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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (May 25, 2018)
SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 39, NO. 34 SECTION A MAY 25, 2018 A $1.00 It's KeizerFEST B Something to cheer about A: Valerie Maley and grand- sons Jerry Fonfora and Toryn Maley wait for the Iris Parade. B: A member of The Beat Goes On band marches down River Road. C: Clowns led the parade entry for France School of Dance. D: Winners of the May- or's Pet Parade Inky and BB. C D More pics in Section B KEIZERTIMES/Parker Kehret and Random Pendragon Trees will burn… soon? Cherriots mulls By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Piles of uprooted trees at Keizer Rapids Park may already be reduced to ash by the time this paper hits stands. Or not. A group of volunteers, led by former city councilor Mark Caillier began burning Wednes- day, May 23, but the timeline depended on daily burn windows set by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Earlier this year, the same group of volun- teers tore out the aging orchard on the site be- cause it was no longer a break-even proposition for the farmer who was harvesting it. The city is permitted to burn the piles onsite because the land they are on will continue to be used for agriculture. The city got a verbal commitment on Monday, May 21, from a local farmer to use the land for grass seed. No accelerants will be used to ignite or coax the fi res once they are set The approximately 20 acres of land will eventually become part of Keizer Rapids park, but outsourcing care of the area for agricultural production will reduce costs to the city for the time being. At the city council meeting Monday, Keiz- er Public Works Director Bill Lawyer said the farmer hoped to begin planting in late summer or fall. The city has until June 15, when agricultural burning is banned to complete the project. KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald Cari Emery and Meredith Mooney are two of the board mem- bers guiding changes at Keizer United. PAGE A2 cheaper fares By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Cherriots, the Salem-Keiz- er public transit system, is cur- rently reviewing its fare struc- ture and seeking public input on possible changes. The full proposal and a short online survey are avail- able at www.cherriots.org/ better. Comment is being sought through June 8. Some of the possible changes include: • Instituting a reduced fare program for low-income users, provided the riders can supply proof of Oregon Health Plan coverage or SNAP benefi ts. • Standardizing fares to $2.25 on regional routes. • Eliminating a $60 month- ly pass that works only on Please see FARES, Page A6 Keizer United sets new course By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes For almost two decades, Keizer United has been a fun- draising arm for a rotating cast of other, small non-profi ts lo- cated in Keizer. In some ways, that was a useful set-up. For instance, it allowed organizations to pool fundraising resources. How- ever, the changing roster of supported agencies left Keizer United itself without a tan- gible identity. It came to a head when the current chair of the group, Meredith Mooney, met with Mayor Cathy Clark last year in the wake of being denied fi nancial support from the city during budgeting season. “Cathy asked, ‘What is Keizer United?’ We got to- gether later and I told her what I thought it could be,” Mooney said. Mooney envisioned a new mission for the group as a meeting ground for a wider array of interests and foster- Mail thief arrested ing force for collaboration. Keizer United would become a Community Partnership Team, supplying lunch and in- viting anyone on a mission to serve the community to join them. “Whether you are a neigh- bor or on city council, you are welcome at this table for a meal but, more impor- tantly, organic collaboration,” Mooney said. That might seem like a hazy realignment of Keizer United’s mission, but it’s al- ready yielding tangible results. At a Keizer United meeting Monday, May 21, two of the featured presenters were Sa- lem Harvest’s Elise Bauman and Simonka Place’s Kathy Smith. Salem Harvest connects famers and backyard growers with volunteer pickers who harvest crops from fava beans to fruit for other area organi- zations like the Marion-Polk Food Share. “There is lots of food being wasted at the farm level be- cause their contracts are fi lled, the food isn’t pleasing to the eye or the demand dries up,” Bauman said. An estimated 400,000 pounds of locally-grown food is wasted each season. Vol- unteers who help harvest are permitted to keep half of what they pick and the other half goes to families and organiza- tions in need. Farmers and volunteers can Please see UNITED, Page A6 Youth councilor heads to college PAGE A6 Crush wins Iris tourney PAGE B6
