Some recent city actions incite questions and draw criticism from some
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service
Unexpected backlash arose over three recently completed city projects and they appear to illustrate the divide between how city officials and the residents they serve sometimes see undertakings. In an editorial essay, Trammart News looks at each, chronicling the difference in perceptions that seem to have surfaced.
A park proves less than crowd-pleasing …
The long-anticipated wait for Sunset Meadows Park is over, and it’s been greeted with a less-than-enthusiastic response by several residents.
On a crisp fall day this week, a visit to the park revealed that some neighbors were glad to see the broad paved walkway but disheartened by the play equipment. Worries ranged from swings too big and too high for tykes to small boulders that seemed to invite trekking but were considered by some to be too spiky for kids.
The steps to the slide were singled out, too – they appeared to be made of polished rock. A concerned resident wondered why they’d have a surface likely to remain slick after rain. The slide has a stair-free path on the other side.
That concerned resident was Jonathan Jay, chair of the city’s parks board, who toured the park with Trammart News.
In fact, the parks board never saw the plans for Sunset Meadows Park, despite a request to examine the proposal at one of their meetings. However, the preferences for it were shared years ago at a public open house, which was held at Inspiration Garden.
At a parks board meeting, Jay had suggested trees be placed alongside benches, so shade could eventually be provided on hot summer days. So far, trees are absent at the bench locations near the playgrounds.
Asked about his impression of the way the parks board contributed to this effort and other projects, Jay acknowledged some disappointment. “I'd like the Parks Commission to have more input to the City Council,” he stated.
City Councilor Dawn Roden went further. She registered sympathy with residents about the design and structure of the play area – and frustration with the process. Initially, Roden had balked at the half-million-dollar-plus price tag for the improvements. She opposed the plan. Eventually, grants reduced the city’s portion by about $140,000.
Roden said she’s on a quest to determine the actual cost breakdown of the expenditures.
One change seems obvious. The nature play area, in a previous plan, featured logs of timber with netting; It’s now a circle of connected wood beams.
This week there’s an official ribbon-cutting for the park. Several residents said they are looking forward to it – and happy to have a prettier place where once only vacant land existed by the rear yards of houses between Maple and Chestnut streets.
A parking study gets a dubious reception …
A parking study approved Tuesday by the city council found the number of parking spaces downtown are adequate to meet the demand – causing high anxiety among several Main Street occupants. How high?
Three floors up – that’s how high.
The city’s relatively new vertical zoning plan is predicted to be put into use soon, which incentivizes development of upper floors in downtown buildings for conversion into residences. The concept would likely put even more pressure on parking, which several merchants still see as a problem – and now one that could worsen.
Asked at the city council meeting how soon the first vertical-housing proposal might happen, City Planning Manager Fred Evander was non-committal about a timeline. However, city sources said a proposal is pending.
The outcome of the parking study – that there are ample spaces downtown – came as no surprise to many. These study results were revealed at a work session months ago.
Options presented by Portland-based Toole Design for improving the parking experience by downtown patrons include way-finding signage that would make public parking lots more easily identifiable for drivers, as well as safety improvements on downtown streets that would make walking pedestrian-friendly.
Last spring, visitors to downtown locations were randomly asked whether lack of parking was a deterrent. Many said parking by the river or the post office to go to Main Street wasn’t a factor in good weather, but rain made nearby parking more desirable.
Ryan Marquardt, a land use and transportation planner with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, was at Tuesday’s city council meeting. He pointed out that Oregonians are accustomed to rain, observing that it might not be as influential as suggested.
However, Mitch Teal, co-owner of Brew Coffee and Tap House with his wife Cathy, said customers need convenient parking. “It only takes a couple of times for a customer to come through town and not find a parking place to give up trying to come downtown,” Teal said.
A crosswalk study raises alabaster questions …
When a crosswalk study showed 642 crossings occurred between the Central High School campus and The Gate, the popular youth community center, several who were aware of the outcome were happy to know the white walkway was clocking so much use.
Who knew that little walkway was being utilized so much? After all, some students just seemed to dash across the street to The Gate once traffic allowed them to do so.
As it turns out, the statistics came from a count conducted on a completely different white crosswalk – one that also led across Monmouth Street to The Gate (or, more precisely, by AutoZone).
It was confusing to some: The newly painted crosswalk seemed to disappear as fast as a summer hailstorm. The vanishing crosswalk, along with two others, was part of a demonstration project in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Transportation.
The mystery was solved during a meeting of the Traffic Safety Commission last week, when it became clear the faded-white crossing that remained was actually an ODOT creation from years ago.
If a new crosswalk is installed, ODOT will require the white-marked crossing to have a “refuge island,” according to Independence Police Chief Robert Mason. A refuge island is a small section of pavement, often an oval shape, that sits at the center of a crosswalk.
When it was later pointed out to Mason that there’s no refuge island on the current white ODOT crosswalk, he said he’d noticed the same thing. “Ironic, isn’t it,” he commented during a break at this week’s city council meeting.
The aim of the data collected was to demonstrate how additional crossings could assist pedestrians. However, no one who was asked seems to know the fate of the current white crosswalk – that is, whether it’s destined to receive a refuge island, as ODOT apparently has mandated. ▪
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service
Unexpected backlash arose over three recently completed city projects and they appear to illustrate the divide between how city officials and the residents they serve sometimes see undertakings. In an editorial essay, Trammart News looks at each, chronicling the difference in perceptions that seem to have surfaced.
A park proves less than crowd-pleasing …
The long-anticipated wait for Sunset Meadows Park is over, and it’s been greeted with a less-than-enthusiastic response by several residents.
On a crisp fall day this week, a visit to the park revealed that some neighbors were glad to see the broad paved walkway but disheartened by the play equipment. Worries ranged from swings too big and too high for tykes to small boulders that seemed to invite trekking but were considered by some to be too spiky for kids.
The steps to the slide were singled out, too – they appeared to be made of polished rock. A concerned resident wondered why they’d have a surface likely to remain slick after rain. The slide has a stair-free path on the other side.
That concerned resident was Jonathan Jay, chair of the city’s parks board, who toured the park with Trammart News.
In fact, the parks board never saw the plans for Sunset Meadows Park, despite a request to examine the proposal at one of their meetings. However, the preferences for it were shared years ago at a public open house, which was held at Inspiration Garden.
At a parks board meeting, Jay had suggested trees be placed alongside benches, so shade could eventually be provided on hot summer days. So far, trees are absent at the bench locations near the playgrounds.
Asked about his impression of the way the parks board contributed to this effort and other projects, Jay acknowledged some disappointment. “I'd like the Parks Commission to have more input to the City Council,” he stated.
City Councilor Dawn Roden went further. She registered sympathy with residents about the design and structure of the play area – and frustration with the process. Initially, Roden had balked at the half-million-dollar-plus price tag for the improvements. She opposed the plan. Eventually, grants reduced the city’s portion by about $140,000.
Roden said she’s on a quest to determine the actual cost breakdown of the expenditures.
One change seems obvious. The nature play area, in a previous plan, featured logs of timber with netting; It’s now a circle of connected wood beams.
This week there’s an official ribbon-cutting for the park. Several residents said they are looking forward to it – and happy to have a prettier place where once only vacant land existed by the rear yards of houses between Maple and Chestnut streets.
A parking study gets a dubious reception …
A parking study approved Tuesday by the city council found the number of parking spaces downtown are adequate to meet the demand – causing high anxiety among several Main Street occupants. How high?
Three floors up – that’s how high.
The city’s relatively new vertical zoning plan is predicted to be put into use soon, which incentivizes development of upper floors in downtown buildings for conversion into residences. The concept would likely put even more pressure on parking, which several merchants still see as a problem – and now one that could worsen.
Asked at the city council meeting how soon the first vertical-housing proposal might happen, City Planning Manager Fred Evander was non-committal about a timeline. However, city sources said a proposal is pending.
The outcome of the parking study – that there are ample spaces downtown – came as no surprise to many. These study results were revealed at a work session months ago.
Options presented by Portland-based Toole Design for improving the parking experience by downtown patrons include way-finding signage that would make public parking lots more easily identifiable for drivers, as well as safety improvements on downtown streets that would make walking pedestrian-friendly.
Last spring, visitors to downtown locations were randomly asked whether lack of parking was a deterrent. Many said parking by the river or the post office to go to Main Street wasn’t a factor in good weather, but rain made nearby parking more desirable.
Ryan Marquardt, a land use and transportation planner with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, was at Tuesday’s city council meeting. He pointed out that Oregonians are accustomed to rain, observing that it might not be as influential as suggested.
However, Mitch Teal, co-owner of Brew Coffee and Tap House with his wife Cathy, said customers need convenient parking. “It only takes a couple of times for a customer to come through town and not find a parking place to give up trying to come downtown,” Teal said.
A crosswalk study raises alabaster questions …
When a crosswalk study showed 642 crossings occurred between the Central High School campus and The Gate, the popular youth community center, several who were aware of the outcome were happy to know the white walkway was clocking so much use.
Who knew that little walkway was being utilized so much? After all, some students just seemed to dash across the street to The Gate once traffic allowed them to do so.
As it turns out, the statistics came from a count conducted on a completely different white crosswalk – one that also led across Monmouth Street to The Gate (or, more precisely, by AutoZone).
It was confusing to some: The newly painted crosswalk seemed to disappear as fast as a summer hailstorm. The vanishing crosswalk, along with two others, was part of a demonstration project in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Transportation.
The mystery was solved during a meeting of the Traffic Safety Commission last week, when it became clear the faded-white crossing that remained was actually an ODOT creation from years ago.
If a new crosswalk is installed, ODOT will require the white-marked crossing to have a “refuge island,” according to Independence Police Chief Robert Mason. A refuge island is a small section of pavement, often an oval shape, that sits at the center of a crosswalk.
When it was later pointed out to Mason that there’s no refuge island on the current white ODOT crosswalk, he said he’d noticed the same thing. “Ironic, isn’t it,” he commented during a break at this week’s city council meeting.
The aim of the data collected was to demonstrate how additional crossings could assist pedestrians. However, no one who was asked seems to know the fate of the current white crosswalk – that is, whether it’s destined to receive a refuge island, as ODOT apparently has mandated. ▪
School district misses out on urban renewal district property tax revenue
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service
The Independence Urban Renewal District, the section that the city has carved out for redevelopment, produced well over a million dollars in taxes this past year – and $404,000 is attributed from the Central School District. But under a state program that allows cities to separate land for urban development, CSD will forego that amount.
“If it wasn’t for the Urban Renewal District that would go back to the schools,” confirmed Polk County Assessor Valerie Patoine. Urban Renewal Districts are formed by cities and used to improve the economic viability of specified areas. At their creation, the assessed value of the identified area is “frozen,” she explained.
The taxing districts, including CSD, continue to collect revenue from the frozen “base value” but all of the excess value – the change in value from redevelopment – is shifted back into the coffers of the Urban Renewal District.
For years, this special provision for keeping these taxes in urban renewal districts wasn’t seen as shortchanging school districts – school funding is derived through formulas that were thought to compensate for it. For example, a critically important component of school funding has long been considered to be state funding derived on a per-pupil basis, estimated to be about $11,000 per student, and potentially higher.
But the post-covid period caused a sea change, slashing the daily student population – chronic absenteeism began occurring, according to reports from across Oregon. “Low rates of attendance – high rates of absenteeism – reduced the number of pupils we get credited for,” said Emily Mentzer, communications director for CSD. That number, part of the formula used to compute “average daily membership,” impacts state allocations of money to the district.
Though no one from CSD has weighed in on urban renewal taxes going to Independence, a news release issued by Polk County showing this year’s tax information prompted some public discussion. Independence was listed as topping its neighboring cities with the highest tax revenue from urban renewal: $1,162,643.
In contrast, Dallas is collecting $336,093 from its urban renewal district; Monmouth, $958,542.
In general, the swath of Independence that comprises the Urban Renewal District might have provided ample students to help boost those per-pupil counts. However, the three apartment buildings – Riverplace, Osprey Point and Independence Landing in the riverfront zone – aren’t attracting many families with school-aged children, a finding first reported a few years ago that appears to persist, affirmed Mentzer at a CSD town hall meeting this week, which was held on the school bond proposed for the November ballot.
Because property tax is the single largest source of revenue for local governments, taxes that are returned to urban renewal districts – instead of schools – have come under strong criticism in some academic studies. There is a risk of failing to prioritize public school education in the midst of growth-driven planning, according to Professor Christine Wen, of Texas A & M and Greg LeRoy, executive director of Washington DC-based Good Jobs First, which promotes government accountability.
California, the first state to adopt redevelopment programs like the one in Oregon, later abandoned the concept. Though most states allow urban renewal districts to form in the same way that’s permissible in Oregon, several allow school districts to “opt out” of returning the tax money arising from the additional value of redevelopment, including Pennsylvania and Utah.
It’s unclear the degree to which school districts in Oregon are affected by foregone taxes in the urban development districts – the state has complex equations for determining school funding. The process is so complex, in fact, that an OPB article on it last year – “Oregon school funding is complicated. We try to break it down” – ran for more than 2,100 words to explain the process, compared with the usual word count of 500-800 words for a news report.
It remains to be seen how school funding will fare long-term now that the Student Success Act is underway, which created a new tax on business sales five years ago, ushering in another revenue stream for schools. And Gov. Tina Kotek has pledged to find ways to provide more school revenue in the near future. ▪
(The Independence communications director has declined comment on inquiries about the urban renewal district in the recent past, but a new effort will be undertaken to obtain current information – a $3.9 million debt was recently attributed to the urban renewal district. The amount of debt within the district now appears near the allowable limit.)
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service
The Independence Urban Renewal District, the section that the city has carved out for redevelopment, produced well over a million dollars in taxes this past year – and $404,000 is attributed from the Central School District. But under a state program that allows cities to separate land for urban development, CSD will forego that amount.
“If it wasn’t for the Urban Renewal District that would go back to the schools,” confirmed Polk County Assessor Valerie Patoine. Urban Renewal Districts are formed by cities and used to improve the economic viability of specified areas. At their creation, the assessed value of the identified area is “frozen,” she explained.
The taxing districts, including CSD, continue to collect revenue from the frozen “base value” but all of the excess value – the change in value from redevelopment – is shifted back into the coffers of the Urban Renewal District.
For years, this special provision for keeping these taxes in urban renewal districts wasn’t seen as shortchanging school districts – school funding is derived through formulas that were thought to compensate for it. For example, a critically important component of school funding has long been considered to be state funding derived on a per-pupil basis, estimated to be about $11,000 per student, and potentially higher.
But the post-covid period caused a sea change, slashing the daily student population – chronic absenteeism began occurring, according to reports from across Oregon. “Low rates of attendance – high rates of absenteeism – reduced the number of pupils we get credited for,” said Emily Mentzer, communications director for CSD. That number, part of the formula used to compute “average daily membership,” impacts state allocations of money to the district.
Though no one from CSD has weighed in on urban renewal taxes going to Independence, a news release issued by Polk County showing this year’s tax information prompted some public discussion. Independence was listed as topping its neighboring cities with the highest tax revenue from urban renewal: $1,162,643.
In contrast, Dallas is collecting $336,093 from its urban renewal district; Monmouth, $958,542.
In general, the swath of Independence that comprises the Urban Renewal District might have provided ample students to help boost those per-pupil counts. However, the three apartment buildings – Riverplace, Osprey Point and Independence Landing in the riverfront zone – aren’t attracting many families with school-aged children, a finding first reported a few years ago that appears to persist, affirmed Mentzer at a CSD town hall meeting this week, which was held on the school bond proposed for the November ballot.
Because property tax is the single largest source of revenue for local governments, taxes that are returned to urban renewal districts – instead of schools – have come under strong criticism in some academic studies. There is a risk of failing to prioritize public school education in the midst of growth-driven planning, according to Professor Christine Wen, of Texas A & M and Greg LeRoy, executive director of Washington DC-based Good Jobs First, which promotes government accountability.
California, the first state to adopt redevelopment programs like the one in Oregon, later abandoned the concept. Though most states allow urban renewal districts to form in the same way that’s permissible in Oregon, several allow school districts to “opt out” of returning the tax money arising from the additional value of redevelopment, including Pennsylvania and Utah.
It’s unclear the degree to which school districts in Oregon are affected by foregone taxes in the urban development districts – the state has complex equations for determining school funding. The process is so complex, in fact, that an OPB article on it last year – “Oregon school funding is complicated. We try to break it down” – ran for more than 2,100 words to explain the process, compared with the usual word count of 500-800 words for a news report.
It remains to be seen how school funding will fare long-term now that the Student Success Act is underway, which created a new tax on business sales five years ago, ushering in another revenue stream for schools. And Gov. Tina Kotek has pledged to find ways to provide more school revenue in the near future. ▪
(The Independence communications director has declined comment on inquiries about the urban renewal district in the recent past, but a new effort will be undertaken to obtain current information – a $3.9 million debt was recently attributed to the urban renewal district. The amount of debt within the district now appears near the allowable limit.)
No sale of Melting Pot Candy, business to continue in Independence
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service
Bonnie Andrews is getting a do-over at Melting Pot Candy that she didn’t want. However, this time around, the effort to open her downtown shop may be like her sought-after chocolate confections: smooth, sweet and charmingly familiar.
That’s because Andrews thought she was in the process of selling the store twice in recent years. Now she’s decided it’s time to dedicate herself to the business she loves.
So, she's starting again. Melting Pot Candy will be closed until early November. But when the doors open, the creations she's now regionally known for – the speckled and sparkling truffles, the old-fashioned chocolate-covered toffee – will return, as well.
Why is the shop shuttered? Andrews thought she had sold it to a new proprietor. A few thousand dollars of down payment changed hands, and Andrews was confident there was more to come.
Instead, the deal abruptly fell through, and she returned to find the place missing all of the product she had hand-crafted – along with many other items, too. "The refrigerator had been completely cleaned out," Andrews recalled.
The first time Andrews, who has been called a magician by fans of her baking skills, thought she’d sold Melting Pot Candy was when she took a young woman under her wing. After teaching her the art of candy and confection-making, the plan was to have her take over the operation.
But the woman lacked the needed support system. "You have got to have family support," Andrews said, pointing out that her son Preston serves as both cheerleader for her and a source of labor when needed. "She just didn't have that." Instead, the would-be new owner moved on.
The advice Andrews would give to entrepreneurs is simple to understand but hard to carry out. Be ready to live and breathe your business. If you think it is about being your own boss, think again. The customers are your boss, and you have got to meet their needs daily to succeed.
Andrews not only makes sure she has a wide selection in the store but a lot of choices for buyers at festivals, as well as filling routine orders from wineries like Willamette Valley Vineyards.
"I don't do this for the money," she said. "I do it for the joy."
Andrews always liked only one domestic pursuit: cooking. In a family that encouraged quilting and knitting, it was the stove and oven that always called to her. But was it really the preparation of food that she loved – or the result?
"I loved seeing people have something I made that they enjoyed," she explained. That tendency to create satisfying offerings for others' consumption never stopped. Six years ago, she became the town's chocolatier, with a shop full of sweetness ranging from hazelnut toffee made with dark chocolate to smoked sea salt caramel truffles.
For years, Andrews had worked as a supervisor in the administration of tribal gaming at a casino, but with money saved and feeling a deep need to answer her baking passion, she opened the store at C and Main streets.
That’s how the days of making truffles for neighbors during the holidays turned into a 72-hour week venture of keeping the display case full of hand-made chocolate truffles containing custom-designed ganaches and making sure bags of toffee were stocked on shelves.
The clientele who visit her storefront range in age from 25 to 75 years old. For some, it is a stop-by for a small indulgence; For others it’s to purchase a larger quantity, perhaps to provide a post-meal treat for dinner guests or for special gifts.
Meeting such a diverse demand takes more than energy – it is exhausting some weeks – but the real challenge now is the cost of her ingredients, she said.
For example, a bag of sugar that once cost $11 is now $20, forcing her to raise prices. "I struggle with that," she said. "I want to keep them as low as I can – this economy has been hard on all of us."
Andrews will continue doing it all, as she often does, completely by herself.
Good help is hard to find and relative costly, she said. The younger set likes to spend time on social media, with phones in hand, Andrews observed. "So it often just isn't worth it," she said. "It is something I know I can do, and though there is no easy way, I think I can do it for several more years." ▪
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service
Bonnie Andrews is getting a do-over at Melting Pot Candy that she didn’t want. However, this time around, the effort to open her downtown shop may be like her sought-after chocolate confections: smooth, sweet and charmingly familiar.
That’s because Andrews thought she was in the process of selling the store twice in recent years. Now she’s decided it’s time to dedicate herself to the business she loves.
So, she's starting again. Melting Pot Candy will be closed until early November. But when the doors open, the creations she's now regionally known for – the speckled and sparkling truffles, the old-fashioned chocolate-covered toffee – will return, as well.
Why is the shop shuttered? Andrews thought she had sold it to a new proprietor. A few thousand dollars of down payment changed hands, and Andrews was confident there was more to come.
Instead, the deal abruptly fell through, and she returned to find the place missing all of the product she had hand-crafted – along with many other items, too. "The refrigerator had been completely cleaned out," Andrews recalled.
The first time Andrews, who has been called a magician by fans of her baking skills, thought she’d sold Melting Pot Candy was when she took a young woman under her wing. After teaching her the art of candy and confection-making, the plan was to have her take over the operation.
But the woman lacked the needed support system. "You have got to have family support," Andrews said, pointing out that her son Preston serves as both cheerleader for her and a source of labor when needed. "She just didn't have that." Instead, the would-be new owner moved on.
The advice Andrews would give to entrepreneurs is simple to understand but hard to carry out. Be ready to live and breathe your business. If you think it is about being your own boss, think again. The customers are your boss, and you have got to meet their needs daily to succeed.
Andrews not only makes sure she has a wide selection in the store but a lot of choices for buyers at festivals, as well as filling routine orders from wineries like Willamette Valley Vineyards.
"I don't do this for the money," she said. "I do it for the joy."
Andrews always liked only one domestic pursuit: cooking. In a family that encouraged quilting and knitting, it was the stove and oven that always called to her. But was it really the preparation of food that she loved – or the result?
"I loved seeing people have something I made that they enjoyed," she explained. That tendency to create satisfying offerings for others' consumption never stopped. Six years ago, she became the town's chocolatier, with a shop full of sweetness ranging from hazelnut toffee made with dark chocolate to smoked sea salt caramel truffles.
For years, Andrews had worked as a supervisor in the administration of tribal gaming at a casino, but with money saved and feeling a deep need to answer her baking passion, she opened the store at C and Main streets.
That’s how the days of making truffles for neighbors during the holidays turned into a 72-hour week venture of keeping the display case full of hand-made chocolate truffles containing custom-designed ganaches and making sure bags of toffee were stocked on shelves.
The clientele who visit her storefront range in age from 25 to 75 years old. For some, it is a stop-by for a small indulgence; For others it’s to purchase a larger quantity, perhaps to provide a post-meal treat for dinner guests or for special gifts.
Meeting such a diverse demand takes more than energy – it is exhausting some weeks – but the real challenge now is the cost of her ingredients, she said.
For example, a bag of sugar that once cost $11 is now $20, forcing her to raise prices. "I struggle with that," she said. "I want to keep them as low as I can – this economy has been hard on all of us."
Andrews will continue doing it all, as she often does, completely by herself.
Good help is hard to find and relative costly, she said. The younger set likes to spend time on social media, with phones in hand, Andrews observed. "So it often just isn't worth it," she said. "It is something I know I can do, and though there is no easy way, I think I can do it for several more years." ▪
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