Polk County
Voices
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 20, 2016 4A
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EDITORIALS
Pokemon Go
unites people
Regardless of whether you’re Republican or Democrat,
there is one thing that has been uniting people: Pokemon.
The app “Pokemon Go” was made available on July 6,
and has done for playing outdoors what Harry Potter did
for reading.
People are outside. They are meeting face to face. It is a
social media game that has managed to accomplish what
other games haven’t: it has re-invigorated the society to be
social.
Granted, we have all heard reports about criminals tak-
ing advantage of Pokemon spawns to rob people; others
have walked into traffic or off cliffs.
We have seen the footage of people swarming Central
Park in New York City hoping to capture a rare Pokemon.
On the other hand, we have heard reports of people dis-
covering dead bodies and guns. We have heard of commu-
nities gathering in the park, supporting local businesses,
mingling with homeless and each other.
We have heard about children wanting to go for more
bike rides, adults taking more walks — all in the name of
Pokemon.
The game has meshed real life with fantasy, allowing
people a chance to catch Pokemon — little imaginary
monsters — on their cellphones. The creatures could ap-
pear anywhere, so people are on the lookout to “catch ’em
all.”
We aren’t sure how long the craze will last. The app’s cre-
ator says advertisements are coming soon, which may
make the game less fun for some.
But we are happy to see people talking to each other in
real life again, sharing a common interest.
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, July 20
Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk Coun-
ty Courthouse, first floor conference room, 850 Main St., Dallas.
503-623-8173.
Rickreall Watershed Council — 2 p.m., Delbert Hunter Ar-
boretum House, Dallas City Park. 503-623-9680.
Chemeketa Community College Board — 4:30 p.m. work-
shop; 5:30 p.m. executive session; 7 p.m. regular session,
Chemeketa Polk Center, 1340 Holman Ave., Dallas. 503-399-
2517.
Monmouth Planning Commission — 7 p.m., Volunteer Hall,
144 S. Warren St., Monmouth. 503-838-0725.
ThuRsdAy, July 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.
Glenn-Gibson Watershed Council — 5:30 p.m., Salemtowne
Breezeway Room, West Salem, 503-623-9680.
FRIdAy, July 22
Polk County health Advisory Board — Noon, Academy
Building, room 212, 182 SW Academy St., Dallas. 503-623-8175
ext. 2112.
MondAy, July 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, July 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.
WednesdAy, July 27
Polk County Board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk Coun-
ty Courthouse, first floor conference room, 850 Main St., Dallas.
503-623-8173.
GOVERNOR
Gov. Kate Brown (dem.)
160 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-378-4582
Email: via website,
http://governor.oregon.gov/
—
STATE LEGISLATORS
sen. Arnie Roblan
(District 5, Democrat)
S-417 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
sen.arnieroblan@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/roblan
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Great work on
football field
We would like to say a
huge thank you to all the
volunteers who showed up
this past week to work on
the irrigation system at
LaCreole football field.
It’s wonderful to see the
community come together
for the betterment of our
complexes for kids. It didn’t
go unnoticed.
Mike and Renee Sonday
Dallas
Marijuana grow is
right in backyard
We have lived in Polk
County for 38 years raising
our family in a wonderful,
safe, family oriented neigh-
borhood.
We are now perplexed, for
over our back fences, there
is a marijuana growing op-
eration run by two corpora-
tions that are leasing the
property behind us. They
have brought in two blue
shipping containers to be
used as offices.
We wondered if they had
a license and legal permits
for their business. The Polk
County Sheriff’s Depart-
ment and the land use of-
fice referred us to the OLCC
in Salem, who told us that
the information was confi-
dential and they couldn’t tell
us.
The land behind us that
they are leasing has access
off of Lee Road, but they
choose to trespass across
our private road to put in
their barbed wire fences and
electric gates, deliveries of
water tanks, plumbing, rock,
etc. Everything seems to be
a big secret and our govern-
ment will tell us nothing.
Who do we turn to?
We want to thank our
commissioner, Mike
Ainsworth, for voting
against this activity. Shame
on our other two commis-
sioners for voting this into
our backyards and neigh-
borhoods where children
are present.
Jim and Kathy Bobeda
Dallas
Country living
comes with noises
I am quite familiar with
the rural area in which a
local resident recently re-
ceived an anonymous letter
about noise. My family
home of 40 years is there.
This is not a residential
area or a gated community
with its laws, by-laws and
ordinances. This is an area
of randomly placed houses
along a country road, sur-
rounded by farmland and
separated one from another
by acreage.
It is a storybook fantasy
that a rural countryside is
quiet and peaceful.
In spring, we hear the
repetitive booms of the wa-
terfowl guns, a system de-
vised to prevent birds from
damaging vulnerable crops.
We hear the loud banging of
the machine shop across
the way, the humming of
the pump in the river.
The smell of the local
dairy greets our senses, as
well as the whirring and
grinding of farm machinery.
Dust settles indiscriminately
over lawns, shrubs and
porches. These things are
familiar, comfortable; this is
home.
Life in rural America will
carry on, as will the genera-
tional behaviors of the resi-
dents.
Anyone troubled by the
uncustomary noise could
easily say so, since commu-
nication is open between
neighbors here.
Two weeks ago, a local
family gathered to celebrate
the graduation of two young
men home on leave. These
men have endured intense
physical and academic
training. Who can blame
them for kicking up the dust
with some target practice? I
say, “Congratulations, men!”
A complaint in the form
of an anonymous hate letter
attacking this family is
downright un-neighborly. It
is out of character and out-
side of the country ethics.
I have one question of
our poisonous pen pal:
“Y’ain’t from here, are ya?”
Karin McKinny
Independence
Dallas firefighters
seek volunteers
Over the past several
weeks, the Itemizer has
done a great job keeping its
readers informed on activi-
ties at Dallas Fire & EMS.
You have read about the ex-
ternal evaluation, response
times, and the two new sea-
sonal firefighters who will
bolster daytime response
over the summer months.
The Dallas area has been
served by a professional vol-
unteer fire department since
1878. Dedicated men and
women have freely given
their time to help their
neighbors. Dallas is the
largest city in the state to
still be served by a volunteer
fire department (EMS is
staffed by a paid crew of
four 24/7) covering approxi-
mately 33,000 residents
within a 125-square-mile re-
sponse area.
We are fortunate to have
visionary leadership, excel-
lent training, quality equip-
ment, and great community
support from both residents
and the city’s elected offi-
cials. You may not know that
Dallas Fire is dispatched to
more than 1,000 calls each
year.
We are part of the com-
munity health care system
as 60 percent of the fire de-
partment incidents today
are assisting our EMS crews
or providing initial medical
assistance when both Dallas
medic units are on calls and
an ambulance from a neigh-
boring community arrives
to transport the patient. The
call volume for the fire de-
partment has increased by
40 percent over the last five
years. Dallas EMS call vol-
ume has also increased to
more than 3,200 incidents
last year.
We are fortunate to have
a dedicated group of volun-
teers, but our numbers are
smaller than years past and
our demand for service con-
tinues to increase as the size
of Dallas grows and our
population ages.
Our doors are always
open to community mem-
bers interested in joining
our team. You won’t receive
a pay check, but you will
have the satisfaction know-
ing you helped.
sen. Jackie Winters
(District 10, Republican)
S-301 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1710
sen.jackiewinters@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/winters
sen. Brian Boquist
(District 12, Republican)
S-305 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1712
sen.brianboquist@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/boquist
Rep. david Gomberg
(District 10, Democrat)
H-471 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1410
rep.davidgomberg@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/gomberg
Rep. Paul evans
(District 20, Democrat)
H-281 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1420
rep.paulevans@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/evans
Rep. Mike nearman
(District 23, Republican)
H-378 State Capitol
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1423
rep.mikenearman@state.or.us
www.oregonlegislature.gov/nearman
—
U.S. CONGRESS
sen. Ron Wyden (dem.)
221 Dirksen SOB
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-5244
Fax: 202-228-2717
Salem office: 707 13th St. SE,
Suite 285, Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-589-4555
Email: via website,
www.wyden.senate.gov
Eriks Gabliks
President
Dallas Volunteer Firefighters
Association
WANT TO
WRITE A
LETTER?
Letters to the editor are lim-
ited to 300 words. Longer letters
will be edited.
Each writer is restricted to one
letter per 30-day period.
Letters that are libelous, ob-
scene or in bad taste will not be
printed. Attacks by name on
businesses or individuals will not
be printed.
Letters to the editor that are
obvious promotions for a busi-
ness, products or services will
not be printed.
For the full letters policy, see
www.polkio.com.
sen. Jeff Merkley (dem.)
313 Hart SOB
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: 202-224-3753
Fax: 202-228-3997
Salem office: 495 State St. SE,
Suite 330, Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-362-8102
Email: via website,
www.merkley.senate.gov
Rep. Kurt schrader (dem.)
108 Cannon HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: 202-225-5711
Fax: 202-225-5699
Salem office: 544 Ferry St. SE,
Suite 2, Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-588-9100
Fax: 503-588-5517
Email: via website,
www.schrader.house.gov
—
POLK COUNTY
Board of Commissioners
850 Main St.
Dallas, OR 97338
Phone: 503-623-8173
www.co.polk.or.us
—
CITIES
dallas
187 SE Court St.
Dallas, OR 97338
503-623-2338
www.ci.dallas.or.us
Falls City
299 Mill St.
Falls City, OR 97344
503-787-3631
www.fallscityoregon.gov
Independence
555 S. Main St.
Independence, OR 97351
503-838-1212
www.ci.independence.or.us
Monmouth
151 W. Main St.
Monmouth, OR 97361
503-838-0722
www.ci.monmouth.or.us
HOW TO REACH US
Vol. 141, No. 29
(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
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
neWsRooM
Emily Mentzer ..............Editor/Monmouth/Independence Reporter ....ementzer@polkio.com
Lukas Eggen..................Sports Editor......................................................................leggen@polkio.com
Jolene Guzman............Dallas/Falls City/Polk County Reporter ................jguzman@polkio.com
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Phone: 503-623-2373
Fax: 503-623-2395