MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Dan Farnworth, a longtime guardian of Ash Creek takes a look back
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service

Since the early days of the pandemic, during the first week of every month, a group of people committed to the well-being of Ash Creek -- sometimes referred to as the stewards of the city’s signature waterway -- have been convening in the early morning on Zoom instead of the coffee-imbibing, in-person meetings they once held. They’re all members of the Ash Creek Water Control District, volunteers who appear to be the least known elected officials in Polk County. At their helm, until recently, has been Dan Farnworth, who saw the group through covid and stepped down this year as chair, replaced by Mancil Russell.

As a creekside resident with a back yard where deer and raccoons regularly roam, Farnworth’s love of nature helped carry him through some challenging times for the district. While the nation plowed through the period of the coronavirus, Farnworth and the ACWCD faced threats to Ash Creek, from heavy rains that abolished part of the embankment in Riverview Park to grumblings of some members of the public, who objected to their blackberry eradication efforts on the grounds that the fruit makes good eating. Farnworth graciously agreed to sit down with Trammart News for a look back on the ACWCD’s recent history.

TRAMMART NEWS: Somebody told me years ago the acronym ACWCD sounds like a society of electrical engineers. Can you explain its function? I like to think its visibility as "stewards of the creek" has been raised since that time.

FARNWORTH: The ACWCD works to improve and maintain the flow of the Ash Creek Channel, with an emphasis on reducing flooding and flood damage.

TRAMMART NEWS: Can the creek really be considered the local waterway of Independence?

FARNWORTH: The North and South fork of Ash Creek meets around Pioneer Park. But Ash Creek actually flows from the hills south of Dallas – the north and south forks join to become the main stem, flowing all the way to the Willamette River in Independence.

TRAMMART NEWS: I know the board works hard to oversee the creek. Your meetings are so focused on that. Recently, drone footage of parts of the creek was undertaken, in conjunction with a research team from Western Oregon University. How did that go, from your perspective?

FARNWORTH: The aerial mapping was the first project of its kind for the district, and you could call it experimental. We wanted to see how well it would work. The method shows promise. In the past, generally, to be able to determine how areas were doing generally around the creek, crews would go out on foot, and the rough terrain can be a barrier. So can the property owners, who often have to give us permission to go on their land.

TRAMMART NEWS: So did drones solve those problems?

FARNWORTH: The method showed promise. It seemed an improvement in some ways, as it could scan a greater area and avoided the topographic barriers such as heavy brush that prevented tracking and landowners that wouldn’t give their permission. However, tree cover obscured a substantial amount of the in-air ground footage.

TRAMMART NEWS: It seems like such an environmentally friendly mission that you and the board 
undertake ...

FARNWORTH: Well, it isn't always the easiest. The ACWCD doesn’t have much money and almost no power. Yet the state keeps imposing new policies and the District must meet the same standards as bigger districts, all of which requires evaluation and paperwork. Answering the needs of bureaucracy can take
a toll ...

TRAMMART NEWS: Is that why you have unfilled vacancies on your board now?

FARNWORTH: The ACWCD board was comprised mostly of longtime members who felt they had spent enough time in district service. And the district hasn’t been widely known in spite of over 70 years of existence. Add to that that board members must own property in the district and it becomes a challenge to keep the board at a full complement of people. It is still missing two or three members.

TRAMMART NEWS: I do think people in town know the board makes a significant difference, even if 
board members may feel little recognition. I believe you and the Luckiamute Watershed Council are better known than you may know.

FARNWORTH: The Luckiamute Watershed Council, which is also based in Independence, has been a great partner. I cannot say enough great things about how the LWC, which really looks after the watershed that 
we all need

TRAMMART NEWS: I know you think that their outreach --field trips and educational events – have really helped the public learn about the importance of Ash Creek.

FARNWORTH: I know how old-fashioned this may sound, but it is so good to see everyone learn about nature, and not just by videos on their phones or computers. When Kristen Larson, who is the executive director at LWC, came on board several years ago she brought great changes. There has been so much public outreach. She also is just masterful at getting grants. Also, the addition of Suzanne Teller, who has organized a lot of the activities that have brought greater awareness of the watershed, including those around Ash Creek.

TRAMMART NEWS: It is so interesting to me that both groups -- ACWCD and LWC -- are really science-based, with a lot of ongoing technical study that may be hard for some to understand ... stream beds, riparian growth ... but the outreach efforts seem to be successful at informing the public of some of that work.

FARNWORTH: Well, our board members are part of the community, for one thing. When you have community members step forward to be on a board, they have neighbors and acquaintances and word spreads that way. In our case, the ACWCD's partnership with the schools – ACWCD has given grants to teachers -- have helped youth learn about Ash Creek, too, particularly at Talmadge Middle School, where the creek runs right by.

TRAMMART NEWS: Can you give an example?
FARNWORTH: One science teacher, Dave Beatley, has overseen the building of waterfowl nesting boxes along it by students in his class. A few years ago, Talmadge students also studied the creek and they made different art pieces about it. I feel like those grants from the district have helped to educate members of a new generation about the creek, maybe making them really aware of the biology and essential aspects of the creek.

TRAMMART NEWS: Some potential snafus lie ahead, right? There are always “blackberry disagreements” – some see blackberries as wonderful wild berries that can be harvested and make good eating. Others know they choke out helpful vegetation to the creek.

FARNWORTH: Yes, the public is divided at times, and needs more good information about invasive plant species.

TRAMMART NEWS: In addition to blackberry invasions along the creek, I know ACWCD is concerned with Reed Canary Grass, too. I don't think people necessarily make the connection between creek bank stability and soil erosion that can occur and lead to collapse without careful monitoring and eradication of invasive plants.

FARNWORTH: It isn't just the soil. If trees get squeezed out, the water below them in summer doesn't stay as cool. Some fish depend on this to stay healthy. When water gets too hot, without pools of lower temperature, fish can have a hard time. I worry about the Emerald Ash Creek Borer for that reason. It has been found here in Oregon. There are so many Ash trees along the creek, with shade that cools the creek in summer and shades out blackberries and reed canary grass -- and providing a root system that helps, too. We cannot afford to lose those trees.

TRAMMART NEWS: Well, Mother Nature can wreak havoc, too, as I see every time I walk in Riverview Park and cross the Ash Creek bridge.

FARNWORTH: Yes. The creek was scoured out near the confluence in Riveriview Park, and now the sidewalk by it will have to be moved. That’s a project for the future, though, and will involve the city.

TRAMMART NEWS: I know you will be missed at the helm of the ACWCD. You were considered such a steady and effective presence.

FARNWORTH: Well, thank you. But it is someone else's turn. I will still be around. I want to lend support. If you look around, one thing about our community -- and Oregon -- is that there is so much here, in nature. We are surrounded by it, like grass for kids to walk on and not just pavement. It all takes water, and we need to protect it. ▪
 
 
 
Beloved Falls City restaurant Boondocks goes on sale, link to Valley of the Giants
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service

If the Valley of the Giants has a gateway, the celebrated Boondocks restaurant in Falls City is the way people beat a path to it. Now the regionally revered tavern-eatery is for sale.

Will the food be as good in the future? Will the atmosphere stay as warm and welcoming? And will Boondocks remain the meet-up place for field trips to the “VOG,” as the locals call the 51-acre old growth forest that is home to many of the tallest Douglas Firs in the Pacific Northwest.

Last Friday night, the bar was full and so was the restaurant. Co-owner Laura Britton, who was serving tables, said she was aware the news hit some patrons with the impact of a falling timber. For many in Falls City it’s a “second home and the heart of this city,” as one local put it. For others, it is a special destination.

“I come here about once a month,” said Curt Cowley, an Independence resident who made the trip of about a dozen miles with his wife Kim and another couple, to partake of “steak night.”

The establishment is inevitably linked by out-of-towners to the famous forest, Valley of the Giants, about 30 miles away. Feld trips to VOG often start at Boondocks – guided tours for drivers who caravan behind a lead vehicle over long, winding gravel roads that have confused many motorists who try it on their own.

The VOG is owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and when BLM Field Manager Matt Betenson made a courtesy call to the Polk County Board of Commissioners, recently, he was queried about it. Board Chair Jeremy Gordon, who lives in Falls City, suggested it should be improved to accommodate visits.

“It is easy to get lost driving around,” Gordon explained later. “Take a wrong turn and that can happen pretty suddenly.” Asked about news of the sale of Boondocks, Gordon recommended taking a wait-and-see approach because such “a great place” is bound to find a buyer. ▪
 

Traffic Safety………..
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service

A multi-damaging mystery and some rule-breaking history were both discussed at the Independence Traffic Safety Commission meeting last week, along with the topic of speeding cars.

There have been more than a dozen reports of damaged vehicles across town since the last TSC meeting, but the reason remains a bit of a mystery, confirmed Sgt. Lyle Gilbert of the Independence Police Department, who presided at the meeting. IPD Chief Robert Mason, who usually has that role, was absent.

Several parked cars, typically at apartment complexes, have been struck by other vehicles. Even though such incidents appear to have ticked up, it’s largely unknown who is responsible. Where parking is tight, a banged door or dented fender can occur and, when it involves no one at the scene but the perpetrator, it may easily escape immediate detection, Gilbert noted.

In almost all cases, there are no suspects or leads, according to police logs. Such scrapes and collisions can happen other places with the driver unaware until exiting or entering the car later, Gilbert pointed out.
Though usually not seen as hit-and-run incidents, that is technically what they are – most people know when they have hit a parked car, and leaving a note on the windshield or trying to find the owner wasn’t an action taken in very many of these instances. So, except for evidence of damage, “all we can do is document what they told us,” Gilbert said.

Some commissioners expressed concern that this may indicate a cultural shift, a growing public reluctance to “do the right thing,” as one member put it.

Gilbert observed that seat belt use has dropped by about 10%, a trend that has prompted him to give tickets for that lapse on his way to work. Recently, he gave out nine citations before he arrived at the IPD, he recalled.

This non-utilization is particularly evident at Central High School. Spotting beltless teen drivers, “I’ve rolled down my window to say, ‘put on your seat belt,’” he said.

History has shown that when there’s lower enforcement due to staff shortages, there’s less adherence to traffic laws, he said. Two more traffic officers are set to join the IPD soon, Gilbert added. Until then, a lot of law enforcement time is taken up with answering calls, he said.

Several members of the traffic commission said they were reassured by the news. Speed limits seem to have been exceeded more, too, commented Committee Member Ricardo Rivera. Even in downtown neighborhoods, like Third Street, “they go speeding by at 45 miles an hour,” he said.

“When you don’t have as many police officers, people take more chances,” Gilbert said. ▪

A prominent unfinished building in downtown Indy hits the market again
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Oct. 17, 2023

The Independence structure known officially as Station 203 on the corner of Second and Monmouth streets – sometimes called “Stonehenge” by locals due to its incomplete appearance – has been listed for sale by Salem-based Tradition Real Estate Partners.

Nearly two decades have passed since the building’s inception, when concrete footings were first poured for a planned commercial-residential complex. The “as-is” listing, at a price of about $2.9 million, indicates an appraised value of $9.64 million from an evaluation conducted last October.

"We are currently assisting in putting together a development agreement with a national firm for completion,” said Aaron Young, who co-owns the property with his wife, Amy. “To help aid in those negotiations, a decision was made to market the property publicly to help determine a baseline value," he added. Three years ago, the Youngs unveiled plans to transform the multi-level building into a mixed-use development of offices and condominiums.

A mock-up, which portrays the project as it’s envisioned, remains attached to the fencing around the site. Some residents have continued to refer to the cement-and-metal structure as “Stonehenge.” The original 57,000-foot plans included state-of-the-art environmental technology, including sustainable features such as solar power and water recycling. The property has now changed hands several times, with the Youngs as the most recent owners. “We hope to have an announcement coming in the next several months,” Young
 
 
 
Local burglaries prompt concern by merchants over brazen crimes
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Oct. 20, 2023

Are the same kind of brazen burglaries that are driving stores from major Oregon cities beginning to impact retail businesses in Independence? That's one interpretation of several incidents over the past few months that occurred along the city's Main Street. Recently, smash-and-grab crimes occurred at two locations.

Burglars broke into two locked establishments, Glass Roots and A1 Market, after hours and confidently packed up merchandise. Though unrelated to an Umpqua Bank robber this past summer, in the 300 block of Main Street, some merchants see the robbery there as the seeming signal of the start of a new kind of criminal conduct, in which the fear of getting caught isn’t apparent. In one recently recounted shoplifting incident, stock was removed from shelves and the visitor simply exited. Eyewitnesses to these events said the way they’re being committed -- described as being undertaken almost casually -- is worrisome. For example, the bank-robbery suspect, who left with an undisclosed amount of money, was observed “loping” away from the scene by a worker in the area, according to an interview at the time.

In the two recent break-ins, the owner of A1 Market, Mohinder Kumar, watched a pair of robbers calmly check for passing traffic on security-camera footage, then methodically pound the door with a hammer. Koryn Lambert, the owner of Glass Roots, which was hit a few blocks away, was reported as saying the two men entered her store with the same technique and were “literally staring" into the camera when she viewed the video.

Attempts to collect further information on these from the Independence Police Department, including police reports, was denied by the IPD, which cited Oregon statute that states public records are “conditionally exempt” from disclosure during ongoing investigations. ▪
 

City property taxes increase, Independence has highest tax rate in Polk County

By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Oct. 20, 2023

When Independence resident Andy Duncan made a special trip to the Polk County courthouse to determine the taxes on his home this year, the shock was nearly immediate. He got a tax hike of more than 8.5%. compared with last year’s. “How can it be this much?” Duncan said he asked himself, before carefully reviewing his bill. The answer: a Polk County public safety bond passed, and school bond payments were higher than he anticipated, and the list of tax obligations was longer than he expected.

Duncan said he expected some increases, due to increases in the value of assessed property by the county, which is how home-property taxes are determined. But the payments for the school bond are higher, too. Duncan correctly spotted an increase -- of about $1.30, confirmed Emily Mentzer, communications coordinator for Central School District 13J.

That uptick was due to building improvements at Ash Creek Elementary School and adding the sixth-grade wing at Talmadge Middle School, she explained.

“Each year, the Central School District’s volunteer budget committee, made up of local citizens, has to approve the payment of debt service on bonds as one of its actions,” Mentzer explained. This year, when the committee approved the bond payments, they chose to pay off some of the debt from the bonds that built the improvements, which increased the levy amount on property taxpayers in the district for the 2023-2024 year.

Additionally, the Independence tax rate, 19.1332, is the highest in Polk County – it exceeds that of Monmouth’s 18.2184; the figures represent a number that reflects the amount of taxing districts. Independence has one more of those than Monmouth does, confirmed Valerie Patoine, Polk County’ tax assessor.

Independence also has the highest “ad valorem” tax of any city in Polk County, excluding the West Salem area. The ad valorem tax rate, 4.5897, was set years ago and is the permanent rate for Independence’s taxing district; due to the tax’s annual passage, the percentage of dollars needed for individual tax payments ticks up with time. Monmouth's ad valorem is 3.6107. Dallas' ad valorem is 4.1954.

Duncan said he doesn’t consider himself a tax sleuth for uncovering the reason behind the tax bill that gave him sticker shock. “It is hard to miss how much it increased,” he said. “I think it may surprise people.” ▪
 

Independence city councilors hike development fees over objections from builders

By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Oct. 20, 2023

In approving a substantial fee hike that the city will charge developers to build houses – now exceeding $32,000 per single-family home – one city councilor characterized her yes vote as the only choice for “the pickle that we are in.”

During a discussion on raising the system development charges for developers, which now have ticked up by more than $3,000, City Councilor Dawn Roden said that any of the other alternatives for meeting the current infrastructure demand would place a financial burden on residents.

“And we have to be able to look out for the people in our community,” she said.

At issue is the subdivision Brandy Meadows, in the southwest part of Independence, where scores of houses have been built. However, 720 units are scheduled for the site by the time the last phase is finished, according to Harvey Cummings, a construction specialist who was involved with the start-up of the residential development.

The increase in the SDCs will hit Dalke Construction hard, putting the remaining neighborhoods planned for the area at risk, Cummings said.

Two councilors, Kate Schwarzler and Sarah Jobe, expressed concern that Independence could be seen in a negative light with developers. Acknowledging that “we are in a tough spot,” Councilor Schwarzler suggested that such actions can be discouraging to the kind of development that’s good for the city.
 
“I do have a growing concern, though, about being perceived as a community less friendly to development or developers,” she said.
 
Jobe cast the only dissenting vote on the adoption of the new SDCs, with the rest of the city council affirming the action. Councilor Marilyn Morton was absent.
 
Roden said she felt forced into making the decision she did, which in effect mandates that the main builder, Dalke Construction, assume financial responsibility for paying for a new traffic light at 7th and Monmouth streets.
 
The Independence Planning Commission approved Dalke’s share of expense as only six percent of the cost. Through a series of reimbursements in the years to come, Dalke is to be repaid for all but the six percent, according to Gerald Fisher, the city’s public works director.
 
With added traffic due to the addition of population in the area, that intersection at 7thStreet along Monmouth Street is “failing,” he pointed out.
 
“As part of the development, the developer has to build the signal,” Fisher said. However, eventually “he is made whole,” he stressed.
 
Roden observed that two options for routing traffic out of the growing subdivision – Mt. Fir Avenue and Chestnut Street – haven’t been constructed. “You would think that we would have planned for egress from that location well before we developed that entire section,” she said.
 
Fisher said the two potential thoroughfares were in the plans in the early stages and remain there. Barriers to both have been identified: Mt. Fir Avenue would require a railroad crossing to be completed, and Chestnut Street would need a bridge built over Ash Creek, according to previous council sessions in which the Brandy Meadows development was discussed.
 
Larry Dalke, president of Dalke Construction, told councilors during public testimony that the SDC increase means he will have difficulty forging ahead. Chet Graham, the real estate broker that has handled many of the sales in the area, said such costs are making new homes in Independence far less competitive compared with cities like Dallas, where SDCs are much lower.
 
Earlier this year, Independence’s strained fiscal circumstances resulted in cutbacks that closed the library on Saturdays and eliminated the position of the city’s engagement coordinator, a bilingual staff member who was considered key among several residents in the Independence Hispanic community.
 
The changes were implemented after the budget session, which drew attendees who spoke in protest of the cuts.
 
Recently, the Independence City Council adopted a new Capital Improvement Plan, which includes a new water system, including a treatment facility that is estimated to cost $25 million, as well street renovations with a price tag of several million dollars; other high-priority projects are listed as requiring millions more.
 
Observing that the sum apparently represents years of deferred upgrades, one civil engineer who works frequently in the Willamette Valley explained that it can be tough for city officials to face such needs – they often get public recognition for downtown attractions and holiday events but far less recognition for efforts to maintain infrastructure. “There are no ribbon-cuttings for making sure streets are in good shape,” he said. ▪

IN ACTUALITY
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Oct. 20, 2023

An editorial column to assist public knowledge and discourse on recent events.
WHO: A member of the development team at Brandy Meadows reported that he dropped off invitations for city councilors to a community lunch planned at the subdivision – and was told they were never delivered.

WHAT: The invitations, which were from real estate broker Chet Graham, had been identified as an outreach effort to a potentially relationship-building event.

WHERE: Brandy Meadows, the city’s newest subdivision in the southwest areas of the city, where a picnic-style outdoor taco party drew neighbors and others.

WHEN: At the last city council meeting, the lack of delivery of the invitations was confirmed.

WHY: No reason was given for why the invitations weren’t distributed, prompting Graham to tell staff and city councilors at the meeting, “That hurts.”

HOW: Public discussions by the city about raising fees to developers have ensued over the past weeks -- and those at Brandy Meadows, which has a 720-unit project, are currently likely to be the most deeply impacted.
In following up, Trammart News sought to answer why the invitations apparently never made it to the mailboxes of city councilors and whether there is a process in place to keep such correspondence from slipping through the cracks.

The anticipated explanation was that the invitations might have been seen as creating a way for undesirable “ex parte” contact to occur, which is oral or written communication to potential decision-makers outside of a hearing process. However, that reason was never given. One resident pointed out that, earlier this year, the city had accepted other engagements, such as a visit to a business prior to a hearing on its expansion.
Though that visit could have been called “fact-finding,” Oregon law also allows interaction for economic-development purposes, a category that could include a socializing lunch with developers.

There was no response from the city’s communications coordinator about the procedure used to process letters, invitations or correspondence received by the city. A public records request by Trammart News, in which the city recorder provided the only apparently related documentation, didn’t describe the ways that such received communication is carried out.

Communications coordinator Emmanuel Goicochea has indicated, by previous email to Trammart News, that he can make his own determinations on whether to answer questions from the media. In this case, no answer has been obtained. ▪