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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 2017)
Polk County News 10A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • December 6, 2017 Gallant living the dream Contract By Lukas Eggen The Itemizer-Observer MONMOUTH — If there was one thing Brendon Gal- lant was sure would happen in his life it was owning a bi- cycle shop. “I moved down here from Alaska with the intent on owning and running a bike shop one day,” Gallant said. Little did he know that day would come much sooner than expected, as Gallant and his business partner own and operate the Bicycle Shop, formerly Veal’s Bikes Plus, in Monmouth. It was earlier this spring that Gallant happened upon Veal’s Bikes Plus. “I found this place on ac- cident during a ride,” Gal- lant said. “A buddy of mine broke his chain and this was the closest place.” The previous owner want- ed to close the store. Gallant and his business partner had been talking about running a store to- gether for years. “That turned into us buy- ing the business, the assets and everything,” Gallant said. “It was a well-timed co- incidence.” — Gallant was born into a bike family. “Our family has a motor- cycle dealership in Alaska,” Gallant said. “I could never afford one, but we also had a bicycle shop. My parents got divorced when I was, I don’t know, 8, 9, 10, and they lived three miles apart. The easi- est way for me to go back and forth was to ride a bike.” During the summer of 2008, Gallant took his riding to a new level. “That was the turning point where it went from a hobby to a really strong pas- sion that has been really in- fluential in my life,” Gallant said. Gallant tried to join a pro- fessional cycling team after earning his graduate degree in 2010. It didn’t work out, but he gained something LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Brendon Gallant is one of the two co-owners of The Bicycle Shop in Monmouth. Go for a ride What: The Bicycle Shop Where: 155 Main St. W., Monmouth Hours: Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat- urdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information: www.thebicycleshopmon- mouth.com. more valuable — his first connection with his future business partner, Graham Howard. They pair knew early on they would work well to- gether. “We have skill sets that complement each other,” Gallant said. “His experience in the industry surpasses mine, and I can put more of the business structure to- gether.” At first, Gallant’s plan was to step into a leadership role at his family’s dealership in Alaska. But, he yearned to return to Oregon. “I wasn’t really happy with my work-life balance,” Gal- lant said. “I missed the lifestyle I had in Oregon.” So, he returned, got a job at a bicycle shop and waited for the perfect opportunity. Now that it’s here, Gal- lant is eager to get the ball rolling. “It’s surreal in the sense that I don’t feel like I’m going to work,” Gallant said. “I never really have felt that way. When I start to feel like that, it’s time to move on.” Currently, the shop offers bike sales and repairs. Rentals will be offered in the future. “The service center is a big push for us,” Gallant said. “We want to take care of people in 24 to 48 hours.” Gallant said the shop will also be active in the com- munity, reaching out to col- lege students and communi- ty members. “There are fewer people getting on bikes and fewer bicycle stores year over year since about 2010,” Gallant said. “Those are pretty big red flags. My takeaway is you can’t have a business where you expect people to buy. You can have it in the back of your mind, but if you treat people like a transaction, they aren’t going to come in. What do we provide? Our culture. Our vision. This is fun for me, but I treat it with respect. Our passion is what brings people in.” As is their knowledge of all sorts of bikes — and their ability to make it easy to un- derstand. “We focus on what people want to do,” Gallant said. “You don’t need a $3,000 mountain bike if you just want to ride to work. We also want to get rid of the words or phrases that the industry creates. That may be good for us, but my job is to trans- late them into real terms.” The short-term goal is to get the business, which the duo self-financed, to a self- sustaining level. As the Bicycle Shop gains its footing, Gallant is excited to see what the future holds. “We have little projects here and there,” Gallant said. “It feels like things are coming together, but con- tinuing to progress forward.” Continued from Page 1A “Target solution is just training, it tracks your training. It doesn’t provide you with policies. It doesn’t provide you with how you enact those policies,” Her- tel said. “It doesn’t provide you operational guidelines. It doesn’t do any of that. All it does is provide you with training. … My fear is that we have a group of people who are trained to operate one way in a certain geo- graphical area and another way to operate in a differ- ent geographical area. How are they going to keep track of that?” Bob Davis, Southwest board member, said Falls City seeking third-party help pushes them further apart on a new agreement. “You have taken steps to make that negotiation harder because now you’ve got another entity in here,” Davis said. Ungricht said he didn’t believe he had a choice be- cause the draft contract had Falls City paying $36,000 for Southwest’s ad- ministrative services, but only receiving about $27,000 for Falls City fire- fighters assisting on inci- dents in the district. He said the city can’t afford that and was disappointed that the two sides couldn’t continue the partnership they’ve had for decades in- stead of what he feels is a Southwest attempt to take over Falls City’s depart- ment. “It was put to me that we would contract with South- west to run all of our sta- tion operations. That is what I heard at that (nego- tiation) meeting. I did not record it or take minutes, but that’s what I heard,” Ungricht said. “You were going to rent the station for $1. We were going to pay you $36,000, and it wouldn’t be our depart- ment, it would be South- west.” Falls City City Councilor Tony Meier, who has at- tended negotiations, said he understood the discus- sion the same way. Rod Watson, Southwest board member, said that was never the case and fi- nancial negotiations are still on the table. “I would like to think it’s not a takeover. Falls City would still be its own de- partment, and the only purpose we have is to help you stay trained, reporting, everything that needs to take place so none of us are in trouble,” Watson said. “I’m hoping that the board can, in the next 30 days, we can get together and see what the bottom dollar is, and we can access things that Falls City’s going to pay for out there and the things that Southwest is going to pay for out there.” JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer file Falls City and Southwestern Polk Fire have found it dif- ficult to reach an agreement. OBITUARIES Loren Ediger Aug. 11, 1921 – Nov. 25, 2017 Loren Ediger passed from this Earth to Heaven on Nov. 25, 2017, aged 96 years. Loren Donald Ediger was born on Aug. 11, 1921, in Dayton. He was the oldest son of AW and Helen (Dick) Ediger. Growing up, he lived in Dayton, Dallas and the surrounding communities, the oldest of nine children. He went to school at the Polk Station School, which sits today on the grounds of the Dallas Christian & Mis- sionary Alliance Church. Loren met Betty June Wedgwood, of Bremerton, Wash., when she came to Dallas along with some other girls from her church at the invitation of Loren’s younger brother Jamie. The two found that they had many similar interests and eventually both attend- ed Simpson Bible College in Seattle. They married after gradu- ation on June 14, 1947, in Bremerton. It was at Simpson where they heard the call to be- come missionaries, after hearing Dr. John Dale talk about his work among the Indians in Mexico. With a few large trunks and no knowledge of the Spanish language, they headed to Tamazunchale, Mexico, to join the Mexican Indian Mission. In 1947, most travel in Mexico was by train, burro, or foot. They learned Spanish and then were assigned to the small village of Zapotitlan, in the Mexican jungle about halfway between Mexico City and the Gulf of Mexico. It was a five-hour hike from the nearest road. Later, they settled in Cuautempan, Puebla — a small village deep in the Sierra Nevada Oriental in the northern part of the state of Puebla. The pre- dominant language of the area was Aztec. Loren loved the Mexican people, missionary work, and the Lord. He was always a humble man. Together, Loren and Betty Fini-Warren Kirby Erickson Dec. 21, 1946 - Nov. 7, 2017 Fini passed away November 7th peacefully in his daughter’s home, after battling lung cancer for 4 years. He was born in Clay Center, KS. He grew up in Wichita, KS. He served 8 years in the Air Force. He was adventur- ous and loved to travel. He married the love of his life Pa- tricia A. Goyer on Feb. 12 1977. They moved to Dallas, OR in 1978 where he spent most of his remaining life. Enjoy- ing the community and finding his cho- sen family. He started his own business, Finius Fog Chimney Sweeping, for which he worked 20 years. He was a very handy man. There was nothing he could not fix. He always had his dogs by his side. He loved playing guitar with his many, many friends. Fini fished, hunted and had a true love for the outdoors and nature. His wife passed away in 2001. He is survived by his daughter Lynette L. Chasse, grandchildren Victoria L. Baker, and Austin D. Chasse and 2 great grand children. His brother Leif Erickson Mac Martin, nieces and nephews, and his beloved dog Lizzy. A celebration of life will be held at the American Le- gion, Post 10 in Albany, Oregon at 11 a.m. on December 16, 2017. Later that evening, friends and family will gather to do one of Fini's favorite things; A school house jam in Salt Creek. Salem 412 Lancaster Drive NE Salem, OR 97301 served in Mexico as mis- sionaries for nearly 30 years and along the way had six children: Rebecca, Edwin, Emily Ruth, Thomas, Loren Jr., and Nathan. They moved back to southern California in 1976, and worked in various jobs and ministries until 1978, when they were called to be the Directors of Harbor House, an inner-city mis- sion in Oakland, Calif., where Loren preached and ministered and Betty played the organ and taught music. They taught English to the area’s large Hmong and Mien immigrants. They “officially” retired in 1982 to Junction City, but then moved back to Califor- nia in 1986 and lived in Ar- leta, Rosamond, Castaic and Sacramento. Loren and Betty lived in Auburn, Calif., in the Sierra Nevada foothills until Betty’s death in 2005. They were married for 57 years. In 2013, Loren moved to the Los Angeles area to be closer to family. In addition to his six chil- dren, he is survived by 16 grandchildren and 18 great- Dudley’s Hearing Aid Service (503) 581-6265 Low Cost Cremation & Burial Funerals & Memorials Simple Direct Cremation $595 Simple Direct Burial $710 Traditional Funeral $2,275 Discount priced Caskets, Urns and other Memorial items. Privately owned cremation facility. Locally owned and operated by Oregon families. www.ANewTradition.com 541-741-2936 Testing • Sales • Service Dallas Senior Center 955 SE Jefferson St. Dallas 10 am - Noon Every Tuesday Servicing Polk County Since 1987 grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife Betty, his broth- ers Jamie and Richard, and grandson Matthew Schoof. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017, at 10 a.m. at the Valen- cia Hill Community Church in Santa Clarita, Calif., 24933 Avenue Stanford, Valencia, CA 91355. Medardo Richard Sanchez June 8, 1936 – Dec. 2, 2017 Medardo Richard Sanchez, 81, of Monmouth, died Dec. 2. He was born on June 8, 1936 to Natividad and Manuela (Martinez) Sanchez in Hebbronville, Texas. Medardo married Judith Carlotta Petersen on Feb. 14, 1960, in Monmouth. Surviving Medardo are sons, Richard ( Taunia) Sanchez, of Utah, and Ray (Trisha) Sanchez, of Oregon; daughter Yolanda Kent, of Iowa; seven grandchildren; and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Judith. Medardo’s life will be cele- brated at a private gathering at a later date. Farnstrom Mortuary han- dled arrangements. To leave an online tribute: FarnstromMortuary.com. Obituary Information Obituaries cost $8 per 25 words (column inch) and include photos and a flag for veterans. Death and service notices run free of charge. Obituary information must be submitted by 4 p.m. on the Monday be- fore publication to be in- cluded in the newspaper. Most funeral homes handle obituary informa- tion and provide it to the newspaper. However, in- formation can also be sub- mitted directly from family members. Color and black-and- white photos can be sub- mitted, but photos will only be published in black and white. The Itemizer- Observer uses a flag logo in the obituaries of people who served in the armed forces. Death and service no- tices — like all information submitted to the news de- partment — are subject to editing for style, content and length. I n fo r m a t i o n c a n b e brought or mailed to the Itemizer-Observer, 147 SE Court St., Dallas, OR 97338, or emailed to ionews@polkio.com. For more information: Emily Mentzer, 503-623- 2373.