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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 2016)
Polk County News Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 27, 2016 3A Council fills gap for senior center growth DSD looks OK By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer MONMOUTH — The Monmouth Senior Center expansion is back on track and might get started as early as next week, said City Manager Scott Mc- Clure. The project, which has been in the planning and fundraising stage for about 15 years, came in over budget when it was put to bid earlier this year. The city council decided at its April 19 meeting to fill the gap of about $100,000 of the $520,000 project, Mc- Clure said. The council considered waiting to make the decision until the budget committee meets on May 10, but Mc- Clure said contractors, Medcalf Con- struction, of Salem, could not guaran- tee the bid after May 1. “Prices likely would have gone up” if the council had waited any longer, Mc- Clure said. The expansion is in response to in- creased use of the senior center. “What it came down to ... is we were getting too congested,” McClure said. “You tried to get a new class going and there just wasn’t space or time for it.” When it came to big events, the limi- tations on the restroom facilities be- came more noticeable. “The nice thing is, too, with the cen- ter, is it functions as more of a regional center,” McClure said. “We serve Inde- pendence and Monmouth, and some outside the area, from Dallas and West Salem.” McClure said the one-time expense to help the expansion along won’t hurt Monmouth’s budget too much. “It affects the ending-fund balance,” he said. “It isn’t like we had to cut $100,000 out of operating budgets, it just drew down the reserve. We’re still in not-bad shape.” The project was awarded a $90,000 grant from the Ford Family Founda- tion, $40,000 from the Meyer Memorial Trust, $30,000 from Oregon Communi- ty Fund and $15,000 from the Collins Fund. The 2,133-square foot addition is ex- pected to be completed this year. Monmouth joins HEAL cities By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer MONMOUTH — The city of Monmouth has become designated as a Healthy Eat- ing, Active Living city. Independence and Dallas are already HEAL cities. Phyllis Bolman, Mon- mouth city recorder, said she attended a Willamette Valley HEAL cities forum in November and thought it would be a perfect fit for Monmouth. “This means that Mon- mouth makes a commit- ment to provide healthy choices and more active liv- ing choices for people,” Bol- man said. The city qualified for the program because it has pedestrian and bicycling im- provements in its trans- portation system plan, Bol- man said. “We have our walking trail at Madrona Park, and we have agreements with Central Youth Sports to provide fields for them over by the public works building,” she said. Being an official HEAL city means Monmouth will be able to apply for grants to improve its walking and bik- ing trails, Bolman said. “The city’s role in building healthy cities is to encour- EMILY MENTZER/ Itemizer-Observer The nearly half-mile walking path at Madrona Park is often used by residents — in- cluding parents who watch while their children play soccer in the fields. age staff and residents to eat healthier and give them choices for that,” she said. That doesn’t necessarily mean the city will recruit healthy restaurants, but it does mean Monmouth lead- ers will support new or exist- ing farmers markets, Bol- man said as an example. Councilor Marshall Guthrie said there is no downside to being a part of the program, adding that it will open the door to per- sonal, financial and intellec- tual support in adopting ini- tiatives to improve the qual- ity of life for Monmouth citi- zens. The program is funded by Keizer Permenante and implemented through the Oregon Public Health Insti- tute. For more information: ci.monmouth.or.us. after $1M loss Dallas schools keep gains in spite of shortages to 2015-16 budget By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — The Dallas School District will manage its unexpected budget de- crease without having to lay off employees. A combination of changes in the district’s fifth-year program, how the state calculates poverty rates and declining enrollment added up to a $1 million loss to the district this fiscal year, ending on June 30. But that doesn’t mean that pink slips will be need- ed to balance the budget. “The positions that were reduced in the budget were done through attrition and reassignment of staff, not due to layoffs,” said Super- intendent Michelle John- stone at the first meeting of the district’s budget com- mittee on Monday. Programs added in the last two years will remain intact, as well. The proposed budget continues electives at LaCreole Middle School, increased special educa- tion support and better ac- cess to technology added in the 2014-15 school year. Full-year kindergarten, music instruction at Lyle and Oakdale Heights ele- mentary schools and more special education staffing at Dallas High School added in the current year will continue. Johnstone presented the 2016-17 budget on Monday, which reflects a smaller gen- eral fund of $31.6 million compared to $32.7 million in the current year. The overall budget is $47.3 million. Resources to purchase more mobile devices and increased bandwidth throughout the district are in the 2016-17 budget. Employees will see a 3 percent cost of living in- crease, per contracts signed in 2014-15. However, the district’s contingency will be re- duced by approximately $650,000 to $1 million, a figure district officials had hoped could be higher in anticipation of increased Public Employees Retire- ment System rates. Johnstone noted high- lights, including an im- proved graduation rate, a successful application for a seismic improvement grant for Whitworth Elementary School, beginning develop- ment of a “career technical education” (CTE) center at the high school, and “stem” (science, technology, engi- neering and math) pro- grams at Whitworth. “We are on the move, and we are on the move doing the right things for kids in terms of CTE as well as the stem programming,” she said. The next budget com- mittee meeting is May 16 at 6 p.m. at the district office, 111 SW Ash St., Dallas. Dallas begins weed abatement DALLAS — The city of Dallas has started its annual program of identifying the various nuisances caused by weeds, grass, and debris and working with residents to eliminate those hazards. It is the responsibility of each property owner to cut down or destroy obnoxious vegetation. The city code is enforced throughout the growing season from spring through early fall. For more information, call Dallas City Hall: 503-831-3510 or to report concern, 503-831-3568. "man in poo y streets r cond ition" ing h t e m o s o "time to d about it" "keep Dallas a great place to live" ts" e e r t s r ou x i f s ' t e "L "stop the decline" "sounds affordable to me" "streets are badly in need of repair" "join me in voting yes" "promotes civic pride"
