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The INDEPENDENT, May 16, 2012
Memorial Day Ceremony plans given Rental property event set for May 23
The public is invited to a
Memorial Day Ceremony on
Monday, May 28, from 2:00 to
3:30 p.m., at the Washington
County Fair Complex.
The ceremony, which is a
unique collaboration among
Washington County, City of
Hillsboro, Oregon National
Guard, American Legion and
Veterans of Foreign Wars, will
honor our nation’s service
members who made the ulti-
mate sacrifice in the line of
duty.
Program highlights include
recognition of Purple Heart re-
cipients, a prisoners of war cer-
emony, 21-gun salute, a flyover
by the 142nd Fighter Wing of
the Oregon Air National Guard
and the re-dedication of the
newly completed Veterans
Gateway segment of Veterans
Drive in Hillsboro.
Among the participants will
be leaders from the Hillsboro
VFW and American Legion,
2012 Outstanding Oregon
Woman Veteran of the Year
Betty Pomeroy, Hillsboro May-
or Jerry Willey, Board of Com-
missioners Chairman Andy
Duyck, and Sheriff Pat Garrett.
A keynote address is planned
by Brigadier General Steven
Gregg, Commander, Oregon
Air Guard.
The Veterans Gateway, first
dedicated in December 2010,
will eventually serve as a pas-
sage from the Fair Com-
plex/Hillsboro Airport MAX Sta-
tion and Park & Ride to a Vet-
erans Memorial Plaza extend-
ing north towards the fair-
grounds. Community input is
being sought on the plaza de-
sign, which will be on display at
the event and was developed
pro-bono by LRS Architects.
Fundraising efforts for the
plaza have begun and include
the sale of paving stones that
can be engraved to honor vet-
erans with ties to Washington
County. Information will be
available at the event, and on
the county website.
The Memorial Day Ceremo-
ny will take place rain or shine.
Attendees may park in TriMet’s
lot at the Fair Complex/Hills-
boro Airport MAX Station. For
more information, call Wash-
ington County Disability, Aging
and Veteran Services at 503-
846-3060.
The Washington County De-
partment of Housing Services
is hosting a free event on May
23, for landlords, property own-
ers and property managers to
discuss the value of inspecting
rental property. It will be held at
the Shirley Huffman Auditorium
in the Washington County Pub-
lic Services Building, 155 N. 1st
Avenue, Hillsboro, from 6:30 to
8:30 p.m.
The 2-hour informational
session will cover: reasons to
inspect, key items to look for,
who should perform inspec-
tions, and optimum inspection
times. The evening will include
information on the inspection
process for properties rented
through the Housing Choice
Voucher program, but the main
focus of the event will be dis-
cussing how landlords can
boost their bottom line by im-
plementing a solid inspection
program.
Real Estate Instructor Gary
Calvert will host the event.
Calvert has over 30 years ex-
perience in the real estate in-
dustry with a primary career fo-
cus in real estate management,
and holds several professional
real estate designations includ-
ing the Certified Property Man-
ager®. Calvert is Asset Manag-
er for the Washington County
Department of Housing Ser-
vices, overseeing more than
1,500 multifamily units and sin-
gle family homes.
Interested in attending? The
forum is free, but seating is lim-
ited. Please reserve a seat by
contacting Gary Calvert at 503-
846-4784, or gary_calvert@co.
washington.or.us.
Governor has named May “Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month”
s the weather improves,
more and more motorcyclists
will hit the roads. With that in
mind, Governor Kitzhaber has
proclaimed May 2012 “Motor-
cycle
Safety
Awareness
Month” in Oregon. Oregon is
joining with motorcycle organi-
zations and other federal, state
and local highway safety and
law enforcement organizations
to raise awareness about mo-
torcycle safety.
Unfortunately, 40 people lost
their lives in motorcycle crash-
es in 2011 according to prelim-
inary data from the Oregon De-
partment of Transportation, up
from 38 in 2010. Nationally,
motorcyclist fatalities increased
slightly in 2010 (the latest year
available for national statistics)
to 4,502, up from 4,462 in
2009. Almost 50 percent of fa-
tal motorcycle crashes in Ore-
gon are single vehicle crashes,
meaning another vehicle was-
n’t involved in the crash.
During May – and the rest of
the year – drivers should safely
“share the road” with motorcy-
cles and be extra alert to help
keep motorcyclists safe. Motor-
cyclists have responsibilities,
too. They should obey traffic
rules, be alert to other drivers,
never ride while impaired or
distracted, and always wear a
helmet and highly visible gear.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re on
four wheels or two; we all have
to do our part to share the road
safely,” said Michele O’Leary,
Motorcycle Safety Program
manager for the Oregon De-
partment of Transportation.
“One simple thing motorcyclists
can do to improve their safety
is wear high visibility gear so
they can be seen by other traf-
fic users.”
ODOT offers these safety
tips for drivers and motorcy-
clists.
See Motorcycle, page 13
Memorial Day
On purchases of $699 or more made from May 1, 2012 to May 31, 2012. Interest will be charged
to your account from the purchase date if the purchase balance is not paid in full within 24
months, or if you make a late payment. Minimum payments required. See store for details.
A day to honor the memory
of the men and women
who gave their lives in
service to our country.
Open Memorial Day - 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Serving the local community since 1944
2008 Main Street • Forest Grove • 503-357-6011
Shop from home at www.vandykeappliance.com
Store Hours:
Mon - Fri 8:30 - 5:30
Saturday 8:30 - 5:00
Proud of being locally owned & operated
660 So. Main, Banks • 503-324-2171