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About Polk County itemizer observer. (Dallas, Or) 1992-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 2018)
DALLAS HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING Page 10A Volume 143, Issue 2 www.Polkio.com January 10, 2018 $1.00 Dallas Bank of America to close in April By Emily Mentzer The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — The Bank of America Dallas branch will close its doors on April 3. The decision was based on customer behaviors, said Britney Sheehan, media re- lations manager. “We’ve seen a shift in our industry,” she said. “Every day, we’ve seen more cus- tomers using mobile phones for banking.” Customers come inside the bank for more detailed banking needs, such as to speak to mortgage loan offi- cers or wealth advisors, Sheehan said. Day-to-day transactions, including transferring money between accounts, withdrawals, deposits, and paying bills, are done more online and on the mobile platform, Sheehan said. The bank’s ATM will re- main on site until the building is sold, which will likely be in a year or two, Sheehan said. The employ- ees of the Dallas branch may find work at another location. “The bank works to place employees in other posi- tions or works to find them other arrangements when there are closures,” she said. Salem is the nearest Bank of America financial center, at 390 High St. NE, Sheehan said, noting it is about 13.8 miles from the Dallas location. She would not disclose the number of Dallas customers held at the location. “We definitely look for- ward to serving our cus- tomers online, on mobile, through the ATM and in Salem,” she said. “We hope people will stay with us,” and come to Salem “when they do need to have those more complex conversa- tions.” IN YOUR TOWN DALLAS Boys and girls basket- ball begin league play »Page 11A FALLS CITY LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer Bank of America is closing based on customer behavior. The Falls City School District secures a loan to begin building a gym and classroom facility. Commissioners to explore countywide broadband By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer POLK COUNTY — The Polk County Board of Com- missioners may join the city of Independence in a grant application to pay for a study looking at ways to pro- vide broadband internet service countywide. Gov. Kate Brown’s office g a v e Bu s i n e s s O re g o n $500,000 to offer in grants for the Rural Broadband Ca- pacity Pilot Program. The program was created “to kick start funding opportu- nities to assist with planning for and deployment of broadband project targeting rural and underserved pop- ulations.” Shawn Irvine, Indepen- dence’s economic develop- ment director, said the city replied to Business Oregon’s request for information in the fall of 2017, but wanted to include Polk County in the grant application because most rural/underserved areas are outside of cities. “We have a good case to be made as a potential test site because we’ve got a fiber system in place in Independ- ence and Monmouth,” he said. “We are doing some- things that could leverage it in town, but we could lever- age it better out of town … if there was better service.” Irvine said the idea is to find out who owns fiber net- works and where, if there’s capacity to serve others and, if it’s possible to lease or ac- cess those networks. “The intent is to explore countywide service,” Irvine said. Independence has al- ready been in contact with a consultant that performed a “scope of work” and cost es- timate on a feasibility of building a network to pro- vide access to rural resi- dents. According to the con- sultant, the study would cost $50,000, and Irvine suggest- ed applying for a grant for that amount. See COUNTY, Page 5A SW Polk hopes for new contract »Page 12A INDEPENDENCE Indy Police arrest five for DUII in December. »Page 3A MONMOUTH The Monmouth City Council approved a zone change for a strip of land at the south end of the Marr Bark Dust property. »Page 3A By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer SPORTS DALLAS — In the face of Falls City area residents’ concer ns, members of Southwest Polk Rural Fire Protection District Board vowed Monday night to strike a new contract with the city for fire service. On Jan. 2, Southwest pulled its two trucks and a quick response SUV after contact negotiations broke down between the district and Falls City. “I realize that this particu- lar issue has not been an issue in the past,” said board member Rod Watson. “We will get this resolved. We have no intentions of leav- ing you guys hanging out there forever.” At the board’s meeting Monday night, several Falls City residents were in atten- dance, and three spoke about their fears of dimin- ished service in and around Falls City. Southwest board mem- bers pointed out that Falls City Fire will respond via mutual aid, but that did little to calm those at the meet- ing. Jennifer Wright lives five minutes from the Falls City Fire Station, but believes that the fire engine remain- ing at the station won’t make it down her driveway. She’s afraid if an incident were to happen at her home, that help would have to come from Dallas. “That’s a 25-minute wait,” she said. Bob Davis, a Southwest THE NEXT 7 DAYS PLANNING FOR YOUR WEEK Central’s boys basket- ball team enters league play ready for a stiff challenge. »Page 10A Police investigate broken windows Itemizer-Observer staff report JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer Southwest’s Rickreall Station is one of two places from which district firefighters could respond to Falls City. board member and profes- sional firefighter, disputed that, saying he’s witnessed that engine perform a simi- lar job when it was in service in Salem. He said if a drive- way meets access standards, the truck should be able to drive it. “I don’t know the condi- tion of your driveway, but I can tell you the ability of that truck because it did that very thing for 18 years in the city of Salem,” Davis said. “It happened to be at Station Nine that was on the rural edge of the city. That engine will make any driveway in reasonable condition.” Wright said she wasn’t convinced, based on what members of Falls City Fire told her. “I’ve had multiple ones tell me it is a pavement vehi- cle, not an off-road vehicle,” she said. Falls City Fire Chief Bob Young said the trucks South- west placed in Falls City were meant to complement those the city owned. “Everything we’ve done is try to offset each other — work together so we have apparatus that can do all these different things. If it’s a big structure-type fire, then we take our city en- gine out because it has a bigger pump. If it’s a narrow driveway, we worked on getting a four-wheel drive engine out here,” he said last week after Southwest removed its tr ucks. “I worked with (Southwest) when we ordered those things, when we put that truck together for specifi- cally our area.” Falls City residents asked that Southwest give negotia- wed thu fri sat Get lost in a great story the whole family can enjoy at Family Story Time at Independence Li- brary. 10:30 a.m. Free. Find out what the Independence Downtown Associa- tion is all about dur- ing its meeting at Independence Grill. 8 a.m. Free. Dallas High School’s boys basketball team hosts Crescent Valley for a Mid- Willamette Confer- ence showdown. 7 p.m. $5/adults. The Ash Creek Arts Center holds its Sec- ond Saturday art class. This month’s topic is birch tree landscape painting. 2 to 4 p.m. Free. Rain Hi: 47 Lo: 44 Rain Hi: 54 Lo: 41 Cloudy Hi: 50 Lo: 37 Partly sunny Hi: 52 Lo: 36 tions another shot — and find a way to compromise — to re-establish a contract. “I don’t think you guys re- ally want that,” said Falls City resident Tiffany Weems. “You guys want to takeover. You want to force people out and takeover.” District residents said that is especially important because of the district’s re- cently passed bond to pro- vide better service, some- thing some district residents living near Falls City don’t believe they are getting. See FIRE, Page 5A sun Start your Sunday morning with a tasty bite to eat at the Buell Grange Breakfast at Buell Grange Hall. 8 to 11 a.m. $6. Partly sunny Hi: 51 Lo: 38 DALLAS — Several Dal- las businesses have had their windows smashed with rocks or other objects in recent days. Dallas police officers are investigating whether the incidents are connected, said Dallas Police Lt. Jerry Mott. Four incidents were re- ported on Dec. 29 at loca- tions throughout town. La Herradura on Main and Washington streets repor ted a pumpkin tossed through the win- dow, while H2O said a bench taken from Forest River was thrown into the front store window, ac- cording to Dallas’ daily po- lice log. More broken windows were reported on Jan. 3. This time, the unknown suspect or suspects used a rock and brick to smash windows at businesses in Monmouth Cutoff Road and on Southeast Uglow and Lyle streets, the daily police log said. mon tue Western Oregon University will hold several events dur- ing the week to cel- ebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. See Page 2A. Central’s girls bas- ketball team contin- ues Mid-Willamette Conference play against South Al- bany. 7 p.m. $6/adults. Rain Hi: 49 Lo: 41 Showers Hi: 49 Lo: 40