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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 2016)
Polk County News 2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 27, 2016 County commission grants Dallas money By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — The Polk County Board of Commis- sioners decided Tuesday to award $17,000 in economic development funds from video lottery dollars to the city of Dallas. That is the full amount the city expected before the board required Dallas, and the cities of Monmouth and Independence, to apply for the funding through a newly developed grant program. The cities had included the funding in their 2015-16 budgets with the expectation that the county would dis- tribute the funding the same way it had in the past. Only after those budgets were adopted — and in Dallas’ case, some of the money spent — did the county in- form them of the new process. County Administrator Greg Hansen provided the commissioners with three options: deny the request, which he strongly recom- mended against; reimburse the city for the $5,500 it spent before the grant pro- gram was established; or provide $17,000 with the caveat that a future appli- cation may be reduced by $11,500, the difference be- tween what was spent and what was given. In a letter to the commis- sioners, Dallas City Manager Ron Foggin said the city had been spending the money on marketing materials. He said he suspended spending after learning the city may not receive the funding and would have to apply for it. “If the county awards the city the Economic Develop- ment Grant, we will contin- ue with the marketing plan,” Foggin wrote. Commissioners Mike Ainsworth and Jennifer Wheeler were in favor of giving the city $17,000 be- cause of the confusion over the change in the program. “I think we changed the rules in the middle of the game,” Ainsworth said. Commissioner Craig Pope suggested giving the city up to $10,000, but didn’t object to the final decision. Hansen said he will hand-deliver the check to the city within a week. Falls City schools to test for lead FALLS CITY — The Falls City School District Board approved on July 18 transferring $3,800 out of contingency to pay for state-required lead testing. The money will be transferred to the operation and mainte- nance of buildings fund to pay a contractor to collect samples and send them for testing. The expenditure wasn’t included in the 2016-17 budget be- cause the state request had not been made when the spending plan was developed. Falls City will test 59 faucets and drinking fountains, follow- ing the state’s request that every outlet be tested. “It’s everything that we think we can drink out of,” said Falls City Superintendent Jack Thompson. Furniture Upholstery All types: for homes, offices, equip- ment. Also, repairs, RV cushions, slipcovers, High Quality since 1966 Stephen Winters Sewing 503-838-4999 or 503-375-9266 Emmy Joseph 440 E. St • Independence, OR 97351 www.winterssewing.com Serving Polk County 16yrs DEADLINES NEWS DEADLiNES For inclusion in the Wednesday edition of the Itemizer-Observer: Social news (weddings, engagements, anniver- saries, births, milestones) — 5 p.m. on Thursday. Community events — Noon on Friday for both the Community Notebook and Community Calendar. Letters to the editor — 10 a.m. on Monday. Obituaries — 4 p.m. on Monday. ADVERTiSiNG DEADLiNES Retail display ads — 3 p.m. Friday. Classified display ads — 11 a.m. on Monday. Classified line ads — Noon on Monday. Classified ads are updated daily on www.polkio.com. Public notices — Noon on Friday. Polk County Fire District No. 1/ for Itemizer-Observer A field fire burned five acres and caused two people to be evacuated on Saturday, but due to a quick response from firefighters, there was no major damages or injuries. CORRECTIONS Two evacuated during field fire The Polk County Itemizer- Observer is committed to pub- lishing accurate news, feature and sports reports. If you see anything that requires a cor- rection or clarification, call the newsroom at 503-623-2373 or send an email to ementzer@polkio.com. No major damage, no injuries in fire on Saturday itemizer-Observer staff report POLK COUNTY — Two residents were evacuated, but major damage and in- jury were avoided in a field fire Saturday on Zumalt Road. At about 2 p.m., the owner of the property called 911 to report his field was on fire. Firefighters from Polk Coun- ty Fire District No. 1, South- west Polk, Falls City, Dallas Fire & EMS and Oregon De- partment of Forestry re- sponded and had the fire under control in about an hour. The fire burned approxi- mately five acres and caused minor damage to the deck of the house on the property. Polk No. 1 Capt. Mike Rusher said the first priority was to protect the home- owners and their home. Fire officials said the fire started while the homeown- er was mowing the grass around his residence. Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office as- sisted notifying other resi- dents in the area of a possi- ble evacuation. Only two residents in the immediate area of the fire were evacuated and were able to return to their home. An engine from Salem Fire and an ambulance from Falck assisted with staffing Polk County Fire District No. 1’s station while crews bat- tled the blaze. No injuries were reported. Fire officials remind resi- dents that during fire sea- son, it is critical to create “defensible space” around homes of 30 to 100 feet. Suggestions include clear- ing all flammable vegetation by raking leaves, dead limbs and twigs; removing leaves and rubbish from under structures; removing dead branches that extend over the roof; and mowing grass regu- larly and in the mornings. WEBSITE The Polk County Itemiz- er-Observer website, www.polkio.com, is updat- ed each week by Wednes- day afternoon. There, you will find nearly every story that ap- pears in the print version of the newspaper, as well as some items, including additional photos, that do not appear in print due to space limitations. The Itemizer-Observer is also on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Watch for breaking news, links to sto- ries, sports scores updates and more. Sheriff searches for arsonist itemizer-Observer staff report FALLS CITY — The inves- tigation continues into a fire in Falls City that has been determined as arson. On Friday shortly after 3 a.m., the Polk County Sher- iff’s Office, along with the Falls City Fire Department, responded to a fire at an un- occupied house at 279 Mill St. in Falls City. Based on the initial inves- tigation, it was determined that the fire was started in- tentionally, the sheriff’s of- fice said. Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton said the former ten- ants had been evicted prior to the fire and no one was injured in the incident. “I can’t really say much more as it is an active inves- tigation,” Garton said. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Oregon State Police Arson Unit responded to assist in the investigation. The sheriff’s office is seek- ing any person who may have information about who committed this crime. In conjunction with the Oregon State Police, a re- ward has been offered to any person who has information WEATHER RECORDED ¢ 50 RAiN .00 .NA .00 .T .00 .00 .00 regarding this fire that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect. Anyone with information: tip line at 1-800-452-7888. SALE s Many style m o fr e per sq. ft. to choos t d) c le e s on (not installe . ry to n e v in 57 NA 55 59 57 54 59 Rainfall during July — 0.45 in. Rain through July 25 — 21.75 in. Remnant as low as & e t Lamina Hardwood hiGh LOW July 19............... 78 July 20.............. NA July 21............... 84 July 22............... 77 July 23............... 79 July 24............... 89 July 25............... 89 Free Estimates!