Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 15, 2015 5A
Polk County News
Corridor: Officials worried without Dallas schools food
higher fines, speeds will increase program is growing
Continued from Page 1A
Pope said the county is
pleased with the reduction
in the number of crashes on
the former corridor, but
now fears a reversal in that
trend. With the designation
pulled, the signs alerting
drivers of the safety corri-
dor — and the increased
fines for speeding — will be
removed.
“We’re frustrated that we
didn’t have the opportunity
to sit down as partners,”
Pope said. “We don’t have
anything in place now to
sustain the success we’ve
had. We all know the (dri-
ving) speeds are going to go
back up.”
While the Highway 18
safety corridor has been
taken off line, consideration
for one on Highway 22 is on-
going.
The county, ODOT and
the city of Salem are still
working on re-establishing a
corridor that would stretch
approximately five miles
from Oak Grove Road to the
bridges across the Wi-
llamette River. A longer safe-
ty corridor running from
Salem to Rickreall was de-
commissioned in 2010 after
crash rates fell.
However, several serious
and fatal crashes on the east
end of the former corridor
have spurred discussions of
establishing a shorter corri-
dor. The first step in the
process is creating a com-
mission of local stakehold-
ers to investigate the need
for one.
“We need to establish a
safety commission which
would focus on that corri-
dor,” Potter said. “We are try-
ing to identify the right peo-
ple.”
Pope, who also is a mem-
ber of Mid-Willamette Area
Commission on Transporta-
tion, said the process to es-
tablish that group doesn’t
have to be complicated.
“We have those people al-
ready lined up,” he said. “It
doesn’t have to be a big, ex-
pansive group to make the
recommendation.”
Potter said another con-
cern is enforcement, espe-
cially given the Polk County
Sheriff’s Office’s limited pa-
trol hours.
He said a commitment to
enhanced patrol on the cor-
ridor is a requirement before
a designation is made.
“That is a hurdle that we
are hoping to resolve,” Pot-
ter said.
Pope said patrol of the
area doesn’t have to be limit-
ed to Polk County deputies.
“(Oregon) State Police
and city police are also in-
volved in enforcement,” he
said.
County: Hansen may request pay
increase for county officials in May
Continued from Page 1A
Since the 2011-12 fiscal year, elected
officials have received a cost-of-living
increase once, in 2012-13. That year
they were given a 1.5 percent increase,
except for the sheriff, who received a 2
percent boost.
“The recommendation for the salary
adjustments is based upon the county’s
ability to pay,” Hansen wrote in his re-
port in May 2014, in which he recom-
mended no increase.
Hansen is preparing that survey and
recommendation again for May.
“We will be even further behind,” he
said, nothing that some offices are as
much as 18 percent behind now.
However, this year, the county’s
“ability to pay,” has improved, thanks
to anticipated growth in the county’s
general fund.
In hopes of making up ground,
Hansen will mostly likely ask the com-
pensation board to increase elected offi-
cial salaries when it meets May 20.
Hansen said with non-elected employ-
ees, the county tries to keep salaries
within 4 percent of the average to re-
main competitive
He acknowledges the contradiction
of asking voters to approve public safe-
ty levy while increasing elected official
salaries, but at the same time, believes
it is time to level the playing field.
“It more of an equity issue, a fair-
ness issue with me,” Hansen said. “I
think individuals should be treated
with both.”
POLICE REPORT
Information for the police re-
port comes from law enforce-
ment agencies. Not all calls for
service are included. The status
of incidents repor ted may
change after further investiga-
tion. Individuals arrested or sus-
pected of crimes are considered
innocent until proven guilty.
—
DALLAS
Arrests/Citations
• Sarah Rose Anna Zellner,
31, of Salem in the 1300 block
of Southeast Holman Avenue
on April 7 on a failure to appear
warrant out of Marion County.
• Mark W. Borck, 55, of
Willamina on Southwest Lev-
ens Street on Thursday on
charges of driving while sus-
pended and failure to carry or
present an operator’s license.
• Loren T. Carlsen, 37, of Dal-
las in the 800 block of South-
east Monmouth Cutoff Road
on Friday on charges of driving
while suspended and failure to
carry or present an operator’s
license.
• Misty G. Walker, 52, of
Springfield in the 200 block of
Southeast Dimick Street on Fri-
day on two counts of misde-
meanor driving while suspend-
ed.
INDEPENDENCE
Arrests/Citations
• Adam William Harper, 27, of
Salem and Ernest Arthur Harp-
er Jr., 28, a transient, were ar-
rested on March 27 in connec-
tion with a reported burglary
at Mendi’s Pizza, 1695 Mon-
mouth St. Adam Harper was
charged with first-degree theft
from a building, second-degree
criminal mischief-criminal
damage and second-degree
burglary of a business. Ernest
Harper was charged with sec-
ond-degree burglary-criminal
conspiracy and theft-criminal
conspiracy.
• Kathy Diane Dienhart, 53,
of Monmouth at the corner of
Monmouth Street and South
11th Street on April 6 for mis-
demeanor driving while sus-
pended or revoked.
MONMOUTH
Arrests/Citations
• Daniel Dwight Davidson Jr.,
48, of Monmouth in the 100
block of Knox Street South on
March 30 for second-degree
theft of motor vehicle parts or
accessories.
• Dylan Michael John Rardin,
20, of Independence in the
1400 block of North 16th Street
on April 2 for contributing to
the sexual delinquency of a
minor.
• Amanda Lee Taylor, 39, of
Corvallis at the corner of Main
Street East and Cartron Street
South on April 3 for misde-
meanor driving while suspend-
ed or revoked.
• David Calvin Howard Jr., 49,
of Dallas at the corner of Falls
City Highway and Whitman
Street South on April 4 for mis-
demeanor driving under the
influence of intoxicants, misde-
meanor driving while suspend-
ed or revoked and reckless en-
dangering.
• Yanel Yanel Avila-Castro, 25,
of Independence at the corner
of Monmouth Avenue North
and Church Street West on
April 4 for misdemeanor driv-
ing under the influence of in-
toxicants and failure to per-
form the duties of a driver
when property is damaged.
• Grant Emanuel Carmichael,
24, of Monmouth at the corner
of Warren Street South and
Clay Street East on April 4 for
misdemeanor driving under
the influence of intoxicants.
• Branden Ray Juan Barroga,
20, of Monmouth in the 100
block of Main Street West on
April 4 for prohibited exposure
and minor in possession of al-
cohol.
• Christopher Paul Loehr, 29,
of Dallas at Volunteer Hall, 144
Warren St. S., on April 4 on a
bench warrant for failure to ap-
pear.
• Dallas Lee Roles, 25, a tran-
sient, at Volunteer Hall, 144
Warren St. S., on April 4 on a
bench warrant for failure to ap-
pear.
• Abdulqdoos Albokhamsin,
23, of Monmouth at Volunteer
Hall, 144 Warren St. S., on April
4 on a bench warrant for failure
to appear.
• Patrick Kern Duffie, 23, of
Monmouth in the 500 block of
Catron Street North on April 5
for unlawful possession of less
than one ounce of marijuana.
• Antonio Ranjel Guijosa, 21,
of Salem in the 100 block of Ed-
wards Road South on April 6
for first-degree aggravated as-
sault and violating a release
agreement.
• Wayne Douglas Davis, 39, of
Salem at Volunteer Hall, 144 War-
ren St. S., on April 8 on a bench
warrant for failure to appear.
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Itemizer-Observer
147 SE Court Street, Dallas, Oregon 97338
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — Dallas School District’s new food service
program didn’t exactly hit the ground running, but now
appears to be hitting its stride.
Meal sales were weak to begin the year, but in December
monthly sales began to outpace last year’s, and the trend
appears to be holding.
“We started a little bit slow, but the staff has really
ramped it up and really have done an outstanding job,”
said Tami Montague, Dallas’ business manager.
In May 2014, the district approved a contract with Central
School District to share a food services director and create a
program similar to what Central had established. The goal
behind the switch was to improve the quality of food served
to students and increase participation in the program.
Montague and Mike Vetter, food service director, provid-
ed the Dallas School Board with an update on the program
Monday. It appears those initial goals are being met, but
not without first-year hiccups.
Breakfast sales have grown by nearly 6.5 percent and
lunch sales have increased about 3 percent. Overall, rev-
enue increased 1.4 percent.
On the flipside, expenditures increased nearly 6 percent
from last year.
One of the biggest cost increases happened early in the
school year. From July through September, the district paid
$78,000 in increased costs. Of that, $51,000 was in purchas-
ing food to begin the year. Under the former contract, the
food service company would not charge the district for
food until it was served to students, so the large upfront
costs didn’t exist.
“We have to buy the food because the vendors don’t
want to store the food here without us paying for it,” Mon-
tague explained.
Still, she said the next challenge is to bring expenditures
down.
“We know where the issues are, and they are being ad-
dressed,” Montague said. “After looking at the last few
months, I have a lot more confidence.”
Vetter said when the program was introduced in Cen-
tral, it experienced the same issue, but revenue eventually
matched or surpassed costs.
“I do see Dallas becoming a very strong food service
program,” Vetter said. “Just seeing the growth we’ve had so
far and talking to all parents and the children, all I’m hear-
ing is ‘Mike, it’s so much better.’”
Charter meets
enrollment needs
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — New charter
school Dallas Community
School (DCS) will be offer-
ing kindergarten when it
opens this fall.
The Dallas School Board,
the school’s charter spon-
sor, approved an amend-
ment to DCS’ charter Mon-
day night expanding enroll-
ment from 1-8 grades to K-
8. That change will allow
DCS to accept up to 45
more applications from
parents interested in en-
rolling their kindergarten-
ers in the school.
“I’m going to go tell a
bunch of parents some real-
ly good news tonight,” said
Wendy Sparks, a DCS board
member after the decision.
With 128 applications
submitted before Monday’s
decision, the inclusion of
kindergarten will allow the
school to not only meet its
enrollment goal of 125 to
open next fall, but have a
waiting list for the start of
the 2015-16 school year.
Students accepted into
DCS for its first year will be
selected by a lottery.
DSC will use a “home
school charter” model with
students still being home
schooled, but under the su-
pervision of a licensed
teacher who will serve as an
educational guide.
The school will offer op-
tional small-group classes
and additional enrichment
activities in the afternoons
at a school site in Dallas
that is yet-to-be-deter-
mined.
The application deadline
for the 2015-16 school year
is April 30.
For more information
about the school:
http://dallascommuni-
tyschool.org/.