Polk County News
6A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 25, 2017
Falls City looks to make code more business friendly
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
FA L L S C I T Y — T h e
process of incorporating the
expansion of Michael Hard-
ing Park into city property in
Falls City revealed outdated
and inefficient provisions in
the municipal code, city offi-
cials found.
Mayor Terry Ungricht said
he would like to use the nec-
essary planning process to
change the zoning on the
park property, which is now
in the city’s name, to make
the code more development
and business friendly.
He said the city was origi-
nally planning to spend
about $1,500 to make the
zoning change on the prop-
erty, the city recently took
possession from the Falls
City Alliance.
“While we were doing that,
we’ve come across a lot of
things that make develop-
ment here kind of tough,” Un-
gricht said. “We are reviewing
the code. That hasn’t been
done. A review should be
done every year after the legis-
lature meets to make sure that
your land codes stay com-
plaint with state law.”
He s a i d t h e c o u n c i l
should hold a work session
to review suggested changes
to see which ones it would
like to modify.
“Right now, under our
code, if you raise chickens
and you sell the eggs, you
are breaking our law. Now I
don’t think that is the intent
any of us want,” Ungricht
said. “The way our residen-
tial (code) reads, you can’t
grow a vegetable and take it
to a Saturday market.”
He added lot partitions
are unnecessarily cumber-
some and expensive, too.
The larger review will cost
$4,000, including the $1,500
slated for the zoning change.
“While we are having
those public meetings, we
are going to try to get as
many changes in as possi-
ble,” he said. “We are not
bringing in anything that is
going to really change the
way we do business. We’re
hopefully making it easier
for a developer to be able to
develop a piece of property.”
In other business, the city:
• Will be meeting with of-
ficials from Oregon Infra-
structure Finance Authority
about its application for
grant funding to upgrade its
sewer system. The applica-
tion didn’t receive funding
last year, but was deemed a
strong application. Ungricht
said its main weakness is
that the system is consid-
ered “in compliance” by the
Oregon Department of Envi-
ronmental Quality.
“I’m going to meet with
DEQ because we don’t feel
we are compliant now. We
feel any time you’ve got raw
sewage on a football field,
you’re not compliant,” Un-
gricht said, referring to past
sewage leaks of the drain
field underneath the high
school football field.
“They’re saying you are
compliant now because you
don’t have that sewage. But
we’ve had it three or four
times in the past, and it
could happen tomorrow.”
• Will soon refinance the
loan on the Michael Harding
Park expansion. Ungricht
said the balance to be paid
on the property is $55,622,
and the new loan should be
financed at 1 percent for a
yearly payment of $2,500.
Flu: Flu season Forum: Community shares ideas
unusually bad
Continued from Page 1A
He added most long-term
care facilities don’t mandate
vaccination for employees
and, thus, have the lowest
rates among health care
workers.
This year’s flu season is
proving to be unusually bad,
but that doesn’t mean the
vaccine is ineffective.
“The vaccine appears to
be a good match,” Hille-
brand said. “Nearly all of the
confirmed cases I’ve seen
have tested positive for the
flu strain AH3, which was in-
cluded in this year’s vaccine.
The more people that are
vaccinated against the flu,
the less likely it is to spread
through a community.”
Continued from Page 1A
Jimmy Jones, with Mid-
Valley Community Action
Network, said he’s working
to get better data on the
homeless situation in Mar-
ion and Polk counties. He
said Lane County received
significantly larger
amounts of grant funding
to address homelessness
than Marion and Polk did
last year. Based on his ex-
perience working with the
local homeless communi-
ty, it isn’t because there is
less of a problem here.
“My biggest charge, es-
sentially, going forward, is
to get an accurate count of
the homeless population,”
he said, noting that Polk
County is just as much on
his radar as Marion. “I take
that ‘Polk County’ part of
that very seriously. We come
out here to do assessments.
I’ve been to Falls City; I’ve
been to every corner of this
county.”
The second half of the
meeting was dedicated to
Flu clinic
POLK COUNTY — Salem Health will offer free flu shots at
clinics throughout its facilities.
“We want to reach out to people living in Marion and Polk
counties to help protect them from the flu virus,” Leilani
Slama, vice president of community engagement at Salem
Health, said in a press release. “This has been an especially
bad year for the flu, and it’s not too late to get a shot. Our
main goal is to make it convenient as possible for people to
get these shots.”
A total of 800 influenza vaccines will be available for free
on a first come, first served basis for those aged 3 and older.
Appointments are not required. Those with an allergy to
eggs are asked to see their primary care doctor for the in-
fluenza vaccine.
Wednesday, Jan. 25
Salem Health Medical Clinics
Dallas, 555 SE Washington St., 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Mon-
mouth, 512 Main St. E. Suite 300, 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Recycle for a better future
hearing ideas from commu-
nity members about what
could be done better imme-
diately and what to work to-
ward in the future.
Immediate suggestions
included volunteering to
help organizations assisting
the homeless population
and donating clothing,
household items and blan-
kets.
Longer-term needs in-
clude more one-bedroom
units — or more affordable
housing in general; afford-
able child care; a family
shelter; more warming and
cooling centers during ex-
treme weather events; more
employers and landlords
willing to give people with
imperfect employment and
rental histor y “second
chances”; and more land-
lord and tenant training on
available programs and
rights.
DeMoe said he was im-
pressed with the turnout
and ideas presented at the
forum, and pledged to take
the information gathered
Thursday and put it into a
plan.
“We are not just going to
let this meeting happen and
then do nothing,” he said.
You can help
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Melissa Baurer, center, with the Salvation Army, speaks
at the homeless forum in Dallas on Thursday.
Volunteer opportunities:
• Dallas Community Resource Center, 185 SW Academy
St. Suite 220, 503-623-9664; or Central Community Re-
source Center, 1601 Monmouth St. Independence, 503-
606-2310.
• The Salvation Army: Email volunteer@salvation-
armysalem.org or call 503-798-4783.
Donation opportunities:
• Fill Our Home, Polk County Family and Community
Outreach Warehouse in Dallas, taking donations of new
or gently used household items and clothing. Donations
are accepted the first Saturday of the month. For more in-
formation: 503-623-9664.
• Host a clothing or hygiene supplies drive.
• The Salvation Army Email volunteer@salvation-
armysalem.org or call 503-798-4783.
• Salem Interfaith Hospitality Network, 503-370-975 or
info@salemihn.org
