Polk County Voices Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 15, 2017 4a How to Contact Officials EDITORIALS It’s OK to live in the moment It can be easy to lose sight of how big an accomplish- ment is when you’re in the moment. Student-athletes are always working toward overcoming a new challenge, whether it’s the next game, tournament or preparing for a new seasonal sport. But they, and the community, should never forget to take a moment to celebrate a big accomplishment. Seven Central wrestlers and 12 Dallas wrestlers qualified for the state wrestling championships Feb. 24-25 in Port- land. Dallas swimmer Jolie-Rae Ford earned a trip to the state swimming championships this Friday and Saturday in Gresham. It’s true, they all have bigger aspirations to place at state and their futures beyond the competitions. But qualifying for state is a huge accomplishment in and of itself. Success in any sport takes dedication, sacrifice and hard work. Both these sports require that in spades. Wrestling demands discipline from its competitors to make weight. There’s the countless hours spent practicing and training. The physical and mental toll it takes can be too much for some to handle and, in many cases, improve- ment really only comes from learning from getting beaten up on the mat. Swimming requires a similar dedication. The ability to resist the urge to eat unhealthily. The sense of responsibil- ity to show up to practice every day and wear yourself out. And when they step onto the wrestling mat or prepare to dive into a pool, they don’t have the luxury of teammates to back them up. It comes down to how much work and preparation is put in beforehand. Success isn’t earned during a match or a race. It’s earned on those practice days when they feel like quitting, but push through a little longer. Making state in any sport is a rare thing. It’s an experi- ence all student-athletes hope to do, but few will. It’s an exclusive club and a memory that they will carry with them forever. The moment when all the blood, sweat and tears comes together is a moment they should treas- ure and be proud of. We, as a community, should be proud of their work ethic, their desire and refusal to quit. Those are traits that will serve them well long after their athletic careers come to a close. PUBLIC AGENDA Public agenda is a listing of upcoming meetings for gov- ernmental and nongovernmental agencies in Polk County. To submit a meeting, send it at least two weeks before the actual meeting date to the Itemizer-Observer via email (ionews@polkio.com). — wEDnESDay, FEb. 15 • Monmouth Planning Commission — 7 p.m., Volunteer Hall, 144 Warren St. S., Monmouth. 503-838-0725. • Polk County board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, first floor conference room, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. THuRSDay, FEb. 16 • Monmouth arts and Culture Commission — 7 p.m., Vol- unteer Hall, 144 Warren St. S., Monmouth. 503-838-0725. • Independence Parks and Recreation board — 6 p.m., In- dependence Civic Center, third floor, 555 S. Main St., Independ- ence. 503-838-1212. MOnDay, FEb. 20 • Independence Tourism and Events Commission — 6:30 p.m., Independence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503-838-1212. • Dallas City Council — 7 p.m., Dallas City Hall, 187 SE Court St., Dallas. 503-831-3502. TuESDay, FEb. 21 • Independence Historic Preservation Commission — 4 p.m., Independence Civic Center, 555 S. Main St., Independence. 503-838-1212. • Monmouth City Council — 7 p.m., Volunteer Hall, 144 War- ren St. S., Monmouth. 503-838-0725. • Polk County board of Commission work session — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, BOC office, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. wEDnESDay, FEb. 22 • Polk County board of Commissioners — 9 a.m., Polk County Courthouse, first floor conference room, 850 Main St., Dallas. 503-623-8173. GOVERNOR gov. Kate brown (Dem.) 160 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-378-4582 Email: via website, http://governor.oregon.gov/ — STATE LEGISLATORS Sen. arnie Roblan (District 5, Democrat) S-417 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1705 sen.arnieroblan@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/roblan LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Roundabout shows lack of sense Let me see if I’ve got this straight. Because of the careless/reckless behavior of certain drivers in the area which lead to accidents, the following is happening: Offi- cials are prepared to spend four times the amount of public money set aside to build a roundabout vs. a traffic light at Clow Corner and Highway 99W. This decision is at least partially due to the deci- sions of Angela Kargel of ODOT who “thinks” a light wouldn’t work as well as the one at Hoffman Road and “most likely” would not solve the problem; subjective decision making at its best. The decision against a light due to re- cent study of criteria which somehow changed from the study completed in 2007, a prior evaluation which “passed the warrant (criteria) test”; unless the criteria has changed, this is another example of subjec- tive decision making. It never ceases to amaze me how the state, munici- palities, counties and school districts complain about a lack of money and con- stantly ask for more (and then are amazed when we resist). They follow by blithely making a decision which more than quadru- ples costs for this project based on subjective infor- mation. Surely, they could find another place to spend that $3.8 million. The title on any report on this boondoggle should be, “The Death of Common Sense.” Lynne Bowen Dallas Time to take down Christmas decor Just wanted to offer a big shout out and thank you to all the folks who took the time and effort to display Christmas decorations for all of us to enjoy this past season. Most of us who’ve commemorated the special holiday in such a way un- derstand that it is no small task. However, after a while, say, by Valentine’s Day, maybe it’s time to remove the decorations, if for no other reason than to keep people from wondering what holiday we’re sup- posed to be waving our flag about? Jessie Rice Dallas Use tax dollars more wisely We need to pass a bond for no more taxes. Save our homes. State, county and city need to pay off the bonds they have and renew them when available for their needs. Quit making more. They have budgets. Live with it. Quit handing out pay raises all the time a bond is passed. Darrell Hanna Dallas SUPERINTENDENT’S CORNER Are you ready for spring yet? This has been a challeng- ing year for weather. I would like to address snow days, graduation rates, and the state education budget impact. Snow days. With our eye on the sky and weather re- ports, our team of experts begins driving about 3 a.m., looking to see if we can safe- ly navigate the roads. At that time, decisions are made on whether we should have buses run snow routes, delay our start time, or can- cel school. As a weather event continues, our team watches the forecast and roads to also ensure a safe trip home for kids. At this point, we are not planning make-up days; however, if we exceed nine closure days, we will need to make up school days. We have a great team dedicated to our students. Thank you for supporting the district as we address the weather chal- lenges. Graduation rates. We are working diligently to increase our graduation rates. We did some follow-up work this year for students who were listed as non-attenders to see why they weren’t in school. We have numerous students who have moved out of our area for one reason or anoth- er and did not re-enroll, which counts against us. We also have students who de- cided to go into the work- force. I personally spoke with parents and students by phone and by making home visits to learn from their per- spectives. We are not giving up. Our district goal is 100 percent. We will continue to work diligently to increase high school graduation. Gover nor’s Proposed Budget. As we head into this legislative session, we want you to be aware of the im- pact on our district. Gov. Brown has proposed $8.02 billion for education, which would cause a reduction to our budget of $1.2 million. The reductions could poten- tially come in the form of re- duced days, increased class sizes (many are already over 30 students), and reduced programs or electives. The governor’s budget for Meas- ure 98 CTE funding is half of the amount voters approved. We will certainly keep you up to date, and I would also rec- ommend reviewing www.oregon-rising.org/ as many of you responded to a statewide survey and identi- fied the expectations you have for our students. Let’s make education a priority; our students deserve the best education possible. Thank you for supporting Dallas School District. — Michelle Johnstone Superintendent Sen. Jackie winters (District 10, Republican) S-301 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1710 sen.jackiewinters@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/winters Sen. brian boquist (District 12, Republican) S-305 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1712 sen.brianboquist@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/boquist Rep. David gomberg (District 10, Democrat) H-471 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1410 rep.davidgomberg@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/gomberg Rep. Paul Evans (District 20, Democrat) H-281 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1420 rep.paulevans@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/evans Rep. Mike nearman (District 23, Republican) H-378 State Capitol 900 Court St. NE Salem, OR 97301 503-986-1423 rep.mikenearman@state.or.us www.oregonlegislature.gov/nearman — U.S. CONGRESS Sen. Ron wyden (Dem.) 221 Dirksen SOB Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-5244 Fax: 202-228-2717 Salem office: 707 13th St. SE, Suite 285, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-589-4555 Email: via website, www.wyden.senate.gov WANT TO WRITE A LETTER? Letters to the editor are lim- ited to 300 words. Longer letters will be edited. Election-related letters of all types are limited to 100 words. Writers are limited to one elec- tion-related letter per election season. Election letters from writers outside of Polk County are not accepted. Each writer is restricted to one letter per 30- day period. Letters that are libelous, ob- scene or in bad taste will not be printed. Attacks by name on businesses or individuals will not be printed. Letters to the ed- itor that are obvious promo- tions for a business, products or services will not be printed. Letters, like all editorial mate- rial submitted to the newspa- per, are edited for length, grammar and content. Letters must include the au- thor’s name, address and tele- phone number. This includes letters submitted via the I-O’s website. Names and cities of res- idence are published; street ad- dresses and telephone numbers are used for verification pur- poses only. Letters must be submitted from individuals, not organiza- tions, and must be original sub- missions to the I-O, not copies of letters sent to other media. Letters of thanks to busi- nesses, individuals and organi- zations are limited to 10 names. The deadline for letters to the editor is 10 a.m. Monday. Let- ters submitted may not be re- tractable after this deadline. Sen. Jeff Merkley (Dem.) 313 Hart SOB Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3753 Fax: 202-228-3997 Salem office: 495 State St. SE, Suite 330, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-362-8102 Email: via website, www.merkley.senate.gov Rep. Kurt Schrader (Dem.) 108 Cannon HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: 202-225-5711 Fax: 202-225-5699 Salem office: 544 Ferry St. SE, Suite 2, Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-588-9100 Fax: 503-588-5517 Email: via website, www.schrader.house.gov — POLK COUNTY board of Commissioners 850 Main St. Dallas, OR 97338 Phone: 503-623-8173 www.co.polk.or.us — CITIES Dallas 187 SE Court St. Dallas, OR 97338 503-623-2338 www.ci.dallas.or.us Falls City 299 Mill St. Falls City, OR 97344 503-787-3631 www.fallscityoregon.gov Independence 555 S. Main St. Independence, OR 97351 503-838-1212 www.ci.independence.or.us Monmouth 151 W. Main St. Monmouth, OR 97361 503-838-0722 www.ci.monmouth.or.us HOW TO REACH US nEwSROOM Emily Mentzer ..............Editor/Monmouth/Independence Reporter ....ementzer@polkio.com Vol. 142, No. 7 (USPS) - 437-380) The official newspaper of Polk County • Serving Polk County families since 1875 Winner of 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 General Excellence Awards from the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association Periodicals postage paid at Dallas, OR, Independence, OR and Monmouth, OR. 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