Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (April 20, 2016)
Polk County Voices Polk County Itemizer-Observer • april 20, 2016 4a EDITORIALS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Time to step into the 21st century Here we go again. Polk County has joined with other O&C counties to sue the government for more money, al- leging mismanagement of timber plans. Polk County has joined with 16 other counties to sue the federal government because the plans, drafted in 1937, aren’t working as promised. The counties have been riding this timber-harvest, government subsidy horse for too long. It’s gotten old. The answer has been to continue to lobby Congress and others in Washington, D.C., for extensions on those timber subsidies. It is past time for commissioners to show us the money — what good have trips to D.C. done for Polk County and its residents? If they can’t tell us what they’ve been doing on our behalf and how it has been working, it’s time for them to stop spending time on the East Coast and start putting their boots on the ground here in the county. It’s time to find another horse. Our commissioners need to show us their drive to in- crease economic development. Citing poor location away from major highways is an excuse, and a condition that isn’t changing anytime soon. We hear these objections, but we see our cities overcom- ing those. We see cities attracting businesses who are pro- viding jobs. We see them creating opportunities for devel- opers — and we see developers snatching those opportu- nities. The Polk County commissioners would do well to work more closely with the leaders of Dallas, Independence, Monmouth and Falls City to find a way to help market the county as a whole, rather than sit upon the laurels of the old ways of timber subsidies. Polk County has much to offer to both residents and tourists. Efforts last year to increase rural tourism — spon- sored by Travel Oregon’s Rural Tourism Studio — put the spotlight on the area’s appeal to a variety of tourists, from agriculture and wineries to cultural experiences and bicy- cling. The commissioners should be the county’s biggest champions on these fronts. Instead of arguing for hand- outs from the government for uncut timber, let’s get ease- ments through BLM lands for tours — maybe a moonlight trip to listen to the endangered spotted owl. Until the environmentalists, loggers and politicians can sit at the same table and see that managing a forest is im- portant to everyone, the county won’t see an increase in timber dollars. And the likelihood of that happening any- time soon is about the same as a snowstorm in July. PUBLIC AGENDA Public agenda is a listing of upcoming meetings for gov- ernmental and nongovernmental agencies in Polk County. To submit a meeting, send it at least two weeks before the actual meeting date to the Itemizer-Observer via fax (503- 623-2395) or email (ionews@polkio.com). — wEDnESDay, aPRiL 20 independence Traffic Safety Commission — 6:30 p.m., In- dependence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503- 838-1212. Monmouth Planning Commission — 7 p.m., Volunteer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0725. Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk Coun- ty Courthouse, first floor conference room, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. THuRSDay, aPRiL 21 Monmouth arts and Culture Commission — 7 p.m., Volun- teer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0725. independence Parks and Recreation Board — 6 p.m., Inde- pendence Civic Center, third floor, 555 S. Main St., Independ- ence. 503-838-1212. Polk County Fair Board — 8 a.m., Polk County Fairgrounds and event Center, Main Building, Meeting Room no. 2, 520 S. Pa- cific Highway (99W), Rickreall. 503-623-3048. MOnDay, aPRiL 25 independence Library Board — 4 p.m., Independence Pub- lic library, 175 Monmouth St., Independence. 503-838-1212. Dallas School Board — 6:30 p.m., Dallas School District of- fice, 111 SW ash St., Dallas. 503-623-5594. TuESDay, aPRiL 26 independence City Council — 7:30 a.m., Independence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503-838-1212. Monmouth Senior advisory Board — 1 p.m., Monmouth Senior Center, 180 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0725. Polk County Board of Commission work session — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, BOC office, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503- 623-8173. WANT TO WRITE A LETTER? letters to the editor are lim- ited to 300 words. longer let- ters will be edited. election-related letters of all types are limited to 100 words. Writers are limited to one elec- tion-related letter per election season. election letters from writers outside of Polk County are not accepted. each writer is restricted to one letter per 30-day period. letters, like all editorial ma- terial submitted to the newspa- per, are edited for length, grammar and content. letters must include the au- thor’s name, address and tele- phone number. This includes letters submitted via the I-O’s website. The deadline for let- ters to the editor is 10 a.m. Monday. letters submitted may not be retractable after this deadline. For more information, in- cluding the complete letters policy: www.polkio.com. Proposed bond won’t fix all streets The proposed 10-year, $10-million street bond is going to be voted on by Dal- las residents in the upcom- ing election. The bond, ac- cording to the city of Dallas, is $5 million short of what is supposedly needed for street repairs. Consequently, a vote in favor of the bond does not guarantee a home- owner’s street will be re- paired over the next 10 years. A home worth $200,000 will pay approxi- mately $2,200 over the life of the bond with no guaran- tee this outlay will result in any benefit. Vote no. Stephen Mannenbach Dallas Jones honest, God- loving Christian Why I support Beth Jones for Oregon House District 23: she is an honest, God- loving, strong, Christian woman who will fight for what is truly best for our state and our people. She exemplifies what our gov- ernment should be. Brooke Stuller Dallas Jones has values, integrity for HD 23 I support Beth Jones for Oregon House District 23. She is a woman with in- tegrity, values and someone I would strongly support in her decisions for the people. She genuinely cares and has a heart for all people and for where they are at. I love that she supports pro-life, the Constitution and family val- ues. Beth Jones is someone I would want on my side. Lynnette Anderson Dallas Re-elect Wheeler for commissioner Jennifer Wheeler is a pas- sionate supporter of the county she grew up in. She believes in the collaborative work being accomplished between agencies serving the residents of Polk County. Even more importantly, she listens to concerns, works with people and volunteers alongside citizens to make our county better. She is a committed and active par- ticipant in several Polk County nonprofit organiza- tions. In her first term of service as a commissioner, she has grown into a knowl- edgeable and capable advo- cate for Polk County. I en- courage you to support her for re-election as Polk County Commissioner. Ken Braun Dallas Fixing streets our responsibility Dedicated faith, deep personal convictions, and a willingness to support the Dallas of tomorrow makes our city a great place to live. Faced with a decade of declining state gas tax re- ceipts and fewer street re- pair dollars, Dallas citizens must choose. Do we ac- knowledge our individual responsibility as citizens of Dallas to protect and pre- serve the Dallas street infra- structure or do we put off for future generations to re- build the decaying local street system? The responsible decision is to rebuild the Dallas street system by passing the May street bond. Wanda Davis Dallas Dallas community shows support It is reassuring to know that the Dallas people look out for each other from chil- dren’s sports to the senior citizens. On top of that, vol- unteer organizations abound for about every need. One thing I never sus- pected was the personal compassion and interest that is there when tragedy occurs. At the untimely death of my granddaughter, Makenzie Lyman, people “came out of the wood- work” to comfort and con- sole — and above expecta- tion contributed financially to her final expenses. Grace Community Church did so much and generously pro- vided hospitality for the hundreds of those who gra- ciously attended her memo- rial service. The Dallas Mor- tuary Tribute Center staff is to be commended for the caring and being most help- ful. Thank you Dallas com- munity from being there for us. We are at a critical point re- garding the condition of our streets. Two-thirds of Dallas’ streets are rated poor to very poor. The cost of re- pairs will increase the prop- erty owner’s taxes between $88.50 to $147.50, depend- ing upon the value of the home. The street repair bond is a viable answer. The longer it’s delayed, the more it will cost. Please join me in sup- porting the street bond measure. Let’s create a posi- tive impression for our es- tablished businesses and new businesses exploring the Dallas area. Nancie Rogers Dallas bond? The collection in- cluded missing pavement on Southwest Brown and Southwest Clay Street. There are photos of alligator pave- ment patches on Southwest Elmwood Drive, Southwest Robb Street and Northwest Sunny Drive. Potholes on Southeast Lyle Street and Southeast Lewis Street. And standing water on Southwest Hayter Street, Southeast Godsey and Southwest Allgood. Please join me and your neighbors in voting yes to improve Dallas’s livability by repair- ing our residential streets. Rich Rohde Dallas Re-surface now to Repairs needed for avoid re-building Dallas streets It was 37 years ago that If your roof springs a leak and you fix it right away, the cost is minimal. If you wait until there are buckets everywhere and the only answer is a whole new roof, the expense is huge. Infrastructure is similar. Maintaining the streets in good condition adds years to their life. But let them deteri- orate enough and the cost of repair becomes exorbitant, up to and including the need for total replacement. Many Dallas streets are approaching that critical point. We can pay the pres- ent cost, or saddle our kids with a horrendously worse one. The choice is ours. we built a house on a one- block cul-de-sac in Dallas. Since then, there has been no major activity and new pavement at all on that street. In fact, according to the engineering study done for Dallas streets, it is going to be one of the more expen- sive blocks to re-surface — and it needs it. In short, support for the Dallas street levy has be- come critical because many of our streets are nearing the point where they don’t need re-paving. Instead, they will need re-building. Support the levy when you vote in May. David Shein Dave Weston ning for state representative District 23: Beth Jones. A vote for her would bring someone to Salem that would work for the things that made this country great: the Constitution, for families, for our military. I know her to be a woman of substance; ethical, morally strong, with lots of local in- volvement. She has more governmental experience than the incumbent and in- vestigates concerns fully and carefully. She listens to both sides of a problem and works diligently to solve the issues brought before her. She’s the best candidate. Well, folks here we go again. Somebody wants to take our hard-earned money and spend it on street im- provements. That’s going to take some big bucks. $50 mil- lion in $10 million incre- ments. It is public knowledge, and the city has admitted they have “deferred” street maintenance for 20 years. Wouldn’t you like to know where the money that was collected from the Dallas citi- zens for 20 years went to, and what it was used for? Vote no on the street tax bond. Dede Perkins Dallas Road repairs to help neighbors Streets will only get more costly As I view the dozens of street photos sent to me by friends, I asked myself what kind of a neighbor would I be if I opposed the street All streets need repair — now or in the future. Early repairs save money, and well-maintained streets are a preferred alternative to ex- pensive street reconstruc- tion. Dallas citizens contribute tax dollars to public educa- tion even by those who have no children in school. We support the Dallas police even though we may never (thankfully) need their serv- ices. We support these serv- ices for the good of the Dal- las community. The Dallas street bond is another community service we should support because it will fix 22 miles of resi- dential streets, making Dal- las a more attractive and more business friendly community. Support im- proved Dallas streets. Stann Lyman Dallas Voters should learn Dallas Dallas more about Jones Street bond serves Don’t take more Today I invite voters to money from citizens greater good investigate a candidate run- I urge you to support the Dallas street repair bond. Ali Rion Dallas Pete Christensen Dallas HOW TO REACH US nEwSROOM emily Mentzer ..............editor/Monmouth/Independence Reporter ....ementzer@polkio.com Vol. 141, No. 16 (USPS) - 437-380) The official newspaper of Polk County • Serving Polk County families since 1875 Winner of 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 General excellence awards from the Oregon newspaper Publishers association Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, OR, Independence, OR and Monmouth, OR. Published weekly at 147 Se Court Street Dallas, Oregon 97338 Phone: 503-623-2373 Fax: 503-623-2395 SuBSCRIPTIOn RaTeS: Polk County — One Year $35 Other Oregon Counties — One Year $40 Outside of Oregon — One Year $45 POSTMaSTER: Send address changes to: Polk County itemizer-Observer, P.O. Box 108, Dallas, Oregon 97338 The Polk County Itemizer-Observer assumes no financial responsibility for errors in adver- tisements. It will, however, reprint without charge for the portion of an advertisement which is in error if the Itemizer-Observer is at fault. lukas eggen..................Sports editor......................................................................leggen@polkio.com Jolene Guzman............Dallas/Falls City/Polk County Reporter ................jguzman@polkio.com DiSPLay aDVERTiSinG Heidi leppin .................Display advertising Manager ....................................hleppin@polkio.com Rachel Best ....................Display advertising.............................................................rbest@polkio.com Karen Sanks...................Client Services ...................................................................ksanks@polkio.com CLaSSiFiED LinE aDVERTiSinG Dawn Ohren.....................................................................................................................ioads@polkio.com PRODuCTiOn Kathy Huggins ..............................................................................................................iosales@polkio.com Karyn Pressel .................................................................................................................iosales@polkio.com web: www.polkio.com Phone: 503-623-2373 Fax: 503-623-2395
