery Plaza on River Road N, 6 p.m. Two kids’ names will be drawn to help Santa fl ip the tree lights on at 7 p.m. at this free event. Wednesday, December 2 Artists in Action’s annual Something Red Art Walk, Exhibit & Sale, downtown Salem. Art walk held 5-7 p.m. Awards reception at Elsinore Framing and Fine Art Gallery, 444 Ferry St. SE, 7-8 p.m. Something Red exhibition runs through Dec. 31. Visit something red.org for more information. Thursday, December 3 – Friday, December 4 Christmas in Hudson Hall, 7:30 p.m., Willamette University campus. Tickets are $10. 503-370-6255. Friday, December 4 The Trail Band performs traditional music at their annual Salem Holiday performance, 7:30 p.m. at the Elsinore Theatre. Tickets range from $25.50 - $40. www. elsinoretheatre.com Add your event by e-mailing news@keizertimes.com. By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes Shortly after the new year starts, Susan Gahlsdorf will fi nish her transition plan. Gahlsdorf, Keizer’s Finance Director for the last 18 years, confi rmed to the Keizertimes this week she is retiring. “I am leaving after 18 years with the city,” Gahlsdorf said on Tuesday. “January 8 will be my last day. I have been work- ing through a transition plan for over a year now, not know- ing how all of this would work with all the uncertainties of life. But my family responsi- bilities continue to grow and it’s time for a lifestyle change. I will miss everyone terribly. It has been an honor and privi- lege working for Keizer.” Tim Wood, Keizer’s as- sistant controller who has worked alongside Gahlsdorf for the last six years, is serving as interim Finance Director. “Susan is transitioning into retirement,” Wood said. “Susan will be with the city for a cou- ple more months. However, she is stepping back from the daily operations. I am serving as the interim Finance Direc- tor until the open recruitment process can be completed.” Wood added he is inter- ested in the job on a full-time basis. Though one wouldn’t know by looking at her, Gahlsdorf noted she’s been in public service for 34 years. She was previously an auditor for the Oregon Secretary of State. Before that, she worked in the private sector. She has been Finance Director her entire time in Keizer. Gahlsdorf said there were some projects she pushed hard to see completed before retir- ing. “I really wanted to see through the Keizer Station LID (Local Improvement Dis- trict) debt situation and make sure the city was on track with its debt service payments with an income stream that would allow it to pay off its debt when due,” she said. “Unless something unanticipated hap- pens, the city is now on track with its repayment plan.” According to Gahlsdorf, many city councilors, citizens and other jurisdictions wanted to see the North River Road Urban Renewal District close. That happened at the end of the 2014-15 fi scal year in June, a year earlier than scheduled. All outstanding debts for the district were repaid. “We also repaid interest bearing taxing jurisdictions the remaining debt owed from the Urban Renewal Ninth Amendment,” Gahlsdorf said. “That debt was due in 2021 and it was very gratifying to have it paid off early.” KEIZERTIMES fi le/Craig Murphy Susan Gahlsdorf (far left) is retiring as Keizer’s Finance Director but has been training assistant controller Tim Wood (middle) before she leaves. Gahlsdorf just completed a Request for Proposal process for audit services, which will go to the Keizer City Council in December for approval. She has also been working with Wood for the past year, cross- training him on her responsi- bilities. “I felt it important to im- plement a transition plan to ensure all critical fi nancial functions work properly and timely,” she said. Gahlsdorf ’s last task is to prepare the budget document for fi scal year 2016-17, which starts on July 1. “By January, I will turn it over to staff to prepare their recommended budgets for the upcoming year,” she said. Gahlsdorf has appreciated the conservative nature of city leadership in regards to fi nances. “In my years of service, I believe the city council and budget committee have been fairly conservative and very thoughtful in making the de- cisions necessary to keep the city in good shape fi nancially,” she said. “Of course I wish our general fund long-range fore- cast was stronger. While we’re seeing positive trends with new growth and development, health insurance premiums and retirement rate increases take a toll. Our past practice has been to recognize these challenges and make the nec- essary adjustments and I am hopeful that will continue go- ing forward.” Parks district not only funding option By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes A parks district is just one of the options that will be ex- plored in order to get more money for Keizer’s parks. That was the update giv- en at Monday’s Keizer City Council meeting. As mentioned in last week’s Keizertimes, members of the Keizer Parks and Recreation Advisory Board talked with city councilor Marlene Par- sons during their Nov. 10 meeting about the idea of starting a local parks district. Like similar setups in Spring- fi eld and Bend, such a dis- trict would allow funding to be brought in specifi cally for parks, instead of the general fund where money for other key services such as police comes from. A local example of such a district is the Keizer Fire Dis- trict. public hearings The Keizer City Coun- cil will hold a public hearing Monday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. to consider a petition to vacate 688 feet of Ridge Drive NE. The council meeting takes place in council chambers at Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE. Parks Board member J.T. Hager gave an update during Monday’s council meeting. “I like parks and recreation districts,” Hager said. “We take a very limited amount of money and try to meet all the needs of Keizer. That’s a huge job. We won’t have an abun- dance of money anytime in the future, I don’t believe. “Having said that, I believe parks are a key part of commu- nity vitality,” he added. “I want to make sure we have stable funding to maintain what we have and for improvements that will benefi t people. We are very interested in work- ing with council on the pos- sibility of having a parks and recreation district. It will also relieve some of the stress you go through (in budgeting).” Hager emphasized this is not an immediate solution, as options have to be vetted. “We will take our time doing this,” Hager said. “It’s a long process. We want to look at why and how it works, and how it will be a benefi t to us. That is one of the goals we defi nitely do have, to create a permanent parks and recre- ation district.” Mayor Cathy Clark sought some clarifi cation. “Is this something the Parks Board voted on, or is this just one of the options you’re ex- ploring?” Clark asked. Keizer Parks Board member J.T. Hager talks about a potential parks district to Keizer City Councilors on Nov. 16. KEIZERTIMES/ Craig Murphy Hager said it was the latter. “We didn’t vote,” he said. “We don’t have enough infor- mation at this time. We want to gather the proper informa- tion fi rst. It’s pretty much a consensus that we do want to have adequate funding. We’re blessed to have (parks super- visor) Robert Johnson, who is doing a yeoman’s job with what he’s got. Our parks look better than they should with the funding we have.” Hager pointed out fu- ture improvements at Keizer Rapids Park will be hard to do with the current funding structure. “It’s becoming more and more a jewel, but there is still more to be done,” he said. “We want staff to get cost estimates for parts in the master plan.” Clark addressed both Hag- er and Parsons. “As the Parks Board looks at options of what you need and how to pay for it, look at a variety of funding options rather than just one,” the may- or said. “A parks district is not the only funding mechanism available, so bring forward a number of options.” Hager and Parsons agreed. “This is just one piece,” Parsons said of a parks district. local weather sudoku looking back in the KT 5 YEARS AGO City: ‘No Hoop’ at Keizer Rapids Strict zoning won’t allow big developments, offi cials say. City staff are seeking to defuse ru- mors of elaborate basketball facilities and other high traffi c amenities coming with annexa- tion near Keizer Rapids Park. Enter digits from 1-9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square. 3893 COMMERCIAL ST SE 10 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK’S MOVIE TIMES Chaos in Keizer Man fi res on police offi - cer, homes, crashes truck into courthouse. Christopher L. Mills is accused of ditching a car on River Road and then driv- ing a 1970s pickup truck into Marion County Courthouse. 15 YEARS AGO Keizer prepares for Christmas Basket It’s only November, but already Keizer merchants are signing on to participate in the annual Keizer Chamber of Commerce Christmas basket program. 20 YEARS AGO State grant could add teen voice to sex ed McNary High School students could begin teaching sexual abstinence to Whiteaker Middle School student, if the school district obtains a state grant for an innovative new program. KEIZERTIMES.COM Web Poll Results How should law enforcement handle drug use-related offenses? 63% – Connect offenders to treatment programs 37% – Incarcerate offenders Vote in a new poll every Thursday! 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