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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (March 5, 2021)
PAGE A6, KEIZERTIMES, MARCH 5, 2021 PARKS, continued from Page A1 COMFORT (SHADE, DRINKING FOUNTAINS, BENCHES) – 28% SIGNS OF ACTIVITY, SPORTS, LARGE GROUPS, JOYFUL NOISE – 30% LARGE VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES – 35% as Bob Newton Family Park, Meadows Park and Wallace House Park. “These sites serve individu- als, children, and families with Residents also wanted to see features such as playgrounds, more support for sports and fi t- picnic areas, sports courts, and ness activities and community open grass areas for leisure and events such as festivals and fairs play,” the report states. in local parks. When it came to the ques- “We’re hearing more natural tion of what Keizer would like spaces, but with a variety of ac- to see in recreation program- tivities, is important,” said Cindy ming, Keizeites Mendoza, a spokesper- wanted to see sports, son for Portland-based TOP 5 PRIORITIES fi tness and health MIG, the fi rm con- 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% programs, commu- sulting on the project. nity gatherings and “Right behind that was natural interpreta- attending communi- REPAIR & REPLACE tion elements. ty events, which tested OLDER FEATURES – 38% Mendoza was ret- even more highly than icent to recommend MORE PATHS playing fi eld sports or & TRAILS — 37% that the city leap watching sports in the head-fi rst into a full city.” INCREASE ROUTINE recreation program, MAINTENANCE — 36% Regarding play- the type required if grounds, Mendoza BETTER VARIETY the city decides to suggested the city look OF FEATURES — 29% pursue a large in- into equipment that MORE/IMPROVED SPORTS door recreation fa- would serve teenagers COURTS/FIELDS — 25% cility in Keizer Rap- and young adults. There ids Park. A facility of is currently a dearth ac- that type was orig- tivities aimed at those inally envisioned groups in Keizer parks. for Keizer’s only A number of companies 50% DESIRED QUALITIES regional park. offer “fi tness courts” that “Those types of include both workout facilities often end and play stations (think 40% up being subsidized Ninja Warrior-type fun by the city. Some with less actual danger). smaller cities start Keizer Little League 30% with a very small Park, which will be in- move, such as a cluded in the city’s mas- part-time recreation ter plan for the fi rst time 20% coordinator who ever, arose as a point of is recruiting either confl ict for survey re- 10% contract providers spondents. or other partners “When we asked or non-profi ts to about Keizer Little 0% provide activities, League Park specifi cally, events and pro- the second most popular grams in your parks,” Mendoza response was that no improve- game of catch in. The survey did not specif- said. ments are needed,” Mendoza Residents ages 35-44 were said. “However, it has a number ically ask about respondents’ of issues that, if the city had to satisfaction with park funding the top responders to the survey, take over that site. It would be sources and a $4 service fee at- representing about a third of the an enormous cost to the city. tached to utility bills, but Men- total. Nearly 80% identifi ed as The park would not be up to doza and others seemed to ex- white, about 98% spoke English city standards or ADA accessi- trapolate the response to such at home. More than 40% of re- bility codes, or even the high questions from a single meeting spondents had no children liv- maintenance standards that with a single neighborhood as- ing in the household and more Robert Johnson (Keizer parks sociation. The answer that group than 60% of respondents live west of River Road North. supervisor) has shown across the gave was: no new taxes or fees. “On one hand, we have a ‘no parks.” Respondents, by and large, new funding’ message. On the were complimentary of the state other hand, they’re acknowl- of Keizer parks. About 70% said edging that there are some de- they were either very satisfi ed fi ciencies in parks that would or somewhat satisfi ed with the need increased funding in order Submit a death notice or obituary by sending an email number of parks and their con- to address,” Mendoza said. to: editor@keizertimes.com In light of that response, the dition. MIG report suggests focusing Despite the customer sat- isfaction level, the report also renewed efforts in some of the found that several areas of the large neighborhood parks, such NATURE – 42% city were underserved or had no reasonable access to a park that served multiple interests. Several large gaps were found throughout the city. Some of the areas do have local parks, but access is either diffi cult, such as Northridge Park, or the local park can only serve one function, such a Bair Park – pri- marily forested park that visitors would struggle to even play a COST, continued from Page A1 around Oregon Wheatland Ferry toll increasing Beginning March 15, the toll to use the Wheatland Ferry for most vehicles will increase to $3. The current rate for vehicles less than 22 feet long is $2. The toll for vehicles between 22 feet and 42 feet long will rise from $4 to $6 at the Wheatland fer- ry. Vehicles longer than 42 feet, will pay $9, up from $6. Tolls for bicycles will remain $1 and pedestrians will still ride for free. According to a county press release, the toll increases won’t make the ferry program profi t- able but are instead intended to keep losses manageable and the cost for commuters low. It’s the fi rst rate bump for the Wheat- land Ferry in 12 years. Schrader votes against federal pandemic relief Rep. Kurt Schrader, Keiz- er’s representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, was one of two Democrats to vote against a largely popular pan- demic relief bill on Saturday, Feb. 27. The bill, which was ap- proved in a 219-212 vote, would pour new cash into the pockets of individuals, busi- nesses, states and cities. Nei- ther Schrader nor his offi ce issued any public statement regarding his opposition. Schrader had previously signaled opposition to more than $300 per week in addi- tional support for those on unemployment benefi ts as a result of the pandemic. He of- fered no public statement re- garding the reasoning for his vote Saturday, Feb. 27. In a December Zoom call with members of the Keiz- er Chamber of Commerce, Schrader said, “Six hundred dollars a week was way above what a lot of folks are actually earning. It was a disincentive to go back to work. If you’re in a tough situation like this, every- one has to cut back and man- age things a little better. But they shouldn’t do it without a little bit of help from the state or the federal government.” The new bill includes an additional $400 per week and extends the assistance through August. In late 2020, a Yale Univer- sity study found that workers who received the unemploy- ment subsidy, even if it result- ed in a boosted take-home pay, returned to work at a similar rate to those who had small- er increases in take-home pay. The study concluded that the extra money kept the nation from falling further into eco- nomic ruin. The Senate must approve the measure before any of the money fl ows out of Washing- ton, D.C. two local haulers and another $7,100 in overtime pay to operate the site. The council granted approval to close the site Sunday, March 7. The fi nal hours will be Saturday, March 6, and Sunday, March 7, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It costs between $1,000 and $1,500 per day to operate the collection service and Lawyer said there is more and more greenery being deposited that doesn’t appear to be a result of storm damage. “One of the guys at the site talked with a young man who had brought in three loads of arbor vitae that his father was paying him to take out of the yard,” Lawyer said. Councilor Dan Kohler countered that some such work is needed as a result of the storm and asked how city employees determined what counted as storm debris. “It’s one example of people taking advantage of what is offered,” said Lawyer. “As a homeowner, I’m not saying I wouldn’t have done the same thing, but it’s still taking advantage.” Another reason for closing the lot is that youth sports activities will begin ramping up in the coming weeks and the space will be needed for parking. Additional expenses included: overtime for monitoring water systems during power outages ($1,800) and replacement of fences after damage from trees ($25,000). crossword death notice Janet Sharon Wentzel Janet Sharon Wentzel, born in Great Falls, Mont. Feb. 20, 1954, passed away on February 24, 2021 in Keizer, Ore., keizerchapel.com M emorial C enters ◆ C remation & B urial Simplicity - Convenience - Low Cost simple cremation simple direct burial church funeral ◆ $795 ◆ $995 ◆ $2965 Salem Portland Eastside 275 Lancaster Dr. SE Salem, OR 97317 832 NE Broadway Portland, OR 97232 1433 SE 122nd Ave. Portland, OR 97233 (503) 581-6265 (503) 783-3393 (503) 783-6865 Tualatin Tigard Milwaukie 8970 SW Tualatin Sherwood Rd. Tualatin, OR 97062 12995 SW Pacifi c Hwy Tigard, OR 97223 16475 SE McLoughlin Blvd. Milwaukie, OR 97267 (503) 783-6869 (503) 653-7076 Keizer & Salem’s GO-TO-REALTOR for Buying & Selling (503) 885 -7800 “Easy Online Arrangements” CrownCremationBurial.com Nearly 30 years in the real estate & mortgage lending industry 3975 River Rd N, Suite 3, Keizer Bob Shackelford is a licensed real estate broker in Oregon. BOB SHACKELFORD call or text email Broker 503-983-4086 bobshack1@gmail.com