SERVING UP A CUP OF
GRANT McFARLAND IS
EDUCATION Page 14A THE NATURAL
Page 10A
Volume 141, Issue 4
www.Polkio.com
January 27, 2016
75¢
Polk
could
benefit
from
lawsuit
IN
YOUR
TOWN
DALLAS
School district holds
meeting to discuss poli-
cy allowing a transgen-
der boy to use the boys’
locker room at Dallas
High School.
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — The
payout wouldn’t be big, but
Polk County would benefit
from a potential lawsuit over
the Department of Forestry’s
management of state forest-
lands.
Harvests off those lands
send revenue to the 15
counties that have state
forests, which were deeded
to the state starting in 1929
in exchange for a cut of the
harvest money.
Linn County — one of the
15 counties, including Polk,
among the Oregon Forest
Trust counties — sent notice
to the state on Jan. 13 that it
intends to file a class-action
lawsuit for $1.4 billion.
The suit alleges the adop-
tion of a new management
plan in 2001 that slashed
harvest revenues by $35 mil-
lion per year and prioritized
other uses is a “breach of
contract.” According to the
suit, that contract says the
state’s responsibility is to
manage the lands for the
economic benefit of the
counties.
Polk County Commission-
er Craig Pope, who is the
vice chairman of the Forest
Trust Land Advisory Com-
mittee, said he — like repre-
sentatives of other counties
named in the suit — was
surprised by the timing of
the lawsuit.
The Board of Commission-
ers has yet to talk about
whether Polk will remain part
of the lawsuit, though Pope
said he didn’t know of a rea-
son why it would opt out at
this point. Counties that elect
to not participate would not
receive financial benefit if the
lawsuit is successful.
Pope said he shares the
frustrations that motivated
the lawsuit.
But he said the notice and
eventual filing of the suit has
ended any negotiations be-
tween the state and the trust
counties for what he thinks
is the best and most sustain-
able outcome: a new man-
agement plan that creates
revenue for counties from
harvests, not the state’s
treasury.
“We are done talking,” he
said. “I want to know how
this lawsuit is going to expe-
dite a better management
plan.”
The majority of the
money would go to Tillam-
ook and Clatsop counties,
which contain the biggest
tracts of trust lands. Polk
County receives about
$100,000 annually now. The
county could get up to about
$160,000 annually if the law-
suit succeeds.
THE NEXT
7
DAYS
PLANNING
FOR YOUR
WEEK
»Page 13A
FALLS CITY
Four Falls City resi-
dents were arrested on
drug charges on Sunday.
»Page 2A
EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer
Mike Ainsworth, center, and Buzz Brazeau, right, speak with Coleen Bradford at the open house of the Central
Community Resource Center on Thursday. The center will be open starting Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
New resource center to open
Social services will be available at old Central District Office building
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE — The
new Central Community
Resource Center opens
Thursday, filling a hole in
access to social services for
residents of Independence
and Monmouth.
The center is in the old
Central School District of-
fices, 1610 Monmouth St.,
across from Central High
School.
The buildings are still
owned by the district.
“The reality is, this is a
community building,” Cen-
tral Superintendent Buzz
Brazeau said at Thursday’s
open house. “It served 3,000
kids (as the district office);
now it’s going to serve
17,000 people. That’s a good
use of a building.”
The center will house
many of the same health
and human services located
at the Academy Building in
Dallas through the service
integration team.
Family and Community
Outreach Manager Brent
DeMoe said the center will
have one reception area, one
lobby, and one intake form
for people who need services.
Coleen Bradford, with the
Department of Human
Services (DHS) self-suffi-
ciency program, said DHS
used to have a presence in
Monmouth and Independ-
ence, but budget cuts
forced consolidation.
“I know the need’s here,”
Bradford said. “This is going
to be such a good thing.”
County Commissioner
Mike Ainsworth said trans-
portation can be an issue for
those who need social services.
“Some families have to
decide if they’re going to eat
that night or put gas in the
car,” he said. “Five years
ago, you only had to go to
Dallas. Now we’re here.”
See CENTER, Page 13A
Falls City seeks solution to squatters
INDEPENDENCE
An Independence
man was arrested on
Monday after oicers
and deputies respond-
ed to multiple calls of
shots ired.
»Page 5A
MONMOUTH
Kevin McMillan
hopes to raise aware-
ness about multiple
sclerosis through drag
racing.
»Page 5A
SPORTS
Central boys basket-
ball team seeks to turn
its season around
quickly.
»Page 12A
With banks not serving eviction notices, city hopes to take ownership, rebuild
Comm. Connect
offers help
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
FALLS CITY — Several
properties in Falls City have
been foreclosed on or are
otherwise abandoned,
some with “squatters” living
in the homes.
Those taking up resi-
dence in one of the homes
have turned on the electric-
ity, but can’t have running
water because of a lien
against the account at that
address.
The city has struggled for
months to address the
issue, but has been con-
fronted with dead ends due
to restrictions in its code,
the lack of an active code
officer, or inaction on the
part of the banks that own
the properties.
Mayor Terry Ungricht
said even with those diffi-
culties, city staff is working
on the problem, perhaps
to the benefit the commu-
nity.
“The hope is we can de-
velop an abatement process
on some of these aban-
doned properties that are
bank-owned and maybe try
to twist arms to get the
bank to turn the property
over to us. We can clean it
up and sell it for develop-
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
The Falls City City Council declared a nuisance on a property in the 500 block of
Cameron Street. Without a code officer, the city has struggled with compliance.
ment,” he said during a re-
cent city council meeting.
“We are taking steps. It’s a
very slow process.”
Without a code officer,
the city has had to rely on
another city to have the
properties registered as
abandoned and find out
who owns them.
City Clerk Domenica
Protheroe said she’s been
investigating the properties
brought to the city council’s
attention as problems.
One was recently sold;
three are bank-owned and
another two were ;sold
under private contracts, so
there is limited information
on those.
Of the bank-owned prop-
erties, Protheroe said two
banks were unresponsive
and the other hasn’t taken
any action.
See SQUATTERS, Page 5A
POLK COUNTY — The
ifth annual Community
Connect will take place
Wednesday (today) from
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at
Valley Life Church, 1795 SE
Miller Ave., Dallas.
The event connects
people, especially home-
less or at-risk of homeless-
ness with local resources
and services. It also serves
as the Point in Time Home-
less Count for the region.
The event is open to the
public. Service opportuni-
ties will be available, in-
cluding dental care, health
screenings, pet care, bike
repair and haircuts. Local
social service agencies will
also be on site to ofer in-
formation about employ-
ment, housing, veterans
and behaviorial health.
All services are free and
conidential.
Participants may re-
ceive free transportation
to and from the event
through Cherriotts or
CARTS buses (a Communi-
ty Connect bus pass is re-
quired) or through several
churches and agencies.
For more information:
Heather Wright, 503-623-
6890 or Michelle Bornleth,
503-623-9664 ext. 2457.
wed
thu
fri
sat
sun
mon
tue
Join St. Thomas Epis-
copal Church for its
“Brew and BS” series
discussing the Old
Testament. Bring
your own brew.
7 p.m. Free.
Celebrate the music
of Elvis Presley at
the Dallas Senior
Center’s music jam.
All music enthusi-
asts are welcome.
6:30 p.m. Free.
Watch a movie and
make a picture
frame during the
Marvel-inspired af-
ternoon at the Mon-
mouth library.
1 p.m. Free.
Relay for Life will
celebrate its 2016
event with a kickof
at the Independ-
ence Elks Lodge, “Ig-
nite your Passion.”
2-5 p.m. Free.
Enjoy old-time
hymns and blue-
grass at the monthly
Jubilee Service at
Calvary Chapel in
Dallas.
6:30 p.m. Free.
AARP Tax Aide of-
fers free assistance
to low- and middle-
income seniors. Call
503-831-0581 for an
appointment.
All day. Free.
Donate blood to
the American Red
Cross at Western
Oregon University
today and tomor-
row.
10:30 a.m. Free.
Rain
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Partly Cloudy
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