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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 2017)
FEBRUARY 103 20173 KEIZERTIMES3 PAGE A3 Record-setting City might pursue lighting district for Newberg Drive Submitted At the Greater Gubser Neighborhood Association meeting on Jan. 193 the GGNA “Keizer Miracle of Christmas Lights Display” group presented a record $2537645 check to Rick Gaupo3 presi- dent of the Marion-Polk Food Share. The 25-day effort coordinated by the Eisele3 Skipper and Ratliff families – and staffed by dozens of community volunteers – also collected 233622 pounds of food and gave away more than 283000 candy canes to area visitors. Since 19843 $3383000 and 3233000 pounds of food3 which is equal to 132833167 meals3 have been donated. PICTURED3 FRONT ROW: Isaiah Ratliff3 Meili Skipper3 Molly Eisele. BACK ROW: Rick Gaupo3 Jennifer Skipper3 Jorie Skipper3 Caleb Skipper and Brigett Eisele. Not picture is Gerald Nichols3 president of the GGNA who raised $750 from neighborhood businesses. A wellspring of kindness By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Two exasperated homeowners renewed their complaints about traffi c along Newberg Drive North during peak McNary High School hours during the city council meeting Monday, Feb. 6. Unlike past appearances before the council, this time council members directed city staff to explore creating a lighting district to pay for street lights to increase safety. Charles Anderson who lives near a gate pro- viding access to the school from the neighbor- hood, and neighbor Jeff Weekly, spoke to the council about pursuing remedies for traffi c and parking that backs up in front of their homes during pick-up and drop-off times. Anderson and other area residents have brought up the issue at city council and Salem- Keizer School Board meetings in the past, and education programs within the schools and painting a curb in front of a fi re hydrant have mitigated portions of the problem but not all of it. Student also pick-up trash twice a week on some portions of the surrounding streets. “I understand that Sandy (Drive) and Rob- indale (Drive) have locked their gates, but Newberg has not. Locking those two gates has brought 100 percent of the traffi c and problems to Newberg Drive,” said Weekly. Weekly added that the continuous conges- tion as families drop off students on Newberg Drive prevents him from even getting out of his driveway. “It’s a safety problem, Newberg Drive has no sidewalks,” Weekly said. “I don’t want to be the person who hits one of the kids.” Anderson sounded resigned as he pleaded with the council. “I’ve come to the conclusion that McNary wants to turn our streets into an additional park- ing lot for the high school,” Anderson said. The city has looked at other options like add- ing “No Parking” signs along Newberg, which would also likely impact the street’s permanent residents, as well as building up right-of-ways to deter parking, which City Manager Chris Ep- pley said would likely frustrate just as many of the school’s neighbors. “The solutions we bring to the table are nu- clear. They are incredibly costly and may not be what you had in mind,” Eppley said. Mayor Cathy Clark suggested the city look into a lighting district – a special taxing district to pay for the installation and maintenance of street lights – but it is not yet known how much that would cost area residents. At least two-thirds of the property owners in the affected area would also have to approve the creation of the district. “When we have lights, less-acceptable behav- ior tends to stop. Lighting is a great deterrent and we can improve safety. I would urge that we start that process,” Clark said. Keizer Police Chief John Teague also said he would request a speed monitor be placed in the area to see if additional enforcement was needed. Out of Darkness event ‘best fi rst walk’ in 2016 KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Mayor Cathy Clark declared it Kindness Week in Keizer at the Keizer City Council meeting Mon- day3 Feb. 6. The request for the proclamation came from Whiteaker Middle School students who are challenging themselves to perform more acts of kindness around school and in the commu- nity this week. Pictured: Clark with some of the students and Whiteaker counselor Pat Curran after Clark signed the proclamation. By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes The Salem Out of the Dark- ness Walk, organized by two Keizer residents, recently won a national award for the effort. The Salem walk, held in Oc- tober 2016, won the American Foundation for Suicide Preven- tion’s (AFSP) Best First Walk Award at an annual convention held last month. The walk drew 2,774 registered participants and raised more than $106,000 for research and programming regarding suicide prevention. Keizerites Ryan Price, the CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT CLASS AFSP Oregon area director, and Shawn Lott organized the walk. The award was something Lott had her sights set on even before the event happened, but Price said it still came as a sur- prise. “(In 2015), the award went to a walk that raised $86,000 and, at the time, Shawn and I thought there would be no way that Salem would raise close to $86,000,” Price said. When Lott posted about winning the award on her Face- book page, someone asked why the win would be something to celebrate. It would make more sense for the community with the least number of attendees, the commenter reasoned. “I’m absolutely sure I must have felt the same way this per- son did, until it happened to me. Until I, myself, attended my fi rst walk in Portland. Until I saw people just like me walking the same path I was now on,” 1PM AT KEIZER CIVIC CENTER L O CATED AT: 930 CHEMAWA RD NE, KEIZER OR 97303 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14 2 PERMIT OPTIONS: OREGON ONLY ( $ 45) INCLUDED or MULTI-STATE ( $ 80) OREGON Cash or check payment will be made at the class. A driver license is all you need to bring. HONORED 3 WAYS TO SIGN UP! DO NOT HONOR UT RES. ONLY CALL: 360 -921-2071 WEB: FirearmTrainingNW.com EMAIL: FirearmTrainingNW@gmail.com Walk-Ins are Welcome Multi-state permit honored in Alaska but not Hawaii said Lott, whose son John Som- mer died by suicide in 2011. “So what winning the award truly means to me – even more than the funds we raised – it means that the only way to stop suicide is together. By gathering as an army of hearts determined to use our voices to let others know that we care. That this does happen more than most know, but it doesn’t have to. Together we have the power to not only support one another in our losses, but we also have the power to save someone else by sharing our story.” The event packed the am- phitheater at Salem’s Riverfront Park. While Price and Lott were the driving forces behind the fundraiser, Price said nu- merous friends and associates, as well as total strangers, helped carry the torch. “So many people put time in promoting the walk by post- ing fl yers and to social media. A few people helped during the planning and a ton of people helped make it work during the walk,” Price said. “I know Shawn spent countless hours and plenty of her own money to make sure it was a success.” The resounding success of the fundraiser will help bring more programming to the Sa- lem area and beyond, including two suicide prevention train- ings already on the schedule, Price said. Talk Saves Lives for Seniors, a free presentation intended for older adults and those who work with them, is scheduled at 10 a.m., Friday, April 28, at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Salem. Talk Saves Lives, a free presentation on recognizing the warning signs and preven- tion tools available for all ages, is slated at the same location at 7 p.m., Friday, April 28. There are also no plans to slow down. The 2017 Salem Out of the Darkness Walk is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 14. Those interested in spon- soring the event or helping in other ways can contact Price at rprice@afsp.org. 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
