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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 2015)
Polk County Living Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 22, 2015 7A Making sawdust? Remember woodshop’s motto: ‘If you make a mess, clean it up please’ By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — LeRoy Rempel said there has been talk of opening a hobby center — a woodshop — at Dallas Re- tirement Village (DRV) for not just years, but decades. He s a i d h i s b r o t h e r worked in maintenance at DRV years ago and tried to establish a center, but there was never enough space. “They’ve wanted one for years, but they never had a location,” said Rempel, a DRV resident. T h i s m o n t h , t h a t ’s changed, thanks to dona- tions and the tireless effort of Rempel and fellow DRV resident Russ Thommen. Recently, the DRV health service center was remod- eled, adding a classroom for DRV’s certified nurse’s assis- tant classes. That left a mod- ular building empty that DRV leaders thought might be perfect for the long- awaited “hobby center.” From that point, Thom- men and Rempel went to work setting it up. Lifelong woodworkers, they were a perfect fit for the job. “You and I have been making sawdust since we were young bucks,” Rempel said to Thommen, smiling. Rempel and Thommen’s first focus with the center JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer LeRoy Rempel, left, and Russ Thommen were instrumental in setting up Dallas Retirement Village’s hobby center. was safety. Once all the tools were in place, they marked safety zones with black and yellow tape. They made it a center rule that no one uses power tools while working alone in the shop. The center is neatly or- ganized and clearly marked, a sign of the care they took in setting it up. Rempel alone put in about 140 hours working in the center since the project started in May. “My wife said it felt like I went back to work,” he said. The center has a wide va- riety of tools and is open to all DRV residents capable of using the equipment. “There’s just about all the woodworking tools you would find in a regular woodshop,” Rempel said. “It’s just an ideal set up,” Thommen added. Many of the tools were donated, Thommen said, es- timating people gave $1,500 in equipment to the center. DRV’s maintenance depart- ment also provided new tools for the shop. DRV hosted a grand open- ing on July 1, and Thommen and Rempel held an orienta- tion after that, explaining safety and courtesy rules — like cleaning up after use. Since then, 30 people have used the shop and some have already claimed a cabi- net to store their projects. Both regular volunteers — they also take shifts driving a golf cart transporting people from building to building on DRV’s campus — Thommen and Rempel like to stay busy. They said the hobby center adds one more way for resi- dents to do just that. “You can’t just sit in your rocking chair all day,” Rem- pel said. The pair has plans for im- proving the center and up- grading the equipment when they can. They want to install more cabinets for fre- quent users and build a “fin- ishing room” where people can paint or apply finish in properly ventilated area. “So far, it’s gone over well,” Thommen said. “We anticipate more will use it as people come and go.” You will likely catch the two of them in the center working on projects — even Rempel, who has a shop in his garage. “It’s not essential, but it is nice,” Thommen said. JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer The center has a wide variety of tools ready for use. JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer Tools are labeled and have a place in the hobby center. A Division of Ernst Irrigation • CCB# 185365 • Residential Electrical • Agricultural Electrical • Well Pump Service and Replacement • Solar Water Pumping • Variable Frequency Drives Brock Blacklaw , Electrician Mobile: 503.757.8382 • Phone: 503.633.1111 • Fax: 503.633.1122 PO Box 490 • 20179 Main St. NE, St. Paul, OR 97137 www.ernstirrigation.com We sell Carhartt, Key, and Prison Blues. Red Wing, Irish Setter, Georgia, and Danner boots. Our #1 selling item in the store is Georgia Romeos. OVER 500 IN STOCK! Georgia Romeo Georgia Romeo CAMO & PINK On Sale NOW! $ Brown & Black 59 95 Everyday Low Price $ Every size in stock! 69 95 1355 E Ellendale Ave • Dallas • 503-623-5650 M-F 10-6 • Sat 10-5 • Sun CLOSED JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer Donations of tools helped get the center up and running.