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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 2016)
STATE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS CENTRAL, DALLAS CRASH SEMIS Page 10A Volume 141, Issue 46 www.Polkio.com November 16, 2016 $1.00 Love to resign from chamber IN YOUR TOWN DAllAS Voters elect three new councilors, two in- cumbents. By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer MONMOUTH/INDE- PENDENCE — Jean Love announced her resigna- tion as the executive di- rector of the Monmouth- Independence Chamber of Commerce on Friday. She will remain in the po- sition until Dec. 30. Love has served as di- rector for four and a half years. One thing she helped with was the switch to a tiered system of membership rather than basing dues on the number of employees. “I liked the transition to tiers,” Love said. “It was definitely an endeavor ... but it was one that I thought was very impor- tant. I think we have bet- ter membership benefits.” During her tenure, Love has helped design the chamber’s professional workshops, Pep Talks, as well as managing the web- site and Facebook content, brought members of the Canadian Consulate Office to the region to expand opportunities for trade, and expanded programs and services, such as the after-hours mixers, lunch forums, Discover MI Town, and Chamber Chat, cham- ber board president Josh Brandt said in an email. See lovE, Page 5A »Page 2A FAllS CItY Two new faces join city council, while Sick- les wins re-election. »Page 3A INDEPENDENCE City council will see three new faces. TOKOLA PROPERTIES/Itemizer-Observer Plans for Independence landing include a hotel, 110 apartments, a clubhouse and 14 townhomes. INDY LANDS HOTEL Council approves development deal at Nov. 8 meeting By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — For Independ- ence, a 20-year dream is on the cusp of realization. Doing something at the old Valley Concrete site on the Willamette River that would enhance the downtown area has been on master plans for In- dependence since 1996. When Valley Concrete moved, it was the city’s chance to take action. The city bought the property for $800,000, and spent about two years and $3.2 million fixing the land up — leveling, surveying, laying infrastruc- ture — to attract a developer who would build a hotel and housing, in- creasing foot traffic in downtown and supporting the Polk County wine in- dustry. Now, the city council has approved a deal with Tokola Properties on four of the nine lots available on what is now called Independence Landing, 11 acres of riverfront property. Tokola will build a 75-bed, four-story boutique hotel first, and then 110 apartments, a club- house and 14 townhomes. The hotel will be managed by Embarcadero Hos- pitality, of San Francisco. Tokola Properties paid the city $162,000 for the land and plans to in- vest $42.2 million in the project. The city will end up giving $2.9 million in incentives for Tokola to continue with the development agreement. Those incentives will be on things such as building permits, system development charges, and other non-cash items, City Manager David Clyne said. He said an economist from PNW Economics estimates the city will re- cover $5.3 million invested in the property in 11 years. See HotEl, Page 5A »Page 2A MoNMoUtH Incumbent, three new council members, elected to city council. Steve Milligan runs un- opposed for Mayor. »Page 2A SPoRtS Western Oregon’s women’s basketball team ready for new start. »Page 10A Thanksgiving dinner planned in Falls City Itemizer-observer staff report Coping with the fallout, WOU students, staff unite Students question future with president-elect Donald Trump, possible repeal of DACA By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer MONMOUTH — Leaders at Western Oregon Universi- ty didn’t have many concrete answers to questions follow- ing the Nov. 8 election, but still tried quell fears in a quickly organized forum Fri- day. Called “WOU is Alive,” the forum was put together by WOU Student Body Presi- dent Alma Pacheco and fea- tured a panel including WOU President Rex Fuller and representatives from public safety, general coun- sel, student health and counseling, and student af- fairs. Pacheco said many stu- dents had a fearful reaction to the results of the presi- dential election — she was one of them — and she wanted to help restore calm. “It created a very negative environment,” she said. “It’s important for folks to be re- minded that we need to work together in order to achieve some progress.” Students at the forum asked about the status of the school’s international stu- THE NEXT 7 DAYS PLANNING FOR YOUR WEEK JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer Western oregon University held a forum on Friday that included university president Rex Fuller, second from right, to quell fears after the election on Nov. 8. dents and those who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. The program, insti- tuted in an executive order by President Barack Obama, allows undocumented chil- dren who arrived in the country at age 16 and younger to apply to stay in the U.S. to work or attend school temporarily. It’s a program that Presi- dent-elect Donald Trump may revoke or change after he takes office in January, Fuller said. He said Western and other universities across the coun- try will lobby to be part of the debate about the future of that program and immi- gration reform in general. “I think you can expect to see more conversation around that, and that con- versation will take its form in why our current position on DACA students is the right position to hold with regard to a moral, but also educational, position,” Fuller said. Fuller said he believes WOU will carry on its tradi- tion of being a diverse and inclusive institution. “Five years from now, we will have even greater par- ticipation of underrepre- sented groups than we do today,” he said. “That trend is here to stay.” Fallout from another issue on the ballot, Oregon’s Measure 97, will have more defined financial impact on WOU. The measure would have imposed a gross sales tax on corporations with $25 million or more in sales an- nually. It failed by a large margin, which could spell state budget deficits. See WoU, Page 5A FALLS CITY — The an- nual free Community Thanksgiving Dinner in Falls City is set for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Falls City Community Center, 320 N. Main St. All are welcome for a tradi- tional thanksgiving dinner with a variety of desserts. Volunteers and food donations are needed. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Kristy Major at 503-881- 3993. Fire District No. 1 receives grant worth $5,000 Itemizer-observer staff report POLK COUNTY — Polk County Fire District No. 1 received a $5,000 grant from Georgia-Pacific’s Bucket brigade program to help pay for equipment. Polk No. 1 is one of 33 grant recipients and will spend the money on re- placing full-body protec- tive gear that no longer meets standards set by the National Fire Protec- tion Agency. Each set costs more than $2,000. This year, Georgia-Pacif- ic awarded $170,000 in grants to fire departments for equipment for fire- fighters’ safety. This is the 10th year of the Bucket Brigade program. wed thu fri sat sun mon tue Grab your favorite “brew” and join oth- ers in a discussion on the New Testa- ment at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. 7 p.m. Free. Are you a senior who loves to write? Share your passion with the Dallas Sen- ior Writing Group at the senior center. 10 a.m. Free. Mickey Mouse was first introduced to the world in “Steam- boat Willie” in 1928. Bring your pet to Old Mill Feed and Seed to get pictures taken with Santa, take a ride on a cart, and enter a drawing. 10 a.m.-2p.m. $6. If you’re looking for a creative gift, check out the Empty Bowl same at Oregon State Fairgrounds. Noon-4 p.m. Meet the new direc- tor of the Dallas Chamber of Com- merce and network with others at the monthly luncheon. 11:30 a.m. $15. Bring your little ones to the Indoor Play Park at First Presbyterian Church in Dallas Tues through Fri. Showers Hi: 50 Lo: 39 Partly sunny Hi: 49 Lo: 37 Cloudy Hi: 49 Lo: 43 Rain Hi: 53 Lo: 46 Rain Hi: 54 Lo: 45 Rain Hi: 52 Lo: 46 Showers Hi: 52 Lo: 45 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
