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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2019)
PAGE A2, KEIZERTIMES, SEPTEMBER 6, 2019 Hoop schemes B-ball standards will face tighter scrutiny By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes The Keizer City Coun- cil voted to approve two ordinances that will have a limiting effect on when and where basketball hoops can be placed around the city. Under two new ordinanc- es approved by the council at its meeting Tuesday, Sept. 3, basketball hoops will no lon- ger be allowed on sidewalks at all. Additionally, placing them in local streets will only be al- lowed when owners and pro- vide evidence of “active use.” The changes also require reflectors or reflective tape on both sides of basketball stan- dards and prohibits placement entirely on streets where cars cannot park legally. Outcry was swift and op- positional when Keizertimes posted the plan on social me- dia last week, but that did not turn into dissent in council chambers. Only Keizer res- ident Jonathan Thompson spoke to the council seeking more discussion before taking action. “I’m not without empa- thy. I think it deserves a much larger conversation,” Thomp- son said. “When these stan- dards are filled with sand and water they are not portable and they are heavy without it. I like that it is complaint-driv- en, but I challenge us to find a safe harbor.” Thompson said he would be more amenable to chang- ing the types of hoops al- lowed and suggested ones that bolted in directly to the side- walk, allowing greater space for pedestrians. The first ordinance the council tackled prohibits any sidewalk obstructions aside “If you have a kid walking alone or some- one in a wheel- chair, it’s an ad- ditional barrier,” Freeman said. Community D eve l o p m e n t Director Nate Brown noted that hoops are only one type of obstruction and the ordi- nance applies to any obstruction – vegetation to furniture. Councilor Dan Kohler said he felt conflict- ed about the basket ban. File “I see kids Basketball hoops will no longer be permit- enjoying basket- ted on sidewalks and will face stricter guide- ball hoops and I lines for placement in roadways. have friends in wheelchairs,” he from recreational vehicle electrical cords running across said. Mayor Cathy Clark ap- sidewalks, which also must be placed under a strip protector peared to be the most un- or use cones “or other devic- swayed, but she was willing to push for more work on the is- es” to warn sidewalk users. During discussion of the sue of basketball hoops. Clark proposal, Councilor Kim suggested tasking the Keizer Freeman said walking her Traffic Safety, Bikeways and own neighborhood is difficult Pedestrian (TBP) Committee with obstructions of various with developing a “menu” of ADA-compliant alternatives kinds blocking access. Secure your identity– shred your documents Join us for a free community Shred Day and food drive. Saturday, Sept. 21 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Volcanoes Stadium Parking Lot 6700 Field of Dreams Way NE, Keizer, OR 97303 Secure, convenient shredding Bring up to three boxes of outdated documents to our Shred Day for hassle-free, no-cost shredding. Just drive up and drop off your documents at the Volcanoes Stadium Parking Lot from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., September 21. Open to the community. What to bring Old checks, charge receipts, credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, monthly statements (financial and utility) and more. FOOD Bring a nonperishable food item to donate to the Marion-Polk Food Share. Visit oregonstatecu.com/shred-days for more information. to placing sporting equip- ment on or near sidewalks. The sidewalk obstruction ordinance ended up passing with a 5-1 vote. Reid op- posed, Councilor Roland Herrera was absent. Next, the council took up the issue of placing basketball hoops on local streets. The proposed ordinance would have prohibited placing bas- ketball standard in the streets unless they were actively in use and never between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. The notion of defining ac- tive use so stringently and as- signing prohibited hours did not sit well with Reid who proposed leaving the term “active use” up to interpreta- tion and removing the stipu- lation of prohibited hours. “I would rather leave ac- tive use up to interpretation so we don’t set ourselves up for a lot more enforcement than we bargain for,” Reid said. A friendly amendment to the proposed ordinance was accepted and the measure passed unanimously, but the council plans to ask the TBP committee to come up with more defined parameters for the term “active use.” When Reid asked Thomp- son what he would envision as a reasonable “active use” standard, Thompson replied used within the previous 15 days. Failure to reasonably com- ply could result in a $500 fine, but the intent of the new or- dinances is to give the city’s code enforcement officer ad- ditional arrows in his quiver when seeking to handle nui- sance complaints. Caretaker nixed at Keizer Rapids By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes Despite calls to maintain a park host program at Keizer Rapids Park (KRP), the Keizer City Council opted instead to rent out a home in the park at its meeting Tuesday, Sept. 3. Potential legal entanglements decided the issue according to a staff memo from Keizer City Attorney Shannon Johnson. Johnson had the city’s labor attorney, Kathy Peck, review the possibilities of establishing an official park host program and returned with enough information to dissuade the council from pursuing it. Peck’s assessment was that both state and federal law might not look kindly upon listing the position as a volunteer in exchange for something as potentially valuable as housing. “Although volunteers are allowed some nominal expenses and still remain truly volunteer, the housing would appear to be compensation, could cause some risks,” Johnson wrote. An argument could also be made that the position would be covered by the collective bargaining argeement with city workers. “If a volunteer later brought a claim, the City could be liable for up to three years wages/overtime and attorney fees, plus significant penalties,” Johnson wrote. A volunteer cannot waive such claims even under the provisions of a contract and no insurance will cover the potential liability, Peck reported. Instead of maintaining the property as a caretaker home, it will be converted to a rental property. Johnson said City Manager Chris Eppley is working with other city staff and the police department to address safety concerns raised by residents when the caretaker program was originally slated for nixing earlier this year. “We also looked at having a regular park employee in that house but the downside was too much to handle,” Johnson said. Eppley added that there is an exemption in the law for designated campground hosts, but the only camping in KRP – aside from occasional special events – is boat-in camping. Councilor Laura Reid made certain to note that a considerable amount of time was expended on the matter after residents brought concerns forward. “It’s not something that we’ve taken lightly,” Reid said.
