Pictured: Downtown with insets: Terri Pierce shares concern about delayed opening of her business at city council (left) Melting Pot Candy's holiday creations.

Pictured: Security video image of City Finance Director Rob Moody being queried as Emmanuel Goicochea looks on & City Manager Kenna West points to the encounter.

Pictured: Counselor Gary Dees (forefront) with Polk County Presiding Judge Norman Hill at bench; Inset: Carrie Meaney and her child at program graduation. (Photos by Patricia Buck)

Pictured: A city YouTube image of City Manager Kenna West with town logo below; background is an array of publications acquired by Trammart News in Oregon City, site of historic end of the Oregon Trail. (See sign upper right.)

Pictured: Fifth-grade teacher Emily Blythe (center) Insets: a student city builder (left) project displays (right)(Photos for insets submitted by E Blythe)

Pictured: Ken Fetters standing at the old building's basement, a completely new Tiki Bar.  (Photo credit: Lance Masterson)

Pictured: City water tower in downtown Independence.

Pictured: Recent school board meeting in which Superintendent Jennifer Kubista's (inset) annual evaluation was released (Photos from district website)

Pictured: Central High School's vice principle and athletic director, Brett Baldwin, at whiteboard showing athletic event preparation (Photo: Lance Masterson)

Pictured: Left inset is the list of valedictorians and salutatorians this year (courtesy Central School District); Right inset is Aaron Hayes, who formed a non-profit chess camp for others to share (submitted photo).

Pictured: Farmer Olsen at the Original Farmers Market in Independence, where she is often stationed on Saturdays during summer.

Pictured: Marquis Spa sits empty on Stryker Road; Inset: Ron Singh, president of the Independence Airpark Homeowners Association during a recent presentation to the planning commission.

Pictured: A familiar city scene recently showcases the iconic downtown with trolley.

Budget Committee works long & hard to pass budget with cuts that necessitate city property sales

By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, May 16, 2025

A 2025-26 budget that appeared to disappoint most – if not all – of the budget committee members who toiled over it was approved Wednesday, following a discussion that sometimes became intense. City Councilor Dawn Roden cast the lone dissenting vote.

The budget document will be sent to the Independence City Council for adoption.

Under the budget, the library will be closed one more day a week, though that action won’t take place until the fall, allowing summer programs there to go forward.

The Heritage Museum building is going up for sale, with plans being laid to store displays and artifacts on the third floor of the Independence Civic Center – the museum and the library will consolidate into “community services.”

One city park, possibly more, will be sold, under the new budget. All funding was removed for the 2026 Fourth of July holiday, “Independence Days,” though the city council endorsed forming a public ad hoc committee to explore alternative ways to finance it.

Also under the proposed cost-trimming, the Independence Civic Center, except for the police department, would be closed on Fridays – a potential move that seems to have generated more controversy among the public than with the committee members. Some residents have asked Trammart News for a dollars-and-cents forecast of cost savings – as well as the number of employee work hours – under a four-day work week. “There is a lot of non-detail on that one,” observed one homeowner.

The city budget committee began their meetings in the wake of an announcement of a $776,000 shortfall. And, at one point in the sessions, City Manager West told the committee: the city is "broke.”

At a meeting in late April, West explained that the library’s one-day-a-week closure could help the community adjust to more cuts, should they be necessary down the line. “If we reduce a day, it prepares the community for where they may have to go – it’s less dramatic,” she said. Once the closure goes into effect the library will be open four days per week. The library previously had undergone a one-day reduction in service in the 24-25 budget year – going from six days a week to the current five service days per week.

Budget committee members seemed to struggle with their decision-making, seeking ways to make the cuts less impactful.

But a motion for a small fee to be added to the utility bill failed. At times, both allegedly unconvinced residents and local media were criticized for their role in the circumstances – essentially the defeat of a levy last fall that would have provided funding for parks, the museum and the library. However, some attributed the failure of the levy to inadequate messaging.

Twice during the meetings, Councilor Shannon Corr and Councilor Dawn Roden clashed. They disagreed on how to characterize last year’s budget, which was sent back to the city for possible revision after Mayor Kate Schwarzler, then a city councilor, recommended taking that action. Roden repeatedly cited the shortfall this year as evidence there should be more discussion.

“I think that, as a community, we have to be careful that we do not rubber stamp what is in front of us. That is what we did last year,” Roden said. Corr responded: “I think it is irresponsible to say that we rubber-stamped it. We did not rubber stamp the budget.”

The city’s budget committee this year met five times and included far-ranging discussion. In one amendment, which was recommended by Finance Director Rob Moody, money from the Economic Development Fund was moved to boost the city’s contingency fund and cover the current year’s three-quarter-million-dollar shortfall. The contingency fund, which had been depleted, is largely reserved for emergencies.

Asked by Councilor Marilyn Morton if this constituted an interfund loan, West said it did not.

One recommendation that surfaced won wide agreement: That the city establish a series of budget-review meetings, possibly with a citizen-councilor committee, during the coming year. The aim of that committee would be to help flesh out cost-saving options before the budget document arrives in spring to meet the June deadline.

City manager West said she and Mayor Schwarzler would discuss the possibility of the suggested periodic meetings, which would take place much sooner than usual budget-committee meetings. ▪

The city budget document passed by the budget committee is scheduled to go for final approval to the city council in June. It can be found here: https://www.ci.independence.or.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Independence-BUDGET-2025-2026_-Proposed_-Final.pdf

Pictured: The council meeting where residents spoke about annexation (photo credit: City YouTube); inset: Corvallis Road resident Rick Hopkins.

Corvallis Road residents accept annexation for roadway but express worry about the future

By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, May 16, 2025

Noting that City Planner Fred Evander failed to follow through on a promised letter guaranteeing homeowners a grace period against annexation of their properties along Corvallis Road, several residents who opposed the plan now seem resigned that it’s going forward.

The city council voted Tuesday night, with Councilor Dawn Roden dissenting, to annex the roadway.

After the vote, resident Rick Hopkins (photo), a 34-year resident, described himself as “saddened” that the tentative agreement from Evander didn’t materialize. In his testimony, Hopkins, who lives along Corvallis Road in Polk County and outside the city limits, said: “I would like to have seen you do something that would have some teeth in the future.”

However, in a brief interview after he gave public testimony, he said he’s “optimistic” that now it appears all the city really wants in the next several years is a “rights-of-way” annexation for the road.

Hopkins lives inside the urban growth boundary. Like some of his neighbors, he is worried that full property annexation into city limits will mean a hike in taxes to about $3,000 a year, plus a new set of city utility bills.

Michelle Lewis, who lives on the other side of the road, said she was concerned about the same thing.

During the previous city council meeting, Evander had agreed to issue a letter exempting current property owners from the possibility of annexation in the near future. However, there’s no risk that will happen – the procedural steps would slow the process and give homeowners plenty of time to learn about a move to do so, he explained.

Evander also corrected himself on another point; He had referred to the roadway as a minor arterial in the city Transportation System Development Plan, but it is destined to be a major arterial.

Lewis had sent correspondence to the city requesting that annexation be delayed for property owners for 10 years. Evander, Lewis and Hopkins all referred to ORS 222.750.5, which – under certain circumstances – can be used to delay annexation.

In his testimony, Eric Hill, a fifth-generation landowner in Independence whose origins date back to the town’s founders, said his notice about the annexation hearing stated that Corvallis Road was being considered for annexation in order to eventually meet higher street standards – but newer information showed it was for putting in a water mainline.

Public Works Director Gerald Fisher explained that both are reasons for the action. The water line is for the planned water-treatment plant, he explained. Without city ownership, “you have to jump through a whole bunch of paperwork hoops” to get federal grant funding, he said.

If that explanation had been provided from the outset, “it would have been easier to get behind it,” Hill said. ▪

Pictured: City Manager Kenna West as Gabby Walton speaks; inset: West during Trammart News testimony. (photo credit: City YouTube)

Editorial: Please city manager, can you pay attention to resident testimony?

By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, May 16, 2025

Gabby Walton, who was given this year’s “Community Member of the Year” award on the 60th anniversary celebration of the Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce, took her place at the podium this past Wednesday night to speak to the city budget committee. As expected, one of those present was immersed in her phone. The same thing happened about a week before, with business owner Mitch Teal, when he made a similar presentation in public testimony.

Maybe I wouldn’t have noticed this alleged lack of attentiveness to speakers, such as merchants and residents, but some of those who have considered participating in city meetings by providing public testimony have told me they are reluctant to do so. Some have referred to the woman in the top job of the city, Kenna West, who just doesn’t seem interested. She is otherwise occupied, immersed on her phone or distracted by something else.

It seems to have happened repeatedly. So, I am writing this editorial about it.

Because, for me, tuning in to residents and tuning out of mobile devices has been a great learning experience. Nothing has proven more newsworthy than those resident and merchant voices. Nothing.
Resident testimony has led me to document the push for a toddler swing at Sunset Meadows park, which now has been installed; Resident testimony has resulted in raising safety awareness for the dangers of swimming in the Willamette River, which now has a new life jacket kiosk. These are just two of many examples.

And the importance of that resident or business voice seems to be the message from Walton, too, when she spoke this week. While West was face down in her phone, Walton advocated for “clear communication, more public transparency and deeper inclusion for families and community stakeholders” by the city.

Walton is a member of the Independence Days Commission and she noted there has been confusion lately over city processes, though she made it clear that the budget committee is seen as having been tasked with “hard decisions” that are appreciated. But there is a “disconnect” with local government that hurts trust, she pointed out.

For the past couple of years, it has been my understanding from city staff that West has barred them from speaking with me, apparently the only hyper-local press in Independence. She has indicated that she doesn’t like my press coverage. Since she came aboard more than two years ago, I have been unable to meet her expectations to provide routinely positive news stories. In fact, I often reported on the accumulating debt, and painful episodes, like the municipal pool closure and controversial land-use hearings.

The city's communications director, in spite of city policy directing media requests to be answered, hasn't responded to emails or phone calls by Trammart News in well over a year. 

A few weeks ago, when I was trying to ask a question of the finance director, in city council chambers, the city’s communications director grabbed me to interrupt that attempt.

That evening, in a shaky voice, I addressed the city council from the public podium about how wrong I felt that physical confrontation was – and then I got a taste of what it was like to be ignored while speaking. West concentrated on the white-box timer while I spoke.

The truth is that I don’t think I matter nearly as much as residents, and I would ask the city manager to take that into account. Won’t you focus attention on them during their public testimony? They are the lifeblood of the community.

Less than 24 hours after the budget committee meeting this past week, a 50-year resident of Independence, John Thomas, called me about the lack of public input.

“People now have three minutes to speak,” he said, apparently alluding to the council’s passage of a provision that cut the previous five-minute time period to three minutes, which passed a few months ago. It had the effect of further squelching free speech, he told me.

I believe it goes further than that – I think it can erode trust. I think that may be what Gabby Walton was trying to say Wednesday night.

The decline of public trust of government isn’t breaking news. The Pew Research Center has been documenting those losses periodically. But on a local level it’s been painful to see.

Last year, the assistant city manager of League City in Texas, which is about halfway between Houston and Galveston with a population well over 100,000 people, published an article that cited public trust as more important than solid evidence. That’s right. It is public trust that guarantees a win.

He recalled being taught that lesson the hard way – in his younger years, during an experience with residents when unarguable facts failed him in the face of low public trust. “Heck, I think I could have told them the sky was blue, and they still probably wouldn’t have believed me,” wrote Rick Davis in Public Management, the magazine of the International City/County Management Association.

So, City Manager West, can you put down your phone the next time someone from outside city hall speaks at the podium.

I actually carry no grudge about my own experience. I filed a complaint over the communications director’s treatment of me with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. The complaint is still pending, but the sergeant investigating the matter told me it’s been deemed “founded,” and I think that’s likely the result of a video that clearly shows a grasping hand on my shoulder.

But maybe it was a blessing in disguise, as they say. I never paid much attention to how public testimony was received, and even turned a deaf ear to some residents who told me it’s a waste of time to provide it.

I guess it is never too late to learn a thing or two in civic participation. I hope the city manager feels the same way. ▪

Pictured: The rear entrance of the Independence Civic Center leading to the event center, where many of the budget meetings have been held; Inset: screen shot of The Independence Hotel’s Ginger Melton (photo: city Youtube).

Budget committee struggles with funding slash for Indy Days in 2026

By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, May 9, 2025
 
Independence budget committee members seemed to be aware at their Wednesday meeting that the axe was going to fall hard on the Fourth of July in 2026 – and, when it did, their vote left zero dollars for city allocation of Indy Days.

Proposed actions to put dollars in a “place holder” fund for next year – by taking money from either the contingency fund or the economic development-loan fund – failed. “I urge that we do this,” said City Councilor Dawn Roden before making a motion to set aside $100,000 from the contingency fund – a motion that was defeated.

The “no” vote followed a warning by City Manager Kenna West about the city’s financial status.

“We have a fiscal deficit coming,” West said. “We have a cliff; We have a precipice.” She’d have to “shut things down” if the budget committee put her in a position too financially precarious for fixing emergencies, she said.

Two budget committee members, Alex Paraskevas and Bill Boisvert, had voiced support for a scaled-down version of Independence Days with far less need of city staff – and City Recorder Myra Russell confirmed down-sizing would require less revenue.

In fact, a more modest proposal for Indy Days was recommended last week by Brew & Tap’s co-owner Mitch Teal, in public testimony to the committee. On Wednesday, the same concept was advocated by Ginger Melton, sales director of The Independence Hotel.

Melton, who also took the public podium, expressed worry that if the city exited Indy Days entirely, it could have sad consequences. “What if no other organizations carry on with this event? Does the excitement over Independence just fade away like other small towns?”

Her coauthor on those comments, the hotel’s general manager, Joey Jones, didn’t speak at the microphone. But she conveyed her deep disappointment following the vote.

“I am disappointed that the entirety of the board didn’t see the value this brings to the community,” Jones said. Early on, meetings with downtown merchants, non-profit groups and interested citizens should have been held, or at the very least notified, instead of “me learning about this second-hand,” she said.

Although the city posted a message on Thursday stating that just such a summit had happened, including a digital survey, several residents said they never saw anything targeted to alternatives for Independence Days, any outreach seeking ideas or solutions.

Outside the meeting, budget committee member Dana Sharman, a longtime resident, stressed that in the not-too-distant past Independence Days was a largely volunteer-run event, backed by the city. It’s only been in the past few years, that a city staffer, with the title, downtown manager, had taken it over. That downtown-manager position is being vacated in August, and it will be left unfilled, according to West.

At the meeting, City Councilor Marilyn Morton emphasized that it appears no local group will be stepping in soon to take over. Neither the Independence Downtown Association nor the Monmouth Independence Chamber of Commerce seemed prepared to do so. The M-I chamber board voted down the idea, she said.

Morton predicted the event will become an “amalgam” of efforts “to make it happen.”  Traditionally, Independence Days has included family activities, music, food and drink vendors, and of course, fireworks. (Photo credit: City Independence Days website)

The 4th of July Parade isn’t affected by the current budget discussions – the project is carried out by Rotary Club annually.

Two committee members, Erin Seiler and Jesica Porter, pointed out that the city's financial squeeze was impacting the museum and library. The already under-funded budget is necessitating the planned sale of a park and the museum building, the proposed consolidation of museum operations into the library, and a reduction in library operations, among other city belt-tightening.

These proposed cuts may be on the agenda this coming Wednesday, as the budget committee convenes again to discuss how to adjust a budget affected by a reported shortfall of more than $750,000. The shortfall was explained in the question-and-answer information posted on the city’s Facebook Page; It was attributed to inflation and personnel costs. ▪

Pictured: Independence Elementary School, where parent Courtney Azorr has a child enrolled but is worried about several issues and considering another placement; Inset: Her Mother's Day photo.


Mom expresses frustration with alleged failure to communicate with district at school board meeting
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, May 9, 2025

Courtney Azorr, a youth soccer coach whose job is in Salem, said she’s made numerous attempts to contact school board members about concerns she has with her son’s education. She’s heard nothing back – no email was acknowledged, she said.

By the time she arrived at the school board Monday night, she was ready to put her frustration into public testimony. “What does it take to get a response from the school board?” she asked, adding that not one board member has contacted her. “Why is that?”

In an interview outside the meeting, she said she became concerned when her son started reporting disruptive classes at Independence Elementary School. She worried that learning was being lost  – IES has some of the lowest test results in the district, overall.

But Azorr believes her concerns were met with opposition and, eventually, she filed a formal complaint (see sidebar at end on district advice on steps involved). Despite her advocacy efforts, no “proactive communication” occurred at the school or at the district level, according to Azorr.

Then accusations about her own son began, which Azorr said she considered “minor infractions.” An attempt to suspend him was launched, she said.

"I felt it was retaliation," Azorr asserted. After the matter was settled, she decided to contact the school board again. She'd already heard about other issues that had gone before them, and she wanted to add her own.  She showed up Monday night to express them, in descriptions that ranged from “toxic” interactions to being ignored.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Board Chair Byron Shinkle said he does sometimes fail to communicate after receiving emails. “I should be better about acknowledging those,” he said. Difficulty in doing so include lack of time and the complexity of some correspondence, which includes a multi-layered process.

Board member Jann Jobe said she acknowledges a large majority of those messages she receives, and simply says “thank you for reaching out” before sending them on to a person who can respond appropriately.

Superintendent Jennifer Kubista said more clarity on how to reciprocate is needed – and will be addressed.

Azorr is one of several parents who told Trammart News they have reached a breaking point, with some deciding to remove their children from CSD 13J. One had a child within two blocks of IES and opted for a charter school much further away. Another placed a child in a Dallas school.

A few decided to go the private route. “I know there are many fine educators in the school district,” said Marty Manfredi, whose daughter is no longer in public elementary school. “But this just wasn’t the experience I wanted her to have.” Like other parents, Manfredi felt she didn’t want to battle uphill for change.

“We are always sorry to see families choose to transfer their students out of Central School District,” said CSD’s Communications Coordinator Emily Mentzer, who was asked to respond. “At the same time, we want what is best for all students, even if that means going somewhere else,” she said. 

Some parents say the schools have become undependable – canceling classes for reasons ranging from computer outages to staff shortages. In mid-April, the Oregonian published a special report on teacher absenteeism and included school closures as a problem “in the small Polk County town of Independence.” IES was singled out as an example.

Trammart News reported that, in January, IES grade-schoolers spent as many days out of school that month as they did days in session, due to staff and teacher illnesses, holidays and computer outages.

The shift of parents to out-of-district alternatives poses a significant threat to the local schools in the words of former CSD District Superintendent Buzz Brazeau, who died in 2022. Before he left the school district, Brazeau, a onetime player for the NFL, told Trammart News that strong, engaged parents can be the invisible backbone of a school.

Like a team that performs well together, the loss of one star athlete may not immediately impact the winning record, but it only takes a few similar departures to turn the tide.

"I am just so discouraged. It shouldn't take this much effort for legitimate concerns to be handled. At the very least, there should be an open door of communication and transparency, " Azorr said.

The district is in the middle of some administrative transitions, according to a flurry of announcements this past week.

Central High School welcomed a new principal, Rick Dormer, who will be taking over in the 2025-26 school year. At CHS, Vice Principal Virginia Antunez, who is on leave, has that office filled by Jason Clark, a longtime CSD district administrator and Brian Green, who also has two decades of outside administrative experience – he is from Corvallis.

Ash Creek Elementary School announced that Jeremy St. Germain has accepted the role of the new assistant principal there.

 ------SIDEBAR: CSD’s Parent Complaint Process ------                                                                                                

When a member of the public or staff makes a general complaint according to the complaint process, the ultimate goal is to solve any concerns or issues at the lowest level.

1) Step one is to take your concern to the staff member involved. If that does not resolve your concern, you can file a signed written complaint with their supervisor/principal. After the supervisor/principal investigates the concerns, they will let you know of their decision.

2) If you are still unhappy, you can file a signed written complaint with the  superintendent, who will conduct an investigation and look into the concerns. She will then prepare a written report of her findings and her conclusion.

3) If you are still unhappy with the results, you may appeal the decision to the School Board. The Board may hold a hearing to review the findings and conclusion of the superintendent, to hear the complaint and to take any other evidence as it deems appropriate. That decision is final. The board of directors is essentially acting as a body of appeal for complaints.

4) A note of caution: An email to the entire board should be avoided; If one of them replies and includes all, it starts to violate public meeting laws. Technically, it's a discussion between the elected body that should be in public.
(Information on sidebar is provided by CSD 13J.) ▪

Pictured: Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge is a special home of the Fender's Blue Butterfly, a relatively rare species that proved hard to find this May; Inset: the butterfly on the outdoor wall of the Heritage Museum.


An essay on the hunt for Fender's Blue butterfly, a living hidden treasure in the Willamette Valley
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, May 9, 2025
I feel compelled to explain why I spent quite a bit of time recently going uninvited into yards in Independence, snooping through foliage by the Willamette River and, in one memorable moment, tripping for no reason whatsoever on a bank by Ash Creek in Pioneer Park. 

I wondered if anyone saw me and thought: “Well, now we have proof that this woman really is unbalanced.” 

I was searching for the Fender’s Blue Butterfly. 

The reason is so corny you may feel like reaching for the butter and a saltshaker. I saw this little one-inch winged flyer in the spring after I started the news outlet nine years ago, Trammart News, which is now bringing you an account of this trip down memory lane. I took my butterfly encounter as a sign. 

I was in Riverview Park, working on an article, and periodically contemplating why on a rare spring day I would be seated at a picnic table typing, for Pete’s sake, instead of … frolicking!  A tiny sky-blue butterfly landed near me. The back-and-forth motion of its wings looked like a happy wink. 

For those of you who think a four-leaf clover is a sign of good luck, let me assure you that in the prairie state where I grew up, it’s a butterfly – one that stops close enough to touch. Midwestern mythology also suggests that it means you’re on the right path. 

When I learned that it was a Fender’s Blue Butterfly, an endangered species, I knew the universe had given me a positive, fatalistic tap because I obviously was, y’know, so special and all. 

After all, there is only one place in the whole wide world it exists. That’s right: The Willamette Valley. 
So, this spring, when I noticed a painting of a Fender’s Blue Butterfly, in all its blue-blazing glory, on the outside wall of the Heritage Museum, I thought it was another sign. Not that I am that big on signs, actually. But it seemed time to go find one, to snap a picture, and to share a photo of this beautiful little creature. 

I searched to no avail. Independence resident Ginger Bowman, who walks daily through town and by the river, hadn’t seen any butterfly matching that description. Several people looked at me as if I was loony-tunes for even asking. 

One guy told me to go look on the wall across from the post office, where the  museum building had one displayed, if I wanted to see a blue butterfly. What extraordinarily helpful advice. 

Another Independence resident, Patrick Melendy, posted online that they could be found on Marys Peak. Indeed, they are, according to the scientific literature. But having stumbled over nothing at all on my quest by Ash Creek, I figured a hike to a high place was probably not in my environmental wheelhouse. 

In desperation, I asked all three of our Polk County commissioners after their board meeting Wednesday if they’d seen one. Why? They all live in rural areas. 

Alas, this is the first time I’ve ever gotten blank looks from these elected officials. How could that have happened? This county is one of the very few places these butterflies even exist! 

Fortunately, there was a visitor that day from the Yamhill County Board of Commissioners, Bubba King. Yes, that really is his name. He is the first “Bubba” I’ve ever met, and he knew the very insect I was referencing – and directed me to The Yamhill Soil and Water Conservation District. The executive director there was most helpful. 

He identified the plant on which they can be found, Kincaid’s Lupine. From that point on, it was easy-peezy. 

I googled the plant along with the butterfly and came up with a beautiful video, taken 11 months ago by film-maker Matt Cook, who had encountered the same challenge – finding the Fender’s Blue Butterfly was darn hard, even for an experienced nature photographer. 

He discovered it in Baskett Slough, a place I had trekked, as well. 

Meanwhile, I had sent an inquiry to the person most often mentioned as the Oregon expert in Fender’s Blue Butterfly, Matt Benotsch, of Greenbelt Land Trust in Corvallis. 

Benotsch advised me that the earliest emergence of adults of the species is in the last few days of April. I may be reading too much into this, but he seemed suspicious that I truly knew what I was looking for (this may have been because I kept calling the butterfly the “Fender Blue,” as if it was a car part, instead of the right moniker, Fender’s Blue.)

“I am curious where you see Fender's in Independence?” Benotsch wrote. “There are a few small blue butterflies that look very similar to each other, and they are all more common than Fender's Blue,” he stated.

“In some cases, you have to get a good look at the underside of the wing to make an identification,” he added. Well, this was something I hadn’t done. So, there you go, Matt Benotsch – you’re likely right. I probably saw a different butterfly alight near me all those years ago. 

But I like the answer that came from Matt Cook, the film-maker, best of all. He reassured me that “the butterfly is definitely elusive.”

So, thank you to both the Matts and a Bubba. 

Matt Cook is allowing me to show you his Fender’s Blue video, which I found inspiring. The link is below. Also, if you want to see blue butterflies en masse, I found a whole bunch of stickers of them at Hi-School pharmacy – but I think I cleaned out their current supply. 

By the way, if you do an internet search, you’ll find that the Fender’s Blue Butterfly is no longer on the endangered list but has become only “threatened.” There is a long list of how this happened – habitat protection, sympathetic landowners – but I think I know the main reason.

These butterflies are one of the most skilled of any in the animal kingdom at hide-and-seek. 
Matt Cook and Fender%27s Blue Butterfly fights extension at Baskett Slough Wildlife Refuge In Oregon - Search Videos ▪

(Pictured: The budget session this past Wednesday with inset of Brew & Tap's Mitch Teal; City YouTube video taken during Teal's testimony--in video foreground, City Finance Director Rob Moody (L) and City Manager Kenna West)

INDEPENDENCE BUDGET COMMITTEE UPDATEBy Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, May 2, 2025

The budget committee for 2025-26 is facing the wrenching task of approving cuts across city services. So far, the proposed slashes include reducing the library hours by one day a week, selling the museum building and combining it with the library, closing City Hall on Fridays and doing away with support for the city's Fourth of July celebration, “Independence Days.”

The reaction to the latter – a long-standing tradition beloved by many – was swift and continues. In an editorial analysis, Trammart News covers the response by a speaker this past week to the planned cancellation of  Independence Days in 2026 by the budget committee – and tries to answer resident questions in the section that follows it.

A plea to keep the Fourth of July celebration, the town's signature holiday, by scaling it down was publicly issued this week by the co-owner of a business that frequently seems the biggest draw for customers in downtown Independence, Brew Coffee and Taphouse, at the corner of C and Main streets.

In an address to the city's budget committee this past Wednesday, Mitch Teal, who owns "Brew & Tap" with his wife Cathy, noted that the revenue triples during the Fourth of July event. He urged the committee to keep it. "It doesn't need to be what it is now," he said. "It can be a lot smaller and still attract a lot of people."

This year's celebration will go on as usual; the cancellation is proposed to kick-in next year.

The Teal's coffee-and-tavern establishment, which features food ranging from pastry to pizza and drinks that include custom-coffee creations, is just one of the downtown businesses that could be seriously impacted, according to interviews along Main Street.

There may be long-term effects, as well, they predicted.

The loss of the town's Fourth of July celebration, Independence Days, could mean dwindling recognition for the city -- the event has drawn thousands to town annually. Lower familiarity of the quaint downtown and waterfront location threatens to reduce tourism, turning Main Street into more vacant storefronts and struggling businesses, according to several who were asked about the budgetary decision to "step away" from holding the event.

"It would affect a lot of people on Main Street," Teal affirmed in his brief speech to the budget committee members.

Residents have objected to the plan, as well, registering shock and sadness at public meetings, including inside conversations at the recent meet-and-greet of candidates for the new principal of Central High School last week.

One school-budget committee member, Shannon Ball, sent a letter to the city's budget committee explaining why. She pointed out that the budget document itself clearly states that two of the goals are community engagement and economic development. "But If you eliminate the Independence Days as proposed in the budget document, that is going against the goals of keeping the community engaged and providing economic development," she said.

"Independence Days is what our community looks forward to each year and what people in neighboring districts love about our town," she added.

Several of those affiliated with the city have said they hope another organization will come forward to take over the town's namesake holiday, which has linked the City of Independence with the Fourth of July – the town never fails to have impressive fireworks and lots of activities for families.

However, two groups identified as likely to take over have said there is little chance of that. Participants and supporters of the Independence Downtown Association or the Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce have indicated the event requires more volunteers and money than either is likely to have.

-- Questions and Answers --

The first six questions are from residents; The last four are from Trammart News. All questions were forwarded to the city communications director, Emmanuel Goicochea, who was contacted by email, letter and a phone call. No response was received. 

Trammart News attempted to address them through other sources, which are listed behind the answers below. Resident questions are boldfaced; Trammart News questions are not boldfaced, but answers are, to distinguish the two sets.

1) There's an ad for a finance manager – does this mean a new staff addition or is the finance director going to leave?

Yes, Rob Moody, the current finance director, is scheduled to depart the city staff in December. A replacement is currently being sought. (City budget meeting of April 30, 2025).

2) How would the 4-day weeks at City Hall save money? Does the staff work later? Or do they get to work remotely from home on Fridays? I don't understand this.

A precise dollars-and-cents savings wasn’t available upon request.  There was no discussion on cost savings by closing the library or city hall one extra  day a week, for example. But, it is one of the many changes, including no money for  book-buying, that seemed to prompt Library Director Patrick Bodily to tell budget committee members: "We have hit bone."  (City budget meeting, April 30, 2025) 

This appears to be an important sticking point with residents – several have asked for clarity. For instance, because the city manager was videotaped in her introductory segment to city residents accompanied by horses on her property – and she has mentioned her barrel-racing – one resident asked if she will conduct city business on horseback, the result of new three-day weekends. (There is no evidence of that, of course, but the question appears to reflect doubt about cost-saving; Another inquiry will be sent by Trammart News.)

The productivity results of a four-day work week have been found to be variable – possibly because so many factors can be at play. The four-day work week, or 4DWW as it is called, may mean longer days in lieu of Fridays or it may mean shorter, 32-hour work weeks for employees. Cost savings appear difficult to measure (T. Campbell in Management Review Quarterly, 2024, vol. 74, issue 3, No 16)

3) Why can't the city sell property it already owns – like the gravel-covered part by city hall – instead of a park?

This has been mentioned by several residents, and inquiries have been made by Trammart News, with no answer so far. However, the sale of property hasn’t yet been discussed in budget committee meetings. So, it may be addressed in the next meeting, scheduled for this Wednesday.

One finding so far: Finance Director Moody confirmed at a recent meeting of the Urban Renewal Agency that there are three unsold lots on the riverside stretch of property that comprise the city’s “Independence Landing” – the city purchased land containing those segments several years ago. They apparently are to be sold for development.

4) Where did the more than $750,000 shortfall come from? A councilor keeps asking that question, too.

Emails have been sent to City Manager Kenna West suggesting that a clear explanation of the origin of the shortfall is a good strategy to help prevent further distress – a method advocated by the Government Finance Officers Association. (https://www.gfoa.org/fiscal-first-aid)

To deal with shortfalls, some Oregon cities have formed independent teams of financial volunteers, whose report precedes the budget committee. Salem has an all-volunteer revenue-advisory task force, begun in 2024.  (https://www.cityofsalem.net/government/boards-commissions/other-advisory-groups/2024-revenue-task-force)

The Independence budget appears to have been presented as “balanced” last year, when approved by the city council. But a shortfall followed.

How do other local governments face this? Some Oregon cities have a “shortfall-busting” approach, to head this off. West Linn, for example, has a bar chart, which updates daily, in which a simple graphic shows how city spending is unfolding in critical areas – General Fund, Public Safety – compared to what has been budgeted. (https://westlinnoregon.gov/finance/financial-dashboard)

5) There is no news on how the eminent-domain property acquisition is going. Did the city buy the land?

The land changed hands from the farm family that initially owned the property but refused the city’s offer; Another buyer then purchased the land. The city and the new owner reportedly have been in frequent negotiations, but there has been no publicly disclosed update. (The Independent, Fall 2024, by Trammart News & Publishing)

6) Why does the public works director get to spend so much money?

On the city’s public works page a few months ago, 11 different projects were listed. Though not all were being actively constructed or repaired, there are multiple tasks (https://www.ci.independence.or.us/public-works-projects/)

The current public works director, Gerald Fisher, has announced plans to retire at the end of this fiscal year, so his successor may take a different approach to the job.

7) The bonds obtained by TN's recent public records request about payments for the Independence Civic Center show payments are being made on schedule for the bonds. However, the bonds appear to encompass more debt than the Independence Civic Center. Can you clarify?

No. Trammart News has made another public-records request.

8) Trammart News was told by state officials that making good-faith progress toward obtaining water-treatment funding for the technology to access water rights on the Willamette River could mean an extension for the city. Does that still hold?

Yes and no. If a water right isn’t used, it can become subject to forfeiture. But, to remove rights, the state is under obligation to show the water right is unused. Also, there are reasons to excuse non-use. It’s a complicated issue – and involves definitions of use, what constitutes progress, as well as other factors, according to the Oregon Water Resource Department.

9) To meet future water needs by 2028, water treatment expansion is needed – but that was an estimate made a few years ago when Independence was said to be one of the state's most fast-growing cities. That is not true now. No substantial growth has occurred since SDCs were raised. Does this change the date of the water-shortage projection?

Quite possibly. Population growth is relatively stagnant,(https://www.oregon.gov/das/oea/Documents/demographic.pdf)

 However, there are several new housing developments scheduled, and city officials  have said they expect them to come "online" in the near future.  (City budget committee meeting, April 30, 2025)

10) Is the $7.5 million loan taken out this year by the city – a line of credit with Umpqua Bank – limited to use for water infrastructure and design, or can it be used to shore up the shortfall or to meet other revenue needs?

Without seeing the loan contract, that remains an unknown. However, an experienced city administrator told Trammart News that the design of the treatment plant – for which the loan was taken out – is currently unlikely to exceed $4-to-$5 million. The total cost for the water treatment plant is estimated at $44 million, and most estimates put the design fee at 5% to 10% of that price (https://engineeringdesignresources.com/tag/how-to-estimate-engineering-design-cost-as-percentage-of-construction-cost/#google_vignette) ▪

[Pictured: Corvallis Road at twilight; Inset is annexation proponent and Public Works Director Gerald Fisher (Inset photo: city website)]

Some Corvallis Road residents push back to contain annexation attempt

By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, May 2, 2025  

For years, Corvallis Road was a thoroughfare lined by houses with signs advertising blueberries or tomatoes and yards where domestic chickens and wild turkeys wandered. Now the roadway is a firing line for divided opinions on city annexation.

South of the city limits and inside the urban growth boundary are a group of residents who have succeeded so far in stalling an action to annex Corvallis Road – with a new hearing on it scheduled this month – but annexation of Corvallis Road remains a priority, according to a budget hearing last week.

In an address to the city’s budget committee, Public Works Director Gerald Fisher reiterated that the plan to bring Corvallis Road into the city limits is going forward. "The sooner we take control of that roadway, get it assessed, and know what improvements need to be done, we can get ahead of it, instead of letting it deteriorate,” he said.

The concern among residents isn’t deterioration – several say good maintenance has been provided by Polk County over the years – but they fear the annexation will impact their way of life.  Property on Corvallis Road is scheduled to be the new home of a $44  million water-treatment plant that is currently in the planning stages.

The decision by the city to annex Corvallis Road perplexed some residents in Independence – about a dozen showed up to protest it at a city council meeting last month. Rick Hopkins, who has lived in the area for four decades, thinks he knows why the city wants it.

Hopkins, a former fire chief of Polk County Fire District #1 in Independence, sees annexation of Corvallis Road as a starting point. If it occurs, his property and others would be surrounded by city limits – making further annexation relatively easy for the city. Just about all it would take is a council vote, he pointed out.

The annexation of the road seems a likely first step. "I would bet every penny I have in the bank that is the reason," he said.

To prevent that from happening, Hopkins and others are asking that the city enter into an agreement that would guarantee the rest of the area – meaning their homes and property – won’t be next, becoming part of the city.

Hopkins and several of his neighbors say the taxes would increase substantially, in his case to roughly $3,000 more a year. That could be tough to pay for retirees on fixed incomes – and that is how some of those living along Corvallis Road characterize themselves.

They would also have to pay utility fees – but Hopkins and others use their own wells and septic tanks.

Citing an Oregon statute that would allow such a moratorium on full annexation, Hopkins submitted a letter this week to City Planning Manager Fred Evander, asking for a contractual agreement. Evander, at the meeting in which residents along Corvallis Road spoke against the Corvallis Road annexation, said he would be happy to sign a letter saying the roadway was the goal, not the rest of the area.

The city is in debt, Hopkins pointed out. "It's all about the money," he said. "So, let's make a contract that is signed," he added.

Residents along the roadway are dubious about the Independence public works director’s opinion that the roadway would be better off under the city’s responsibility – the city is currently facing a shortfall of $776,000.

In fact, Polk County has the highest rated paved road system of any county in Oregon. “I don't necessarily agree that Independence needs the road to keep it from deteriorating,” said engineer Todd Whitaker, director of public works for the county.  However, “the bottom line is that annexation and jurisdictional transfer is a logical process of orderly development and Polk County encourages it,” Whitaker said.

A report of jurisdictional transfers was delivered Wednesday, at a meeting of the Polk County Board of Commissioners. However, so far Corvallis Road isn’t on the list of applicants for a transfer from the county to the City of Independence.

Hopkins said he agrees that once an urban growth boundary is established, it means a likely city extension in the future. However, residents are wary of how soon that will occur.

Corvallis Road property owner Kathy Hill, who is related to the pioneering Henry Hill family that founded Independence, acknowledged that there is some distrust in city government. “I think everybody our direction has gotten pretty leery” when it comes to city assurances of “they’re going to” or  ”not going to“ do something, Hill said. ▪

(Pictured: The event with inset of departing CHS Assistant Principal Laura Waight & CHS alum and booster, Mike Ainsworth)

Public event for meeting principal candidates at Central High School draws a crowd full of questionsBy Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, May 2, 2025
 
About 40 parents, teachers and residents showed up this past Wednesday at Central High School to meet candidates vying to be the school’s next principal – a job that so far has attracted no one with what one parent called “staying power” over the past few years.

Some of those who attended said they hope the tide will turn with a new top hire, after a discouraging trend of departures.  

The longest-running principal in recent history, Donna Servignat, served for four years in the post. She eventually was promoted to district-leadership position but left after an unanticipated salary decrease.

Servignat, who is now principal of Summit High School in the Bend-La Pine School District, was succeeded by a seasoned assistant principal, Brent “Mac” McConaghy, who left after only a year to return to Medford.

Subsequently, Dale Pedersen, a longtime school administrator, accepted the job as interim principal for the 2023-24 school years – and then was named CHS principal in 2024. However, Pedersen exited this spring after absences for health reasons.

Veteran Principal Greg English stepped in to fill those shoes for the rest of the academic year, but he was described as definitely a temporary replacement. Several teachers observed that English, who reportedly is well-liked, made it clear that he is ready for retirement. 

The three candidates who are competing to become the CHS principal in 2025 all have local ties to the Willamette Valley. Rick Dormer, the principal of Ketchikan High School in Alaska, has a work history that includes time at Sweet Home, Corvallis, Aloha, and Southeastern Alaska. He’s a graduate of Oregon State University. 

Dormer worked for nearly a decade as a teacher and more than 15 years as an administrator. 

Dean Rech is an alum of Western Oregon University, who has coached football, basketball, and baseball. Rech has spent a dozen years in the classroom and 17 years as an administrator. An online search shows he’s served most recently as principal of Junior-Senior High School in the Central Linn School District in Halsey and at Sheridan High School. 
.
Justin Lieuallen, a former high school science teacher, is the manager of Special Education Behavior and social-emotional learning programs in the Jefferson County School District. He’s been in an administrative role for 22 years.

Conversations among the three candidates, who were stationed at different points in the multi-purpose room for the meet-and-greet, seemed to focus on how to meet the challenges of the coming school year: the financial strain, the high absentee rates.

Several parents observed these are problems common in other districts. However, one cluster of them stressed that communication – good, steady, friendly communication – is what they hope to see in a new principal. 

Justine Netcher, who has younger children, said she was there to stay informed on who will be heading the high school, hopefully in years to come. As a graduate of Central High, she is a proud alumnus. “I would like my children to feel the same way, one day,” she said. ▪

(Pictured: Inset -- a screen shot of the city calendar available on the city's website; the subject of an editorial note at the end of this article)

City budget committee learns of underperforming revenue generation in urban renewal district

By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, April 25, 2025 

A clearer picture of why the municipal debt tops $30 million emerged this week – and it ties to support and preparation for Independence Landing, the riverfront urban renewal project. 

By the end of the 2023-24 fiscal year, the city was owed $6.4 million by its own urban renewal agency, despite expectations that resulting property-tax increases would be able to support the loans that the city sunk into the development, according to Finance Director Rob Moody. He acknowledged that the results “haven’t played out as expected.” 

The information arrived prior to the city budget committee’s second meeting, which was held Wednesday night. During the meeting, City Councilor Dawn Roden, who had made the same inquiry at a city council work session the day before, asked about this year’s shortfall of more than $750,000. 

The cause hasn’t yet been fully addressed, though the budget last year was said to be balanced upon approval by the city council. This year city administrators, including City Manager Kenna West and Moody, said the city is spending more than it is taking in. 

The report by Moody was provided to city councilors after their work session Tuesday evening, when they convened as the Urban Renewal Agency. The councilors learned that the city-borne expense of turning a riverside  stretch of land once owned by a gravel company into a shovel-ready site, as well as providing incentives for building, ticked up to nearly $8 million by the time the first phase of the project, the Independence Hotel, opened its doors roughly five years ago. 

For example, about $2 million of charges for infrastructure to the developer, Tokola Properties, was waived during construction, according to the disposition and development agreement. The private-public partnership between the city and Tokola was announced in 2017; Groundbreaking for the hotel took place in 2018.

The city council at the time – which was headed by Mayor John McArdle and included present-day councilors Marilyn Morton and Kathy Martin-Willis – was cautioned about the possibility of accumulating debt by outside city auditor Kamala Austin, of Merina & Company at a city council meeting. She also noted that Independence was also being affected by subsidizing the municipal fiberoptic, MINET.

A consultant hired by the city showed that the urban renewal debt repayment would come from a special part of the property tax designated for the area –  called Tax Increment Financing – that was collected exclusively by the city. However, the actual proceeds for that fell short by nearly a  million dollars of what was predicted, according to Moody’s recent presentation.  

Refinancing on the bonds and loans was undertaken for some of the pending obligations – with a 50-50 split on repayment coming from the city and the Urban Renewal Agency, which contains Independence Landing’s 120-plus apartment complex and hotel. However, this arrangement meant depletion of the city’s General Fund, Moody explained. 

Currently, a payback to the General Fund for those loan amounts seems to rely on the cash flow generated by the Urban Renewal District, he pointed out.

Moody said an outside consulting firm, hired with grant funding, is expected to weigh in on that determination – and to provide an analysis “to support a path forward” in repaying the debt. 

So  far, the proposed city budget calls for cuts that include closing the  library an extra day per week, combining the library with the museum, selling the museum's downtown building and putting at least one park up  for sale. But the recent report by Moody also raises a question  previously raised by some residents: Why sell those current assets  without trying to market one or more of the three relatively large lots of city-owned property in the Independence Landing area?    

The city budget cuts will be discussed this Wednesday, April 30, at the budget committee meeting at 6:30 pm in the City Council Chambers at the Independence Civic Center, 555 S Main St. 

EDITORIAL NOTE

Keeping tabs on city meetings --Anne Scheck
If you're wondering how you can find the meetings of the Independence Urban Renewal Agency, I have found a way. It is w-a-y below, and thank you to City Recorder Myra Russell.

A word of advice: If you are depending on the city calendar to guide you to meetings, as apparently several residents do, perhaps you may wanna fuhgeddaboudit, as they say in 1940s mobster movies. 

In fact, this is how I've met a few locals – by using the city calendar, then standing in the foyer of city hall, with a couple of us asking each other: "Wasn't there supposed to be a meeting tonight? It was on the city calendar." 

On Tuesday night, the city calendar noted that there was a city council meeting – actually, a work session – but no mention of a meeting of the Urban Renewal Agency. It followed the work session, with exactly the same people (city councilors). 

This turned out to be an important meeting, at least in my view. 

I learned that the financial squeeze on the city is more like a huge vice grip, the kind that you might expect from a starving python. I'd discovered the meeting quite by accident. I tuned in to the video of the work session, to make sure I got all the information, after leaving the meeting a bit early.

Whoa, was I wrong. There was the Independence Urban Renewal Agency being held, seemingly without public notice. 

I filed a grievance with the city. If you don't know what that is, allow me to inform you that it is fairly new for all cities in Oregon. A bill passed by the legislature allows official public-meeting law complaints for those who feel a public meeting wasn't advertised. Anyone can submit one with their city. 

FYI, Springfield, near Eugene, has a good one that you could adapt for using in Independence. You can google it!

As it turns out, City Manager Kenna West assured me the meeting was "noticed separately" and the agenda was posted, legally. 

Well, I just couldn't find it. So, the hunt was on ... 

The city calendar was no help. Following the link posted there took me to an erroneous city council date of May 13, despite the fact that this was April 22. 

I sent a couple of screen shots to city administration. I thought this might prove convincing. But apparently it only showed that I was looking at the wrong agenda. This is because, again, to repeat myself, I was using the posting on the city calendar. 

The information was noticed correctly, West said. It was at the bottom of the "Agendas & Minutes" heading and section that one can click from the main homepage of the city website 

The fact that "it was overlooked by you or others does not translate to a failure of notice," West stated in her email response to Trammart News. "We cannot be held responsible for individual oversights or assumptions," she added. 
So, I withdrew the grievance. 

Meanwhile, City Recorder Myra Russell sent me two ways to be able to check on meetings. The first is to sign up for meeting notices. You can sign up using the city's Meeting Portal.

To do so, visit: City of Independence - Subscribe; choose the board/commission you would like to get notices about and complete the entry information. You will then get an email to confirm your subscription – you must click on the link inside that email to complete the process, Russell advised. 

As far as agendas of upcoming meetings, if you go to the city website and then proceed to “Agendas & Minutes” on the front page, it takes you to the Agendas and Minutes page. If you scroll down, you will see all the meeting dates and agendas posted there for the various city boards, commissions and of course, the city council. If you click on the “HTML” or “PDF” you can bring up the agenda for that meeting, according to Russell. ▪

Anne Scheck, Trammart News & Publishing
Editorial contact
scheck2oregon@aol.com
(503) 409-9204

(Pictured: Inset -- Tina Andersen, longtime manager for the Polk County Fairgrounds & Event Center)

An inside look at Polk County Fairgrounds & Event Center -- and the proposed levy for it

By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, April 25, 2025 
  
In the more than 25 years since she joined the staff of the Polk County Fairgrounds, Tina Andersen has battled bouts of scorching heat during the annual rodeo, addressed special crowd-control issues involving guinea pigs to goats and answered some of the same inquiries thousands of times – “Where’s the bathroom!” – in her role as manager of the fairgrounds and event center.
 
But now she’s fighting misinformation. As the campaign for a levy to help pay for maintenance of the fairgrounds goes forward, Andersen has seen online commentary that’s so far afield from fact-based she has trouble believing someone would post it.


However, she’s in the unenviable position of being relatively unable to address much about a levy vote on the May ballot, except for basic information. She works for the county, leaving her little room for advocacy.


So, when someone erroneously observes online that the fairgrounds don’t get enough grants, she can only counter that a fairly big one, of $130,000, was awarded by The Oregon Cultural Trust. 


And, as criticism rolls in that the fairgrounds have limited offerings, she can point to a list disproving that – ranging from a venue for homegrown musical groups like The Joe Shinkle Band to the annual Gem & Mineral Show, which returns every year. That event draws huge throngs of people, including busloads of school children on field trips to learn about geology through hands-on experience with rocks and stones and led by experts in the field. 


Though many people associate the facility with the county fair because both 4H and FFA groups prepare for it annually, there are lesser-known events that serve the community. A regular senior fitness class is provided in one building  – at no charge to organizers, Andersen said. Additionally, children and youth who need a place to practice their sport in winter can access a building for free, she added.


Tim Ray, who chairs the Polk County Fair Board, is not under the same constraints about levy campaigning. “As Chair of the Polk County Fair Board, I am proud to speak in support of the Polk County Fairgrounds and Event Center Operating Levy,” he said. “This levy is not just about funding – it’s about preserving a space that brings our community together, supports youth development, and strengthens the local economy,” he added. 


During the pandemic, the "Labor Day Fires" of 2020 left many homeless but some found temporary housing at the fairgrounds – 75 families were there, including many of their animals. Horses and sheep were housed along with family pets like dogs. 


The community outreach was phenomenal, Andersen recalled. One man arrived with a trailer-truck that had a pair of washers and dryers, so laundry could be done on site. The Grain Station in Monmouth fixed dinner nightly with donated food; Neighboring Rookies provided breakfast burritos. Teens from 4H and FFA showed up constantly to care for animals. 


Ray observed that the Polk County Fairgrounds and Event Center serves as a year-round hub for learning, celebration and connection.


Last year there were 642 events at the Polk County Fairgrounds, which holds a large monthly flea market, except in August. Family celebrations like quinceaneras and anniversaries are held there, too. 


As a result of keeping ticket prices and vendor fees low, needed work will be undertaken with the five-year levy. It calls for taxing property owners in Polk County 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value – believed to be among the lowest of any proposed tax increase in recent history. 


“This modest levy will ensure that we can continue to operate, maintain, and improve the fairgrounds for generations to come,” Ray said. “It will help cover essential costs, such as safety improvements, equipment maintenance, and infrastructure repairs, which cannot be met with existing funding.” 


In year one of the levy passage, electrical upgrades will be tackled. By the end of year four, it’s hoped a stage or amphitheater can be installed at the northwest corner of the property. 


“This levy reflects our shared values. It honors our rural heritage, invests in our youth, and keeps Polk County’s traditions alive,” Ray said. 


The levy offers the means to support and sustain a space that belongs “to all of us,” he said. “It’s a vote for community, opportunity, and the future of Polk County,” Ray stressed. ▪

(Pictured: Inset -- Owner and restoration planner Ted Baker at the Historic Preservation Commission meeting.)

Downtown historic building renovation project in need of building permit

By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, April 25, 2025 A mercantile that sold dry goods on Main Street in Independence more than a century ago is being returned to its former historic storefront with the addition of large transom windows.

It’s only missing two items. One is a large glass pane needed to help finish the project and the other is a building permit.

A building permit? That’s right. The building’s owner Ted Baker of Portland, who formerly restored the Independence Opera House, didn’t remember to get one.

He and Shawn Irvine, the Independence assistant city manager, have been so involved with the effort – which was grant-funded through “Diamonds in the Rough” from the state’s historic preservation office – that it seemed to have slipped through the cracks, according to City Planning Manager Fred Evander, who noted the permit was missing at the Historic Preservation Commission last week.

Baker expressed contrition over the lapse, explaining that he was bent on meeting the terms of the grant.  “I honestly forgot that I also needed to apply with the city,” he said in a statement submitted to the HPC.

The commissioners approved the changes at the former 1913 emporium, which in that time period was known as “Wetherbee & Jones.”

After the meeting, Baker said his aim was to reinstate the original appearance of the building. He’s now on a quest to match the traditional lettering that once was on the building, at 284 and 286 S. Main Street, he said.

The newly refurbished structure, which once housed Lava River Forestry, has attracted interest from several prospective tenants, Baker confirmed.

However, he declined to identify who might be occupying the place where fabric was once sold under the heading “textiles” and clothing was billed as “ready-to-wear.” ▪