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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2016)
SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 5 SECTION A JANUARY 1, 2016 $1.00 Keizer’s top stories of 2015 By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes When a city keeps getting new housing developments, apartments and senior living centers, it may seem logical to assume more core services would follow. Such was not the case in Keizer in 2015. As recently as mid-2012, Keizer had three grocery stores. Then Roth’s closed that year. Albertsons closed this year, replaced by a Haggen. A few months later, Haggen closed as well, leaving just Safeway. The stark contrast between Keizer being down to one grocery store and the new growth highlights the top sto- ries of 2015. Grocery store saga The initial plan seemed ambitious. It proved to be an epic disaster. In 2014, grocery store gi- ants Safeway and Albertsons announced a merger. Both companies had a store in Keizer. As part of the merger agreement, the newly merged company had to sell off a number of stores. Late in 2014, Washington- based retailer Haggen took advantage of the situation and went from 18 stores to 164 stores practically overnight. The ambitious plan for the regional chain included con- verting stores quickly – in 72 hours or less. Such was the case with the former Albert- sons in Keizer, which became a Haggen in late April. From the start, things didn’t go well. There were com- plaints that prices at Haggen stores – in Keizer and else- where – were higher than in other stores. There were grumbles that Haggen didn’t put in a full effort to renovat- ing the stores it took over. And then there were the ugly lawsuits. Haggen sued Al- bertsons and claimed, among other things, Albertsons didn’t fulfi ll its end of the deal. Alb- ertsons sued Haggen. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Haggen soon declared bank- KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy The juxtaposition that was Keizer in 2015: as new construction such as the Mountain West/Bonaventure project on McLeod Lane (right; seen this week) happened all over town, one of the city's two grocery stores closed when Haggen shuttered (left). ruptcy and announced plans to close most of the stores it had recently purchased, in- cluding the Keizer location. The Keizer Haggen quietly closed in late September. In the time since, the town has been abuzz with hopes and rumors of a new grocery store coming. A Keizertimes reader poll found the majority of respondents preferred hav- ing a WinCo come to town. A Facebook page was created and a number of e-mails were sent to company headquarters. Nothing has been an- nounced yet, but the entire saga was front page news throughout the year, with little signs of stopping in the new year. Growth in Keizer The most visible sign of growth in Keizer is taking shape on McLeod Lane. The newly expanded part off Che- mawa Road, that is. That’s where McLeod has been punched out to the east and foundations are being laid for both the 180-apartment complex by Mountain West Investment and the 154-unit senior living center by Bo- naventure. The fi rst buildings started going up within the last week. Growth can also be seen on the north end of town, as a new senior living community is under construction and the Hawks Pointe Apartments are being added to. In addition, several new housing developments have either been added or are being added. In the fi rst half of 2015, there were 62 permits for sin- gle family residential units ap- plied for. That included 18 on one day alone in June. Another sign of growth is the roundabout being added at Chemawa and Verda Lane. The project was supposed to be done this year, but got pushed back to next sum- mer. Despite objections to the project, bids were opened in November. November election: transit and KFD Few would argue the Sa- lem-Keizer area needs im- proved bus service, especially in terms of how long the bus- es should run and how many days a week. Thus, efforts by Salem Area Mass Transit Dis- trict offi cials to run a bal- lot measure asking for more funding seemed logical. s e p o l s Please see 2015, Page A2 Ready for Rules update for rec marijuana PAGE A7 the Look back at the year in sports PAGE A8 What is the next priority for KRP? KEIZERTIMES fi le/Craig Murphy Recent changes at Keizer Rapids Park have included ones at the amphitheater, but what will the next ones be? By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes The Big Toy portion of Keizer Rapids Park is pretty much fi gured out. What about the rest of the park? In 2014, the master plan for KRP was updated as part of moving the play structure to its location in the fi lbert or- chard. While amenities were put into place on a map, there wasn’t much discussion about costs or priorities. Such a conversation took place during December’s Keizer Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting. Robert Johnson, parks di- rector for the city, said a path- way from the boat-in camp- ground along the Willamette River to the gate where disc golf begins would be about 2,500 feet in length and cost about $100,000. “With multi-use sports courts, the options are end- less,” Johnson said. “It depends on what you’re looking for. If that’s a priority, I can get some numbers.” Parks Board member Rich- ard Walsh said sports courts have been talked about for several years. “The reason being is it could be done cheaper than a parking lot,” Walsh said. “We really don’t have an outdoor basketball court area.” Johnson noted he’s had a request for a different type of court. “I’ve had people ask me if they can play pickleball,” he said. “It’s a life size version of ping pong, played on a tennis court.” The New Y ear always starts with a Choice! Please see KRP, Page A6 KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy After serving as Keizer's Finance Director for 18 years, Susan Gahlsdorf is retiring and will be focused on things like skiing, not fi nancial and compliance books. By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes If you’re looking to catch up with Susan Gahlsdorf after Jan. 8, make sure your skis are ready. That’s the day Gahlsdorf offi cially retires from the city of Keizer after 18 years as Finance Man- ager. Tim Wood is fi lling the spot on an interim basis and has expressed interest in the job on a permanent basis. Gahlsdorf has been in public service for more than 30 years, including her time at the state, but is looking forward to her next phase. In a way, her timing couldn’t be better. “I plan to do a lot of skiing and this season has started out great with lots of snow,” she said. “I skied regularly as a kid as I grew up near Mt. Bachelor. Then I set it aside to spend time with my family and to focus on my work. Over 30 years later, I took it up again. After a few runs, it all came back to me and now I’m hooked again.” Mind you, Gahlsdorf won’t be just skiing after retiring. “I’ve worked a very sedentary job in my 30- some years in fi nance,” she said. “Now I look MHS boys basketball PAGE A9 forward to a more active lifestyle and plan to ski, cycle, golf, travel and learn new stuff while I am still young enough to enjoy these things.” As mentioned in a September 2010 Keizer- times story, Gahlsdorf is the daughter of a pilot yet was scared of fl ying herself. She credits her sons, now 28 and 24, for getting her over that fear. “My kids were my inspiration,” she said. “Oli- ver fl ew off to Australia to become a surfer dude for a year and Wendell left to pursue studies in Colorado. I admired their courage and realized I couldn’t just hang out at home. I was missing out. “So I decided to take a ‘face your fears’ cy- cling tour in Italy,” Gahlsdorf added. “I hadn’t been on a bike since I crash landed in the hos- pital several years earlier. I had to get on a plane, then get on a bike. It was the best trip ever. Last year we did another cycling tour, this time in Germany, Austria and Czech Republic. Next year we’re headed to Sicily with our group of cycling friends and we look forward to many more adventures.” Please see SKIING, Page A6 FAMILY FIRST 503 - 588- 2674 — www.SalemImaging.com 1165 Union St. NE #100 – Salem