Polk County News
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 13, 2016 3A
Council hopes
to finish center
DEADLINES
NEWS DEADLiNES
For inclusion in the
Wednesday edition of the
Itemizer-Observer:
Social news (weddings,
engagements, anniver-
saries, births, milestones) —
5 p.m. on Thursday.
Community events —
Noon on Friday for both the
Community Notebook and
Community Calendar.
Letters to the editor —
10 a.m. on Monday.
Obituaries — 4 p.m. on
Monday.
ADvERTiSiNG DEADLiNES
Retail display ads — 3
p.m. Friday.
Classified display ads
— 11 a.m. on Monday.
Classified line ads —
Noon on Monday. Classified
ads are updated daily on
www.polkio.com.
Public notices — Noon
on Friday.
CORRECTIONS
The Polk County Itemizer-
Observer is committed to pub-
lishing accurate news, feature
and sports reports. If you see
anything that requires a cor-
rection or clarification, call the
newsroom at 503-623-2373 or
send an email to
ementzer@polkio.com.
WEBSITE
The Polk County Itemizer-
Observer website,
www.polkio.com, is updat-
ed each week by Wednes-
day afternoon. There, you
will find nearly every story
that appears in the print
version of the newspaper,
as well as some items, in-
cluding additional photos,
that do not appear in print
due to space limitations.
The Itemizer-Observer is
also on Facebook, Twitter
and Instagram. Watch for
breaking news, links to sto-
ries, sports scores updates
and more.
WEATHER
RECORDED
hiGh LOW
April 5................ 62
April 6................ 73
April 7................ 87
April 8................ 81
April 9................ 67
April 10............. 62
April 11............. 62
41
38
45
49
47
47
50
RAiN
.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
.00
Rainfall during April — 0.00 in.
Rain through April 11 — 17.09 in.
Monmouth Senior Center project
over budget by close to $100,000
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
David Wales collects old game consoles and video games, amassing devices such as
the original Gameboy and Atari to the more modern XBox.
He’s got game consoles
Dallas Library worker shows off video game system stash
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS —What was your
first video game system?
Atari? Nintendo? Sega? Xbox?
Chances are David Wales
either has it in his collection
or on his wish list to add to
his already impressive lineup.
Wales starting collecting
consoles by happenstance
about four years ago. He said
while living in San Francisco,
he walked by a house that
had a box sitting on the
curb. Inside, it had a Ninten-
do 64 with games.
He picked up the box, and
his unique collection started.
“It’s kind of a weird hobby,
I guess,” Wales said. “I’m in-
terested in them. My mom
raised five kids herself, and
we couldn’t really have
games.”
You can see a portion of
what he’s collected so far at
the Dallas Public Library’s
display case. Some will be
familiar — like the Nintendo
system that made Super
Mario Bros. famous and for
those a bit older, the Atari
2600 console.
Others, like the 1980 Mat-
tel Intellivision and 1979
Magnavox Odyssey2, look
nothing like their modern
counterparts.
“I try to get one every
month,” said Wales, who
works at the library. “What
I’m doing now is getting the
basic ones that probably
everybody has seen. I have
35 total right now.”
So far, the display has got-
ten quite the reaction, even
from young kids who haven’t
Wales’ original Gameboy.
seen most of them.
“This is the first time I’ve
put them on display,” Wales
said. “It’s kind of fun to see
(kids) like them and want to
try them out.”
Older people have shared
their memories of playing
the “classic” systems.
“It’s important to hold on to,
I think, especially as things
change and get really crazy,
(like) virtual reality,” Wales said.
He’s collecting the easier-
to-find and less expensive
systems now. After that, he
will pursue the rare and
costly. Wales said his wife is
supportive, even if he has to
explain a spur-of-the-mo-
ment purchase occasionally.
“She said as long as the
bills are paid and the rent is
paid, you can have your
hobby,” he said with a smile.
Wales said he’s encouraged
by how much library visitors
have liked the display. Once
his collection is complete, he
wants to open a museum.
His vision has the consoles
connected to screens so peo-
ple can play them.
“Up until like two weeks
ago, it was just for me,” Wales
said. “Now that I know peo-
ple love it, it makes me more
excited to possibly have a
museum sometime and
share it with more people.”
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
Dudley’s
2016 Spring PEP Talks Series
Hearing Aid Service
Stand Out, Get Noticed, See Results
Tuesday, April 19
541-741-2936
• Improve Your Website
• Manage Your Online
Presence
• Be Search Engine
Optimized
Presented by:
Hearing Aids
Testing • Sales • Service
Come see Curtis every
Tuesday 10am - Noon
at Dallas Senior Center,
955 SE Jefferson St.
In Home Service: Call for details.
MONMOUTH — The
Monmouth Senior Center
expansion project is still
about $92,000 over budget,
City Manager Scott Mc-
Clure said at the April 5
council meeting.
“They (the council) want
to get the senior center
funded,” McClure said.
“They want the expansion
built, but we’re working in
a tighter budget environ-
ment than we have in the
past. We’re getting our re-
serves down to a minimum
level.”
In the past, the city has
had a comfortable reserve.
The city councilors de-
cided to make investments
in projects, which drew
down the reserve, McClure
said.
“At this point, we’re
tight,” he said. “A couple
years ago, if you asked for
$100,000, it would have
been, ‘alright, let’s get her
done.’ Now we have to
think things through a little
bit.”
Part of the issue with the
budget this year is the im-
pending increases to Ore-
gon’s Public Employee Re-
tirement System, McClure
said.
The Monmouth Budget
Committee is already look-
ing at ways to squeeze the
budget by an additional
$100,000 in preparations
for increased PERS pay-
ments coming next year.
A bright spot is a poten-
tial buyer on the old police
station building, McClure
said.
“We can take the rev-
enue on that and apply it to
the senior center,” he said.
“Then you’re not using ex-
isting reserves.”
The total estimated cost
for the senior center ex-
pansion ranges from
$520,507 to $563,322.
Money available is
$428,000. McClure said the
city would have to go back
to contractors and check to
see if those estimates were
valid.
In other business, the
city council:
• Approved removing the
ordinance relating to pos-
session and delivery of
marijuana to reflect cur-
rent state laws.
• Heard that the Wal-
greens lot, on the corners
of highways 99W and 51, is
for sale.
Tuesday, May 17
Tuesday, June 21
• Learn Top Marketing Tools
• Know How to Work a Room
• Review Free/Low Cost Tools • Pitch Your Business Efficiently
• Engage Others Effectively
• Understand Do’s & Don’ts
Presented by:
Presented by:
Robert Sudeith,
Oregon Lithoprint
Jeremy McKern,
Tunnel Radio
Danielle
Gauntz
and
Amber
Deets,
Western Oregon
University
• All workshops 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Henry Hill Education Support Center (750 S 5th St., Independence)
• Cost per workshop: $15 for MICC Members
$20 for Non-Members
Includes lunch from Arena Sports Bar & Grill
• Register: www.micc-or.org • 503-838-4268
Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center