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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 9, 2017)
Polk County News Polk County Itemizer-Observer • August 9, 2017 5A Body of missing boy Economic director sees Dallas’ ‘potential’ located on Monday By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer WEST SALEM — Searchers found the body of a 5-year-old boy missing since Friday from Wallace Marine Park in West Salem. His body was found near Wheatland Ferry Monday at about 1:40 p.m., accord- ing to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. He was about 13 miles down river from where he was last seen. The boy, Allen “Chaz” Pearson, was last seen play- ing near the old boat ramp and pedestrian bridge at the park. Authorities believe he drowned in the Willamette River, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. “The Polk County Dis- trict Attorney and the Polk County medical examiner both responded to the scene, and the investiga- tion is being treated as a drowning,” stated a news release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Emergency workers re- sponded to a report of a missing 5-year-old boy at 5:45 p.m. on Friday. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office and Salem Police Depart- ment responded to the call and were soon joined by several agencies in the search for Allen. Sheriff Mark Garton said several people saw him playing near a pool created by a gravel bar in the river adjacent to the pedestrian bridge crossing from Wal- lace Marine Park to the river front park area. “Nobody saw him in the water. Several people saw him right next to the water,” Garton said. “He taken off his shoes and shirt that was right in the same place people saw. He also had goggles so he was wanting to swim.” Garton said even though the river is lower, that doesn’t mean it is safer or much warmer than it was a few months ago. “In the 60s and it might seem refreshing. It is a shock for your body,” Gar- ton said. “You can’t use your arms and legs like you need to.” Garton noted that while the water close to the shore near the gravel bar is shal- low, the water on the other side is deep, and at the pil- lar of the walking bridge, the currents form a whirlpool. “The current is going to drive you down,” he said. He said because of the cold temperatures and cur- rents you can see from the surface, anyone playing in the water needs a life jack- et. There has been an effort to place a life jacket station in the park. “I hope someone does,” Garton said. Police, fire and search and rescue crews looked for the boy until dark on Friday and continued the search on Saturday and Sunday. Garton thanked the agen- cies and volunteers who joined the search. Agencies who helped with the search are: Polk County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, Polk County Sheriff’s Office Ma- rine Patrol, The American Red Cross, Mountain Wave Search and Rescue, Benton County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Ma- rine Patrol, Corvallis Mountain Search and Res- cue, Marion County Sher- iff’s Office Search and Res- cue, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team, Oregon Army National Guard, Salem Police De- partment, Salem Fire De- partment, and the Benton County Sky SAR (civil air patrol). Thursdays! May - Sept DALLAS — AJ Foscoli, Dallas’ Economic Develop- ment Director, believes the next year or so has a lot in store for Dallas. “I think that Dallas is re- ally poised for a lot of growth, a lot of potential,” he said. The city is already seeing evidence of that as industri- al businesses are eyeing Dallas as a possible location. He re- ferred to one such project, without elaborat- ing on Foscoli what it is or who is behind it, in a workshop meeting with the city council in July. He said the business’ site selection process has been educa- tional for the city, and that will work in its favor, even Dallas doesn’t make the final cut. “The fact that it is still on-going is really good. The fact that’s been about eight months now and the proj- ect is still alive is really en- couraging to me,” Foscoli said. “We will keep working on it until we get a thumbs up or a thumbs down. If we do end up getting a thumbs down, the process itself is helping us. We’ve strength- ened our relationship with our partners, from North- west Natural, from Pacific Power, Business Oregon. Foscoli said Oregon has a limited amount of industri- al land left that is centrally located for businesses, which is making Dallas JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer file The removal of “Noah’s Ark” from the former Weyerhaeuser mill site in Dallas makes the property more attractive to businesses wanting to locate in the Willamette Valley. have been challenging — not impossible, but chal- lenging — to shoehorn something that fit.” On the commercial side, particularly in the down- town, Foscoli sees his role as a facilitator between businesses and the owners of buildings with space to lease or buy. “There is a bit of a dance that goes on between what a person feels their asset is worth and what a person coming in feels that it’s worth,” he said. “It’s my job to get them to talk to each other and not just walk away.” Foscoli said he’s pleased to see the development of the career and technical ed- ucation program at Dallas High School. more attractive to outfits wanting locate or relocate in the Willamette Valley. He said the most notice- able piece of vacant indus- trial property in Dallas, the former Weyerhaeuser mill site, has been improved by the removal of the building known as “Noah’s Ark.” The giant drying shed, leftover from the mill oper- ation, has been salvaged for the its valuable 100-year- old timber. “I’m a little bit saddened, to be honest, to see the Ark go away, but the timber in that is some of the most valuable out there,” Foscoli said. “However, because it is going away, it is making that site much more ready for something else. The way that building was, it would The Dallas School Dis- trict hired a former Dallas agricultural teacher, Tim Ray, to find the best courses of study for the Dallas area and develop programs around them. That could go a long way toward filling another piece of the economic develop- ment equation: Keeping business supplied with well-trained workers. “We are lucky to have Tim Ray at the high school tasked with that very thing, to create a talent pipeline that can help our business- es in Dallas and in the re- gion,” Foscoli said. “I have high hopes that the CTE program at the high school will grow and incorporate lots of skills that we can use.” POLK COUNTY A joint effort between OSU Extension Service and Polk Soil & Water Conservation District. 10 am - 3 pm 20 vendors this week! BEST pickings of the season NOW at Bounty Market! Live Music with Cash & Company 11am to 1pm 20 Pages of Valuable SEASONAL Information 4 times a year: September, December March and June Produce, meat, eggs, kettle korn, baked goods, artisan products, glazed nuts, non-profits, fresh cut flowers, hot food, beauty products and so much more! Don’t forget to grab your can/bottle donations to drop off for the Scouts. 182 Academy St., Dallas Facebook.com/bountymarket http://www.exploredallasoregon.org/bounty-market.html • Boulders & Wall Rock • Patio Stone • Rainbow & Beech Cobble • Crushed Rock • Plant Materials • Compost • Bark • Soil Blends • Potting Soil• Pumice • Perlite 5192 Salem-Dallas Hwy Next to Cafe 22W Restaurant Salem, Oregon 97304 503-391-2833 M-F 7:30 - 5:30 • Sat 8 - 6 • Sun 10 - 4 FREE Local Delivery Every Monday to Dallas and Independence on $90 order. Coupons cannot be combined with any other offer or discounted items. 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