Polk County News
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 27, 2016 3A
Second try for FC gym bond
After narrow loss in May, Falls City Schools will try again to build a new gym
Lead testing to wait
until school begins
By Jolene Guzman
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
FALLS CITY — The Falls
City School District Board
officially will be seeking a $2
million bond to build a mul-
tipurpose gym at Falls City
Elementary School in No-
vember.
This is the second time
the district has put the bond
before voters. It failed by 11
votes in May’s primary.
The bond would add ap-
p r ox i m a t e l y $ 1 . 3 0 p e r
$1,000 of assessed value to
property taxes over 20 years
if passed.
The board expressed in-
terest in asking for voter ap-
proval again if it could se-
cure a state grant to supple-
ment bond proceeds.
On July 14, the Oregon
Department of Education
sent a letter to the district
confirming it had been ap-
proved for $2 million, con-
tingent upon the bond pass-
ing.
Falls City received a com-
mitment for a grant in the
same amount for May’s elec-
tion, but lost the money be-
cause voters didn’t approve
the bond.
Board member Bob Young
said in the first election,
some voters were convinced
the district was asking for a
$4 million bond, not $2 mil-
lion.
He said the message that
the state’s grant — already
paid for by state income tax
revenue — is in addition to
the $2 million bond the dis-
trict is seeking from voters
should be emphasized dur-
ing this campaign.
“We need to say that this
is not a $4 million tax,” he
The Itemizer-Observer
AC + CO / for Itemizer-Observer
This sketch provides the general idea of what a new multipurpose gym and cafeteria
would look like if voters in Falls City were to approve funding to build it.
said. “That was the lie that
was out there.”
The grant funding comes
from the Oregon School
Capital Improvement
Matching Program, which
the Oregon Legislature ap-
proved during the 2015 ses-
sion.
The legislature appropri-
ated $126.2 million for
grants during the 2015-17
biennium for school dis-
tricts that pass school facili-
ty construction bonds. For
November’s election, six
school districts were guaran-
teed grants if they could
pass bonds. Falls City School
District was third on the pri-
ority list.
If any of the six district fail
to pass their bonds, the
cilities or ride a bus down to
Falls City High School to use
the gym.
The district will struggle
with mandatory increases
under that system — which
adds 10 to 15 minutes for
transportation — taking
time from other classes, said
board chairwoman Jami
Kidd.
“That’s the reality,” she
said. “It’s going to take time
out of instruction.”
If approved, the new facil-
ity also would provide a big-
ger and modern kitchen, al-
lowing for more fresh food
offerings.
The board unanimously
approved the resolution to
place the bond on the gener-
al election ballot on July 19.
money goes to the next dis-
trict on the waiting list.
“If we don’t pass this, that
$2 million goes somewhere
else,” said board member
Larry Sickles.
District officials say the
multipurpose facility is
needed to meet instruction-
al requirements for physical
education for students in
kindergarten through eighth
grades.
In 2017-18, mandatory
P.E. instructional time will
increase to 40 minutes per
day for grades kindergarten
through fifth and 57 minutes
for sixth through eighth
graders.
Currently, elementary stu-
dents, grades K-8 in Falls
City, have to use outdoor fa-
DALLAS — Lead test re-
quirements are about “as
clear as mud” at this point.
That’s the assessment of
Dallas School District’s fa-
cilities manager Kevin
Montague after a meeting
with Oregon Department of
Education, the Oregon
Health Authority (OHA)
and representatives of
school districts from across
the state.
He said schools perform-
ing tests this summer may
have to test again because
consistent guidelines for
when, how and where to test
have not been established.
“Lots and lots of confu-
sion,” Montague said in a
report to the Dallas School
Board Monday evening.
He said OHA has recom-
mended districts follow the
Environmental Protection
Agency’s (EPA) guidelines,
which has two “action”
thresholds for tests, one for
“public water sources” and
another for schools.
Montague said the pub-
lic water threshold requires
action if lead is found in
levels 15 parts per billion or
higher. For schools, the
threshold is 20 parts per
billion. But when testing
began, that wasn’t known
by schools or labs perform-
ing the tests, he said.
Montague said testing
during the summer is an
issue because EPA stan-
dards require testing “under
normal use conditions,”
after water is allowed to sit
in the pipes for between
eight and 18 hours.
“My question was al-
ways, how do you replicate
normal conditions during
the summer?” Montague
said. “You cannot do it.”
Montague said the prac-
tice of flushing the pipes for
20 minutes, as some dis-
tricts have done, and then
letting water sit for eight to
18 hours before testing may
be problematic, too. EPA
guidelines say not to flush
the pipes before testing.
“There is no perfect an-
swer on when to test, but
what I do know is that you
need to be testing under
normal-use circum-
stances,” Montague said.
For that reason, Dallas
schools won’t perform its
testing until school is back
in session. Montague said
all water sources will be test-
ed in the fall using the EPA-
recommended methods.
“I want to make sure we
do it right, so we are going
to wait until school starts
again,” Montague said.
The 117 initial tests
taken in the spring revealed
that in one school building,
Oakdale Heights, nearly
every test contained lead.
“None of them was close
to the action level,” Mon-
tague said, noting with the
age of buildings in the dis-
trict, low levels of lead may
always be present.
Montague said even
more questions remain for
state officials to answer,
such as how often taps
should be tested and how
much lead is acceptable.
“There’s no consensus at
this point,” Montague said.
Music from the Redgate Winery & Fieldhouse
Dallas Library now checking out ukuleles
Itemizer-Observer staff report
DALLAS — Summerfest’s
Hawaiian Luau theme has
everyone thinking of the Is-
lands, and the Dallas Library
is no exception.
Just in time for the Hawai-
ian inspired event, the li-
brary is offering ukuleles for
checkout, complete with a
tuner and “how to play” in-
struction pamphlet. These
kits are available for check-
out to Dallas patrons only.
They will be checked out
for three weeks with no re-
newals allowed on the kit.
Library managers hope this
is just the first instrument
check-out program.
Dallas is working on
adding other instruments in
the near future.
Can’t get enough ukulele?
The library will also be
hosting ukulele strum and
other instruments are wel-
come to attend.
It will be an informal
group open to all ages and a
good time to play and learn.
For more information:
503-623-2633.
sing-along events every first
Wednesday of the month
from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the
library, located at 950 Main
St., Dallas,
The musical get-together
is on Aug. 3, and people with
Dallas Lions Club’s 8th Annual
Start at Levens St. Bridge - Finish at Main St. Bridge
Monmouth 2016
Music in the Park
Saturday
July 30 • 2:30 pm
Tickets
2
$
PER
DUCK
9 prizes valued at $100+
Main St. Park Amphitheater
Every Wednesday through August 31 ~ 6:30pm
MUSIC, FOOD, BEER & WINE GARDEN
Look for
Music in the Park
Series on Face-
book for more in-
formation about
this year’s artists.
Performing Tonight
July 27
Charlie Horse
#8
Tickets sold at Courtyard Coffee,
Postal Connections and from any
Lions Club member. Also sold at
Wal-Mart on Saturdays in July.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sponsors include:
Home Comfort Inc.
Rickreall Bargain Center
Dallas Auto Center
Center Market #2
Dallas Glass
Dallas Animal Clinic
All proceeds for service projects.
(Rock)
FREE AND OPEN
TO THE PUBLIC
presented by
Bring
your chairs
and blankets and
we’ll see you in
the park!
For More Information Contact:
Mark Fancey 503-751-0147
Monmouth
Performing July 29
LONGSTRIDE
Show starts at 8 pm
Lawn Seating — Bring blankets & chairs
This Week’s FREE MOVIE:
Showing July 28 • 9:45
AVENGERS: Age of Ultron
AUG. 5 Concert: Beth Willis - 7:30 PM
AUG 4 Movie: STAR WARS The Force - 9:45 PM
• VENDORS • BEER & WINE GARDEN
Riverview Amphitheater, Independence, OR
Visit our website: independenceamphitheater.com
Fri. July 29, 6-9 PM
featuring
The Ivie, Mezierie,
Foss Trio
$5.00 cover
Must be 21 • Food Available
Tasting fees & glasses of wine $5.00
8175 Buena Vista Road
Independence • 503-428-7115 • www.redgatevineyard.com