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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (March 25, 2016)
MARCH 25, 2016, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A3 Cleaning up Palma Ciea Park still being studied By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes Gary Blake is still want- ing to get Palma Ciea Park cleaned up. Blake, president of the West Keizer Neighborhood As- sociation, has spoken to the Keizer Parks and Recreation Advisory Board several times in the past year about the park. He did so again at the most recent Parks Board meeting on March 8. “We’re very much ready to put together a program, in conjunction with the city, to bring Palma Ciea Park to something that looks pre- sentable,” Blake said. “The main thing we’d like to be able to see is help with things like cleaning the property. I walked through the park this week. It’s still pretty much the way it’s been. We can trim it and make it more attractive for people to want to spend time at the park.” Blake suggested some im- provements that could be made. “We can limb the trees so that we can get a better view of the river,” he said. “Maybe a tree trimming company can come limb the trees for free and haul them away. We did discuss quite a bit the vines that are growing around the trees. “We also have some neigh- bors willing to donate a park bench, which would be invit- ing for people to sit at,” Blake added. “Another person has suggested having a little more pronounced walkway down to the water, so you don’t have to go through any dangerous areas. We would have to get it cleared. The idea of having a walkway there is good.” Parks Board member Rich- ard Walsh suggested taking ad- vantage of the matching grant program, though that option seemed to be taken off the ta- ble later in the meeting when the remaining funds were pledged to work at Keizer Little League Park. “I think it’s fantastic you’re working on this,” Walsh told Blake. “This is exactly what we hoped would happen, you getting some volunteers. My question is, are you envision- ing coming back with a re- quest from the grant program? And what kind of timeline are you looking at?” Blake fi gured the grant ap- plication could be done with- in a week. Scott Klug suggested ap- plying for a grant from SOLV (Stop Oregon Litter and Van- dalism) to help pay for im- provements. Blake, who noted he has been working with parks su- pervisor Robert Johnson, is seeking guidance for the work. “What we’re hoping to do is to have the city direct the performance of the work so we can make sure we’re doing the right thing,” Blake said. J.T. Hager said there are some simple things to put on the matching grant applica- tion. “You have some obvious things you can go after right away, like the invasive species on the trees,” Hager said. “A park bench is a good thing and a pathway is a good thing. You could estimate the hours of labor and get credit for that. You come to us and say here’s what we want, here’s our manpower, here’s what we need. You set the agenda. We want you to do it, put it on paper and tell us what it will cost.” Clint Holland had concern about things like ivy. “I’m really in favor of this, but one of my concerns is do- ing the job right,” Holland said. “Twice we’ve cleaned it up. You need a commitment from the city you’re going to kill the poison ivy on the oak. If not, you’ll spend a lot of time for nothing. We did it years ago. The ivy has grown back. If you do it, you need to do it right.” Parks Board chair David KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy Overgrown vegetation means Palma Ciea Park hasn’t seen much use in recent years. Louden expressed frustration. “I’m a little disappointed with the plan right now,” Louden said. “I was fi gur- ing on some more details so we could start sooner rather than later. Right now you’re not giving us a lot. I expected more detail.” Koho returns to council By CRAIG MURPHY Of the Keizertimes There weren’t a whole lot of people at Monday’s Keizer City Council meeting. Councilor Amy Ryan and youth councilor Siri Scales were absent, while Brandon Smith’s former seat is still va- cant. City attorney Shannon Johnson and Public Works director Bill Lawyer were ab- sent, as was police chief John Teague. Only three audience members were present, in addition to a Keizertimes re- porter. All of which made Dennis Koho’s presence that much more surprising. Less than two weeks after being released from the hos- pital following a Feb. 6 heart attack (see last week’s issue for more details), Koho was slow- ly easing back into a normal routine. At the previous coun- cil meeting on March 7, coun- cilors approved a month-long leave of absence for Koho. And yet, there was the council president, seated be- tween fellow councilors Ro- land Herrera and Marlene Parsons. Mayor Cathy Clark welcomed Koho back to the dais three times, with the for- mer mayor getting a round of applause the fi rst time. Be- fore the meeting, councilor Roland Herrera took a selfi e KEIZERTIMES/Craig Murphy Keizer City Councilor Dennis Koho (left), flanked by Roland Herrera, returned to the council on March 21 for the first time since suffering a heart attack on Feb. 6. – after all, this is 2016 – with Koho. Later in the meeting, coun- cilors gave an update on re- cent meetings or events they have attended. Koho’s well- known humor came through. “I could tell you all about the hospital and rehab center,” Koho said. “You don’t want to go to the rehab center if you don’t have to. But the alterna- tive wasn’t good, so I was hap- py to be there. I’ve been in a tiny hospital room for the last six weeks, so I’ve been trying to get up to speed.” Clark, who was suffering from a cold and thus had Koho sitting further away from her than usual, welcomed him back again. “Welcome back,” the may- or said. “We’re so glad to have KEIZER CLASSIFIEDS HELP WANTED LOCAL Truck Driver. Washington & Oregon Class A license, Clean MVR, Experience w/vans, tankers. Benefi ts. Apply at: 2900 Pringle Rd SE #100, Salem, OR. ONAC HEALTH & BEAUT Y Got Knee Pain? Back Pain? Shoulder Pain? Get a pain-relieving brace at little or NO cost to you. 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Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. CALL 1-800-918-1105 ONAC you here.” In other business March 21: • Hersch Sangster gave re- ports on both the Planning Commission and Traffi c/ Bikeways/Pedestrians meet- ings from last week. The Plan- ning Commission approved a motion for pre-application conferences with city staff to be free. That motion is ex- pected to be brought to the council next month. As far as the other com- mittee, Sangster said he’ll start fi lling out an application soon to get Keizer designated as a bicycle-friendly community. Work is also being done for a grant to pay for signage alert- ing bicyclists to areas of inter- est in Keizer. • Councilors unanimously approved an ordinance updat- ing the Keizer Development Code in regards to daycare fa- cilities, bringing city code in line with state code. The ordi- nance was approved without any comment. • In addition to a short- age of people at the meeting, the meeting was also short. The meeting was over in less than 35 minutes. There was only one administrative ac- tion. When it came time for councilor liaison reports late in the meeting, two council- ors weren’t ready because of how quickly the meeting was moving.
