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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (June 10, 2015)
2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 10, 2015 Polk County News P&L loan will help pay for amphitheater By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer MONMOUTH — The city of Monmouth’s Urban Re- newal District will borrow $500,000 from Monmouth Power and Light to help pay for the estimated $1.222 mil- lion Main Street Park Am- phitheater construction. The money will be paid back over 10 years with 2.54 percent interest. Monmouth City Council approved the move at its June 2 meeting, with Councilor Royal John- son voting no. Johnson preferred a five- year loan because the 10- year loan will last right until the end of the life of the Urban Renewal District. About $422,000 of the project will come from parks system development charges. The project is ex- pected to begin in the fall. Before the project can begin, the residential build- ing at 150 Knox St. N. must be demolished or removed, said Mark Fancey, commu- nity development director. The building is too close to a black walnut tree to be donated to the fire district for a controlled burn exer- cise. Other options include selling the building with the new owner responsible to re- move it at his or her expense or demolition. The small building serves as WIMPEG’s home base. Western-Independence- Monmouth public educa- tion government public ac- cess television station would need to relocate once the structure was sold or demol- ished to make room for the amphitheater project. Sheriff: Wolfe decides to retire starting Dec. 31 Continued from A1 Eventually he moved to the patrol side, where he has served as a supervisor of the Polk County Interagency Nar- cotics Team and of the detectives unit. With the ability to begin rebuilding his staff and Garton at the helm once he leaves, Wolfe said he feels comfortable stepping away. “It’s been very rewarding,” Wolfe said. “The last two years have been the most challenging, but I will leave it in good hands with some resources to get it (full staffing) back.” DEADLINES NEWS DEADLINES For inclusion in the Wednesday edition of the Itemizer-Observer: Social news (weddings, engagements, anniver- saries, births, milestones) — 5 p.m. on Thursday. Community events — Noon on Friday for both the Community Notebook and Community Calendar. Letters to the editor — 10 a.m. on Monday. Obituaries — 4 p.m. on Monday. JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer Wayne and Melissa Wineland bring their boat into the launch at Riverview Park In- dependence on Monday afternoon while a family swims nearby. Stay safe on the water By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer POLK COUNTY — Head- ing down to the Willamette River for a day on the water — or maybe just swim or wade? Take your life jacket — and don’t forget to use it. That is the No. 1 water recreation safety tip from state and local officials. “We encourage people, if they are near the water to use a life jacket,” said Dean Bender, Polk County Sher- iff’s Office Marine Program manager. Also, if you are planning for a day on the water, don’t go alone and always let someone else know about your plans. “Don’t swim alone, don’t go near the water alone be- GREENWAY cause something can hap- pen,” Bender said. With near record-break- ing temperatures last week- end, it was busy on the river. Bender was happy to report that, for the most part, people were following the life jacket laws. “I didn’t have to cite any- body for not wearing a life jacket,” he said. “Everyone was wearing one or had life jackets with them.” Bender said the county’s marine patrol won’t often issue warnings for life jack- et violations — boaters are required to have them on board. Most of the time, of- ficers will write tickets. “Those tickets aren’t cheap,” he said. “It’s $60 for life jackets.” But even if you are not on a boat in the middle of the river, a life jacket is a good idea, especially if you plan on swimming for any amount of time. Air temperatures are hot, but the water temperature isn’t. Bender said diving into cold water can be a shock and may lead to peo- ple inhaling water as they gasp. Wearing a life jacket will keep your head above water if that happens. Keep in mind, too, that sections of shallow water can suddenly drop off into areas that are 10 to 12 feet deep. Bender also suggests putting a whistle on your life jacket just in case you run into trouble. You may not be able to scream if suddenly immersed in cold water and screaming may sound like someone having fun on the water. “By blowing a whistle, we know things are not good,” Bender said. For boaters, this season presents an unusual chal- lenge. Water levels are ex- tremely low for this time of year. In fact, Bender has never seen the river this low in early June. That means boats can potentially get stuck on gravel bars or other obstacles typically not exposed until later in the season. “It’s pretty deceiving,” Bender said. “The water may be flat, but it could be just a few inches (deep).” For those who do run aground, the sheriff’s patrol may not be able to rescue your boat — officers will al- ways make sure passengers are safe — for fear of dam- aging the patrol boat and having both vessels be out of commission. “We try not to tow boats,” Bender said. With hot days looking like they might be here to stay, floating down the river may be the perfect cure, but Bender reminds people to plan for the unexpected. He said pay attention to condi- tions on the river — such as floating into a headwind — may make those unmotor- ized journeys slower than expected. “Plan for early in the day to go,” Bender said. “And don’t wait until dark to call for help.” ADVERTISING DEADLINES Retail display ads — 3 p.m. Friday. Classified display ads — 11 a.m. on Monday. Classified line ads — Noon on Monday. Classified ads are updated daily on www.polkio.com. Public notices — Noon on Friday. CORRECTIONS The Polk County Itemizer- Observer is committed to publishing accurate news, feature and sports reports. If you see anything that re- quires a correction or clarifi- cation, call the newsroom at 503-623-2373 or send an e- mail to nadams@polkio.com. WEBSITE The Polk County Itemizer- Observer website, www.polkio.com, is updat- ed each week by Wednes- day afternoon. There, you will find nearly every story that appears in the print version of the newspaper, as well as some items, in- cluding additional photos, that do not appear in print due to space limitations. The Itemizer-Observer is also on Facebook and Twit- ter. Watch for breaking news, links to stories, sports scores updates and more. WEATHER RECORDED HIGH LOW June 2................ 66 June 3................ 67 June 4................ 75 June 5................ 88 June 6................ 91 June 7................ 93 June 8................ 96 54 52 53 52 56 55 59 RAIN .03 .T .00 .00 .00 .00 .00 Rainfall during June — 0.67 in. Rain through June 8 — 15.27 in. Solution on Page 3A a 55+ Manufactured Housing Community Tour of Homes June 13th, 2015 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Everyone is Welcome! 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