VALLEY SHAKESPEARE
COMPANY
Volume 141, Issue 29
LONGBOARD LARRY
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OPENS STORE
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www.Polkio.com
$1.00
July 20, 2016
Holland named to Dallas City Council
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — Michael Hol-
land was appointed by the
Dallas City Council Monday
night to fill the vacancy left
by councilor Murray Stew-
art’s resignation.
Holland will complete the
term, which concludes at
the end of December. He
said he will not seek election
to the seat in November.
He earned the votes of six
of the eight councilors:
Kevin Marshall, LaVonne
Wilson, Jim Fairchild, Ken
Woods Jr., and Kelly Gabliks.
Holland was one of eight
Dallas residents interviewed
by council members on
Monday afternoon.
The others were: Debra
Nord, Donald Ellingson, Jen-
nie Rummell, Marsha
Heeter, Nancy Adams, Paul
Trahan, and Richard Hoefler.
Two others, Andrew Woolsey
and Marv Bennett, applied
but later withdrew.
When asked why he want-
ed to serve on the council,
Holland said he likes to be
involved in the communities
he lives in. Dallas has been
no exception. He has served
on the city’s budget commit-
tee and with the Dallas
School District on its super-
intendent search and fi-
nance committees.
“I enjoy this type of serv-
ice. I enjoy what I have seen
of Dallas so far,” he said dur-
ing the interview session,
which was open to the pub-
lic. “I would like to continue
to serve.”
Holland said he would
like to see improvements
made on Ellendale Avenue
in Dallas to alleviate poten-
tial traffic problems and is
concerned about the short-
staffed fire department.
“That could be a problem
long-term,” he said.
In the economic develop-
ment realm, he said the city
of Dallas could encourage
businesses that take advan-
tage of the popularity of the
wine tourism, especially in
the downtown area.
“I think there is room for a
community of Dallas’ size to
try to find an identity that
no other community has
grabbed yet and build on it
over a 10, 20, 30-year period
of time,” Holland said.
He also emphasized the
need for thinking decades
ahead when planning for a
city’s future and balancing
limited resources to main-
tain services and a livable
city.
“I think that’s the chal-
lenge,” he said. “This is a
hard business and we have
limited resources. How do
you make a complicated
community work for the citi-
zens when you have limited
resources and lots of needs?”
Stewart resigned from the
council because he moved
out of town for a job.
Do you want to be a master?
POLK COUNTY — In the early
part of July, the Independence Police
Department saw an increase in re-
ports of suspicious persons.
Was the city suffering from a
crime spree?
The culprit was “Pokemon Go,” a
free-to-play mobile game released in
the United States on July 6.
Since its release, it has become a
worldwide craze — and Polk County
has caught Pokemon fever.
—
When “Pokemon Go” was re-
leased, Dallas resident Andrew
Minton, 22, was ready to give it a go.
“I’ve been a huge fan of Pokemon
since childhood,” Minton said.
“When I heard about Pokemon Go,
it dragged me into it.”
Pokemon was originally released
on the GameBoy in 1996. Players
take control of a trainer who catches
wild Pokemon and battles other gym
leaders. “Pokemon Go” features a
modified version of that formula.
The app uses your phone’s GPS and
augmented reality to have Pokemon
appear in spots around the world.
For lifelong fans, like Dallas resi-
dent Gage Burr, “Pokemon Go” is a
way to live their Pokemon dreams.
Burr recently visited the Oregon
Coast — and spent much of it catch-
ing Pokemon.
“I was instantly hooked,” Burr
said. “The thrill of the catch and get-
ting out of the house instantly sold
me on it.”
Anita Roberts spent part of Sun-
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — Dallas city
council approved purchas-
ing the old RadioShack
building at the corner of
Washington and Jefferson
streets in downtown Dallas
Monday night.
The city will pay $286,
421, including interest, over
10 years to buy the building
from owners Richard and
Sharon Solheim.
With the purchase, the
city will own the majority of
the block, which also con-
tains Dallas’ Fire & EMS sta-
tions. Polk County owns a
DAYS
PLANNING
FOR YOUR
WEEK
»Page 3A
FALLS CITY
Emergency Pre-
paredness Group looks
for new members.
INDEPENDENCE
Station 40 closed
temporarily for clean-
ing and upkeep.
»Page 3A
POLK COUNTY
• “Pokemon Go” players spend
43 minutes per day playing —
more than Whatsapp, Instagram
or Snapchat, according to Simi-
larWeb.
• By July 8, more Android
phones installed “Pokemon Go”
than Tinder.
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Andrew Minton attempts to catch ’em all on Sunday at Dallas City Park.
day walking around Dallas City Park
with her grandchild.
For her, the true magic of the
game didn’t revolve around catching
that rare imaginary creature.
“It’s fun for everyone,” Roberts
said. “I’ve noticed parents and their
kids doing it together. It gets the
whole family out.”
It seems “Pokemon Go” has struck
a rare balance between the old and
the new.
“It brings the older fans of the
game back and the younger kids like
it because it’s right there on your
phone, and it’s something new,”
Kayla Ferris said.
The game also features a health
benefit. As would-be trainers search
high and low for new Pokemon,
hatch an egg — which requires trav-
eling a certain distance — or to find
the next Pokestop or gym, people
are getting exercise.
“It’s hard to put down,” Ferris said.
“Every time I’m out and walking
things just pop up. You think, let’s
walk this way and before you know it,
you’ve walked all over town.”
“Pokemon Go” does bring certain
risks, mainly becoming too focused
on what’s happening on screen.
“Around here, the biggest con-
cerns would be trespassing and peo-
ple not being aware of their sur-
roundings, especially traffic,” Inde-
pendence Sgt. Juventino Banuelos
said. “I would be alert to signage
prohibiting access and, of course, al-
ways be respectful of private proper-
ty. In regards to traffic, as a pedestri-
an, keep your eyes up when you’re
moving and absolutely no playing
while driving.”
Those are sentiments echoed by
Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton
and the Monmouth and Dallas po-
lice departments, but so far, “Poke-
mon Go” has been far more positive
than not in Polk County.
“People really seem to enjoy the
game, and we have witnessed a lot
of positive interaction between play-
ers,” Monmouth Police Chief Darrell
Tallan said.
“Pokemon Go” has become a cul-
tural phenomenon, even seeing
users spend more time per day than
on Facebook, and players around
the world have the same goal.
“You’ve got to be the best, like no
one ever was,” Burr said with a
smile.
City buys RadioShack building
7
Young Professionals
aim to inspire future
leaders.
Poke-phenom
The Itemizer-Observer
THE NEXT
DALLAS
»Page 2A
‘Pokemon Go’ craze hits Polk County
By Lukas Eggen
IN
YOUR
TOWN
parking lot on the block.
City Manager Ron Foggin
said the city doesn’t have
specific plans for the prop-
erty yet, but is considering
future facility needs with the
purchase.
Possibilities include ex-
pansion of the fire or ambu-
lance stations or building a
“public safety building” he
said.
“The goal is to give the
city control of that block, so
as we need to expand, we
have the property,” Foggin
said.
Foggin said while those
plans develop, the city wants
to lease the building. He said
the structure needs minor
electrical work and an up-
grade to the restroom to
make it accessible to those
with disabilities before it will
be available.
He expects that work to
be completed soon and the
building listed for lease in
the fall.
Foggin said the owners of-
fered Dallas the building for
$275,000 and the city negoti-
ated a selling price of
$262,000. The Polk County
Assessor’s Office’s had the
value at $258,000.
“ T h e y ’v e ow n e d t h e
building for quite a long
time and they’ve always
seen the city owning it in the
future,” he said.
The purchase was ap-
proved unanimously by the
council.
In other business:
The council, acting as the
Dallas Urban Renewal Dis-
trict Board, declined to pur-
chase the former Dallas ar-
mory property at 817 SE
Church St., from current
owner Oregon Military De-
partment.
The district had consid-
ered purchasing the proper-
ty with redevelopment
through a public-private
partnership in mind after
the armory was demolished
wed
thu
fri
sat
If you’re in the
mood for some New
Orleans jazz, check
out Music in the
Park at Main Street
Park in Monmouth.
6:30 p.m. Free.
Looking for a tasty
treat or a special
treasure? Check out
Polk County Bounty
Market on the Acad-
emy Building lawn.
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
If you’re in the
mood to listen to
some stellar tunes,
check out the River’s
Edge Summer Music
Series.
8:30 p.m. Free.
The Polk County
Fairgrounds Beauti-
fication Day gives
you a chance to
help complete
needed projects.
9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free.
Cloudy
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in 2012.
The discovery and re-
moval of underground oil
storage tanks delayed the
sale.
Department of Environ-
mental Quality Department-
required monitoring of the
site prevents the district
from taking possession of
the property until spring
2017 at the earliest, if it de-
cided to buy it.
That leaves little time to
recoup the investment be-
fore the district expires in
2024.
For more information on
that decision, see the July 27
edition of the I-O.
sun
Did you know?
Machu Picchu was
re-discovered on
this date 1911.
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Oregon State Univer-
sity Extension wel-
comes two new agents
to serve Polk County.
»Page 2A
SPORTS
Kailee Curtis learns
some tough lessons
through golf.
»Page 9A
ONLINE
Steve Milligan joins
Central School Board.
www.polkio.com
Buena Vista
ferry to close
Thursday
Itemizer-Observer staff report
SALEM — The Buena
Vista Ferry will close on
Thursday.
The ferry will be re-
moved from the river for
its required five-year hull
inspection by the U.S.
Coast Guard.
The ferry will also be
cleaned and painted,
maintenance duties will
be performed and the
Willamette River will be
dredged to maintain a
clear operating path for
the ferry.
Buena Vista Road South
will be closed at the inter-
section with Talbot Road
South during the same
time period to ensure the
safe operation of heavy
equipment required for
the ferry haul out and
dredging operations.
The exact reopening
date is not known, but it is
expected to be closed for
three to four weeks.
The public is asked to
travel on alternate routes
and are discouraged from
venturing beyond the clo-
sure to view the ferry.
For more information:
Mike Shepard, Bridges
and Ferries Supervisor,
503-588-5036 or email to
MRShepard@co.marion.or
.us.
mon
tue
Show off your musi-
cal talents with the
Willamette Valley
New Horizons Or-
chestra.
6:30 p.m. $25
monthly fee
Check out artwork
created by Joshua
Simonson, which is
on display at Dallas
Public Library
through the end of
July.
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