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SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR LAUREN WALLACE Volume 142, Issue 25 Page 10A www.Polkio.com June 21, 2017 $1.00 LaCreole principal given digital award IN YOUR TOWN DALLAS Morrison graduate finds herself. »Page 12A By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer INDEPENDENCE DALLAS — Photos of LaCreole Middle School Principal Jamie Richard- son were plastered all over the Dallas School District boardroom last week. The display, placed for all board meeting attendees to see, was in response to a special recogni- t i o n Richard- s o n earned t h i s month: Digital Richardson Principal of the Year. It was a little embarrassing for him. “It was kind of an honor, so I will give them that one time,” said a camera-shy Richardson, smiling. He and five other princi- pals were awarded the honor by the National As- sociation of Secondary School Principals. The award recognizes principals “for integrating digital media in their ef- forts to improve instruc- tion, student achievement, and their own leadership.” Richardson said when he received the call from the director of the NASSP notifying him he has won the award, he wanted to ask, “Are you sure?” “Not knowing how many applicants and look- ing at the people who gone before and won the award, it was just great to be in the running,” Richardson said. “I didn’t really expect it. There are so many other people in the country are doing great things.” See AWARD, Page 3A Santa Train leaving town. »Page 2A MONMOUTH JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer The old drying shed on the Weyerhaeuser property will be carefully dismantled in an effort to salvage timber. Mill landmark comes down Crews remove the Weyerhaeuser mill building known as Noah’s Ark By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Another piece of Dallas’ timber town lega- cy will be gone soon as the dismantling of old drying shed, affectionately known as “Noah’s Ark,” on the for- mer Weyerhaeuser mill property began last week. “It’s the end of an era,” said Commissioner Mike Ainsworth, who worked at the mill for nearly two decades. “I saw the big crane when I was driving into to town. It made me sad. I have fond memories of that facility.” Ainsworth said the enor- mous building was used to store lumber when the site was a working mill. It earned its nickname because work- ers at the mill calculated its dimensions as similar to those used to describe Noah’s Ark in the Bible. “It’s huge,” Ainsworth said. “You don’t know how big it is until you go in it.” The property owner, Northwest Demolition & Dismantling, has been get- ting the site ready for rede- velopment. JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer Workers inspect the roof Monday during the dismantling process at the former Weyerhaeuser mill site. “Part of the plan is that it would have to come down at some point,” said David Mc- Clure, the controller for site owner Northwest Demoli- tion and Dismantling. “It’s probably not usable for any industrial purpose, besides being a drying shed for a lumber mill.” He said the project started June 11 and may continue for up to three months. “We have a company that is salvaging the wood from the building,” Mc- Clure said Monday. Other materials from the building, including metal siding, could be recycled as well, depending on their condition, he said. Ainsworth said the closure of the mill in 2009 was a big blow to the local economy and he had hoped during the first few years afterward that it would be reopened. “I know we all have to change, but it was a good living,” he said. But now that so much time has passed, he thinks tearing down some of the buildings might be the best option for the property. “It would be wonderful to see something come in here,” he said. “It would give people some hope.” City Manager Ron Foggin said the removal of the building could open the property to more uses. “I think the city was always in the hope that someone would find use for that build- ing,” he said. “Long story short, it just never really came to fruition. The proper- ty owners have determined that the site would be more marketable without that. Northwest Demolition & Dismantling purchased the site in an auction in 2012 and began tearing down some of the structures with the objec- tive of selling the property for industrial use. No matter what happens with the property, the en- trance to the city is forever changed with Noah’s Ark being torn down piece-by- piece, Ainsworth said. “It’s the first thing you re- ally saw when you came into town on that side,” he said. City to review council social media use By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — The city of Dallas’ Administration Com- mittee will examine possible rules for council members regarding social media use. Committee members are slated to review guidelines and may make a recommen- dation at the committee’s July 24 meeting. At the committee’s May meeting — the committee meets every two months — it recommended the city coun- cil adopt the policy governing non-city employee use of city-owned social media, and personal pages when em- ployees identify their associa- tion with the city. THE NEXT 7 DAYS PLANNING FOR YOUR WEEK Committee Chairwoman Kelly Gabliks reported at the June 5 Dallas City Council meeting that since then, the recommendation had been withdrawn to make sure the policy doesn’t violate coun- cilors’ First Amendment rights. She said that the poli- cy could inform further de- bate on the topic. “We wanted to see the council adopt a social media policy,” she said during her report to the council. “We had a copy of what the city employees are required to adhere to. We really liked it and we voted to send that forward to make that a rec- ommendation to the full council.” See SOCIAL, Page 7A wed Curious about 3D printing? Dallas Li- brary will host a Makerspace Work- shop at Dallas Civic Center. 5 p.m. Free. Sunny Hi: 77 Lo: 49 City passes 2017-18 budget after lengthy process. »Page 6A POLK COUNTY Valsetz residents camp out for reunion. »Page 3A SPORTS Registration contin- ues for Monmouth-In- dependence Fourth of July tennis tournament. »Page 11A ROAD to hold field day Itemizer-Observer staff report DALLAS — The Radio Operators Association of Dallas will hold a field day at Dallas City Park from 9 a.m. Saturday to noon on Sunday. The exercise is aimed at giving practice of re- sponding in case of a nat- ural disaster when HAM operators may have to op- erate purely on standby power. The event is open to the public and informa- tion about the association will be available and what amateur radio operators’ role may be during and after a natural disaster. For more information: 503-881-5836. Fourth of July section Be sure to pick up next week’s issue of the Itemiz- er-Observer to read all about the Fourth of July events happening in Polk County. Newsletter Want to be more con- nected? Sign-up to receive the I-O newsletter. Head to www.polkio.com and input your email address and you’re good to go! Follow the I-O KARYN PRESSEL/Itemizer-Observer Want more updates? Be sure to like the Itemizer- Observer on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @PolkIONews and @PolkIOSports. Dallas’ Administration Committee will review and may suggest a social media policy. thu fri sat sun mon tue See what kind of bounty you can come away with at the weekly Polk County Bounty Mar- ket. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come take part or just sit back and lis- ten to some great music at the Guthrie Park Acoustic Jam Sesson. 6:30 p.m. Free. Help get the Polk County Fairgrounds ready for the County Fair by taking part in the Fair Beautifica- tion Day. 9 a.m. to noon. Enjoy some great art from a variety of artists at the Last Sunday at River Gallery in Independ- ence. 4 p.m. If you’re looking to show off your musi- cal talents or want to improve, check out New Horizons Orchestra. 6:30 p.m. $25. The James2 Com- munity Kitchen will offer meals for any- one in need in Falls City at 242 N. Main St., Falls City. 4:30 to 6 p.m. Sunny Hi: 77 Lo: 47 Sunny Hi: 84 Lo: 54 Sunny Hi: 90 Lo: 58 Sunny Hi: 94 Lo: 54 Sunny Hi: 85 Lo: 55 Sunny Hi: 77 Lo: 51