2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 1, 2015
Phase two of survey
begins in Monmouth
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
MONMOUTH — The
first phase of Monmouth
Engaged — Monmouth’s vi-
sioning process — is com-
plete, and City Manager
Scott McClure said the
findings have been good.
“When you put it all to-
gether, you go to the things
that weren’t there, and peo-
ple are pretty happy living
in Monmouth,” he said.
“Are there some areas that
we could do better, sure.
We could have better coop-
eration with Western (Ore-
gon University), more
amenities, more bike-
pedestrian safety. There’s
always things you could do
better.”
But it’s those things Bar-
ney and Worth, the consult-
ants in charge of the vision-
ing process, didn’t find that
McClure noted.
Typically cities going
through this kind of citizen
survey will find crime is-
sues, dissatisfaction with
city government or com-
plaints about jobs and eco-
nomic development.
“It wasn’t there much,”
McClure said.
Also noteworthy was the
lack of complaints around
social issues, he said, even
when it came to students.
“That’s classic town-
gown stuff that can be typi-
cal, but that just wasn’t
there,” McClure said.
McClure said Western
students tend to be disci-
plined, hard-working stu-
dents, in his opinion.
With the first phase of
the survey completed —
800 surveys were turned in,
which is more than twice
what consultants expected
from a town the size of
Monmouth, McClure
said — the second phase
has started.
At the Fourth of July fes-
tival in Main Street Park,
the city will have a vendor
booth where citizens may
fill out a survey. Barney and
Worth Associates also will
be at the July 15 Music in
the Park to encourage par-
ticipation. The goal of the
second survey is to priori-
tize what’s important. Mc-
Clure said the findings
should be ready to present
at the Aug. 4 city council
meeting.
To take the sur vey:
http://www.surveymon-
key.com/s/MonmouthEn-
gaged2.
Polk County News
Fourth of July safety
Some friendly tips about fireworks and staying hydrated
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
A Safe Fourth is a Fun Fourth
POLK COUNTY — This
Fourth of July promises to be
hotter than usual, and drier,
with temperatures in the
mid to high 90s.
It means a few extra pre-
cautions should be taken in
addition to regular safety
when it comes to staying hy-
drated and lighting fire-
works.
During the festivities, it’s
important to remember the
“safe and sane” rules of fire-
works, and only use fire-
works purchased from an
authorized vendor, said Neal
Olson, Polk County Fire Dis-
trict No. 1 division chief.
“It’s really important that
we follow those rules and
guidelines,” Olson said
about the regulations put
out by the Oregon State Fire
Marshal’s Office. “Especially
this year with as dry as it is.
It is much worse this year
than it has been in the past.”
Keep a fire hose or bucket
of water handy in case
shrubs or grass catches on
fire, Olson said.
Even sparklers can cause
damage if handled improperly.
“No sword fighting with
them,” Olson said. “Those
Fireworks, even legal ones, can be dangerous, especially
in this unusually dry and warm year.
Some tips from the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office:
• Store fireworks out of children’s reach. An adult should
always light fireworks.
• Always read and follow directions on the label.
• Place pets indoors; they are easily frightened by fire-
works.
• Always have water handy. Soak used fireworks thor-
oughly in a bucket of water.
• Never re-light “dud” fireworks.
Some tips from Salem Health: If you experience these
symptoms, drink more water, find shade or call 911:
• Heat illness goes through three stages: heat cramps —
like muscle cramps — exhaustion and then heat stroke.
• If you have heat cramps, find shade, use a cold com-
press and take fluids.
• With heat exhaustion, you will sweat excessively and
look pale. Get in shade, use a cold compress, and drink flu-
ids. Intravenous fluids may be required.
• If you are having heat stroke, you will be very pale and
have a fever. You will not be able to sweat and you will be
mentally confused. Call 911.
Overall, use common sense. Drink plenty of fluids and
have a safe and happy Fourth of July.
sparklers burn at 2,000 de-
grees — that is hot. Even just
the little sparks that fly off,
they’ll burn your skin. It’s
burning metal.”
With the amazing fire-
works displays throughout
the county, Olson said it
may not be worth the risk to
light off additional fireworks
this year.
Polk County Fire District
No. 1 has increased staffing
for the holiday weekend.
“We expect to be really
busy,” Olson said. “With a
long run of heat leading up
to the holiday, we expect an
increase in our medical call
volume as well. People are
forgetting to hydrate and eat
properly, and that causes the
medical (calls) to go up,
which also affects our avail-
ability for fire response.”
When the temperatures
climb, it is important to take
care of yourself and your
family, also.
The first thing to remem-
Ruby is the
birthstone for July.
In history, it was
believed that the Ruby
evoked images of riches,
royalty and passion.
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ber is to stay hydrated, said
Don Rodenfels, a nurse at
the emergency department
at West Valley Hospital.
“Be sure they are drinking
plenty of water,” he said.
“The best way to rehydrate is
just plain water and sports
drinks.”
In fact, it doesn’t hurt to
start hydrating the day be-
fore you know you’ll be in
the heat, Rodenfels said.
Soda does not hydrate
well, and alcohol dehydrates,
making the heat worse.
While extreme heat should
be avoided where possible,
on the Fourth of July, people
will pack the sidewalks and
parks during the hottest part
of the day to participate in
and watch the barbecue
competition in Dallas and
the Fourth of July/Western
Days celebrations in Mon-
mouth and Independence.
Bring an umbrella with
you or wear a wide-
brimmed hat, Rodenfels
said, to provide your own
shade to protect you from
the sun. Sunscreen also is
important.
“The other thing people
can do is use battery-operated
fans,” Rodenfels said. “Some
of them are misters. Those ac-
tually work quite well.”
The West Valley ER has
seen a slight increase in
heat-related patients, mostly
infants, children and the
elderly, he said.
“Check on the elderly,”
Rodenfels noted. “Elderly in
general, whether it’s hot or
not, they need proper fluid
intake. Generally older peo-
ple, you have to get them to
drink, because they just
won’t. It becomes more im-
portant during the hot
weather.”
If alcohol is in your party
plans, make sure to make
arrangements to get home
safely.
DEADLINES
NEWS DEADLINES
The Itemizer-Observer of-
fice will be closed Friday in
observance of the Fourth of
July. Some deadlines have
been changed this week to
accommodate this.
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 Thursday for both
the Community Notebook
and Community Calendar.
Letters to the editor —
10 a.m. on Monday.
Obituaries — 4 p.m. on
Monday.
ADVERTISING DEADLINES
Retail display ads — 3
p.m. Thursday.
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 23............. 85
June 24............. 87
June 25............. 93
June 26........... 100
June 27............. 95
June 28............. 85
June 29............. 91
52
57
57
65
71
65
60
RAIN
.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
Rainfall during June — 0.67 in.
Rain through June 29 — 15.27 in.
Independence Police will
have extra patrol shifts look-
ing for people driving under
the influence of intoxicants
Friday through Monday.
“The ultimate goal in par-
ticipating in these opera-
tions is to get impaired driv-
ers off of our roadways, cre-
ating a safer environment
for anyone and everyone
using our roadways,” said
Officer David Oliveros.