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