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