SINCE 1979 • VOLUME 40, NO. 7
SECTION A
NOV EMBER 16, 2018
$1.00
Eminent domain effort moves forward
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
A resolution to acquire more than 6 acres of
land from St. Edward Catholic Church passed
by a 5-0 vote at Tuesday night’s Salem-Keizer
School Board meeting.
Chuck Lee, both a “true blue” member of
the school board and St. Edward, abstained from
the vote due to what he called a “moral confl ict
of interest.”
Lee added he would support whatever the
board decided.
Another school board member, Marty Hey-
en, was absent.
Jesse Lippold called the vote a “tough deci-
sion to make.”
“The reality is our schools are growing at a
rapid pace and we have to expand somehow,”
Lippold said.
Before the vote, during public comment,
Karen Scharosch, a parishioner at St. Edward,
urged the school board to rethink the resolu-
tion.
“The church was designed with a quiet and
peaceful atmosphere and we want to maintain
that atmosphere,” Scharosch said.
Deanna Fuller, who has raised four children,
12 grandchildren and fi ve great grandchildren
over 54-plus years in Keizer, said she has always
supported school votes like the bond measure,
but might have voted differently if she knew the
board was going to take land away.
Fuller doesn’t attend the church but said she
has seen the value of its presence over the years.
“I challenge you to be creative and not just
run over this dedicated group of people that
have done so much for Keizer,” Fuller said.
The resolution, which would acquire the land
using eminent domain, kicks off a mandatory
round of negotiations over 40 days that includes
a lengthy appraisal to determine a just offer.
Please see DOMAIN, Page A7
File
The Salem-Keizer School District will condemn about 6 acres
owned by St. Edward Catholic Church and try to force a sale
using eminent domain.
VETERAN
SALUTE
Happy
Thanks
Giving
NO ADULTS
ALLOWED:
Parting
words from
Stan Lee
PAGE A2
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Two F-15 jets from the 142nd Fighter Wing of the U.S. Air Force performed a fl y-
over for the residents of Willamette Lutheran Retirement Community at noon on
Saturday, Nov. 11. For more pics of events at Willamette Lutheran and the names of
its 22 veteran residents and employees, see Page A2.
Michael ‘Mike’ James Hart, Jr.
Task force
convenes
to discuss
future
mgmt. of
KLL park
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
Earlier this year, the contract to maintain
and operate Keizer Little League Park became
a source of contention, again.
Next week, a city-sanctioned task force will
begin assessing the state of af-
fairs at the park and working
to determine if there is a bet-
ter way to do business moving
forward. The task force meets
for, the fi rst time, Tuesday, Nov.
20, at 6 p.m. in the Keizer Civ-
ic Center. Public testimony is
welcomed during the meeting.
Under the current agree-
ment with Keizer Little League
(KLL), the organization maintains the fi elds
and schedules fi eld slots for its own use and
others. In addition, KLL has invested heavily
in improving the park after it fell into disrepair
through a combination of private fundraising
and in-kind donations.
The eight-person group includes Mayor
Jan. 30, 1942 – Nov. 8, 2018
He was one of Keizer’s
founding fathers
Cathy Clark, City Councilor Marlene Par-
sons, City Councilor-elect Dan Kohler, James
Hutches representing the Keizer Chamber of
Commerce and two representatives each from
Keizer Little League (KLL) and McNary Youth
Baseball, the organization formerly known as
Keizer Youth Sports Association
(KYSA).
“It is important for us to val-
ue and to do some long-range
planning on how that complex
will be managed going forward,”
said Clark in August. “Ultimate-
ly, the objective is [creating a]
framework for how the volun-
teer organizations that run and
use the park can best be sup-
ported by the city and community for long-
term success. Success, in my mind, is the park is
safe, consistently maintained, improved through
planned projects, and a welcoming place for
people to play for years to come,”
The agenda for the fi rst meeting includes
Sights set on
sustainability,
improvements,
best practices
Please see KLL, Page A7
Keizer lost a lion of
an advocate last week
with the passing of Mi-
chael James Hart, Jr.
Hart died Thurs-
day, Nov. 8, at the age
of 76. On Friday, Nov.
16, a memorial Rec-
itation of the Rosary
will begin at 10 a.m.
at St. Edward Church
in Keizer followed by
funeral mass at 10:30
a.m. Hart will be in-
terred at Willamette
National Cemetery.
Hart and his wife,
Betty, moved to the
area that would be-
come Keizer in 1976.
During the next four decades,
Hart would be known as a
Keizer city councilor, an hon-
ored member of the Rotary
Club of Keizer, board mem-
ber of the Boys & Girls Club
and the Center for Hope and
Safety (formerly The Women’s
Crisis Center), a past president
of the Salem Sports and Break-
fast Club, and an active pres-
ence in the Keizer and Salem
chambers of commerce. Most
recently, Hart was a member of
the Keizer Fire Board for more
than 11 years, he was succeed-
Veterans
honored at
local schools
PAGE A4
Mike Hart
ed in the role by Betty.
Those who knew him,
even tangentially, were never
surprised to see Hart decked
out in gear from his favorite
college football team, the Uni-
versity of Oregon Ducks. He
held season tickets for many
years and continued attend-
ing games until his death. He
was also an “owner” in a lo-
cal Fantasy Basketball League
that provided many years of
fellowship with his Jaycees, Ju-
nior Chamber of Commerce,
buddies.
Please see HART, Page A7
Salang among
league’s best
PAGE A13