BAGE A8, KEIZERTIMES, DECEMBER 30, 2016
SURVEY,
continued from Page A1
In recent years, Keizer
Rapids Park and all of its ame-
nities have gotten a lot of at-
tention, but the vast majority
of the work that’s been done
has been completed through
volunteer efforts and grant
money from other sources.
However, maintaining the
park has fallen on the two
full-time parks staff members
and a few seasonal employees.
Many improvement proj-
ects have already been delayed
for years (See Case Study No.
2), and the increased costs of
deferred maintenance pushes
projects waiting in the wings
even further down the list.
“Last year, we had a bid
to fi x the south parking lot
at Claggett Creek Park for
about $7,500. We couldn’t pay
for it then and when it fi nally
got done this year, it cost us
$13,000. It was the same space,
but it had gotten that much
worse,” Lawyer said.
Due to statewide ballot
measures that locked in prop-
erty taxes at 1996 levels, the
city cannot raise additional
funds simply by raising taxes.
It leaves essentially three op-
tions for creating a dedicated
parks fund: 1) creating a parks
district, which would cre-
ate additional set-up costs for
implementing and managing
the parks system; 2) local op-
tion levies, which would need
to be renewed at the ballot
box every time they expire
and put future sustainability
in question; or 3) imposing time to understand, we have
a fee like the one being pro- a good chance at doing this.
posed in the survey. The city People have to understand the
council could impose the fee repercussions of not paying
and are looking to the survey and the benefi ts of paying a
responses as a stand-in for an little more,” he said.
At the $8 per month level,
advisory vote.
Parks board member Scott the additional cost would be
Klug wasn’t a fan of imposing $96 per year per household.
Parks board members en-
a fee until the idea for the sur-
courage residents to take a
vey came forward.
“It concerned me that we stroll through their neighbor-
were going to be asking peo- hood parks and make note
ple to pay for something that of what needs attention and
what
they
not everyone
would
like
uses, and I es-
to see as far
pecially didn’t
as
improve-
want to im-
ments before
pose the fee
responding to
without ask-
the survey.
ing,” Klug said.
Without
Keizer vot-
a
dedicated
ers have a his-
parks
fund,
tory of balking
Johnson said
at the mere
the reality is
thought of ad-
that relatively
ditional taxes
minor main-
and fees, but
tenance like
board member
— Robert Johnson
mowing and
Jim Taylor, a
Barks supervisor
debris removal
former Keizer
will become
city councilor
more
infre-
and longtime
parks advocate, said even peo- quent and some amenities
ple who don’t use parks ben- would be closed or removed
efi t from their presence and as they reach the end of their
lifecycle.
good condition.
“In the last wind storm,
“Parks are a refl ection of
the health of the community. we had another fi ve or six
Nice parks are a deterrent to shingles blow off the gazebo
crime and increase property (behind the Keizer Civic
Center). The roof is going to
values,” Taylor said.
Taylor sat on the council as begin to rot and we’re going
many fee proposals died at the to be faced with closing it
ballot box, but he feels better down or removing it entirely,”
about this one than many in Johnson said. “Too many peo-
ple think you can buy some-
the past.
“If enough people take the thing for a park and not touch
“Too many
people think
you can buy
something
for a park and
not touch it
for 20 years.”
SALEM: ‘We have a very
complicated homeless problem’
(Continued from Bage A1)
Keizer, and Marion and Polk
counties have all approved UGB
expansions to accommodate the
bridge at Pine Street and that
paves the way for an environ-
mental impact statement,” he
said.
Keizer and Salem offi cials
are interested in expanding the
UGB beyond accommodating
a new bridge. Keizer needs in-
dustrial commercial land and
Salem needs more space for
multi-family and single family
housing.
He lamented the lack of
affordable housing in the Salem
core, which has contributed to
growing homelessness in the
mid-Willamette Valley.
“We have a very complicated
homeless problem and we have
a large number statistically listed
as homeless,” he said.
Currently,
Salem
and
Keizer offi cials along with
representatives from Marion
County have convened a task
force to explore options for
tackling the homelessness
problem, but the group’s time
Give your home the
is waning and plans for what
comes next are still hazy.
Bennett said about 500 of
the area’s homeless residents are
dealing with late-stage addiction
issues or mental health problems
that make them the hardest to
fi nd alternative housing for.
On a more positive note,
Bennett credited the work
of the Salem-Keizer School
District and specifi cally the
Career and Technical Education
Center (CTEC), a public-
private partnership, as a model
for similar projects to follow
around the state and the nation.
“There are opportunities
ahead of us and I think good
times are ahead, if we keep our
heads on straight,” he said.
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Case Study No. 2
Forging a disappointing legacy
The skate park was built in
the 1990s through volunteer
efforts and donated materi-
als, but it is approaching the
point of becoming a liability
for the city. Without some sort
of overhaul, it may face closure.
“If we had kept it up, you
can’t put a price on how neat
it is to have a place for kids to
hang out,” said Scott Klug, a
member of the parks board.
Unfortunately, the parks
board could do little other
than encourage Dean to stay
involved.
“We had a high school kid
come in and ask us, ‘Please, can
you fi x our park?’ When you
have to talk to a kid and say,
‘Sorry, there’s nothing we can
do about it.’ That is heartbreak-
ing,” said Matt Lawyer, a mem-
ber of the board in attendance
that night.
It hit especially close to
home for parks board member
Jim Taylor, who has spent de-
cades involved with youth ac-
tivities in Keizer.
“I was so frustrated because
there was nothing we could do
to fi nancially help him. What
kind of message does that send
to a kid who worked up the
courage to come and talk about
the issue? That’s a bad lesson in
government,” Taylor said.
At the October meeting of
the Keizer Parks and Recre-
ation Advisory Board, a Keizer
teen named Dean spoke to the
members in attendance. He
asked that board members help
him repair Carlson Skate Park
behind the Keizer Civic Cen-
ter.
Of all the amenities in Keizer
parks Carlson Skate Park stands
one of the best chances to be-
come a fl ashpoint. Cracks are
forming throughout the park
and the bowl in the northwest
corner is all but unusable for
riders of anything but a bike.
It’s been on the to-do list for
fi ve years and one hoped-for
renovation project has already
fallen through.
Dean had already contacted
a potential business partner
who was willing to fl y into
town and provide an estimate
for doing the repair work, but
the price tag is going to be
hefty.
“There’s a light resurfacing
that will cost about $50,000
to $100,000 and can be done
in phases. The permanent so-
lution is going in and doing a
little redesign and a lot of re-
surfacing. That would be about
half a million,” said Robert
Johnson, Keizer parks and fa-
cilities supervisor.
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it for 20 years. Parks are no
different than a car, you have
to get tires rotated, you have
to change the oil, you have to
do the things that keep it run-
ning and usable.”
Responses to the survey
will be accepted through the
middle of March at which
point the data will be ana-
lyzed and the parks board will
forward a recommendation to
the Keizer City Council.
“The information we get
back will help prioritize what
comes next in our parks –
even if we fi nd out we don’t
have the support needed for a
fee. This is about taking pride
and ownership in our neigh-
bors and neighborhoods.
We’re all one community and
we want it to be the best one
possible,” Lawyer said.
Members of the parks
board will be holding out-
reach events between now
and mid-March. The kickoff
will be a joint city council
and parks board work session
on Monday, Jan. 9 at 5:45 p.m.
The public is encouraged to
attend. If you are part of a
community or civic organi-
zation willing to host an out-
reach event, you can contact
members of the parks board
to arrange a time through
Deputy City Recorder Deb-
bie Lockhart at LockhartD@
keizer.org or 503-856-318.
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WorshipDirectory
These Salem-Keizer
houses of worship
invite you to visit.
Call to list your church
in our Worship Directory:
(503) 390-1051
John Knox Presbyterian Church
JOIN US FOR
SUNDAY WORSHIP
452 Cummings Lane North • 393-0404
8:30 am • 10 am • 11:30 am • 6 pm
PEOPLESCHURCH
4500 LANCASTER DR NE | SALEM
503.304.4000 • www.peopleschurch.com
Celebration
Services
Saturday Evening
6:00 pm
Children’s Programs, Student and Adult Ministries
1755 Lockhaven Dr. NE Keizer
503-390-3900
www.dayspringfellowship.com
Sunday Morning
9:00 am
and
10:45 am
Father Gary L. Zerr, Pastor
Saturday Vigil Liturgy: 5:30 p.m.
Sundays: 8:15 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
La Misa en Español: 12:30 p.m.
Rev. Dr. John Neal, Pastor
Worship - 10:30 a.m.
Education Hour - 9:15 a.m.
Nursery Care Available
www.keizerjkpres.org