Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 2015)
Polk County Voices Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 9, 2015 4A EDITORIALS How to Contact Officials Schools, cities: time to prepare As we continue our coverage of the pending 9.0 Casca- dia zone earthquake, we asked the cities and school dis- tricts, “How ready are we?” What we got in reply was a mixed bag, but mostly one of building collapse or short-staffed crews not having time to get ready. We understand that some of our beautiful, old buildings in Polk County will collapse — including people’s homes. We applaud Falls City for its efforts to take its emergency plan and tailor it to its community. It is a grassroots effort to connect the city government with the school district, churches and businesses. Everyone will have a part to play in any natural disaster, especially one of the epic proportions predicted with a 9.0 earthquake off the Oregon coast. We will sleep better at night knowing the Polk County Sheriff’s Office has already taken steps to ensure deputies and their families will have enough food for the first three days. Hopefully, that will translate to them being able to help the community in that time of need — if the roads are clear and safe for passage. But, during our interviews, we found that too many or- ganizations aren’t as prepared as they should be. While all have mandatory emergency protocol — whatever that means — many haven’t made the effort any major disas- ter — floods, big snow storms, or wild fire — will require. The thing about natural disasters and emergencies is that you don’t see them coming. The Cascadia zone earth- quake will be an amazing, terrifying event. It will be a once- in-a-lifetime sort of experience, and being prepared is key. There is no excuse for a governmental organization to lack a practical, understandable, concise plan for such an emergency. The warnings have been issued; let’s look at the safety of the people in our care, whether it be city, schools or on the county level. Our county is blessed with a well-led, well-organized County Emergency Management Team, as well as many others who are knowledgeable about preparedness. It is time to stop putting off making a plan because of a lack of manpower, and time to start finding volunteers to band to- gether for the safety of students and citizens. It is past time to take the necessary steps to get grants to make seismic upgrades to old public buildings. Let’s band together to get ready for whatever lays ahead. PUBLIC AGENDA Public Agenda is a listing of upcoming meetings for gov- ernmental and nongovernmental agencies in Polk County. To submit a meeting, send it at least two weeks before the actual meeting date to the Itemizer-Observer via fax (503- 623-2395) or email (ionews@polkio.com). — WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 9 • Polk Soil and Water Conservation District — 6 p.m., USDA Service Center: 580 Main Street, Suite A, Dallas. 503-623-9680, ext. 5. • Monmouth Library Advisory Board — 7 a.m., Monmouth Public Library meeting room, 168 S. Ecols St., Monmouth. 503- 838-0722. • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. • Monmouth Park and Recreation Board — 7 p.m., Volun- teer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0722. THURSDAY, SEPT. 10 • Polk County Fire District No. 1 Board — 6 p.m., Central Station 90, 1800 Monmouth St., Independence. 503-838-1510. • Luckiamute Watershed Council — 7 p.m., Volunteer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-837-0237. • Falls City City Council — 7:30 p.m., Falls City Community Center, 320 N. Main St., Falls City. 503-787-3631. MONDAY, SEPT. 14 • Central School District Board of Directors — 6:30 p.m., Henry Hill Education Support Center, 750 S. Fifth St., Independ- ence. 503-838-0030. • Dallas School District Board of Directors — 6:30 p.m., DSD office, 111 SW Ash St., Dallas. 503-623-5594. TUESDAY, SEPT. 15 • Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. • Independence Historic Preservation Commission — 4 p.m., Independence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503-838-1212. • Monmouth City Council — 7 p.m., Volunteer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0722. GOVERNOR Gov. Kate Brown (Dem.) 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-378-4582 Email: via website, http://governor.oregon.gov/ — STATE LEGISLATORS Sen. Arnie Roblan (District 5, Democrat) S-417 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 sen.arnieroblan@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/roblan LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Back-to-school event a success The Dallas Family Night Out committee would like to thank the community of Dallas for such a great event this year. This was our fourth an- nual event, which is focused on helping families prepare for back to school. Families can attend the event free of charge and enjoy games at more than 30 local resource provider tables, live entertainment, free food, a large clothing giveaway, immunizations, backpacks with school sup- plies and haircuts. This year we added den- tal education with the help of Kaiser Permanente, Capi- tol Dental, and the Confed- erated Tribes of the Siletz Indians. We received a grant from the tribe that helped feed the 1,888 people that came through the event. It takes many hours, tons of volunteers, and commu- nity involvement to make this event happen — there are too many to list but we appreciate each and every one of you. The committee would like to give a special thanks to James2 Community Kitchen for their willingness to help even though they had just lost their main cook and leader, Wayne Kester. Wayne was missed at this event but not forgotten. I just want to say a special thank you to El Pique, Dal- las Community Foundation, Walmart and many other local businesses for their support to help make this event successful. Our committee looks for- ward to seeing you all again next year. Sheri Beehner Dallas GUEST COLUMN Great school year begins Welcome to the 2015-16 school year! This is one of my favorite times of year, as staff returns and excitedly prepare for the influx of students. Our buildings look amaz- ing, the en- thusiasm level is high, and we are ready for our stu- dents! Let’s kick off the year Johnstone with cele- brations in staffing, bond work, and our district goals. First, we are welcoming 50 new staff members, 21 of whom are teachers. Every staff member we add means more support for our students. Please check out the sum- mer bond work at Oakdale Heights Elementary, Whit- worth Elementary, and Mor- rison, where new roofs have been completed. Thank you for passing the bond measure. It is the support of our strong community that al- lows us the privilege of tak- ing care of our kids. As we think about the focus for the coming year, our board has set the follow- ing five important goals: • All students will obtain a high school diploma that is appropriate and meaningful as we align to The Promise of Oregon. • Update the long-range facilities plan with future recommendations that in- clude developing standards for facilities inclusive of fu- ture schools by June 2016. • Continue to improve communication efforts with students and families and with the community. • Continue to promote transparency with greater involvement of the budget review committee, district staff, and others in the allo- cation of resources to meet the mission of the district. • Continue to focus on creating safe learning envi- ronments. We will be reporting our progress on each of the goals throughout the school year. As always, our focus is on the critical question, “Is it best for kids?” I am thankful for our community of supportive and dedicated patrons, par- ents, and staff, and I look forward to working with you on behalf of our kids. It is going to be a great year! Sen. Jackie Winters (District 10, Republican) S-301 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1710 sen.jackiewinters@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/winters Sen. Brian Boquist (District 12, Republican) S-305 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1712 sen.brianboquist@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/boquist Rep. David Gomberg (District 10, Democrat) H-471 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1410 rep.davidgomberg@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/gomberg Rep. Paul Evans (District 20, Democrat) H-281 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1420 rep.paulevans@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/evans Rep. Mike Nearman (District 23, Republican) H-378 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1423 rep.mikenearman@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/nearman — U.S. CONGRESS Sen. Ron Wyden (Dem.) 221 Dirksen SOB Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-5244 Fax: 202-228-2717 Salem office: 707 13th St. SE, Suite 285, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-589-4555 Email: via website, www.wyden.senate.gov Michelle Johnstone, Ed.D. Superintendent Dallas School District No. 2 WANT TO WRITE A LETTER? Letters to the editor are lim- ited to 300 words. Longer letters will be edited. Election-related letters of all types are limited to 100 words. Writers are limited to one elec- tion-related letter per election season. Election letters from writers outside of Polk County are not accepted. Each writer is restricted to one letter per 30-day period. Letters that are libelous, ob- scene or in bad taste will not be printed. Attacks by name on businesses or individuals will not be printed. Letters to the editor that are obvious promotions for a busi- ness, products or services will not be printed. The Itemizer-Observer does not guarantee the accuracy of facts presented by letter writers; dissenters are welcome to re- spond. Letter writers who dis- agree with other published letter writers should maintain a civil discourse and address the subject, not the author. Letters, like all editorial mate- rial submitted to the newspaper, are edited for length, grammar and content. Letters must include the au- thor’s name, address and tele- phone number. This includes letters submitted via the I-O’s website. Names and cities of res- idence are published; street ad- dresses and telephone numbers are used for verification pur- poses only. Letters must be submitted from individuals, not organiza- tions, and must be original sub- missions to the I-O, not copies of letters sent to other media. Letters of thanks to busi- nesses, individuals and organi- zations are limited to 10 names. The deadline for letters to the editor is 10 a.m. Monday. Let- ters submitted may not be re- tractable after this deadline. — Reach us at: Mail: Editor, Polk County Itemizer-Observer, P.O. Box 108, Dallas, OR 97338. Fax: 503-623-2395. Email: ionews@polkio.com. Office: 147 SE Court St., Dallas. Sen. Jeff Merkley (Dem.) 313 Hart SOB Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3753 Fax: 202-228-3997 Salem office: 495 State St. SE, Suite 330, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-362-8102 Email: via website, www.merkley.senate.gov Rep. Kurt Schrader (Dem.) 108 Cannon HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: 202-225-5711 Fax: 202-225-5699 Salem office: 544 Ferry St. SE, Suite 2, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-588-9100 Fax: 503-588-5517 Email: via website, www.schrader.house.gov — POLK COUNTY Board of Commissioners 850 Main St. Dallas, OR 97338 Phone: 503-623-8173 www.co.polk.or.us — CITIES Dallas 187 SE Court St. Dallas, OR 97338 503-623-2338 www.ci.dallas.or.us Falls City 299 Mill St. Falls City, OR 97344 503-787-3631 www.fallscityoregon.gov Independence 555 S. Main St. Independence, OR 97351 503-838-1212 www.ci.independence.or.us Monmouth 151 W. Main St. Monmouth, OR 97361 503-838-0722 www.ci.monmouth.or.us HOW TO REACH US Vol. 140, No. 36 (USPS) - 437-380) The official newspaper of Polk County • Serving Polk County families since 1875 Winner of 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 General Excellence Awards from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, OR, Independence, OR and Monmouth, OR. Published weekly at 147 SE Court Street Dallas, Oregon 97338 Phone: 503-623-2373 Fax: 503-623-2395 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Polk County — One Year $27 Other Oregon Counties — One Year $33 Outside of Oregon — One Year $38 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Polk County Itemizer-Observer, P.O. Box 108, Dallas, Oregon 97338 The Polk County Itemizer-Observer assumes no financial responsibility for errors in adver- tisements. It will, however, reprint without charge for the portion of an advertisement which is in error if the Itemizer-Observer is at fault. NEWSROOM Nancy Adams ...............Publisher/Editor .............................................................nadams@polkio.com Lukas Eggen..................Sports Editor......................................................................leggen@polkio.com Jolene Guzman............Dallas/Falls City/Polk County Reporter ................jguzman@polkio.com Emily Mentzer ..............Monmouth/Independence Reporter ..................ementzer@polkio.com DISPLAY ADVERTISING Heidi Leppin .................Display Advertising Manager ....................................hleppin@polkio.com Rachel Best ....................Display Advertising.............................................................rbest@polkio.com Karen Sanks...................Client Services ...................................................................ksanks@polkio.com CLASSIFIED LINE ADVERTISING Dawn Ohren .....................................................................................................................ioads@polkio.com PRODUCTION Kathy Huggins ..............................................................................................................iosales@polkio.com Karyn Pressel .................................................................................................................iosales@polkio.com BOOKKEEPING Pat Letsch ......................................................................................................................pletsch@polkio.com Web: www.polkio.com Phone: 503-623-2373 Fax: 503-623-2395