Polk County
Voices
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 1, 2016 4A
EDITORIALS
Let’s get prepared
We’ve joined forces with the Mid-Valley Emergency
Communications Collaborative to encourage Polk County
residents to be among the best prepared in the state in
case of emergency.
Right now, less than 10 percent of people in Marion and
Polk counties consider themselves ready for disaster. The
goal is to bring that up to 20 percent, and sooner than later.
While it’s important to have a to-go kit — something you
can carry that will help you survive for three days — that
isn’t enough to get you and your family through a large-
scale disaster. Experts recommend two weeks of supplies.
That may seem daunting, but taken in small steps, it’s
totally doable.
To help, the Polk County Itemizer-Observer will continue
to publish stories about preparedness along with small
lists of items the Red Cross recommends having in case of
emergency.
The goal is not to create panic or fear — quite the oppo-
site. Being prepared and having a plan removes those feel-
ings, or at least quiets them.
When — and it is when, not if — disaster strikes, having
supplies for two weeks will give you peace of mind and
allow you to focus on helping your neighbors. It will mean
less strain on first responders and police agencies because
you will be ready to help yourself, your family and your
community.
Have a plan in place for things such as gathering after a
disaster. Keep in mind that driving may not be possible,
and have a backup plan or two — perhaps your home is
No. 1 to gather, but what if your home does not withstand
the predicted 9.0 Cascadia Zone earthquake?
Just as emergency management volunteers and first re-
sponders do, practice that plan. Take a Saturday morning
or Monday evening and hold a family drill. Practice makes
perfect, after all.
Don’t plan on internet connections or making calls on
cellphones, either. In a real disaster, texts have a much bet-
ter chance of getting through. Or invest in an old-fash-
ioned, non-battery-operated phone that plugs in the wall.
Take a look at the list on Page 2A, created from sugges-
tions from the American Red Cross and a few ideas from
the newsroom, and add items to your weekly grocery
shopping.
By the end of the month, you’ll be on your way to pre-
paredness.
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, JUNE 1
• Monmouth Historic Commission — 6 p.m., Volunteer Hall,
144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0725.
• 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
County Courthouse, first floor conference room, 850 Main St.,
Dallas. 503-623-8173.
MONDAY, JUNE 6
• Central School District Board of Directors — 6:30 p.m.,
Henry Hill Education Support Center, 750 S. Fifth St., Independ-
ence.
• Independence Planning Commission — 7 p.m., Independ-
ence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503-838-1212.
• Dallas City Council work session — 5:30 p.m., Dallas City
Hall, 187 SE Court St., Dallas. 503-831-3502. Council meeting will
follow at 7.
TUESDAY, JUNE 7
• Monmouth City Council — 7 p.m., Volunteer Hall, 144 S.
Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0725.
• Dallas Urban Renewal Advisory Committee — 5:30 p.m.,
Dallas City Hall, 187 SE Court St., Dallas. 503-831-3565
• Polk County Board of Commission work session — 9
a.m., Polk County Courthouse, BOC office, 850 Main St., Dallas.
503-623-8173.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8
• Independence Heritage Museum Commission — 4 p.m.,
Independence Heritage Museum, 112 S. Third St., Independ-
ence. 503-838-1212.
• Monmouth Library Advisory Board — 7 a.m., Monmouth
Public Library, 168 Ecols St. S., Monmouth. 503-838-0725.
• Monmouth Parks and Recreation Board — 7 p.m., Volun-
teer Hall, 144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0725.
• Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk
County Courthouse, first floor conference room, 850 Main St.,
Dallas. 503-623-8173.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letter-writer
forgets thank yous
Shame on yours truly. In
my letter published a cou-
ple weeks ago relative to the
Monmouth Senior Center
expansion, I neglected three
very important people:
Mayor John Oberst and City
Manager Scott McClure.
When I wrote this letter I
was going through a bit of a
rough time, what with my
94-year-old brother who
had just suffered a stroke
and a son who was involved
in a very serious motorcycle
accident. Both in California.
I had just returned from my
second trip to California
and learned of the fact that
the project was going
through. These two men did
a fantastic job in assisting
this project to proceed. The
city of Monmouth should
be proud to have such lead-
ership.
Additionally, a heap of
thanks goes to Mark Fancey,
city planner. More tele-
phone calls and emails went
between Mark and the cen-
ter than you can shake a
stick at.
What could we do without
these three fine gentlemen?
Jack Hinkle
President, Friends of
Monmouth Senior Center
Pool provides
plethora of activities
I recently heard that there
is a proposal by a member
of the City Council to close
the Dallas Aquatic Center.
The money saved would be
diverted to other city servic-
es, as yet unspecified. I
strongly oppose this idea.
While it has struggled fi-
nancially, the aquatic cen-
ter, which opened in 2000,
is a “sparkling jewel” in Dal-
las. People come from all
around, even Salem, to use
it for a multitude of differ-
ent reasons. Fun and fit-
ness, rehabilitation after
surgery and illness are just
to name a few.
Dallas Aquatic Center of-
fers lap swimming, water
aerobics, a therapy pool, a
sauna pool and a toddler
and baby pool. They have a
dedicated team of life-
guards, instructors and staff,
some of whom have been
there for years. The center is
used by swim teams and
enjoyed by many of the chil-
dren and grandchildren
who live in and visit Dallas.
They love the river current
and pool with overhead
sprinklers, the water slide,
the rope swing and the div-
ing board. My own grand-
children much prefer it over
the Kroc Center in Salem. It
keeps them healthily enter-
tained, both physically and
mentally; it keeps them out
of trouble.
Like our schools, our hos-
pital, our stores, our
churches, our senior center
and our National Guard ar-
mory, Dallas Aquatic Center
is a part of our community.
Please fight to keep it.
The closure is to be dis-
cussed at the city council
meeting on June 6, the first
Monday of the month. I
urge those who feel as I do
to attend, or contact the city
council members to let your
feelings be known.
E. F. Watts
Dallas
Where would swim
teams practice?
Not only residents of Dal-
las, but all the outlying
areas including Monmouth,
Independence, Falls City,
West Salem and more will
be affected if a certain Dal-
las city council member has
his way and closes the Dal-
las Aquatic Center.
What will the schools do
with their swim teams? Bus
them out of the area for
practice, or worse yet; give
up their swim programs.
And what about our senior
citizens who depend on this
facility for therapy and exer-
cise. Let alone the many
members who partake in
the classes and the general
public who use the facility
for recreation and exercise.
Also: what of the trickle-
down effect it will have on
the Dallas businesses if the
residents must travel out of
the area to continue their
use of aquatic activities.
They will also do their din-
ing and shopping at these
areas instead of Dallas.
This attempted closure
will, in the end, effect many.
This aquatic center is
something the city of Dallas
should be very proud of and
certainly strive to keep in
operation. Don’t let one per-
son’s opinion influence the
attitude of all.
Sherrod McCaghren and
Patricia Utter
Dallas
Pool makes Dallas
a destination
Save the pool. When I
heard that a certain city
councilman wanted to close
the pool in order to free
funds for other projects, I ex-
ploded. This is one area that
all ages can use together.
Dallas has lost so many
businesses. This has put us
as a destination among
other towns in the area.
Think, people, think.
Glo Hunter
Dallas
WANT TO WRITE A LETTER?
Letters to the editor are lim-
ited to 300 words. Longer let-
ters will be edited.
Each writer is restricted to
one letter per 30-day period.
For our full letters to the ed-
itor policy, see online at
www.polkio.com.
For more information:
Emily Mentzer, 503-623-2373,
ext. 117, or via email to
ementzer@polkio.com.
Children, families
use aquatic center
Save our pool. As a citizen
of Dallas, I implore the city
council to save our pool
from closure. It is the bright
star in our town. School
children use it for their
swim meets. Families use
the facilities and seniors
enjoy the exercise classes.
Out of area members also
spend money in Dallas
stores. In consideration of
the aquatic employees who
would lose their jobs, I
plead with the city to save
our pool.
Judy Baker
Dallas
Evans works for
veterans in Polk
(We just celebrated Me-
morial Day). I am not a vet-
eran, but thanks to my fami-
ly of veterans, I grew up with
great respect and admiration
for those who have served
our country. It is helpful to
have veterans like Paul Evans
in the legislature. Rep. Evans
does so much to make sure
we don’t forget veterans, and
he has made veterans pro-
grams one of his top legisla-
tive priorities. I am proud of
our veterans, and I am
proud of the work Paul has
done on their behalf.
Amanda Deyerle
West Salem
City should focus
on core businesses
Now that the street bond
failed let’s explore why. We
saw our supporting busi-
ness district destroyed by
the new sidewalk fees. We
have pretty sidewalks and a
lot of empty buildings. The
confusion is, what’s the dif-
ference between a core
business and a supporting
business?
A core business brings in
outside money and more
revenue in fees and taxes,
and increases property val-
ues, thereby increasing Dal-
las’ share of property tax re-
turns. A supporting busi-
ness, like a hair salon or gas
station, supports the work-
ers of the core businesses. A
city survives on outside
money. Simple math. Dallas
taxpayers are not willing to
pay for pretty streets while
the lack of core business
hurts this town. Every dollar
that the city spends right
now should be spent in pro-
moting core business. From
that come jobs, tax revenue,
and eventually, pretty
streets. And spending
$25,000 on consultants with
no track record is not the
way to bring in outside
money and increases the
medium income of the
town, which is an indicator
of when and how much to
spend on infrastructure. I
don’t recall any ghost town
having pretty streets.
Randy Wisnia
Dallas
Quality of life
bigger than revenue
Dear city council mem-
bers: I hear that you are
considering closing the Dal-
las Aquatic Center. Why
would you ever consider
such a thing? It should be
obvious to you that none of
the Parks and Recreation
services make the city any
money. The baseball, bas-
ketball, soccer, and softball
fields, and also the tennis
courts are all financial los-
ers. So is the huge Dallas
Park that we all love. So is
our library.
The purpose of each of
these facilities is not to
make money for the city fa-
thers. It is to provide recre-
ational activities and servic-
es for the community.
These facilities are what
make Dallas a great place to
live. The aquatic center is
one of the reasons we
moved to Dallas. That is
true for many others as well.
We have many people who
regularly use the aquatic
center who live in Inde-
pendence, Monmouth, and
West Salem. And these non-
city folks pay extra for the
privilege to do so. It is said
that we have 125,000 annual
usages of the facility and
over 1,600 yearly sub-
scribers.
I dare say that there is not
a money making aquatic fa-
cility anywhere in the coun-
try. But if you wanted to im-
prove the cash flow at the
aquatic center, you should
consider adding a weight
room and gym facilities at
the same location. This
could be done at little ex-
pense and increase the rev-
enues, using space that is
not much used.
Your aquatic center is a
gem. Instead of considering
closing it, you should ap-
plaud how well it is man-
aged and kept up. We, that
use the facility, sure do. And
many of us will attend your
June 6 (Monday) meeting
and voice our objection to
the idea of closing our pool.
James G. Christian, O.D. (ret)
Dallas
HOW TO REACH US
NEWSROOM
Emily Mentzer ..............Editor/Monmouth/Independence Reporter ....ementzer@polkio.com
Vol. 141, No. 22
(USPS) - 437-380)
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which is in error if the Itemizer-Observer is at fault.
