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Polk County News Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 15, 2016 3A FC library funds miscalculated By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer Tom Kunke Art Studio & Gallery, at 357 Main St. in Dallas, will close June 25. The work of Kunke and artist Therese Misner is on display until then. Owners Tom and Conni Kunke said running the studio didn’t mix with retired life. LAST EXHIBIT Tom Kunke Art Studio & Gallery showing paintings for the last time June 25 By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Tom Kunke wants to refocus on his cre- ative side. After retiring from his first career as a college pro- fessor, Kunke did just that when he started painting. At first he wouldn’t show anyone his work, but with the help of his wife, Conni, he brought his talent to light. He eventually began showing his work at local exhibits. In late 2013, Tom and Conni took the next step, opening an art studio and gallery on Main Street in Dallas. Tom Kunke Art Studio & Gallery has done well by many measures. K u n k e’s d i s t i n c t i v e style — he doesn’t use a brush, but a pallette knife to apply paint to the canvas — has proven popular. “We do feel like it was re- ally successful,” Conni said. “Tom has sold over 70 paintings since we’ve been here.” The studio also offered a place for local artists to show their work and con- nect with others, Tom said. The couple briefly of- fered a selection of gift items, trying to make up for the void left when Plain & Fancy closed. That idea didn’t catch on as much as they would have liked, but offering a place for art in Dallas resonated. “We met a lot of interest- ing people who came through,” Tom said. That is why he’s feeling conflicted about the next step in his artistic journey: closing the studio. June 25 will be the last day the studio will be show- ing art. The couple is semi-re- tired and keeping regular hours at the studio three days a week doesn’t match with the traveling they would like to do. When they opened the gallery, Tom envisioned it being a “working studio,” where people could stop by and see him paint, see his finished work and other artist’s pieces. That system worked, but Kunke wasn’t still wasn’t able to keep typical “gallery hours” on weeknights and weekends. “I think running a gallery and painting are very differ- ent things,” Tom said. “We really appreciate what it takes to make a gallery go.” They recently decided that part of owning the stu- dio was something they had to let go. Happy Father’s Day! Tom will be able to paint at home and show his work at other venues. This summer, his paint- ings will be display at Samuel Robert Winery in Amity in July and August. Bush Barn Art Center in Salem is showing his work on an ongoing basis start- ing in July. “Bush Barn is where he started, and they are so ex- cited to have his work back at the gallery,” Conni said. “With our retired or semi- retired lifestyle, he can paint and give his work to them.” Tom said he’s closing the studio with mixed emotions and appreciates the sup- port the community has given his artistic venture. “It was a great experience and we learned a lot,” he said. For more information: http://www.tomkunkeart.c om/. FALLS CITY — The Wagn- er Community Library has more money at its disposal than originally thought. In the past two years, the city inadvertently trans- ferred too much money to the city’s general fund from the Wagner Trust than was needed by about $22,400. Mayor Terry Ungricht dis- covered the issue while put- ting together the city’s 2016- 17 budget and suggested converting the trust into its own fund in the budget to avoid any further confusion. Ungricht said former city administrator Amber Math- iesen set up the budget for the first year of operations based on an estimate of what it would cost to run the library. The next year interim city manager Jon Hanken used that figure as a guide- line, unaware that the esti- mate was more than was need for operations. “They over budgeted and part of that was transferred,” he said. “Amber had budget- ed, like, $60,000 operations and we ended up spending a little over $30,000. That ($60,000) was transferred.” The city will cover the first $22,442 of expenses in the upcoming fiscal year to compensate for the unneed- ed amounts transferred. Re- maining trust funds will be funneled into its own budget with a starting balance of $111,670, so long as expens- es don’t exceed $22,442. Ungricht assured the council the city could afford to pay back the money. “We have the funds there to do this,” he said. “It’s no problem.” The city and Falls City School Board still are plan- ning on meeting to discuss the future of the library, Un- gricht said. He said he will offer options for meeting dates at the school board’s meeting on Tuesday. Librarian Cynthia Hovind has resigned as of June 1 and the district is in the process of filling the position with interviews on June 27. MONEY: Fire vehicle to save city money Continued from Page 1A Engineering on a “water reclaiming” project, which will redistribute treated wastewater for irrigation at city parks, is to begin during the 2016-17 fiscal year. The city budgeted $200,000, to be paid for with systems de- velopment charges. In addition to bringing on temporary staff, the fire de- partment will add a new squad vehicle to its fleet at a cost of $150,000. Hertel said it requires fewer firefighters to operate and is less expensive to take to calls, helping to solve two problems: long response times due to lack of volun- teers and tight budgets. “It is a quick-response type unit for our limited staffing,” Hertel said. “We are running into more and more situations where we have limited staffing, and this ve- hicle is a multi-use vehicle that allows us to easily ma- neuver and handle a lot of those small-type calls.” He said it costs between $15 and $18 per mile to re- spond to call on a fire en- gine, while the squad vehicle is estimated to cost $5 per mile. For a more on this story, go www.polkio.com. Early Bird Specials Don’t Forget Dad!!! BREAKFAST SPECIALS 7am - 10am $ 5 00 LUNCH SPECIALS $ 8 00 * Specials good Tuesday through Friday only. Hours: 7am - 9pm 154 Main Street, Independence 503-837-0394 • independencegrill.com Happy Father’s Day! 15 Winners! June 19 th 2016 You Could Be One! Just by eating here on Father’s Day! 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