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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2016)
Polk County News Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 20, 2016 5A Calmlee’s Bookstore offers readers (real) page turners By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer A good read DALLAS — Tired of look- ing at screens? A recently opened store in downtown Dallas has just the remedy: books. Paperback books, to be specific, is the specialty at Calmlee’s Bookstore on Southwest Court Street. “It’s all new books, and eventually I’m going to have comic books, too,” said owner Chris Mann Monday. Mann said it was an acci- dent, really, but he found a weakness in the e-reader market. He said people are more frequently using e- readers for newspapers, magazines, and newly re- leased books. “It’s normally new books that are still in hardcover,” he said of what people buy with e-readers. “In paper it’s $30. If you buy the e-book, it’s $15. But the mass market paperback is still cheaper than that.” Mann said he had been thinking of owning a book- store for some time before opening Calmlee’s in No- vember of last year. W h a t : C a l m l e e ’s Bookstore. Where: 147 SW Court St., Dallas. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Saturday. Contact: 503-623- 3025, or ind Calmlee’s Bookstore on Facebook. “I was selling on eBay, sell- ing used CDs and used DVDs,” Mann said. “I got this book vendor by accident and realized it’s a lot cheaper than I thought to open up a store.” For now, Calmlee’s shelves are stocked with best-selling titles and genres. But cus- tomers are not limited to what is in-store. For those looking for something hard- er to find, Mann can order nearly any title. Calmlee’s is hosting its first author event on Jan. 30 from 2 to 4 p.m. with Oregon author Carl Lee Scott, whose debut, “The Vow,” was pub- lished in 2015. The novel is about a woman trying to prove an active serial killer is on the hunt in Salem. JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer Chris Mann opened Calmlee’s Bookstore in November 2015, stocking his store with best-selling mass market paper- backs, which still are cheaper in print than on e-readers. He is planning to carry comic books in the future. Mann said he’s hoping to host more authors in the fu- ture, but his first few months have been about letting peo- ple know that Dallas has a downtown book store again. “It’s just taking time to get the word around,” Mann said. “I know it’s going to t a k e s o m e t i m e, s l ow growth, to build a real steady customer base.” IndyWorks app may streamline service to citizens lem,” Kistler said. “So if it goes beyond that time, a manager will get alerted as well as the employee in charge of the problem.” Kistler said he hopes the app will help curb commu- nication issues between city government employees and citizens. Before, either the com- plaint is made and fixed without the citizen knowing when or how; or a city work- er doesn’t get all the infor- mation he or she needs to fix the concern, Kistler said. “Also, let’s say someone scribbles something down on a sticky note because they’re on the main phone and things are blowing up,” he said. “And it falls through the cracks. And you have an- other upset citizen.” Now, even if someone makes a report at the front desk, someone can enter it straight into the IndyWorks system. The app was created with PublicStuff, and costs the city $5,000 per year for the setup and ongoing mainte- nance. For more information: ci.independence.or.us. By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — See something awry in the com- munity? Don’t try to remem- ber to let city hall know about it later; download the IndyWorks app for free and report it on the spot. The app for Android and iPhone allows citizens to re- port issues such as potholes, broken streetlamps or over- grown vegetation, as well as ask questions about Inde- pendence city government. “What this does is let the resident submit different types of requests that auto- matically starts a whole chain of events on the back- end,” IT Manager Jason Kistler said. Citizens are notified of the progress of their complaint or report. Other residents may choose to follow the progress, too. For example, a citizen may report a pothole on a main street in town — com- plete with a photo, if they like. “So say someone else sees it and they say, ‘yeah, I want that fixed, too,’” Kistler said. “They hit ‘follow,’ and any updates you get, they will also get. It’s a whole different level of transparency going on.” Submitting a report is slightly more complicated than posting to Instagram or EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer Citizens can report issues on IndyWorks app. Facebook from a cellular de- vice. The app may also be accessed via the city’s web- site for people who would prefer not to use their cell- phones that way, Kistler said. Just about 24 hours after a broken crosswalk sign was reported using the app, pub- lic works had repaired it. “We assign a typical amount of time that it would take to resolve that prob- EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer Jason Kistler, Independence IT manager, takes a photo of a sign that blew down in the last wind storm using the IndyWorks app. The sign was fixed about 24 hours later. A Pleasant Place to Buy or Sell Your RV CALL TODAY FOR A NO-CHARGE EVALUATION. OPEN K! S A WEE 9-5 Y A D 7 • Sat Mon-Fri 9-6 -4 Sun 10 Ruben 503-915-2080 Rick 503-437-5398 4075 NE Three Mile Lane, McMinnville, OR www.macrvsales.com Next to the Spruce Goose Aviation Museum macrvsales@gmail.com Solution on Page 6A !NEW LOCATION! Naomi #22 OES ANNUAL 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. • Friday, Jan. 29 at United Methodist Church 565 SE LaCreole Dr., Dallas Bowl of Stew, Biscuits, Piece of Pie per person & Beverage $ 7 00 For information 503-623-8442 Supports Projects of Dallas Naomi Chapter #22, Order of Eastern Star West Valley Housing Authority will hold their Work Session Meeting on Wednesday January 27, 2016 beginning at 11:30 a.m. at 204 SW Walnut in Dallas, Oregon. The Regular Meeting will be held on Wednes- day January 27, 2016 at 1:00 p.m. at 204 SW Walnut in Dallas, Oregon. An Execu- tive Session pursuant to ORS 192.660 will be held immediately following the Regular Meeting, if required. Agenda for the meeting is posted on the Housing Authority website at www.wvpha.org. The location for the meeting is handicapped accessible. Please advise the West Valley Housing Authority if you need any special ac- commodations to attend the meeting. For in- formation, please call 503-623-8387, TDD 1-800-735-2900. An informative class offered by Matt Davies, Professor of Religion Understanding Islam To be held at Trinity Church, 320 SE Fir Villa Rd, Dallas, Oregon • 503-623-2233 American Muslims ..................Sunday, January 24, 6:30-8:00 pm Session 3 of 3. Class will include a lecture followed by a half-hour question and answer session. Free Open to the community. Childcare provided.
