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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 2015)
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • September 16, 2015 9A Polk County News Festival: City to honor hop, heritage, history Continued from 1A The Independence Public Library will host a scarecrow making workshop on Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 4 to 5 p.m. In the children’s pavilion, many favorite games from last year will return with some new additions, Truc- co said. “Everything they do in there are kind of heritage games that came from the ’50s and ’60s,” she said. “Things that children don’t maybe do today, but it was really well received last year.” Some of the games are much older than mid-cen- tury, including croquet. Others are more modern, such as go fish and Extreme pin the tail on the donkey. “There’s little booths where you can go from booth to booth and make things,” Trucco said. “All of the events and all of the demonstrations are meant to celebrate the heritage of the community and the im- portance of hops in the community.” From 1856 to 1956, Inde- pendence was known as the Hop Capital of the World. The Hops & Heritage Festi- val is meant to celebrate the time when the city grew more hops than anyone else in the nation. Enter- tainment, vendors and ac- tivities reflect that time pe- riod in one way or another. Vendors will carry a vari- ety of wares, including blown glass art pieces and hand- made jewelry, Kistler said. “We ask that either the vendor’s product is histori- cally relevant, or that they have something informa- tional about the history or dress up their booth with hops,” Kistler said. “We want to try and maintain the whole heritage aspect of the festival.” The festival opens Friday night with the annual Ghost Walk and Elks community barbecue. Saturday, early birds can start the day off watching hot air balloons launch at the Independ- ence State Airport and have breakfast with the pilots of the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 292 before heading to Riverview Park for the day’s festivities. Music fills the air begin- ning at noon and continues into the evening with a break at 8 for the fireworks show. “Everyone from Inde- pendence loves fireworks,” Kistler said, especially in the fall, Trucco noted. Hops: Warm, dry season yields bumper hop crop Continued from 1A In total, the process takes more than 24 hours to complete for each batch of hops. With more than 40 acres, this year’s harvest is scheduled to last a little over a month through the middle of next week. Rogue Farms’ other crops — including corn, marionberries, jalapenos and pump- kins — have also faced accelerated ripen- ing periods. The pumpkins in particular were ready to be harvested a month sooner than normal — in mid-August. “That really surprised us,” Gilson said. The hop harvest may be nearing its con- clusion, but the work on the farm won’t stop then. During the winter months, bar- ley is planted to help cover and protect the hop yards. Yearly flooding covers the hop yards in water — a necessary event that helps the soil stay rich with nutrients — an impor- tant factor when dealing with dry summers like in 2015, Gilson said. The path from hop to beer is one that can surprise visitors once they see the process first-hand. “The responses I hear from people is they are shocked with how much work goes into it before it becomes beer,” Gilson said. “They think of breweries and steel tanks and fermenters. When they see it all begins in the dirt and the work it takes, it’s special.” Gilson said everyone will be ready for whatever the weather throws at them next. “We’re always ready to respond to what- ever Mother Nature gives us,” Gilson said. Insufficient funds: Falls City sewer Residents may see increase in wastewater services next year By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer FALLS CITY — A sewer rate increase may be coming for Falls City residents, but that won’t be enough to re- solve all the issues with the city’s aging system. In the 2014-15 fiscal year, wastewater revenue was $100,819, while expenses amounted to $98,635, ac- cording to a report Falls City Mayor Terry Ungricht pre- sented to the Falls City City Council at its meeting Thursday. Falls City’s wastewater system is an enterprise fund, meaning it is supposed to be self-sustaining on user fees. While the fund had a posi- tive balance, last year’s ex- penses didn’t include re- placement of a circulation pump at $8,489. That was paid for out of the city’s cap- ital reserve fund. Ungricht added the city has not been pumping out its tanks — required to pre- vent buildup of debris — often enough, which is caus- ing damage to equipment. Using the recommended schedule would cost another $8,000. Estimated revenue and expenses for 2015-16 would leave a balance of $6,200 in the account, but that doesn’t include unforeseen repairs or needed improvements to the system, Ungricht said. His report recommended a $3 rate increase, but in- cluded options for exploring other solutions. The in- crease, if approved, would raise rates to $49 per month and bring in $6,400 annually. “This is something that we are going to have to move forward on because an en- terprise fund really should be able to be self-sufficient,” Ungricht said. “This is get- ting too close to not being self-sufficient.” Instead of increasing the rates, the council asked its public works staff to con- duct a rate study and make a recommendation. “I think it should be ad- dressed again next month. I don’t think it’s something we want to sweep under the table,” said Councilor Den- nis Sickles. Problems with the system don’t end with possibly in- sufficient rates. Ungricht noted that the city’s recently completed wastewater master plan — which he called a “facility plan” — left much to be de- sired and didn’t sit well with the agencies that gave the city grant money to update it. Shortcomings included not offering recommenda- tions to put more of the city’s residents on the sys- tem (there are only 177 hookups now) and only pro- viding one option for a new treatment plant: a lagoon system. Also, the plan doesn’t recommend placing a new treatment plant at the lowest point in town, there- fore not taking advantage of gravity to reduce the amount of pumps needed. “We don’t have a master plan for sewer,” Ungricht said. He said the city approved the plan, and notably, so did the Oregon Department of Environment Quality, but the latter reluctantly. Ap- proval doesn’t mean agen- cies will offer the city grants or loans to complete its rec- ommendations if they don’t consider the plan adequate, he added. The city can revise the plan before applying for funding for an update to the system. Having an engineer rework the plan will come at a cost, though. “You need a plan to be able to get money,” Ungricht said. “It will cost us money to tweak that plan.” Talk about death, dying By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer MONMOUTH — The Monmouth Public Library will host a conversation about death and dying at 6 p.m. on Sept. 24 at the li- brary, 168 Ecols St. S. “I think this will be a great opportunity for our commu- nity to be able to come to- gether and talk about a sub- ject that is not often discussed publicly,” said Krist Obrist, Monmouth library director. “We all experience death on different levels throughout our life, yet it can be such a difficult and personal experi- ence to open up about.” The conversation is part of a statewide initiative by Oregon Humanities, created in partnership with Cambia Health Foundation. It is meant to give participants an opportunity to reflect on the stories and influences that shape their thinking about death and dying, and to hear different perspec- tives and ideas from fellow community members. The program aims to help participants consider how to shape a meaningful ap- proach to death and dying. Facilitators of “Talking about Death” programs are trained professionals work- ing in the fields of chaplain- cy, counseling, gerontology, facilitation and hospice care. For more information or to register: Krist Obrist, 503- 751-0193 or kobrist@ci. monmouth.or.us. King, Elizabeth Sinnen, June Allen, Coleen Garcia and Lottie Child; brother, Albert Low; and two daughters. Survivors include his sis- ter, Eloise Kisor, of Albany; brother, Leonard (Linda) Low, of Dallas; son, Andrew Low; and a large extended family. Service is Friday at noon at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Grand Ronde. In- terment will follow at the Grand Ronde Tribal Ceme- tery. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center handled arrange- ments. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute. com. OBITUARIES Ina Mae Penney Sept. 20, 1926 – Sept. 13, 2015 Ina Mae Penney, 88, died Sunday in Dallas. Service is Saturday at 11 a.m. at Dallas First Christian Church. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center handled arrange- ments. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute. com. William ‘Bill’ Irvin Slack July 18, 1940 – Sept. 7, 2015 William “Bill” Irvin Slack, 75, of Dallas, died Sept. 7. He was born in Waverly, Iowa, to Wilburt Herman and Ruby Arlene Stafford Slack. At age 2, he moved with his family to Dallas, where he attended school. For more than 25 years he worked at Towmotor/Cater- pillar as a parts supervisor. Bill married Donna Jean Bernier in Reno, Nev., on April 7, 1989. He was a member of the National Rifle Association and a past member of the Elks Lodge. He enjoyed mining for gold and was an avid hunter and fisherman. Survivors include his wife, Donna, of Dallas; sons, Troy (Jennifer) Slack, of Yelm, Wash., and Bill Slack, of Hudson, Fla.; stepdaughter, Julie Collins; stepson, John Collins; sisters, Mary Ann Clifton, of Pendleton, and Kathryn Ludeman, of Salem; brothers, Harry Slack, of Al- bany, and Richard Slack, of Salem; half-sisters, Marlene Hood, of Dallas, Virginia Fuller, of Texas, and Alyssa Thomas, of Dallas; three grandchildren; and two ERNEST “ERNIE” JOHN COGSWELL Dec. 18, 1929 - Sept. 13, 2015 ERNEST “ERNIE” JOHN COGSWELL, 85, a resident of Dallas died Sunday, September 13, 2015 at the Dallas Retirement Village surrounded by his family. He was born on December 18, 1929 in Crawfordsville, Oregon the son of Roscoe and Alice Fox Cogswell. As a very young man, he joined the Navy and served from November of 1944 to November of 1954. On October 30, 1954, he married Marilyn Joyce Cook in Stevenson, Washington. They lived in Dallas and for a time Coos Bay and then returned to Dallas. For many years he worked for the Mt. Fir Lumber Company operating their heavy equipment. Ernie enjoyed life to the fullest with simple pleasures of Friday nights at home with a cold brew. He was a great mechanic and could fix absolutely everything. He loved to fish, do wood- working, tell a good story and of course his beloved dog and animals. He was a member of the Dallas Alliance Church and was an Elder there too. For many years he volunteered with the Dallas Christmas Cheer program and enjoyed help- ing people. He is survived by his wife Marilyn of Dallas, daughter Becky (Norm) Parks of Salem, son Doug (Bobbie) Cogswell of Dallas, daughters Susan (Warren) Lamb of Dallas and Sunetta (Mark) Forsberg of Dallas along with 10 grandchil- dren and 12 great grandchildren. Also surviving is a sister Millie (Dan) Friesen of Monmouth and a brother Dan (Car- olyn) Cogswell of Athena, Oregon. He was preceded in death by a daughter Collette in 1981. Viewing will be from 2 to 7pm today, Wednesday, Sept. 16th in the Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center. A memorial service will begin at 2:00pm Thursday, Sept. 17th in the Dallas Alliance Church. Private interment will be in the Dallas Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to Christmas Cheer, DRV Foundation or the Humane Society. To leave a message or memory please go to www.dallastribute.com. great-grandchildren. A private family service was held. Contributions are sug- gested to a charity of the donor’s choice. Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center handled arrange- ments. To send an online tribute: www.dallastribute. com. Floyd ‘Bud’ Low June 22, 1933 – Aug. 31, 2015 Floyd “Bud” Low, 82, of Grand Ronde, died Aug. 31. He was born in Corvallis to Floyd and Rose Tyler Low. Growing up, Bud and his family worked hard together in the timber industry. Bud was a logger and ran many pieces of machinery with his father. Bud loved the many fami- ly pets, taking care of them and riding horses. His fa- vorite thing was his mother’s homemade apple pie with raisins. He enjoyed going to the coast, where they would clam and crab. He loved to tell jokes and make his friends and family laugh. Bud loved country music and was an avid hunter and fisherman. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Irene Ihmof, Genevieve Ihmof, Petrova Salem 412 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97301 (503) 581-6265 Low Cost Introducing BrainHearing ™ technology. Give your brain exactly what it needs to hear. Call now for your Free Trial. Cremation & Burial Funerals & Memorials Simple Direct Cremation $495 Simple Direct Burial $550 Traditional Funeral $1,975 Discount priced Caskets, Urns and other Memorial items. Joyful Sound Hearing Privately owned cremation facility. Locally owned and operated by Oregon families. I N D A L L A S www.ANewTradition.com 312 Main Street 503-623-0290 ~ Polk County’s ONLY Family Owned Funeral Homes ~