FEBRUARY 12, 2016, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A9
HOMELESS,
continued from Page A1
veterans, will also be addressed
by the task force.
Keizer
City
Council
president
Dennis
Koho
pointed to another group that
should be in the loop.
“One
of
Salem's
departments that interacts a lot
with the homeless is municipal
court,” Koho said. “I don't see
them as an appointee, but I
would ask to make sure that
piece is not forgotten.”
In other council business
Feb. 1:
• Councilors approved
a
resolution
adopting
revised public art policies.
In
accordance
to
a
recommendation
from
the Keizer Public Arts
Commission (KPAC), city staff
is now authorized to collect
and process commission for
art sold while on display at
city hall.
“There's a 20 percent
commission being paid to the
city,” city attorney Shannon
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Johnson said. “KPAC felt as
a courtesy to the artists and
customers we could begin
collecting. It means better
customer service and for the
commission we are able to
collect the sums due.”
In response to a question
from
Koho,
Johnson
acknowledged the issue hasn't
come up much yet, but said it
could grow.
“The commission is still
brand new,” Johnson said.
“Sales could have been made
that we don't know about. We
expect more sales with the
student art show coming up.”
Nate Brown, director of
Community Development,
said
the
Salem-Keizer
Education
Foundation's
upcoming student art show
could bring up to 1,000 pieces
of art into city hall.
“There may be a number
of pieces sold,” Brown said. “It
does come up occasionally.”
City Manager Chris Eppley
said he was initially reluctant
about getting into it.
“It is the commission's view
we need to be in,” Eppley said.
“If we're in, we need to be
all in. It's a lot more work for
us. But it's a simpler, cleaner,
more explainable process.”
Koho wasn't convinced.
“I will probably not support
PARKS,
continued from Page A1
in cities such as Bend and
Springfi eld.
“There are cities out
there that have successfully
implemented districts,” Smith
said. “There are pros and cons
to both ways, you’re right.
There are cons to selling
districts (to voters), but there
are cities that have done that.
We would be working closely
with those cities to put the
best option forward, whether
it be a levy, a district or
something else.”
Taylor said he would hate
to see the Parks Board spend
a “huge amount of time on
either of those or something
else that won’t swim” with
voters.
“I understand, but that’s
how huge the stakes are,”
Smith argued. “It’s up to this
board to do that research. The
stakes are very high, no doubt.
It will take time. It took a year
to do the revised master plan
for Keizer Rapids Park. This is
a bigger project than that.”
J.T. Hager noted what was
discussed in 2013 is a good
starting point and emphasized
the need to keep looking at
options.
“What I hear from Robert,
with a status quo budget, that’s
really a go backwards budget,”
Hager said. “We won’t be
equal to last year. We are
getting down to pretty crunch
times. Are we serious about
keeping and maintaining
our parks? If we put it out
to the community that to
help with the tax bill we will
have to let the parks go and
no longer maintain them, I
don’t think that will fl y. I don’t
think anyone wants us to stop
maintaining parks. We need
stabilized funding to maintain
the parks for the betterment
of the entire community.”
Smith said more community
dialogue is needed.
“You have to bring in
people and have discussions,”
Smith said. “You need to see
what the community wants
before you decide which
mechanism.”
Hager said exorbitant
projects aren’t being talked
about.
“We haven’t talked about
building any Taj Mahals,”
Hager said. “I look around
and see some very basic parks,
basic play structures and paths.
The amphitheater (at KRP)
didn’t cost a lot to the taxpayer,
but boy is that an asset. People
will agree Keizer Rapids Park
is an asset to the city and it
was well done in terms of
the economics on it. We have
strong things to present to the
community. The Parks Board,
with the council, has done an
excellent job being wise with
money, which benefi ts the
entire community.”
Smith pointed to last fall’s
election results, with Keizer
Fire District passing a bond
measure and a proposed tax
for increased transit funding
failing.
“The people of Keizer will
pay for what they believe is
better for the community,” he
said. “A lot of it is the message
and the public perception
of what they’re paying for.
The Keizer Fire District wins
almost every time.”
Clint Holland agreed with
Hager and referenced the sand
volleyball courts built last year,
as well as the dog park at KRP.
“We do have some
Taj Mahals because of the
volunteers who take it over,”
Holland said.
Smith agreed and pointed
to the Big Toy play structure
at KRP as another prime
example. The city funding
Board for two years between
council stints, reminded board
members of recent history.
“A few years ago, the Parks
Board spent seven months
looking at funding options,
then the council asked us to
stop working on it,” Smith said.
“The Parks Board was told
not to pursue that as an option
right now. The council has a
goal to address stable funding
for parks. It’s up to the Parks
Board to do that. It’s up to the
Parks Board to have hearings,
to do the research and to make
a recommendation to the
council.”
Smith was referring to
multiple lengthy discussions
throughout 2013 amongst
Parks Board members about
long-term
park
funding
options. Late that year, then-
mayor Lore Christopher
dumped cold water on the
plans so Parks Board members
could instead focus on long-
term plans for Keizer Rapids
Park.
Parks
Board
member
Jim Taylor, who was on the
council at the time, referenced
recent talk of a possible parks
district.
“You’re going to fi nd out
it’s unpopular with the public,”
Taylor predicted. “People will
look at it as just another tax.
I think we need to look at a
fi ve-year levy. A levy you can
sell; a district you can’t. The
district is probably the best
way to go, but it’s not going to
sell. People don’t want another
tax.”
Smith
noted
some
councilors have been doing
research on park districts
crossword
it,” Koho said of the resolution.
“I'm not sure it's the business
of city government.”
Amy Ryan, the council
liaison to KPAC, also pointed
to how things would be
simpler.
“A reminder that the city
puts a lot into supporting the
program,” Ryan said. “I like
the idea of city staff taking
(the money).”
Eppley said all fees collected
get put into an art program,
which helps pay for projects
such as public murals.
“As staff, we won't get
reimbursed,” Eppley said.
The vote to approve was
6-1, with Koho indeed voting
against it.
• Due to the President's
Day Holiday, next week's
city
council
meeting
will be a day later, on
Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m.
KEIZERTIMES fi le/Craig Murphy
Jerry Nuttbrock (left) and Clint Holland have been two key
people leading volunteer efforts to develop Keizer Rapids Park.
for that was $100,000 in the
way of System Development
Charges.
“That is part of the
messaging: it cost the city
$100,000,
which
came
through developers,” Smith
said. “We did it the right way
and were smart. It was the best
use of limited funds.”
Scott Klug noted he goes to
parks in Bend certain times of
the year for the events offered
there and expressed concern
about how little some parks in
Keizer are being used.
Richard Walsh agreed and
said he went to a number of
parks last weekend, with big
numbers of people at KRP
but nowhere else except the
skate park behind city hall.
“If we go for a levy
or a district, we need to
have a vision that excites
people,” Walsh said. “The old
paradigm was you go to your
neighborhood parks. That way
is dying. Now, people put the
kids in the car seat and drive
to a park. They drive right by
the neighborhood parks to get
to the one they go to.
“If you want to get people
excited, do what we did with
the Big Toy,” he added later.
“Get stakeholders and the
interested people excited
about something really cool.
Rhonda Rich tried to get
the same excitement for
Willamette
Manor
Park
for years, but couldn’t do it
because it wasn’t a big enough
project for people to get
excited. It wasn’t a destination
park. It needs to be exciting
stuff. If you say you just want
basic parks, it will fail.”
Smith picked up on that.
“If you go out tomorrow
(for a vote), it would fail,”
Smith said. “You have to sell
the project. With the Big Toy,
you didn’t tell them what it
would be. You asked them
what they wanted. You’re right,
if it’s a request just for more
money for the city to spend,
it will go down. You need to
excite people so they become
stakeholders. They will vote
and tell their neighbors to
vote for it.”
Holland and Walsh both
referenced the Salem-Keizer
School District getting a $240
million bond passed a few
years ago, with a key point
being something for each
school community to get
excited about.