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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (May 11, 2018)
SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 39, NO. 32 SECTION A MAY 11, 2018 $1.00 KLL breached contract with city Council might grant mulligan By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Keizer Little League (KLL) pocketed $12,000 from con- cession stand proceeds in 2017, money contractually mandated to be spent on park upkeep. And the Keizer City Council is on the verge of granting the organization a “get out of jail free” card. Under the terms of a con- tract with the city signed in 2016, net proceeds from the Keizer Little League Park’s concession stand are supposed to be reinvested in mainte- nance and improvement of the park itself. In 2017, the con- cession stand netted $24,000 and only $12,000 went back into the park for maintenance. Keizer Little League Presi- dent Brad Arnsmeier said the remaining $12,000 offset costs of running a free T-ball program for 220 players, pur- chasing uniforms, equipment, insurance, and as scholarship money for athletes’ families who would otherwise struggle to pay registration costs. Arnsmeier, who was elect- ed KLL president last year, said he was not aware of the language in the contract until December 2017. “Had I been aware, we never would have opened the concession stand. The con- tract, as it was written, was an unfair contract,” Arnsmeier said in a phone interview after a Keizer City Council meet- ing Monday, May 7, where the fi nancial discrepancy was brought into the public light. Arnsmeier was unable to at- tend the meeting because he was out of town. Arnsmeier contended that asking volunteers to work the concession stand for no benefi t to the KLL program was akin to asking them to volunteer for the state. When pressed regarding the defi ni- tion of volunteering being an act of selfl essness, Arnsmeier responded, “When you’re talking about the number of hours it requires to run the concession stand, then that is a very large ask. It takes a tre- mendous amount of work to get those volunteers to come out and work the stand.” To be fair, KLL leaders and volunteers have put a large amount of work into reha- bilitating the facility. The or- ganization has received two matching grants amounting to $20,000 out of the city’s gen- eral fund in recent years. Led by Clint Holland, a KLL board member and longtime Keizer volunteer, KLL leveraged that money to secure another $50,000 over four years from the Rotary Club of Keizer. Volunteer hours and in-kind donations likely amount to tens of thousands more. However, KLL has been asked twice to submit a de- tailed budget to the city for Hayward bound PAGE B1 Please see KLL, Page A7 Post draws a Democrat Raises, water rates draw budget spotlight challenger for District 25 By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes After two, three-hour long meetings May 1 and 3 the Keizer Budget Committee unanimously approved the city’s proposed budget. In several regards, the bud- get is more or less what resi- dents might expect from the city, but there was one notice- able difference. No one bick- ered over how the city might be able to afford additional police offi cers. For the imme- diate future, that problem was solved by creating a service fee, but it means that some other costs are rising. The addition of new em- ployees for parks and police will result in an increase of about 9 percent over the last fi scal year. The good news is that revenues are also increas- ing about 7 percent, largely a result of the new parks and police fees. Residents can expect a 4 percent increase in water rates this year, a 55-cent increase in stormwater rates and a 3 per- cent hike in sewer rates. Much Ado at MHS PAGE A2 Please see BUDGET, Page A10 KEIZERTIMES/Random Pendragon Dave McCall (right) greets a constituent at Keizer's JC's Pizzaria Tuesday, May 1. McCall, a Keizer resident, is running to represent Oregon House District 25, which includes Keizer and Newberg. the environment and education. By ERIC A. HOWALD “I may be a Democrat, but I believe in com- Of the Keizertimes Dave McCall is one of the much-maligned merce. We can create advantages for our busi- California transplants that now call Oregon nesses to compete in marketplace in the state and home. But, after more than 20 years as a Keizer the country and the rest of the world,” he said. Bolstering infrastructure from roads to rails resident, the Democratic challenger to Rep. Bill Post said his views have been shaped as much by and ports is one way to begin to tackle some of the underlying issues, he added. this city as the one in which he was born. He also sees opportunity to merge efforts in “People are more relaxed here and want a relaxed lifestyle. There is a desire for a not-too- business and lessen environmental impacts. “There is closed a factory just complex life that I enjoy,” Mc- south of Newberg. That land is Call said. doing nothing. Why can’t we McCall is unchallenged in the help the owner to convert it to Democratic primary for Oregon an energy plant? Why can’t we House District 25, which means do something with it other than he will square off against Post in sit and let it rust?” McCall said. November for the seat. “Why not get together with McCall worked in armed se- the owner and say this is how curity for almost two decades the government can help you if when his job as a manager was you’re willing.” eliminated in a reorganization. In On the issue of education, the wake of that upheaval, Mc- McCall said he is supporting Call enrolled at Western Oregon — Dave McCall the bond measure voters will University intending to study weigh in on next week, but that history, but political science be- he wants to revisit the way state came his passion. Despite the unexpected switch in careers, revenues are shared with school districts. He is McCall said his time as a manager helped him still working out the details, but “in exchange for a portion of property taxes school districts col- focus on problem-solving. “I’ve met Bill and he’s a nice guy, but I would lect, the state will share its revenue and stabilize rather try to solve the problem than rely on an funding.” “I supported (the bond), but I can see why ideology that says this has got to be the answer. He’s so proud of pushing the “No” button. Does others wouldn’t. Education is important to ev- that solve the problem? Sometime it does, some- eryone whether you have kids or not,” he said. McCall attended a recent town hall hosted by times it doesn’t,” McCall said. District 25 encompasses all of Keizer and Post and Sen. Kim Thatcher in Keizer. During Newberg, and McCall said one of his most fre- the meeting, Post supported enlisting a legion of quent questions is what the two cities have in volunteer ex-military and ex-police offi cers to common. The answer, he said, lies in his plat- provide security on school campuses. form, which focuses on three areas: businesses, Please see MCCALL, Page A7 “I would rather try to solve the problem than rely on an ideology” A Devil visits Keizer KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald The St. Monica Apartments on Apple Blossom Avenue North- east will provide shelter and services for young mothers. New apts. will assist underserved population By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes In the Catholic faith, St. Monica is the patron saint of mothers and Catholic Com- munity Services will soon be carrying out her work in Keizer. On Wednesday, May 14, from 4 to 6 p.m. the organiza- tion will celebrate the open- ing of the St. Monica Apart- ments at 151 Apple Blossom Avenue N.E. The apartments will serve young, pregnant women and young mothers who have outgrown foster care or have no other alterna- tives for housing. “We expect the building to be certifi ed for occupancy this month and start receiving the fi rst tenants on June 1,” said Jim Seymour, executive direc- tor of Catholic Community Services (CCS). Catholic Community Ser- vices took ownership of the Apple Blossom site when it assumed responsibility for a portfolio of local properties from the Salem-Keizer Com- munity Development Corpo- ration about four years ago. At the time, the apartments on the site were an eyesore. Half of the complex burned in a fi re in 2013 and the other half wasn’t in much better shape. “There were roofs leak- ing and other issues, so we condemned it when we took ownership,” Seymour said. Around the same time, CCS was also rethinking how it administered legacy pro- grams for unwed mothers, Celts stumble on diamond PAGE B3 Please see APTS, Page A7 SUV EVENT SALES See page B1 for more details PAGE A3 Keizer 3555 River Road N, Keizer (503) 463 - 4853 www.skylineforddirect.com