Polk County
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Polk County Itemizer-Observer • February 15, 2017 4a
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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.
Published weekly at 147 SE Court Street
Dallas, Oregon 97338
Phone: 503-623-2373
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Lukas Eggen..................Sports Editor......................................................................leggen@polkio.com
Jolene Guzman............Dallas/Falls City/Polk County Reporter ................jguzman@polkio.com
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which is in error if the Itemizer-Observer is at fault.