NEWSROOM PINTEREST
LEADING THE WAY
CHALLENGE Page 8A ALEX DOWDELL
Page 12A
Volume 141, Issue 50
www.Polkio.com
December 14, 2016
$1.00
Dallas
residents
to pay
more for
water,
sewer
IN
YOUR
TOWN
DALLAS
new owners use
Courtyard Coffee as a
way to grow closer as a
family.
»Page 5A
By Jolene Guzman
FALLS CITY
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — The Dallas
City Council approved
rate increases for water
and sewer utilities on Dec.
5.
The votes will be fol-
lowed by a campaign ex-
plaining why the increases
are needed.
Resolutions passed in-
clude a 4.31 percent in-
crease to water rates start-
ing in February. Rates will
increase by the same
amount in January of 2018
and 2019.
Likewise, sewer rates
will go up 2.75 percent in
February and for the next
two years.
The city’s Utility Rate
Advisory Committee rec-
ommended the adjust-
ments as necessary to
keep up with operational
costs and future upgrades
to systems.
Dallas City Manager
Ron Foggin said the city
will provide customers in-
formation about the in-
creases on the city’s web-
site, in utility bills, the city
newsletter and an open
house scheduled for Jan.
9.
At the open house, peo-
ple can learn about what
the rising rates will pay for
and calculate what their
bill will be after the in-
creases take effect.
Foggin said the location
is to be determined.
“We’ve got a good for-
mat for that, where it will
be educational,” he said.
“We will try to hold that in
a place that is easily ac-
cessible to the communi-
ty.”
In other business, the
city council:
• Learned that it may be
able to check off one of it
one of its top priorities:
purchasing land sur-
rounding Mercer Reser-
voir and in the Rickreall
Creek watershed.
Foggin said the city’s
offer for about 400 acres
was accepted by owner
Hancock Timber Compa-
ny, but details of the pur-
chase are still being deter-
mined.
“We are expecting a
contract for purchase in
the next couple weeks,”
Foggin said. “They would
like to — and I’m hoping
that we can — close on
that property in early
2017.”
• Presented an $8,000
check to Dallas Christmas
Cheer, proceeds from the
first Dallas Glow Run held
in October.
THE NEXT
7
DAYS
PLANNING
FOR YOUR
WEEK
City officials consider
library district.
»Page 5A
INDEPENDENCE
EmIly mEnTzEr/Itemizer-Observer
Nancy Lodge finds happiness in helping others through a wide variety of volunteer organizations.
»Page 6A
A JOY TO SERVE
MoNMoUTH
Nancy Lodge volunteers to help the community — and have fun
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
INDEPENDENCE —
Chances are, if something
good is happening in Inde-
pendence, Nancy Lodge is
involved somehow.
“Nancy Lodge is a won-
derful person,” Mayor John
McArdle said. “She’s been in-
volved with the downtown
association. She’s been in-
volved in the SMART (Start
Making a Reader Today)
program. She’s a driving
force at our library.”
Lodge and her husband,
Mike, found themselves in
Independence about 20 years
ago after living life on the
EmIly mEnTzEr/Itemizer-Observer
Nancy Lodge (left) and Marilyn Morton serve cider at the
Parade of Lights open house Dec. 3.
road in a recreational vehicle.
It looked like a good place to
settle down for a while.
“We decided to buy a little
house here and sit a spell,”
Nancy said. “In the spring
and summer, we’d go back
on the road. Mike used to
like to build things —
shelves, tables — you can
only build so many shelves
in an RV.”
It wasn’t long before John
Paff discovered the Lodge’s
passion for community. He
approached Nancy with a
signed petition for her to
run for city council. She is
wrapping up her 16th — and
final — year on the Inde-
pendence City Council at
the end of December.
“She is certainly no slack-
er on council,” Marilyn Mor-
ton said. “She is very quick
to address a situation that
doesn’t seem like it should
be.”
See LoDGE, Page 3A
More wintery weather on the way
By Emily Mentzer
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — Thurs-
day dropped snow on Dallas
and higher elevations in
Polk County, and the ice and
cold has lingered longer
than anyone suspected it
would.
As late as Monday morn-
ing, ice patches caused acci-
dents and slippery driving
conditions.
“We got surprised by a lit-
tle cold pocket in the Dallas
area,” said Todd Whitaker,
Polk County director of pub-
lic works. “You can go from
good stopping distance to
horrible stopping conditions
in 100 feet, and be in and
out of it in 100 feet.”
While the snow has most-
ly melted in the valley,
above 1,000 feet in the
Coastal Range and through
the passes, expect to see lots
of snow, said Gerald Macke,
meteorological technician
with the National Weather
Service.
The snow will return
We d n e s d a y a f t e r n o o n ,
though meteorologists are
ymCA raises more
than $23,000 during its
Christmas Party and
Auction.
Western Oregon ath-
letic director Barbara
Dearing announces she
will retire in 2017.
»Page 12A
EDUCATIoN
Perrydale Elementary
School to perform holi-
day musical.
»Page 14A
Fighter jet
causes
rumble
Itemizer-observer staff report
POlK COUnTy — Every-
one felt it at about 9:40
p.m. monday. Did you?
The Oregon Air nation-
al Guard’s 142nd Fighter
Wing conducted routine
F-15 night training mis-
sions for Citizen-Airmen.
Training missions began
on monday and are sched-
uled through Thursday
evening.
Training flights will be
completed before 10:30
p.m. each night.
Leaf collection
this weekend
Itemizer-observer staff report
EmIly mEnTzEr/ Itemizer-Observer
Snow started falling in Polk County Thursday morning. Ice and sleet continued to cause
problems through Monday morning. More wintery weather is coming this week.
unsure how much accumu-
lation there will be — or how
the winter weather will take
form: sleet, freezing rain, or
snow.
“It doesn’t have much of a
warm up this coming week,”
Macke said. “We’re going to
stay pretty cool. We have
possible snow showers every
day next week.”
The lows will dive into the
20s, Macke said.
“Anything that’s on the
ground will stick around,
and any water will freeze for
sure,” he said.
Whitaker said Polk Coun-
ty crews have been busy
plowing and sanding main
roads.
“Drive with caution,” he
said. “Pay attention to the
weather forecast and the
temperature forecast. Don’t
follow too closely, and don’t
get angry at the person driv-
ing slow in front of you be-
cause they are just being
cautious.”
With 57 inches at Govern-
ment Camp, it’s a good sign
Oregon may be out of the
drought, but meteorologists
are staying watchful.
See SNow, Page 7A
DAllAS — The second
leaf collection in Dallas
will be Saturday and Sun-
day.
This year, republic
Services will be collect-
ing leaves from city
streets, These are the
only times leaves that are
placed in the street will
be collected. Have them
on the street, 1 foot from
the curb the night before
as the team starts early.
leaves can be dropped
off at the following loca-
tions: lyle Ball Field park-
ing lot (gravel area), the
end of Hankel Street (off
laCreole Drive), and the
end of Allgood Street (by
City Park old side).
For more information:
503-831-3562.
wed
thu
fri
sat
sun
mon
tue
no need to be nerv-
ous when you’re
reading to a dog at
the Dallas Public li-
brary. Dogs are very
engaged listeners.
4 p.m. Free.
The final Business
After Hours for 2016
for the mI Chamber
will be at Petals and
Vines, complete
with refreshments.
5:30-7 p.m. Free.
relax or rock out at
the Guthrie Park
Acoustic music Jam
Session at Guthrie
Park Community
Center.
6:30 p.m. Free.
looking for a stock-
ing stuffer? meet
the author maren
Anderson and pick
up a copy of her
book at Calmlees.
Spread some holi-
day cheer by taking
part in “Answer the
Phone like Buddy
the Elf” day.
Save a life by giving
blood at the Ameri-
can red Cross Blood
Drive at First Presby-
terian Chuch in Dal-
las.
12:30-6 p.m.
Celebrate the
Christmas spirit at
the monmouth Sen-
ior Center’s Winter
Wonderland, and
see the expansion.
1-3 p.m. $3.
Wintery mix
Hi: 33
Lo: 28
Snow showers
Hi: 36
Lo: 25
Cloudy
Hi: 35
Lo: 21
Cloudy
Hi: 36
Lo: 27
Showers
Hi: 38
Lo: 32
Cloudy
Hi: 40
Lo: 35
Rain
Hi: 42
Lo: 35
11 a.m. Free to attend.