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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 2017)
Polk County News 14A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • August 16, 2017 State money could help Dallas street repairs By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer STEPHANIE BLAIR/Itemizer-Observer Josephine Bennett, right, was one of 24 students accepted into the Oregon State University Veterinary Experience. Teen gets taste of vet school DALLAS — Transporta- tion legislation passed by the Oregon Legislature this last session will help local governments solve part of their street maintenance needs. Dallas City Manager Ron Foggin conservatively esti- mated the city could get more than $300,000 per year for the next ten years to add to its street mainte- nance budget. Councilor Paul Trahan said he seen estimates that would send Dallas as much at $388,000. The state will begin send- ing the money in 2018. “That’s good news and it’s kind of bad news at the same time because it still leaves us quite a bit short of what we need,” Foggin said. The city’s Public Works Committee, consisting of five council members, has been looking at options for street maintenance priori- ties and funding for resi- dential roads in town. The city has a backlog of about $15 million in main- tenance on its residential streets. “That is great news and what we end up with the extra $300,000 is what the committee is going to be working on,” Foggin said. “We’re pretty excited to have that passed.” While the money still falls short of meeting the needs, Foggin said the ad- ditional money not only gives the city more re- sources to fix streets, but more strategies to pay for repairs. “One of the conversa- tions that we’ve had is how much we could bond for.” Foggin said, referring to a revenue bond, not one needing voter approval. “That’s always a challenge, is that you have your main- tenance money and you bond against your mainte- nance money, but then you have nothing to spend on maintenance. You would just be paying debt service. This actually opens the door for that conversation.” Dallas high senior gets firsthand glimpse of what college will look like By Stephanie Blair The Itemizer-Observer CORVALLIS — After wrapping up at the Polk County Fair on Sunday, Dal- las FFA and 4-H club mem- ber Josephine Bennett packed her bags and drove to Corvallis for the Oregon State University Summer Veterinary Experience — a week-long program where high school juniors and sen- iors live on campus and learn about veterinary medi- cine. This is the sixth year the program has been held and the first year that applica- tions have been open to stu- dents outside of Oregon. Though more than 100 stu- dents from around the world applied for the experi- ence, only 24 were admitted: Bennett, a Dallas High School senior, among them. The program is designed to give students a better un- derstanding of what a future in veterinary medicine looks like, explained program co- ordinator Tess Collins, OSU’s coordinator of admis- sions. “The reason for starting this whole program was to provide a chance for stu- dents who might not other- wise get a chance to learn about (veterinary medicine) to get a really cool, hands-on experience,” Collins said. “And, also, just some expo- sure to college.” This week, the high- schoolers will live in the dorms, eat in the dining halls and learn about college lab procedure. In classes, students will have a chance to learn from professors how to suture, how to perform physical exams on dogs, as well as learn about animal anatomy and physiology, among other things. Outside of the classroom, they’ll spend time with cur- rent OSU students who mentor them during the day by participating in fun group activities, like bowling and a movie night. For Bennett, it’s an excit- ing opportunity. “I had been looking for a camp like this, that would show me all the things I wanted to learn and see and experience,” Bennett said. “I’m really interested in being a vet, so I really want- ed to see what college would be like and see what the OSU campus would be like. I also really wanted to be with a bunch of people that are really inspired to be a vet and have the kind of drive that I have to be one. “(So far) I like it a lot, it’s a lot of fun. I’m getting to meet new people and expe- rience a lot of things. And we’re learning about anato- my and physiology, which is right up my alley, so I’m ex- cited about that.” For more information about the program, visit vetmed.oregonstate.edu/os u-summer-veterinary-expe- rience. What’s YOUR neighbor up to? Find out in the Itemizer Observer. You may find your neighbor, your boss, your friend or yourself in the pages of the Itemizer Observer. Local stories on local people - that’s our specialty. YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 147 SE Court St., Dallas • 503-623-2373
