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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2016)
SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 7 SECTION A JANUARY 15, 2016 $1.00 Gym to fi ll empty Depot space By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes A new gym is tabbed for Schoolhouse Square. It’s location? Right next to an existing gym. Last week, Gary Miller with Utah-based Cumming Construction Inc. submitted an application for a permit at 5045 River Road North, the former site of the Offi ce Depot. The offi ce supply store closed in 2009 and the build- ing in the middle of School- house Square – which is un- der new ownership – has been vacant ever since. When the Keizertimes vis- ited the site on Jan. 8, the large poster telling the nearest Of- fi ce Depot location in Salem was still on display, as well as a for rent sign. By Monday morning, doors were open and cleaning could be seen taking place. According to the permit fi led with Marion County last week, B Fit Health Club is coming in. Tenant improve- ments to the building are list- ed as being worth $600,000. Miller referred questions to Connie Koska, the San Diego, Calif.-based construc- tion project manager with 24 Hour Fitness. Koska did not return messages from the Keizertimes seeking comment, but a worker at the vacant site on Monday said a gym is in- deed coming in. Darren Bloch, principal with Bellevue, Wash.-based Bloch Properties, noted his company closed on the pur- chase of Schoolhouse Square in December and has some prospective tenants for other spaces as well. One of the other spaces in Schoolhouse Square is the former Roth’s grocery store, which closed in the spring of 2012. Especially since the Haggen store closed last September, there has been intense speculation around town about whether a small- er grocer could take over the former Roth’s space. “I do have some plans for the building,” Bloch said. “We have a number of things we’re working on.” As for the gym coming, Bloch said it wasn’t his call about publicizing the news. “I’m the landlord,” he said. “I really need to leave it up to the tenant to decide that. It’s not my place to decide if they want to tell. I will let them de- cide what they are willing to say. They can approach it how- ever they want to do it.” One of the more intriguing aspects of a new gym coming in is the fact Anytime Fitness has its own 24-hour gym right next door. Messages left by the Keizertimes for Eric Martin, owner and manager of that gym, were not returned. Laundromat hearing gets washed back Palma Ciea Park discussion PAGE A2 KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy The doors of the former Offi ce Depot in Schoolhouse Square were open this week as crews prepare the space for a new tenant. Art contest to benefi t KHF By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes How about an art contest that benefi ts students as well as the Keizer Heritage Foun- dation? Mardi Smith talked about such an idea during a recent Keizer Public Arts Commis- sion (KPAC) meeting. Smith, who recently started working at the Keizer Heri- tage Center, told KPAC mem- bers about her conversation with John Roach, who took over the Cherry City Comic Con last year. “I approached him about how to work together, raising money for the Keizer Heri- tage Foundation scholarship that is offered,” Smith said. “He said do an art contest. He’s always big on art and new artists. We have proposed to get into the high schools to do a comic book art contest. Schools would vet their own students and present three of the best to us.” Lore Christopher, the KPAC chair who had previ- ously met with Smith to go over the idea, said the selected art would be put in the display case in Keizer Civic Center. “All we’re trying to do is promote art for kids,” Chris- topher said. Smith said details like the size of the pieces and matting still had to be worked out. “Hopefully we’ll launch this in January, with the win- ners here through March,” Smith said. “We want the public to vote on the best in show. Money raised would split with half into the Keizer Heritage Foundation and half into scholarships for the win- ners of this show.” In addition, Smith said Roach would be displaying three winning entries at the Cherry City Comic Con at the end of April. “It’s a win-win,” Smith said. “To have these opportu- nities is huge. It exposes the Heritage Center and it helps launch artists.” Nate Brown, director of Community Development in Keizer, noted the pieces would have to be somewhat conser- vative if displayed at city hall, since Waypoint Community Church uses the building on Sundays. Please see ART, Page A3 Mural meeting an art extravaganza WMS Google Cardboard PAGE A5 Tony's Kingdom move PAGE A6 KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy Thomas Patrick Healy appears for a short hearing at the Marion County Courthouse Annex on Jan. 7. By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes Salem’s Thomas Patrick Henry was already in quite a bit of legal trouble. Fleeing to Arizona and getting arrested down there didn’t help his cause. Healy, 50, had a plea hear- ing before Judge Audrey Bro- yles in the Marion County Courthouse Annex on Jan. 7. The hearing didn’t last long, as it was pushed back to Friday, Jan. 22. Healy was arrested in Janu- ary 2014 after investigators with the Keizer Police Depart- ment and the Marion County Sheriff ’s Offi ce forced their way into his residence. Healy was arrested at the time and charged with 16 counts each of burglary, criminal mischief and possession of a burglary tool or theft device. In November 2013, KPD offi cers responded to a theft report at Keizer Coin Op Laundry on River Road, where a change machine was reported to be extensively damaged and money was tak- en. Working with investigators from other agencies such as the Salem Police Department, detectives were able to iden- tify Healy and his Jeep from surveillance videos. When au- thorities entered Healy’s resi- dence two years ago, they re- covered evidence linking him to a number of other laun- dromat burglaries from 2013. A loaded handgun and addi- tional ammunition were also found. The crime spree was believed to have taken place between May and November 2013 in various cities around Oregon. Detective Chris Nelson said Healy got a break, but then couldn’t keep clean. “He got a release agree- ment based on overcapacity at the jail,” Nelson said. “He failed to appear for his hearing (in spring 2014), fl ed to Ari- zona, then got arrested down there following a short pur- suit. He was extradited back to Oregon.” In Marion County, Healy is facing 20 charges related to the laundromats, with 13 counts of criminal mischief, fi ve counts of burglary and one count each of aggravated theft and felon in possession of a fi rearm. He also faces nine counts in Lincoln Coun- ty, three counts in Benton County, two counts in Yam- hill County and one count in Clackamas County, for a total of 35 counts in fi ve counties. Please see HEALY, Page A7 Two wrestlers win tourney PAGE A10 KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy Barbara Hunter (far left) has fellow artists look over a couple of her paintings during a mural meeting on Jan. 6 at Keizer Civic Center. By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes It was a mural meeting. It was also an art class. As well, it was a chance to do scaled drawings on the wall. Jill Hagen, project manager for the Keizer public mural being done on the north wall of Town & Country Lanes later this year, hosted a sec- ond public mural meeting at Keizer Civic Center on Jan. 6. The next such meeting takes place Saturday, Feb. 6 from 3 to 5 p.m. at city hall. For last week’s meeting, Hagen put up paper along one wall and noted it was one-quarter the length of the bowling alley wall. She also introduced some of the art- ists who will be helping com- munity members learn how to paint a mural, including Barbara Hunter, Kathy Hain- ey, Shirlee Johnson and Julie Thorson. “You have some wonderful resources here,” Hagen told the 20 or so in attendance. Hunter put a couple of her paintings up at the front of the room and encouraged audi- ence members to come take a look. “We all need to get on the same page,” Hunter said. “We’re going to look at my paintings and see what will be useful for the mural. From a distance, you can see what I painted. You can see a car and fl owers. But come closer.” Hunter had audience members consider factors such as subject, style, shapes, edges, lines, colors, contrast, focus and movement as they Stories We Like Saluting the people that make us proud of our community capitolauto.com looked at the paintings. “Pretend you’re in the Keizer museum,” she said. “Are there any words that will help you do the mural?” One audience member noted the shape stood out, while another felt the texture grabbed the viewer. Another Please see MURAL, Page A9