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Polk County Itemizer-Observer • April 19, 2017 3A
Proposed budget would add more staff
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — The proposed
2017-18 budget for the city
of Dallas adds more staff
and reflects a belief that un-
employment will remain low
and housing growth strong.
“We do have a lot of activ-
ity going on, and the budget
is generally up from last
year,” said City Manager Ron
Foggin Monday during his
message to the Dallas Budg-
et Committee.
The general fund is pro-
posed at $12.2 million, with
the overall budget coming in
at about $41 million.
A new position, economic
development director, is of-
ficially added in the budget.
AJ Foscoli, the newly hired
economic development di-
rector, started the job on
Monday.
“We are really excited. We
had enough money in this
year’s budget to bring that
person on, and AJ started
today. It was his first day and
he is busy already,” Foggin
said. “We are adding this po-
sition in an effort to address
the council’s priority on eco-
nomic development.”
Dallas Emergency Med-
ical Services or EMS is slated
to add three full-time para-
medic positions.
“These positions will re-
place a whole bunch of part-
time positions,” Foggin said
“We’ve had just an absolute
terror of a time, churning
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — Results of tests
for radon found that Dallas
School District schools
found amounts below Envi-
ronmental Protection
Agency’s recommended “ac-
tion level” in all locations
measured.
The EPA recommends
mitigation in areas with
radon levels above 4.0 pic-
ocuries per liter of air
(pCi/L), said Kevin Mon-
tague, the district’s facilities
director. Readings between
2.0 pCi/L and 4.0 pCi/L may
require adjustments, he
said. Measurements of less
than 2.0 are about the same
as outdoor air.
According to district’s
testing plan, radon is color-
less and odorless radioac-
Radon testing
• Dallas High School: 118 rooms tested with the highest
reading of 2.2 pCi/L.
• LaCreole Middle School: 74 rooms tested with the highest
reading of 3.5 pCi/L.
• Whitworth Elementary School: 38 rooms tested with the
highest reading of 3.8 pCi/L.
• Lyle Elementary School: 38 rooms tested with the highest
reading of 1.2 pCi/L.
• Oakdale Heights Elementary School: 45 rooms tested with
the highest reading of 1.0 pCi/L.
• Morrison Campus: 14 rooms tested with the highest read-
ing of 1.9 pCi/L.
• Post High School: Five rooms tested with the highest read-
ing of .6 pCi/L.
• District Office: 18 rooms tested with the highest reading of
1.1 pCi/L.
SEEKING BIDS FROM INTERESTED BUYERS
The City of Monmouth
is seeking bids from
interested buyers for
the city’s property at
238 Jackson St. E.
Bid Deadline: May 19,
2017 at 4:00 p.m.
and city funding is $8,000 to
help pay for a second year of
Dallas Downtown Associa-
tion’s RARE program man-
ager, an expenditure com-
mittee member and Coun-
cilor Jackie Lawson ques-
tioned.
Not included in the budg-
et is a recreation coordina-
tor, a position that was left
unfilled earlier this year.
Committee member and
Councilor Jennie Rummell
suggested the committee
discuss adding it back at its
next meeting.
The budget committee
meets Monday at 5:30 p.m.
at City Hall to discuss gener-
al fund department budgets
and the inspection depart-
ment.
tive gas that forms from the
decay of radioactive ele-
ments found in rock and
soil. It can move into the
air and water and is the
second-leading cause of
lung cancer.
Testing took place be-
tween Feb. 27 and March
23, with individual testing
units placed in rooms for
three days. EPA guidelines
require testing to take
place between Nov. 1 and
March 31 with the HVAC
system operating normally
and normal activities tak-
ing place.
TRC Environmental Cor-
poration, of Milwaukie, con-
ducted the tests and ana-
lyzed the results.
The highest level reported
was 3.8 pCi/L at Whitworth
Elementary School, while in
several locations no radon
was detected.
While no tests revealed
the need for mitigation, the
district made changes for
areas with higher readings.
“The classrooms that we
do have that came back be-
tween 2 and 4, we’ve already
made adjustments to the
HVAC system to increase the
outside air,” Montague said.
He said the results didn’t
reveal anything surprising
based on tests taken in other
places in the Dallas ZIP code
reported to the federal gov-
ernment. He said the average
result was 2.1 with 11 percent
of tests at or above 4.0.
“Overall, I would say we
are doing exceptionally well
in our buildings with the
levels that we see back,”
Montague said.
For results from each
s c h o o l : w w w. d a l l a s . -
k12.or.us/radon-informa-
tion.
It’s time to...
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POLK COUNTY
Inquiries should be directed to Phyllis Bolman,
503-751-0145 or pbolman@ci.monmouth.or.us
SEEKING BIDS FROM INTERESTED BUYERS
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and community
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permit tech.
“Building construction is
back in full swing, so with
the two folks we have now,
they are really super busy
with field work, and a permit
tech would really help us
process plans faster,” Foggin
said.
The proposal also moves
the part-time utility and
court clerk to full time.
Foggin said the budget
proposes rate changes at the
Dallas Aquatic Center.
“For the purposes of the
budget, we are recommend-
ing and have in the budget a
10 percent increase in ad-
mission and annual mem-
bership fees,” he said.
Through a combination
of Urban Renewal Agency
DSD radon levels below EPA ‘action level’
Rainfall during April — 1.92 in.
Rain through April 17 — 28.42 in.
Visit our
website,
www.polkio.com
through a whole bunch
part-time folks, and it’s been
an admin nightmare trying
to hire and replace people.
The three paramedic posi-
tions will really stabilize our
three ambulance shifts.”
An administrative assis-
tant and two seasonal fire-
fighters have been added to
the fire department budget.
The seasonal firefighters will
work the day shift during the
four busiest months of the
year. They will join two full-
time firefighters being paid
for with a two-year federal
grant.
“That would give us four
during that shift,” Foggin
said.
The building inspection
department has added a
The City of Monmouth
is seeking bids from
interested buyers for
the city’s property at
152 Warren St. N.
Bid Deadline: May 19,
2017 at 4:00 p.m.
Inquiries should be directed to Phyllis Bolman,
503-751-0145 or pbolman@ci.monmouth.or.us
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