PAGE A8, KEIZERTIMES, FEBRUARY 16, 2018
CLARK,
continued from Page A1
the nature of volunteering in
the city. While she still believes
volunteering is a “deeply em-
bedded” trait in city residents,
it is changing. Several of the
city’s largest projects in recent
years from erecting The Big
Toy in Keizer Rapids Park
to 2017’s Eclipse Festival fell
short of the hopes for vol-
unteer involvement. That led
to human resources being
stretched paper thin over days
and sometimes weeks.
“We have to be honest
about what volunteers can and
can’t do. Volunteerism isn’t
suited to long-term sustained
operations.
Volunteerism
works well for specific duties
with defined timelines and
positive outcomes,” she said.
Like many in the commu-
nity, Clark has been regaled
with tales of how the com-
munity banded together to
build Keizer Little League
Park in the 1980s, but times
are changed and continue to
morph.
Clark’s family is a prime
example. None of her three
adult children participated in
Little League offerings but all
three are athletes who chose
different outlets.
“Even back then when the
choices were fewer, they chose
other things,” she said. “People
are now volunteering in more
varied spaces like the food
bank or sitting with an elder.”
The key, she added, is re-
specting those choices even
when they doesn’t line up
with the goals of the city.
“The real key for us to
maintain the small town feel-
ing is to stay connected and
get involved in something
outside your norm,” Clark
said.
Where Keizer once de-
fined itself as “not Salem,”
Clark said the city is now at a
different stage in its develop-
ment.
“We have established our-
selves as a community with its
own distinct personality and
own distinct destiny and we
are in the process of discover-
ing that. That’s where I believe
my experience will be impor-
tant,” she said.
On the regional level, she
said her experience will be
key as Keizer discusses the po-
tential expansion of the Urban
Growth Boundary it shares
with Salem. She advocates for
expansion of both residential
and employment areas if it
ever comes to fruition.
On the local level, she is
eager to dig into new visions
for River Road North and
Wheatland Road North, the
latter is on a list of projects set
to be tackled in the coming
years.
“For so many people, the
answer on Wheatland is re-
ducing the speed, but design
works better than signs. I’m
excited to be a part of for
long-term, safe and sustain-
able solutions on Wheatland,”
Clark said. “The key elements
of River Road Renaissance
got worked into the (devel-
opment) code, but it’s always
good to look at a long-term
plan mid-stream. What does
the next generation value and
how do we build to that vi-
sion?”
She would also like to
engage the community in
a broad conversation about
completing the network of
sidewalks throughout the city.
Currently, the city can estab-
lish local improvement dis-
tricts for neighborhoods to
band together and pay for im-
provements, but she said the
city can prepare to tackle all
of the gaps if that’s what the
residents decide to do.
“The most underserved
area are the oldest neighbor-
hoods. It’s an equity issue, a
livability issue and I think we
need to talk about it,” Clark
said.
While any change comes
with a cost, Clark said setting
the goals will allow the city to
work toward it.
Among the projects she
was glad to have had a hand
in are the fees for police and
parks, implementation of the
roundabout, the Eclipse Festi-
val, and shepherding in recent
changes at the Keizer Heri-
tage Center with the addi-
tion of Keizer Homegrown
Theater.
Despite having served for a
number of years already, Clark
isn’t putting an expiration
date of her time in Keizer’s
elected offices.
“It’s not the time it’s the
quality, that has to be the de-
ciding factor. That’s the way
my family has treated it each
time we’ve made this deci-
sion,” she said.
When the time arrives that
the decision goes another way,
she’s hoping that she’ll have
done all she can to facilitate a
clean transition.
“I am looking for future
mayors and doing what I can
to encourage them. I would
love to do for them what
Lore (Christopher) did for
me to put them in a position
to learn and develop the re-
lationships that are essential.
I want to be prepared for the
good hand-off and keep it go-
ing,” she said.
BAN,
continued from Page A1
“Statistically, we find that
self-regulation is enough to
get by along with signage that
is clear, consistent and visible,”
she said.
One of the most steadfast
arguments against a ban from
several on the parks board has
been the city’s inability to af-
ford enforcing another ordi-
nance, but board member Jim
Taylor wanted to move for-
ward and let the Keizer City
Council and the Keizer Police
Department (KPD) adminis-
tration hash out the specifics.
Taylor said he’d had a con-
versation with KPD Chief
John Teague about enforcing
a cigarette ban and Teague
didn’t want officers to be-
come the smoking ban en-
forcers.
Bouska also echoed Flores
Marin’s sentiments regarding
a cultural shift.
“There are great oppor-
tunities to send the message
that the parks and recreation
are about health,” Bouska
said. She then switched chairs
and spoke on the issue as a
resident of the city, continu-
ing, “When we as Keizer citi-
zens say we care about health,
we can send a stronger mes-
sage.”
By the end of the night,
two of the board’s longest
holdouts against an outright
ban, Cat Gaynor and Dylan
Juran, had moved to the other
side of the issue.
Juran ended up being the
one who initiated ban rec-
ommendation.
“I was maybe the most
against this change, and I’ve
slowly been slipping to the
other side,” Juran said.
Gaynor said she once sided
with those against the ban be-
cause of the difficulty in “leg-
islating behavior,” but that her
position on the issue shifted
as a result of testimony.
“I was very against the idea
of more regulation but, after
hearing the testimony, I’m for
a ban. If we start now, maybe
in 20 years nobody will be
smoking in parks any more,”
she said.
Lawyer remained firmly
opposed to the ban, but said
he would be among the first
to ask violators to snuff out
cigarettes.
“If this is a real, functional
solution needs to be a con-
versation rather than throw-
ing up perfunctory signs,”
Lawyer said.
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
The Ramos-Gasca family, Arturo, Sara, Jessica and Brianna,
with Habitat construction manager Dave Connell.
HOME,
continued from Page A1
Heather Wilson, Habi-
tat’s director of programs and
volunteer engagement, was
brought to tears as she talked
about how involved the fam-
ily was in construction of the
home and how they were there
in spirit when they couldn’t be
there physically.
“When I think of this fam-
ily, the single word that comes
to mind is gratitude. They said
thank you time and time again
to donors, volunteers, made
homemade salsa and chips and
cookies and delivered it to the
job site,” Wilson said. “The
girls are old enough and crafty
enough and had it in their
heart to make cards and post-
ers with messages with candy
bars in them. There is no fam-
ily more deserving than the
Ramos-Gascas.”
The family had been paying
$900 a month for a residence
in which one room was com-
pletely uninhabitable because
of a severe mold problem.
When colder weather arrived,
it pushed the family’s utility
bills into the hundreds of dol-
lars.
“As a mom, you want to
give your children a stable
foundation. You want to be
that foundation and you want
the doors to forever be open. I
want this to be (our daughters’)
home and because of you guys
we get to have those memo-
ries,” Sara said.
Ron Mohr, a representa-
tive with Thrivent Financial,
said that someone asked him a
while ago how big the home
was, but Mohr said that missed
the point.
“What’s more important is
the memories that they’ll have
with all who enter,” he said.