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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (April 6, 2016)
Polk County News 6A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 6, 2016 Business: Jobs, space added A good day to be a chick JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer Remodeling will continue for several months at the American Gas & Technology facility. Continued from Page 1A “It’s not bad at all,” Tate said. He added that AG&T’s technology will provide nat- ural gas fuel at a rate that is comparable with the current gasoline prices. Tate said low prices have chased other al- ternative sources out of the market, but natural gas is in a unique position. “The U.S. has a 100-year supply of natural gas and the technology is available to use it inexpensively,” he said. Tate said the business will gradually build to full produc- tion — an estimated 900 jobs — within two and a half years. In the short term, AG&T is on track to finish retooling the site in about four months and then will final- ize its production layout. “There’s a lot to do there. We will have four or five dif- ferent crews working for the next four or five months,” Tate said. AG&T’s plan isn’t the only positive sign on the jobs and business expansion front. Just down the road on Monmouth Cutoff, a home- grown business has just com- pleted an expansion. MAK Metals/MAK Grills added 22,000 square feet of production space that will allow the company to in- crease output and hire more workers immediately, said owner Bob Tucker. MAK Metals is a sheet metal manufacturer, and MAK Grills produces high- end grills and smokers. Both businesses will work out of the addition which is con- nected to the original pro- duction facility built in 2008. MAK Grills just launched two new lines of grills, and the company simply out- grew its space. Tucker said the business began using the new facility last month and is still settling in. “We can double our pro- duction,” Tucker said. “We can do things a little bit ahead of schedule.” Tucker said when eyeing expansion, the company had no question about whether it wanted to stay in Dallas. He added that the company owns the property out to Monmouth Cutoff and the empty field next door, so it will be able to expand again. That will happen, Tucker said, and the business has no plans of moving in spite of the overtures of cities in other states. That began hap- pening when the state changed its sick leave law last year and continued with the passage of new minimum wage legislation this year. “This is our home,” he said. “This is where we built our business.” Tucker said his business will respond to the ensuing cost increases by automat- ing more and paying em- ployees more. “We will plan ahead and be proactive and find ways to make the company prof- itable,” Tucker explained. “That is what we have done all along.” Ben Meyer, AAMS ® Bob Timmerman Kelly K. Denney Financial Advisor Financial Advisor Financial Advisor 503-606-3048 503-623-5584 503-623-2146 193 E. Main Street Monmouth, OR 97361 159 SW Court Street Dallas, OR 97338 244 E. Ellendale, Suite 2 Dallas, OR 97338 EMILY MENTZER/Itemizer-Observer Nolan Dunaway, 6, of Dallas, stretches to pet a chick at Old Mill Feed & Seed. Dallas budget planning begins The 2016-17 budget will be presented on April 18 By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — The city of Dallas held its first budget committee meeting on March 28, with a focus on long-term planning. Staff presented the Dal- las Budget Committee with the city’s five-year capital improvement plan, the 20- year facilities strategic plan and a three-year financial 503-623-3117 837 Main St. • Dallas Mon-Fri 9-5:30 Sat 9-4 Sponsored by the Polk Community for Human Equality, the Rural Organizing Project & Oregon Humanities, WOU Black Student Union & Western Compass For the hearing impaired - ASL interpreters will be present. More info: www.forhumanequality.org forecast. City Manager Ron Fog- gin said the goal of the ini- tial meeting was to help the committee understand what it takes to write a yearly budget. “It was an opportunity to show the budget commit- tee what work the staff has been doing and what we use to build the budget,” Foggin said. It was also a chance to show the financial chal- lenges on the horizon for the city. “The outlook is that it is becoming harder and hard- er to balance the budget,” Foggin said. He said the 2016-17 budget hasn’t been difficult to balance, but impending changes to minimum wage and Public Employee Re- tirement System rates will make the task an uphill battle in coming years. “What we are trying to continue is to maintain service levels the way they are,” he said. Foggin will present the 2016-17 budget at the com- mittee’s second meeting on April 18 immediately fol- lowing the Dallas City Council meeting, which be- gins at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 187 SE Court St. In other business, the city: • Has begun work on playground structures at the newly named Sgt. Ian Tawney Memorial Park off Main Street. A park dedica- tion is planned for May 6. • Will launch its weed abatement program in mid-April, asking owners of properties to clean up overgrown weeds and vege- tation. Foggin said the objective of the program is to remove weeds that could become fire hazards in the warmer, drier months of the year. • Approved an ordinance amending the city code to allow temporary parking of commercial trucks and tractor-trailers on South- east Holman Avenue be- tween Southeast Mon- mouth Cutoff and Birch Street.
