SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 38, NO. 31
SECTION A
MAY 5, 2017
‘He was walking him right
toward the wood chipper’
Man chafged with attempted mufdef
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
A Stayton man is being held
without bail after allegedly
trying to push a co-worker
into a running wood chipper.
Keizer Police Department
was contacted by an em-
ployee of a Salem tree service
working in the 900 block of
Moneda Avenue North about
2 p.m. Thursday, April 27. The
caller reported that one em-
ployee “snuck up” behind a
co-worker, assaulted him and
attempted to throw him into
a wood chipper. The incident
had occurred about 45 min-
utes prior to contacting police.
Investigating
offi cers
learned that the victim was
loading brush into the wood
chipper when his co-worker
– identifi ed as Scott Edward
Iverson, 26, of Stayton – came
up behind him and put him
in a chokehold while pushing
his torso over onto the feeding
table of the machine.
The struggle continued and
the victim told police Iverson
Scott Edwafd Ivefson
attempted to push him into
the wood chipper a second
time. A third co-worker
spotted the altercation and
intervened by pulling Iverson
off the victim. Iverson then
reportedly walked away from
the scene on foot.
Kris Adams, a neighbor a
few doors down from where
the incident occurred, said
she had just pulled into her
driveway and looked down
the street toward the noise.
“They were just going at it.
The guy getting beat up was
a little bigger it looked like,
but the smaller guy was just
pounding on him,” Adams
said. “The little guy looked
pretty strong and the thing
that absolutely terrifi ed me
was he was walking him right
toward the wood chipper.”
Adams said she started to
approach them men and had
her cell phone out to call
9-1-1 when the other worker
intervened.
“The victim's face was
bloodied when it was all over,”
Adams said.
The victim told police he
was unaware of any reason for
the attack, but that he feared
for his life at the time.
Investigators
located
Iverson at a restaurant and
lounge in Stayton about 4:30
p.m. Friday, April 28, and
he was taken into custody
without incident.
He was taken to Marion
County Correctional Facility
where he is being held
Please see CHIPPER, Page A7
$1.00
Fife zoafd to have
contested face
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
Both Ron Christopher
and Shannon Riddell-
Norstrom, running for
Keizer Rural Fire Protection
District Director, Position 1,
come from a long line of
Chfistophef
Riddell-
fi refi ghters.
Nofstfom
Christopher's father was
a volunteer
fi refi ghter in Redmond for
over 40 years and his uncle was the Fire Chief of Redmond
for more than 30 years.
“Fire service has been a part of my entire life and I am
proud to contribute to the services provided in my home
town,” Christopher said.
Riddell-Norstrom's grandfather was one of the fi rst
volunteer fi refi ghters in Keizer in the 1950s. Her uncle also
served.
“He (uncle) would drag me to the fi re station and let me
go down the pole and look at the engines, Riddell-Norstrom
said. “I just have a lot of fond memories of being a kid and
getting to go to the fi re station.”
Both Christopher, the incumbent, and Riddell-Norstrom
are also long-time Keizer residents.
Christopher and his wife, Lore, the former mayor, have
lived in Keizer for over 30 years and raised their children
here.
“I have deep connections with the citizens that I
represent,” Christopher said. “I listen to what they have to
tell me and I am committed to represent them in the way I
feel they would want.”
Riddell-Norstrom was raised in Keizer, graduating from
McNary High School, and has been looking for ways to give
back to the community.
Please see RACE, Page A7
How we got to here:
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
Designed zy Andfew Jackson
Play structure
replacement
at Meadows
Park.
Wood chips around play areas at
Meadows, Northview, Claggett Creek,
Country Glen and Bob Newton parks
need to be dug out and replaced.
Path and walkways
throughout the
city's parks need
resurfaced or
replaced.
19
Parks
240 Acfes
Solution on the table
A fee to cfeate a dedicated
pafks fund. Exact amount will
likely ze the majof topic at
a special Keizef City Council
meeting on Monday, May 8.
$
5
336,000
PAGE A10
City council takes up
pafks fee Monday
one of the more prominent
opportunities for those who
support the idea, and those
who oppose it, to have their
voices heard. The council will
take public testimony, but it's
not likely to be the fi nal op-
portunity for residents to tes-
tify.
“The discussion will be
based on the data we have re-
As fanked zy Keizef Pafks Supefvisof Rozeft Johnson
ceived and the realities of the
budget without those funds,”
said Mayor Cathy Clark.
Court replacements
Parks services are
at Claggett Creek and
paid for out of the
Northview parks.
city's general fund
Carlson Skate Park needs
and changing the
immediate maintenance, but
should probably be remodeled.
amounts allocated to
each isn't as easy as
it might seem. The
city operates on a
tight budget and annual ad-
ditional contributions to the
state's Public Employee Re-
tirement System (PERS) have
made it diffi cult to expand
what's available. In the most
recent fi scal year, parks were
given $336,000 in the budget,
which amounts to $1,400 per
acre for everything from regu-
lar mowing to repairs and im-
provements.
City staff, the Keizer Parks
Advisory Board and members
of the city council have
been working for months to
not only craft potential fee
structures, but solicit input
from residents on their support
for the idea. During the fi rst
quarter of 2017,
residents at each
Keizer household
were sent a survey
asking for input. It
was also available
online.
Given
the
extensive
work
put
into
this
project, Keizertimes
is presenting the
But one spends
history as a series
of questions and
half his time
answers.
on Civic Centef
Why a parks fee
Maintenance
needed?
Keizer has 240
acres of parks
and two full-time
employees to take
$1,400 pef acfe to spend on evefything
care of them. There
ffom mowing to fepaif to impfovements
are also three or
On Monday, May 8, at 6
p.m., the Keizer City Council
will hold a public forum on
enacting a fee to create a
Record
setter
dedicated fund for city parks.
The forum will not be the
culmination of a more than
year-long effort, but it will be
Top Safety
Concerns
A scouting
they will go
PAGE A3
You locked
the gate to
keep our
students out
of our high
school?
PAGE A9
2
Full-Time
Employees
Salang picks
Coast Guard
PAGE A12
Current Annual Budget
Please see PARKS, Page A9
and Receive
Say
Happy Mother’s Day FREE
with a
New Dishwasher…
INSTALLATION*
($129.95 VALUE) Offer valid
with purchase of select new
dishwashers. Call for specific
brands and models.
4101 River Rd N (former Knecht’s)
503.390.0161
*Must purchase by Sunday, May 14, 2017