2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 22, 2015
Polk County News
Fire claims apartment, displaces families Citizens question
No injuries to civilians, firefighters in quickly spreading blaze on July 15 utility practices
New billing system collects on old
accounts from current landowners
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE — Re-
becca Menke woke up on
July 15 to hear smoke alarms
going off.
At first, she thought it
might be a mistake — some-
times boiling water on the
stove will set the alarm off —
and then she heard the
word, “fire,” come from her
children’s mouths.
“I went to get some water
(from the kitchen sink), and
it was spreading like pine
needles,” Menke said. “I
have a newborn baby. I went
and got her and we got out.”
Menke and her five chil-
dren stood outside their
apartment, 1390 Monmouth
St., with their neighbors
while 31 firefighters from
Polk County Fire District No.
1 battled the blaze.
Fire Station 90 is just five
blocks away, said Capt. Mike
Rusher.
“When we came out of the
fire station, we could see the
black smoke billowing,” he said.
Independence Police offi-
cers were already on scene
directing traffic and had al-
ready evacuated the rest of
the residents of the five-
apartment complex.
“Our crews went into the
fire to put the fire out and
search for potential victims,”
Rusher said.
When Menke and her
children escaped the build-
ing, they left the front door
open, which gave the blaze
room to expand quickly.
“Fire has to have three
things: oxygen, fuel and
heat,” Rusher said. “They left
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
LYLE GILBERT/for the Itemizer-Observer
Polk County Fire District No. 1 personnel battle the blaze in the 1300 block of Mon-
mouth Street. Independence Police officers worked quickly to evacuate the complex.
the front door open and it
sucked that air in. It got up
into the attic space. That’s
where we had trouble con-
taining it to the (one) apart-
ment.”
The ceiling of the apart-
ment had to be pulled down
to access the fire in the attic.
Holes were cut into the
dwelling, as well as neigh-
boring units to allow heat to
escape out of the roof.
“It’s a total loss,” Rusher said.
“We got some toys, but ….”
The fire was caused by a
juvenile using a lighter,
Deputy Chief Neal Olson
said. Loss was estimated at
$250,000.
Menke said she did not
have renter’s insurance, and
everything was lost — a car
seat, clothes, toys and, what
she seemed most upset by,
pictures.
“I have five kids,” she said.
“All my pictures of the kids
were in there.”
Quick response by fire-
fighters, close proximity of
the fire to the fire station,
and a hydrant right on the
corner of Monmouth Street
and Gun Club Road all fac-
tored into a quick suppres-
sion of the flames.
However, the spread of
the fire to the attic caused
structural damage.
Five families who lived in
the apartment complex were
displaced.
Rusher said it could have
been a lot worse, and
stressed the importance of
having working smoke de-
tectors, which worked in this
case. If you are unable to
check your detectors, call
the fire department and they
will check them for you.
As soon as the news of the
fire and families in need was
posted on the Itemizer-Ob-
server Facebook page, the
community response to help
was strong.
At least two businesses,
The Three Legged Dog in In-
dependence and Petals and
Vines in Monmouth, and
numerous organizations in-
cluding Monmouth-Inde-
pendence YMCA, helped
raise cash donations and
collect other items the fami-
lies needed.
For more information
how you can help the fami-
lies: Monmouth-Indepen-
dence YMCA on Facebook.
West Valley Housing Authority will hold their
Work Session Meeting on Wednesday July 29,
2015 beginning at 11:30 a.m. at 204 SW Walnut
in Dallas, Oregon. The Regular Meeting will be
held on Wednesday July 29, 2015 at 1:00 p.m.
at 204 SW Walnut in Dallas, Oregon. An Exec-
utive Session pursuant to ORS 192.660 will be
held immediately following the Regular Meet-
ing.
Agenda for the meeting is posted on the Housing
Authority website at www.wvpha.org. The loca-
tion for the meeting is handicapped accessible.
Please advise the West Valley Housing Authority
if you need any special accommodations to attend
the meeting. For information, please call 503-623-
8387, TDD 1-800-735-2900.
MONMOUTH — Terry
Richards was surprised to
receive a utility bill from
2009 for a property he
owns in Monmouth.
“I wonder why they (the
utilities) hadn’t been col-
lected and why I’m getting
a bill,” he said at the July 7
city council meeting.
He was not alone in his
complaints about receiv-
ing bills for unpaid utili-
ties from as far back as
2008.
Marlene Richards also
had received bills for
property she inherited
from her father-in-law.
“I would have thought
after seven years (of an
unpaid utility bill), there
would have been a lien on
the property or something
as an action for not paying
that bill,” she said. “I have
a hard time believing that
this is accurate somehow.”
Mayor John Oberst said
the bills to landowners
were missed in the old
system. The new billing
system found them and
sent them out to collect.
“It’s almost like we
pulled the desk out from
the wall and found paper
that slipped behind,” he
said.
City Manager Scott Mc-
Clure said the bills were
not for previous tenants,
as thought by both Mar-
lene and Terry Richards,
related by marriage, but
rather for the time the
properties were unoccu-
pied.
During gaps when a
property is not rented,
utility bills are sent to the
landlord. This covers base
rates and any use of utili-
ties while the property is
empty.
“When there’s no tenant
in there, property owners
are responsible for usage,”
McClure said. “It can be
two days (empty), or if
they want to do renova-
tions (they might) keep it
off the market for a couple
of months.”
The bills came as a sur-
prise to many. McClure
said the city sent letters to
explain the situation
along with copies of their
accounts, but that some
people didn’t get the ex-
planation or full invoices
for their accounts.
“Since we knew we were
surprising people, we ab-
solutely will work with
someone when it’s a big-
ger bill,” McClure said.
One citizen at the July 7
meeting had concerns
about landlords being
held responsible for un-
paid utility bills, but also
about how the city spends
utility funds in general.
Don Barry said the city
council loans money from
utility funds to other proj-
ects when it feels like it,
such as the $500,000 loan
from Monmouth Power
and Light to the Urban
Renewal District for the
Main Street Park Am-
phitheater project.
“This use of a cash cow
needs to be stopped,” he
said.
Barry said these old
utility bills and those un-
paid by tenants who have
f a l l e n o n h a rd t i m e s
should be part of the cost
of doing business for the
city of Monmouth, and
not the responsibility of
landlords.
“If the city has enough
to loan to MINET (Mon-
mouth Independence
Networks), cover police
station construction
shortfalls, build an am-
phitheater and then the
city of Monmouth utilities
should be able to cover
their costs,” Barry said.
Music from the Redgate Winery & Fieldhouse
Fri. July 24, 6:30-9:30 PM
featuring
The Leanne
McClellan Band
$5.00 cover • Must be 21
Food Available
Tasting fees & glasses of wine $5.00
8175 Buena Vista Road
Independence • 503-428-7115 • www.redgatevineyard.com
Matinees are all shows
before 6pm. New pricing for
matinees are: Adult $7.25
Children $6.75 • Senior $7.00
Pricing does not reflect
3D showings.
Friday - Tuesday July 24 - 28
DISNEY’S INSIDE OUT (Digital 2D) (PG)
(12:00 2:30 5:00) 7:25 9:45
SOUTHPAW (Digital) (R)
(1:45 4:30) 7:20 9:55
ANT MAN (Digital 2D) (PG13)
(1:40 4:20) 7:00 9:40
MINIONS (Digital 2D) (PG)
JURASSIC WORLD (Digital 2D) (PG13)
PIXELS (Digital 2D) (PG13)
PIXELS (NEC DOLBY 3D) (PG13)
PAPER TOWNS (Digital) (PG13)
TRAINWRECK (Digital) (R)
(12:15 2:35 4:50) 7:10 9:25
(1:10 4:00) 6:45 9:30
(11:50 4:55) 7:30
(2:25)
9:55
(11:45 2:20 5:05) 7:35 10:05
(1:15 4:05) 6:50 9:35
Wednesday - Thursday July 29 - 30
VACATION (Digital) (R)
(12:25 2:50 5:15) 7:40 10:00
SOUTHPAW (Digital) (R)
(1:45 4:30) 7:20 9:55
ANT MAN (Digital 2D) (PG13)
(1:40 4:20) 7:00 9:40
MINIONS (Digital 2D) (PG)
JURASSIC WORLD (Digital 2D) (PG13)
PIXELS (Digital 2D) (PG13)
PIXELS (NEC DOLBY 3D) (PG13)
PAPER TOWNS (Digital) (PG13)
TRAINWRECK (Digital) (R)
(12:15 2:35 4:50) 7:10 9:25
(1:10 4:00) 6:45 9:30
(11:50 4:55) 7:30
(2:25)
9:55
(11:45 2:20 5:05) 7:35 10:05
(1:15 4:05) 6:50 9:35
IMAGINE Our Communities
without our
LOCAL NEWSPAPER!
Thank the businesses who advertise in the
Itemizer-Observer. Without them...
I n t e r e s t e d i n a d v e r t i s i n g ?
C a l l 5 0 3 - 6 2 3 - 2 3 7 3