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
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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