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,”
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Walk-Ins are
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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