DECEMBER 30, 2016, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A9
Roundabout
opens
It’s curtains for the cows
In June, the descendants of
Joseph and Rosalie Herber
petitioned the city to rezone
property affectionately know
as the “cow pasture” between
Chemawa Road and Dear-
born Avenue on the west side
of Verda Lane.
It was the second time in
three years the family request-
ed a rezoning that would pave
the way for apartments on the
site. The new proposal added
cosmetic improvements, but
the total number of apart-
ments only dropped from 120
to 112.
Local residents turned out
in droves to speak in opposi-
tion to the plan over the course
of the next two months, oth-
ers put pen to paper to voice
their concerns. Citing school
impacts, traffi c concerns, liv-
ability issues and more, they
implored the council to deny
the request and keep it zoned
for single-family development.
The historic signifi cance of
one home on the property
was even called into question.
In the end, Keizer city
councilors couldn’t fi nd fault
with the application and
granted the rezone. There is
no timetable as yet for con-
structing the new apartments.
Tight vote
for councilor
In August, an open Keizer
city council seat drew two
candidates for the offi ce, Allen
Barker and Laura Reid.
Barker is something of a
newcomer to the city, but
jumped right onto the city
budget committee. Reid, on
the other hand, has lived here
for more than 15 years and has
probably taught a substantial
percentage of Keizer voters
and/or their children through
her work at McNary High
School.
On election night, Barker
held on to a slim lead and,
with all precincts supposedly
reporting, Keizertimes errone-
ously called the race for him.
Forty-eight hours later,
another 1,400 new votes ap-
peared and gave Reid a lead
she never relinquished. Reid
will join the council at its fi rst
meeting in January.
After seemingly years of
anxiety, the traffi c roundabout
at Chemawa Road Northeast
and Verda Lane Northeast fi -
nally opened September.
When the idea was fi rst put
forth numerous local residents
voiced opposition, but city of-
fi cials had been claiming for
years that the four-way stop
was failing.
While a nearly three-
month closure led to long
lines of traffi c around town
during the summer months,
the roundabout has fared
well. While some residents are
surely avoiding it and others
are still learning to use it, the
intersection has been largely
crash-free.
A spate of
violence
Violence found it’s way to
Keizer in 2016.
On Valentine’s Day, Jerrid
Goodpaster was murdered at
Keizer Station in what police
believe was a marijuana deal
gone wrong. Two suspects
were later arrested and one of
them charged with the killing.
A little over a month later,
a 59-year-old man was shot in
the parking lot of Bi-Mart in
another suspected drug deal
gone bad. The victim survived
the shooting, and the suspect
was arrested as he tried to fl ee
north on River Road North.
The shooter pleaded guilty to
the crime and was sentenced
to 90 months in prison not
long after the incident.
In April, a teenage boy
fatally stabbed the abusive
boyfriend of his mother on
Brooks Avenue N.E. Jeffrey
Holly, the victim, had several
previous run-ins with police
and neighbors. The Marion
County District Attorney’s
Offi ce chose not to press
charges against the boy.
“Generally speaking, Keiz-
er is a safe place to live. Every-
one involved (were) living a
high-risk lifestyle,” said Chief
John Teague of Keizer Police
Department, though he added
the teenage boy was not part
of the problem.
2016 YEAR
IN REVIEW
Ch- Ch- Ch- Changes on River Road
When Starbucks decided
to move a block south on
River Road it displaced fi ve
other businesses that called
the now-razed strip mall
home.
The building that once
housed the coffee chain and
Mr. Video has also been de-
molished. Mr. Video found a
new home, sans Limeberry,
at 3836 River Road N. Back
at Schoolhouse Square, the
new building under con-
struction will become home
to a Human Bean coffee
shop, a Jersey Mike’s sand-
wich shop, and a to-be-de-
termined third tenant.
Elsewhere on River Road,
Tony’s Kingdom of Com-
ics moved south to 3856
River Road N. Taco Bell and
Shari’s got makeovers. Keizer
Liquor moved north to 5023
River Road N. in School-
house Square. In December,
Bricks & Minifi gs, a dedicat-
ed shop for Lego enthusiasts,
opened at 3670 River Road
N. Bank of the Cascades,
GISI Marketing Group and
Big Town Hero closed and
two new marijuana shops
opened.
Keizer parks funding in crisis KPD staff
needs grow
Early in 2016, Keizer resi-
dent Eamon Bishop called
upon the city to consider
closing several of the city
parks and parks amenities.
While the proposal was
met with skepticism at the
time, it launched a sprawling
and still growing conversa-
tion about the state of Keizer’s
green spaces. For months, the
city’s Parks and Recreation
Advisory Board has grappled
with overdue repairs and fi nd-
ing a way to create a dedicat-
ed parks fund to cover main-
tenance and improvements.
The most likely option at the
moment is a fee added to util-
ity bills, but the exact amount
is still in question.
Currently, parks funds are
supplied by a thinly-stretched
city general fund which also
provides funding for the Keiz-
er Police Department.
Homelessness in spotlight
In early 2016, the Salem City Council, Keizer City Council,
and Marion and Polk counties convened a task force to look at
issues of homelessness in the Mid-Willamette Valley.
Through the year, the group has heard from local groups
tackling issues surrounding homelessness and tried to chart
a path forward. Growing numbers of homeless individuals, a
shortage of housing and numerous other factors are contribut-
ing to the more visible presence in the area.
The situation in Keizer reached a head in November, when
a camp of homeless individuals set down stakes under an aw-
ning in Schoolhouse Square. The camp ebbed and fl owed in
size over the course of four days before Keizer police requested
they move on.
The task force wraps up its work in February 2017 and hopes
to have a plan for what comes next after its fi nal meeting.
While parks have dominat-
ed headlines in 2016, another
city department is also in need
of better funding: the Keizer
Police Department.
When the city convened its
budget advisory committee in
May, several members called
upon the city to add another
police offi cer, but City Man-
ager Chris Eppley wanted to
see a healthier reserve before
moving forward.
KPD Chief John Teague
brought forth a proposal in
August saying that while the
need isn’t dire, yet, he would
like to add fi ve offi cers.
Teague also cautioned the
council not to confuse an in-
creased number of offi cers
with an immediate decrease in
crime.
“It’s more about customer
service. When we get one
more detective, you’re going
to have a detective show up at
your house after a burglary, not
just a patrolman,” Teague said.
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