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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 2016)
SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 9 SECTION A JANUARY 29, 2016 $1.00 and the clock goes to… Bike helmet support PAGE A2 KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy From left to right: Mark Caillier (First Citizen), Danielle Bethell (President's Award), John Honey (Service to Education) and Scott White (Merchant of the Year) were the big winners Jan. 23 at the Keizer First Citizen Awards banquet. Mark Caillier named Keizer’s First Citizen By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes Two of the biggest projects completed in Keizer last year were the Big Toy play structure at Keizer Rapids Park and the new turf fi eld at McNary High School. Mark Caillier managed the Big Toy project, while Danielle Bethell was the key person – along with Bob Zielinski – for the turf fi eld project. Fast forward to last Saturday night's First Citizen Awards banquet, put on by the Keizer Chamber of Commerce at the Keizer Quality Suites. Keizer's First Citizen for 2015? Caillier. And who did Zielinski, the current chamber president, bestow with the President's Award? None other than Bethell. There were more MHS connections. John Honey, the former MHS principal who opened the Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC) on Portland Road along with Chuck Lee last fall, was presented the Service to Education Award by Chuck and Krina Lee. Scott White, the Keizer Big Town Hero owner who has donated to MHS and various other community organizations for years, was honored with the Merchant of the Year award. While none of the recipients were big surprises, Caillier was probably the least surprising of all. In addition to being a former Salem Police Department offi cer and a former Keizer City Councilor, Caillier is current president of the Greater Gubser Neighborhood Association and also heads up the Claggett Creek Watershed Council. A longtime community volunteer, Caillier worked Kindness seen at WMS PAGE A5 tirelessly to coordinate the Big Toy project, which was delayed nine months and fi nally built last June by an army of community volunteers. Caillier was introduced by former mayor Lore Please see AWARDS, Page A3 Large crowd discusses grocery issues WKNA marks 10 years with new leader By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes It was a milestone evening for the West Keizer Neighborhood Association on Jan. 14. For one, it marked the 10 year mark since WKNA had been restarted. R. Rich G. Blake When WKNA restarted in 2006, Rhonda Rich was the initial president. Rich stayed in that position – until the Jan. 14 meeting. When it came time for the annual board elections, Gary Blake nominated Rich to serve another term. Rich declined, then turned around and nominated Blake for the position. “He'll do a great job,” Rich said. There were no other nominations, so Blake is the new WKNA president. Rich will serve as vice president, Carolyn Homan as secretary and Carol Doerfl er, Art Mauer, Sarah Head and Clint Holland as members of the board of directors. Before the elections began, Rich talked about the milestone evening. “It is 10 years this month since we reactivated the neighborhood association,” she said. “It's been a real pleasure doing it for 10 years. You get to meet a lot of neat people. It's cool to be active in the neighborhood and to give Please see WKNA, Page A3 a voice to the neighborhood. KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy A majority of those attending Tuesday night's town hall meeting on grocery stores raised their hands when Rep. Bill Post asked if they wanted a WinCo in Keizer. By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes City leaders and a state representative admitted there wasn't much they could do to persuade a grocery store to come to Keizer during a town hall meeting Tuesday evening at the Keizer Fire Hall. State Rep. Bill Post (R-Keizer) organized the hour-long meeting to allow citizens a chance to ask questions, offer ideas or to just rant. The meeting, which at- tracted a standing room-only crowd of about 70 people, in- cluded ideas from those highly “I don't want to pay $4.69 for Cocoa Puffs when I pay $1.98 for them at WinCo.” — Amy Lietz familiar with the process gro- cery chains and realtors go through when deciding where to open a new location. The topic of grocery stores in Keizer has been a hot issue for months, especially since the former Albertsons/ Haggen store closed late last September, leaving Safeway as the only grocery store in town. One audience member noted Tuesday some Safeway employees are weary from the increased workload associated with the uptick in business. In recent months, there have been various efforts to woo potential new stores, with much of the talk focused Please see GROCERY, Page A7 Guitar class will keep hopes alive for solo artists Photo by Nicole Ecklund Uptown Music owner Paul Elliott and McNary teacher Jim Taylor with guitars the store donated for a new guitar class. By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes At Salem-Keizer schools, studying music is a progression, with gaps some students fi nd themselves tumbling into. Local students are lucky in that they have the opportunity to start exploring music in elementary school. Beginning in middle school, those students become part of an ensemble. Some discover other interests and some discover being part of a group isn't their forte. By the time they reach high school, the emphasis is on competitive, group performances. “At that point we start losing people left and right,” said Jim Taylor, director of McNary choirs. To counteract forces that pull students in other directions, Taylor spearheaded an effort to create a piano lab. It began three years ago and is now at full capacity (96 students), with a lengthy waiting list. He sees a new guitar class as fi lling a similar niche at MHS. “We have a lot of students who tried music when they were younger and never really found 'their thing.' The guitar class gives them another chance,” Taylor said. That sort of experience is precisely why student Ryan Cowan picked up a guitar. “What I love about it is seeing other people playing something intricate and beautiful than thinking, 'Wow, I could do that.' I Please see GUITAR, Page A7 MHS bowlers are a strike PAGE A8 MHS boys clobber Grizzlies PAGE A9