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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (June 14, 2017)
GREAT AMERICAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR ECLIPSE Pages 8A and 9A HOLSTAD Volume 142, Issue 24 www.Polkio.com Page 15A June 14, 2017 $1.00 Tiny moth could lead to big problem By Jolene Guzman the itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE — The Oregon Department of Agri- culture will begin the process of spraying for the invasive light brown apple moth in an area south of In- dependence next week. A small population was found there in 2015 and again in 2016. Department officials said the best time to eradicate the fruit-feeding pest is now. “The discovery of an in- cipient light brown apple moth infestation in Polk County has create a need for action to mitigate the prob- lem as soon as possible,” wrote ODA director Alexis Taylor in the record of the decision last month. “Since the infestation is relatively small and well-defined, prompt action now can eliminate the danger of fur- ther light brown spread.” Richard Worth, a ODA en- OregOn Department Of agriculture/for the itemizer-Observer The light brown apple moth has created a need for action to mitigate the infestation as soon as possible, the Oregon Department of Agriculture said. tomologist, said the moth probably hitched a ride on plants from California, where it’s present in several counties. “It can move here very IN YOUR TOWN easily from California,” Worth said. “Once it’s over the mountains and here in the valley, it can survive.” Worth said the moth has a wide range of plants it at- tacks, specifically those in the rose family and fruit trees, including cherry and apple. “It can directly damage fruit externally, causing it to dry out and shrivel,” he said. “It mostly defoliates trees. It feeds on the leaves.” He said finding the moth in 2015 and 2016 signaled that the moth is surviving in the area and needed to be eradicated. “It doesn’t seem to spread real fast, so that gives us time,” he said. On its own, the moth trav- els only about a half-mile a year. “It’s a small moth and a weak flyer, so it doesn’t do long distances on its own,” Worth said. See MOTh, Page 5A DALLAS Dallas chamber of commerce sees good participation in new Women engaging pro- gram. »Page 2A FALLS CITY falls city city council gets serious about hir- ing a new city recorder. »Page 5A INDEPENDENCE yul provancha takes first steps in making a brewery in downtown a reality. »Page 3A Congratulations Class of 2017 MONMOUTh Western Oregon uni- versity to host speed and agility camp for youths aged 6 to 18. »Page 15A SPORTS Dallas Booster club ready to raise funds to install a turf field at Dal- las High School. »Page 15A Pick up a book at the library Itemizer-Observer staff report pOlK cOunty — li- braries in Dallas, falls city, independence and mon- mouth have kicked off their summer reading pro- grams for children and adults. the theme is “Build a Better World.” prizes are available for reading. Stop by your local li- brary for more informa- tion in its program. emily mentzer/itemizer-Observer Central high School graduates shake hands with and thank teachers before taking their seats on Friday. For more, see inside. Falls City may ask voters to OK levy to keep Wagner open By Jolene Guzman the itemizer-Observer FALLS CITY — Survey re- sults asking if Falls City resi- dents would pay to keep the Wagner Community Library open were encouraging enough that the Falls City City Council is researching a November levy. Falls City School District Super intendent Jack Thompson reviewed the survey results Thursday dur- ing a joint district and city work session on the library. He said 68 people com- pleted the survey, and 74 percent said they would be willing to pay at least $1 per $1,000 of assessed value, with some saying they would pay more. Thompson added, based THE NEXT 7 DAYS PLANNING FOR YOUR WEEK on responses, that the sur- vey captured a variety of de- mographics within the com- munity. “When you look at where the surveys are coming from, the communi- t y w e’v e g o t , h ow many reg- istered vot- ers we’ve got, I think this is a Ungricht pretty sig- nificant survey,” Thompson said. “This is not parents of chil- dren who are specifically an- swering these questions. I think we have a very broad spectrum of the community who are answering these questions.” Mayor Terry Ungricht said the city has about 400 vot- ers. In the May 2017 elec- tion, there were 919 regis- tered voters in the Falls City precinct, which includes the area surrounding Falls City. If a levy is placed on the bal- lot, only voters within city lim- its, not the Falls City School District boundary, would vote on it. The school district al- ready has a levy on the books. “We wouldn’t be able to have an additional operat- ing levy,” Thompson said. Ungricht said keeping the library doors open is costing Wagner Trust Fund about $46,000 per year. To raise $50,000, the levy would need to charge about $1.30 per $1,000 of assessed value. The fund has enough money to operate the district through the end of 2018. Thompson said the dis- trict will continue to support the library by providing the building and for its mainte- nance. He noted that the district re- serves the right to take over that space only if en- rollment grows to the point Thompson it’s needed for instruction. “Every indication that I’ve had from the board mem- bers would be that it would be allowed to continue in that space,” Thompson said. “It works well. We have not had any issues. It been a good relationship with the city and with the library.” Ungricht said he’s con- cerned the city may have to ask residents for financial sup- port for other needs, namely firefighting equipment. He said the fire depart- ment has been applying for grants to replace the breath- ing units firefighters are re- quired to have to battle fires from inside buildings. “They are into their sev- enth run, and we have not re- ceived the award. My best bet is we are not going to get that,” Ungricht said. “In two years, we will no longer be able to fight structure fires. We will only be able to be outside and water them down. We won’t be able to go in.” The cost to replace the units is $72,000. “I think the council really needs to think about strate- gy,” he said. “It just concerns me about throwing a lot of requests onto a ballot.” Ungricht said he will get information on require- ments to put a levy on the ballot, precisely how much will be needed to keep the li- brary open, and get an up- date on the fire depart- ment’s needs, and bring the updates at the July 13 coun- cil meeting. Councilors Cliff Lauder and Dennis Sickles said the council should put the re- quests to voters and let them decide. “Saying, well as a city we’re not going to put it on there be- cause we feel like you are going to fail it. That’s not fair,” Sickles said. “I really think we need to let the people say yes or no.” wed thu fri sat sun mon tue the free summer meal program starts today in Dallas, falls city, independence and monmouth. See page 8a for details on times and places. Veterans are wel- come to the inde- pendence elks lodge for a meal and speaker. Bunko for families. 6:30 p.m. Free. Head to guthrie park community center for some toe- tapping fun during its monthly music jam. 6:30 p.m. Free. Join in the eclipse fun at independ- ence library each Saturday in June for its Solar Saturdays. 2 p.m. Free. Bicyclists will be on the roads in force this weekend, with the team npf cycle raising awareness about psoriasis. All day. interested in the new testament? Bring a brew of your choice to St. thomas episcopal church for a lecture series. 7 p.m. Free. independence riverview market now has a tuesday time. See what’s new and fresh at the market. 1-6 p.m. Free. Mostly cloudy Hi: 69 Lo: 50 Rain Hi: 64 Lo: 55 Morning rain Hi: 66 Lo: 51 Partly sunny Hi: 73 Lo: 51 Sunny Hi: 80 Lo: 53 Sunny Hi: 82 Lo: 55 Sunny Hi: 78 Lo: 50