SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 13
SECTION A
$ 10K
“We're trying to take one fi eld
per year, bring it up to modern
specifi cations so we can eventually
bring tournaments to the park…”
— Tony Cuff
MARCH 11, 2016
$1.00
approved for
one KLL field
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
For the record, the three
dissenting votes in no way
indicated dissatisfaction with
the project.
Members of the Keizer Parks
and Recreation Advisory Board
on Tuesday approved a request
to use up the remaining $10,000
in matching grant funds to help
pay for the redoing of Field 3 at
Chris Argue (second from
left) and Tony Cuff (second
from right) brought forward
a proposal for Keizer Little
League Park this week.
KEIZERTIMES/File Photo
Keizer Little League Park.
The vote of approval was
6-3. The three members voting
against the motion made it
clear their only reservation
was not having money left for
other groups who might request
funding by the end of the fi scal
year on June 30.
Chris Argue and Tony Cuff,
who have been putting plans
together to redo one fi eld each
year at KLL Park (see the Feb. 19
issue for more details), presented
their plans to do nearly $100,000
in renovations this year on Field
3. Other fi elds will be redone in
subsequent years, one a year. The
hope is new fi elds will draw in
tournaments, with money from
that helping to pay for future
work.
“We're trying to take one
fi eld per year, bring it up to
modern specifi cations so we can
eventually bring tournaments to
the park and bring revenue back
to the program,” Cuff said. “We
can't generate any more revenue
because the fi elds are on a little
bit of the downside. It can't
compete with newer facilities to
bring in revenue.”
Cuff, a grass farmer from
Woodburn, said safety is a key
concern with current fi eld
conditions.
“I coach Little League and
I'm trying to teach (the players)
PAGE A2
Please see FIELD, Page A7
Dieker
stays as
chamber
leader,
for now
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
And the new executive
director of the Keizer Chamber
of Commerce is...
Actually, it's still Christine
Dieker for now.
Dieker announced during
the
monthly
chamber
luncheon on Tuesday at Keizer
Quality Suites a person was
offered the position, but was
retained by her current boss.
“You get me for another
couple of months, maybe
three,” Dieker said. “I want to
thank you for the wonderful
experience. The executive
director that was decided upon
got an offer she couldn't refuse
from her current employer, so
we are restarting the process.”
Dieker and Bob Zielinski,
president of the Keizer
Chamber Board of Directors,
both declined to name fi nalists
when asked after the luncheon.
Zielinski gave the same story as
Dieker.
“We made our decision,”
Zielinski said. “She had
accepted our offer and she
walked into her boss's offi ce to
resign. Her company wanted
to keep her and made her an
offer that made her decide to
stay. We are starting over.”
Dieker said there were
20 applicants the fi rst time
around, with eight or nine
of those people getting
interviews. There were two
fi nalists decided upon, with
one getting the offer.
Spring ahead
this Sunday
Demand to
close parks
is made
PAGE A2
Giving it away
MHS Talent
Show
PAGE A5
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Lorena Eschliman, with the American Red Cross, checks in on McNary High School student Chris Scofi eld as he donates blood
during the school's annual blood drive Tuesday, March 8.
Christine Dieker
“She was a great person,
but she got a better offer
where she was. She's a real
asset for them,” Dieker said.
The executive director
job has been reposted on
the chamber website at
keizerchamber.com.
The
deadline to apply is Monday,
April 4.
There are two key
differences with the job
listing this time, with the
most obvious being the pay.
“There's an increase in
pay, and we wanted to clarify
how the insurance could be
broken out,” Dieker said.
The pay is listed as $62,000
which includes an optional
$7,000 health insurance
stipend if desired. There is
also a $60 monthly cell phone
stipend.
Revenue is good at
Keizer Civic Center
Please see LEADER, Page A7
Faces, faces on the wall
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
The plan is for plenty of
faces to be on the next public
mural, being painted this
summer on the north wall
of Town & Country Lanes at
3500 River Road N.
Just not as many faces as
some would like.
Plans have been discussed
at length during Keizer Public
Arts Commission (KPAC)
meetings and were again on
Feb. 23. As envisioned, there
will be 21 faces on the mural,
which will have an overall
design depicting the Keizer
Iris Festival Parade.
Christine Dieker, executive
director of the Keizer
Chamber of Commerce, sent
an e-mail to KPAC members
KEIZERTIMES fi le/Craig Murphy
Business has been good lately at the Keizer Civic Center, as
more rental fees have been coming in this fi scal year.
File
The site of the next public mural in Keizer.
on Feb. 18 requesting for
more faces to be put on
the mural in honor of this
year's 30th anniversary of
the Iris Festival and the 66th
anniversary of the parade.
“There has been a
tremendous amount of
volunteer service given
by the Keizer Iris Festival
chairs,” Dieker wrote in her
e-mail. “We appreciate your
consideration to having their
'faces' on the mural.”
During the Feb. 23 KPAC
meeting, Jill Hagen – who is
in charge of the mural project
– and Lore Christopher
clarifi ed the 21 faces being
done for the mural.
Please see FACES, Page A9
By CRAIG MURPHY
Of the Keizertimes
In the last couple of budget
cycles, serious concerns were
raised about rental revenue of
the Keizer Civic Center.
A new Event Center
Coordinator position was
fi lled by Kristian Bouvier
in January 2014, with the
hope being revenue would
be greatly boosted and less
general fund money would
have to be used to help run
the building.
When that didn't happen by
last spring, there were serious
concerns expressed about
the economic viability of the
position during the budget
meetings. After all, revenue
was expected to jump from
$98,000 a year to $170,000 a
year, but instead went up just
$1,700.
It appears a year can make
quite the difference.
Tim Wood, who was
recently
named
Finance
director for Keizer, requested
a
supplemental
budget
for the community center
during Monday's Keizer City
Council meeting – which was
held in the Robert L. Simon
Council Chamber inside the
community center.
The 2015-16 community
center budget was based on
Lady Celts in
Elite 8
PAGE A10
Please see REVENUE, Page A9
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