As the New Year arrives, residents weigh in with a "civic wish list"
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service

A random cross-section of residents in Independence revealed reactions to post-pandemic life that can be summed up in one universal sentiment: People need people.

Though this sounds like the title of the song written 60 years ago and sung by Barbra Streisand, there may be a reason the phrase seems to resonate now as much ever, apart from the show-stopping way the great vocalist sang it.

“I think what we learned in covid, and we are seeing it now, is that getting together with others – family, friends – is really important, and Zoom is no substitute,” said a shopper at the Central Plaza. “Well, I agree,” said another. “But you can’t talk politics or anything like that because people get madder now.” Several others who were queried took aim at local elected officials, too, who allegedly are dismissive of those “outside their inner circle,” as one put it. Transparency at the local government level was frequently mentioned as a 2024 desire.

So, Trammart News decided to take a look at this strange divide, which seems to support the finding that people now deeply value bonds with others but that it may be getting harder to forge connections due to such strong and differing opinions.

From a crowd caroling holiday favorites at a local venue to coffee-shop visits with customers across town, the civic wish of many could be boiled down to “peace and harmony in the whole Willamette Valley,” as expressed by Joe Graham on a night of board game-playing at Valkyrie Wine Tavern.

Pressed for a fuller description, Graham pointed out that the two words “peace and harmony” pretty much cover everything, from a total lack of conflict to a nice blend of everything and everybody.

What is included in a sum-up of comments from throughout places in Independence seems to reflect that. Residents want togetherness to continue, and life to get better for the next chapter of the community.

“I would really like to se our two communities come together,” said Sarah Ramirez, who was passing out cookies at The Gate on “Make Music Night.” Ramirez, an active member of the Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce and other local organizations, would like the two cities to promote tourism jointly. Like some others, she’d like to see a strong coordinated approach for attracting visitors to the area.

“I hope we have a more prosperous 2024 and our businesses thrive,” said Nicki Marazzani, executive director of the M-I Chamber.

Phyllis Cooper, who was at “Make Music Night” with her daughter, Esther, and granddaughter, noted that The Gate was the only place for youth to gather for a good time together. The municipal pool closed, the bowling alley became a church, and the city lacks a recreation hall. “There ought to be more places for kids to get together, particularly a teen center,” she said.

Ken Lehto, who was dressed up as Santa for the evening, said one good thing to come out of covid was an appreciation for books and reading. “I hope that continues,” he said, adding that he thinks libraries are deserving of renewed attention. “We need readers for the future, lots and lots of readers,” he said.

In fact, the top “civic wish” for the city among many was a city government and school board that made sure youth was served. There was widespread agreement that friends and neighbors are the most important part of Independence, and that kids are, too.

So, since coming together to provide more opportunities for up-and-coming generations seemed a common goal, and because so many said they learned how important it is to share time with others, Trammart News asked: Why do there seem to be so many community fragments?

One young woman said she cannot talk to anybody. “You go into anything personal you get attacked if you don’t think the way they do,” she said. Another pointed to what she described as a town leader who allegedly spent time online criticizing a colleague. “I just stay away from it all,” she said. Both said their civic wish list is finding togetherness in a better, kinder environment.

The two have responded in a way that highlights a practice that’s been tracked by researchers at New York University, who analyzed over 41,000 network surveys; They recently found that “the heightened remote communication” in covid was associated with a distinct pattern: increased time online with people who agreed with one another, a phenomenon known as homophily. Homophily runs counter to broad-based interactions, and according to the research team, it creates “echo chambers.”

However, the residents of Independence who answered this buttonholing and completely unscientific line of questioning from Trammart News are also onto something that has been demonstrated by none other than a Harvard study conducted since 1938 to find out “what makes us happy in life.”

The study has followed more than 700 people, very carefully. “Contrary to what you might think, it’s not career achievement, money, exercise or healthy diet” that closely links to happiness, concluded two of the investigators this year. “The most consistent finding we’ve learned through 85 years of study is: Positive relationships keep us happier, healthier, and help us live longer. Period,” wrote Robert Waldinger MD and Marc Shulz, PhD.

A lot of people in Independence have figured that out already, though some are perplexed by the barriers against positive interactions now. Many said they hope those obstacles will fall away, or at least diminish, as 2024 rolls out. ▪

 
Connections with other people and access to available resources are a top need for parolees
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service

A survey of parolees and those on probation to find out “what’s working and what’s not working” for them suggests that life stressors are a daily battle that could at least partly be solved by an accessible support system, according to the results of a poll that included 114 individuals under legal supervision.

“The toughest time for me is 2 am in the morning because I know where I can get drugs, but I don’t know where I can get help,” said one survey respondent. The finding was echoed by others, who reported stress from lack of housing, money and support as a top concern. Money was high on their list, but not on those of nine corrections officers who also answered the survey, said David Guile, the consultant who assisted Polk County in the grant-funded survey. The hope is that it will serve as a baseline in the years to come, Guile said.

Rather than stress, corrections officers identified mental health as a pressing concern, a finding that didn’t coincide with those of their clientele. Guile suggested that the reason for the discrepancy may have several causes – it may have been due to a lack of self-recognition of disordered thinking or the fact that stress can take a toll that results in a mental health crisis.

Money likely was put at the top of the list by those in the system – as part of their daily stress factors – because financial worries are tied to both housing and unemployment, Guile pointed out. Though the vast majority had family in Polk County, 20% were unhoused, less than half had their own car, and 40% were without jobs, Guile said. One individual reported that the biggest challenge was being able to live in a way that could rebuild family trust. “The stress is just huge to these clients,” Guile said.

However, 70% of those who responded said they feel safe and fairly treated by the authorities they see. Nearly all, 96%, said they felt “that the officers listened to me.”

Commission chair Jeremy Gordon said it appeared that one path to improvement was providing a better support system, a recommendation that Guile confirmed. Access to resources seemed to separate those who were having great difficulty from those who seemed less burdened. When others provided good communication about where resources could be found – staff or friends, for example – utilization usually resulted. So, the question to be answered for some is “who do I go to when I am struggling with rent?” Guile observed.

One obstacle to seeking out answers on their own may stem from serving time, including prison. Decision-making skills can be diminished or lost, and recovering them may be difficult for some, Guile said. Two of the goals of the action plan that arose from the findings are strengthening the links with partner organizations and keying in on re-integration strategies, Guile said.

The survey is part of an ongoing effort by Polk County Community Corrections, which is headed by Jodi Merritt, to expand prevention of recidivism in this population. Two segments stood out as having special challenges: Native Americans, a subgroup with many who felt their needs weren’t met and Latinx, who seemed to have a much harder time with job placement. Three county administrators participated in the survey, as well as 26 “justice partners,” who ranged from staff members to law enforcement personnel. Guile's affiliation is with the consulting firm Sounds of Silence, Inc. ▪
 

Indy's designation as "age-friendly" city explained
 
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service

IN ACTUALITY:
An Editorial Column to Assist Public Knowledge and Discourse on Recent Events
WHO: The City of Independence announced on its website this past fall that it had been designated an “AARP Livable Community.” Is that true?

The town doesn’t appear on AARP’s select list of livable communities. However, Independence was named an “Age-Friendly” city, which means it has special aspects that make it more welcoming to the elder demographic, such as mass transit, like the trolley, and activities that are age-inclusive, from a mystery book club at the library to art programs at the Ash Creek Art Center and Riverview Gallery.

WHAT: The designation “Age-Friendly Community” comes from the AARP, which is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for Americans 50 years of age and older. What a designation of “age friendly” means is membership in a network that has been determined to have elected leadership “that has made a commitment to actively work with residents and local advocates to make their town an age-friendly place to live.”

WHERE: AARP designations of both “livability” and “age-friendly” appear on its website (www.aarp.org/livabilityindex.) If you want to see how Independence stacks up in terms of its livability scores, here is a rundown: On a scale of 100 for community-level livability, it ranks 55. That puts it in the top half of communities in the USA. What are nearby city scores? Monmouth is 58 and Dallas is 57.

WHEN: The AARP “Community livability” scores are periodically updated. The last one was posted in 2023.

WHY: The AARP is considered a complex and comprehensive survey because it takes into account factors like housing affordability, city policies, crime statistics and even public utility services, such as clean drinking water. State and county officials use it, and so do real estate brokers following trends and retirees considering relocation.

HOW: The AARP uses more than four dozen sources of data to formulate “indicators” for creating a “livability index.” Nearly half – 23 different metrics – evaluate livability at the neighborhood level. The process is transparent; anyone can read about the methods used by clicking on the explanations available on the website. ▪

OSU veterinary grad Johnny Archer comes home to practice at Ash Creek Animal Clinic
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, December 22, 2023

Johnny Archer DVM has come home. A few months ago, he began his full-time veterinary medical practice at the clinic he has known since earliest boyhood – the Ash Creek Animal Clinic, founded by his mother, Laura, in 1990 and joined by his father, Robert, a few years later.

Archer will be providing large-animal care for farm stock locally part of the time. It will be the first time in decades that the riverside city where Archer grew up has had a vet with such special skills. He was the “smartest kid at Central High School” recalled one of his classmates recently, who remembered him as quiet and studious – and always known as Johnny, never John.

All three attributes seem to currently apply. During an interview recently with the town’s new Dr. Archer, a graduate of Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine at OSU, Johnny reflected on his training, his profession and his return to Independence.

TN: I understand you went to the University of Missouri to receive special training in large animals, including goats, hogs, horses, and sheep. What is the immediate difference you noticed in treating these animals?

Archer: Well, size. There was the case of an injured cow, for instance, and to be able to perform the procedure, we needed to have it on a hydraulic table. In the process of securing the cow's feet, it kicked forward. My finger was cut deeply, and it required stitches. In fact, the finger was broken. I wanted hands-on experience, and I got it!

TN: How did you proceed with a broken finger?

Archer: Well, carefully, of course (laughs). This was all about learning. Working with these animals, you find what lines you cannot cross. I worked about a 55-hour week. I worked in different situations, though mostly on what people would call "farm animals." I learned to change gloves a lot, to have clothes that would protect me from picking up ticks.

TN: Were you concerned about Lyme disease? Is that why?

Archer: Not just Lyme disease, but there are a lot of tickborne diseases -- and a lot of ticks in Missouri. I wore rubber boots all the time. West Nile virus, which is transmitted by mosquitoes, is rare but it has been found there. Also, chickens can get bird influenza, which usually doesn't infect humans, but it can.

TN: Was there any condition you were always on the lookout for?

Archer: There was constant surveillance for foot-and-mouth disease.

TN: Why was it so important to you to get training for treating large animals? Farm animals?

Archer: There aren't many here who are trained to do that, and we're surrounded by agriculture. But I just want to say ... when we talk about "farm animals," it isn't only "producers," regarded as food. There are people who have pet goats and pet chickens, and they need help with them when they're sick or injured. I am hoping I can do that and add to the practice.

TN: So, you got an idea that large animals, even on farms, often are seen as important members of the operation?

Archer: I remember when I saw a pig arrive in a stroller. It seemed to me this showed a real attachment, and it made an impression ...

TN: Were there any other memorable moments of animal-inflicted injury, other than the one with the cow that disabled your finger?

Archer: I had a llama spit, but I wasn't sure it was at me. It seemed like a reaction.

TN: So, do you have to be part animal psychologist when you are with such big creatures?

Archer: I think that is true of all animals. But I think you need to do that for people, too.

TN: Can you give me an example?

Archer: I think there is one we see frequently. It is the death of a pet. People grieve differently, so you give them that opportunity. Maybe they want to leave the room. Maybe they want to be right there. One great benefit for me was to see how my parents handled situations like these. I was lucky to grow up seeing that.

TN: Missouri is a very different state. How did you like it there?

Archer: It's beautiful. Lots of hills, lots of trees, very green. It's a lot more humid than it is here. And winters can be snowy. But Columbia is a wonderful city. I was working a lot, so I didn't really have the same college scene as some did, but Mizzou -- the University of Missouri -- is really a great college town.

TN: The University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine is a really prestige veterinary school, and I am a Midwesterner originally so I'm confident of that pronouncement! You must have been cream-of-the-crop to clinch a spot in the program.

Archer: Just getting into vet school is hard. First, they look at your grades. Then there is a lot of (postgraduate) school. Sometimes I do wonder about the future, if there will be enough veterinarians in some places.

TN: It sounds like a long road to your profession. I know your mom and dad, who founded the veterinary practice, Ash Creek Animal Clinic, are proud and happy to have you back.

Archer: I am glad to be back. I missed Oregon -- and them. ▪
 

Snowberry season seems to be forecasting a cold winter ahead as plants fill with a bounty of berries
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, December 22, 2023

Those white berries that look like pearls, on low-slung plants with branches that wave like necklaces in strong wind, can reliably forecast the winter in 2024, according to experts in snow conditions across the globe.

The snowberries are plump and bountiful down by the Willamette River and across Independence – a sure sign of winter. So, move over woolly caterpillars, there’s a plant that can predict cold weather better than you fuzzy butterflies-to-be.

And, if so, this riverside city is in for some snow.

At least that’s what the Scots think. For years, a master skier and resort employee on Cairngorm Mountain – a leading winter destination – has been forecasting snow by the berries, as they say. Colin Matthew gained worldwide attention with his accurate predictions based on the plants’ robustness this time of year.

Matthew was busy on the slopes when a recent call was made asking about Independence and its bursting snowberry bushes, but this entirely logical question was politely answered. After all, Oregon so closely matches Scotland in weather that one 25-year-old account on climate calls the UK country and the Pacific Northwest state “drizzlingly similar.”

An associate who was in the lodge explained that Matthew was occupied, but confirmed that the snowberries are prodigious this December, just like those in the Beaver state, so it’s anticipated that the winter will be “snowy and cold.”

This is seen as good news for the ski resort, and also for Scots who favor snowflakes over raindrops, which many do. There are some Oregonians who feel that way, too – a snowfall is better than a downpour to some. To both groups this apparently has to do with a more frequent appearance of sunshine in the presence of snow.

But snowberries aren’t limited to foretelling the immediate future weather. In fact, the snowberry plant is inextricably linked to a giant piece of U.S. history.

It was a hot August day in 1805 when branches covered with small snowballs caught the eye of none other than Meriwether Lewis, who was anxiously waiting to meet Shoshone Indians along a creek in Montana.
Lewis couldn’t help but be fascinated by the plant, which appeared to have berries like the honeysuckle he knew, but with fruit that was astonishingly albino and remarkably round. “As large as a garden pea and as white as wax,” he observed in his journal.

Lewis collected some of the white “globules,” eventually harvesting seeds that were sent off to Thomas Jefferson, launching the snowberries into American lore. Jefferson planted them and was delighted to see pearls grow in his garden, which he wrote eloquently about, according to the National Park Service.

And that might have been the crux of snowberry fame if some Native Americans hadn’t notified the early explorers about the important properties of the plant, apart from the ornamental aspect. Snowberries were crushed to create a hair cleansing solution; roots were soaked to make tea to treat stomach pain and twigs were combined with liquid for use as a medicine to fight fever.

This versatility is part of their appeal. Snowberries are said to have strong vegetative features: they tend to grow where planted and seldom fail to thrive. This may be why the Scots seem to regard snowberries as kindred. In fact, the Scottish poet George Wilson, in the 19h Century, concludes a rhyme about “snowdrops” by likening them to “the bow that spans the cloudy sky, a symbol that brighter days are nigh.”

The reference to brighter days apparently means snowy rather than rainy ones – as in dreary with no sun, of course. ▪
 

Rep Paul Evans is proposing legislation to create a special fund for wildfire control
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, December 22, 2023

With wildfires now looming potentially much sooner and more severely than ever before, Rep. Paul Evans is proposing that 25 cents of every thousand dollars of assessed value of property tax be applied to fire safety measures for battling the risk.

“We can sit here and watch everything burn or ask voters for help,” Evans said during a town hall forum at Straub Middle School recently in West Salem. Under his plan, which he expects to introduce in the coming legislative session in February, local control of the revenue would be preserved, but the effort would be statewide.

The concept arrives in the wake of a tool for predicting property risk of every neighborhood, which was developed by several agencies -- predominantly Oregon State University -- that looks at vegetation, weather patterns and other factors to assess the threat of fire.

In a continually updated scientific chart of Oregon, every tax lot in the state is evaluated for risk, ranging from a category of zero to extreme. The lots also are classified as to whether they are part of the “wildlife-urban interface,” which refers to housing where there are woods, grassland and wilderness.

The chart, a map called the “Oregon Wildfire Risk Explorer,” shows large parts of Oregon now fall within the “extreme risk” category for wildfires. However, it also shows some regions west of the Cascades as being under threat, too.

Evans was appointed chair of the House Interim Special Committee on Wildfire Recovery in the aftermath of devastating wildfires in 2020.

During that same period, Chief Ben Stange at Polk County Fire District No. 1 in Independence, predicted worsening of fire conditions, including a growing “wildlife urban interface” due to growth within the state. That forecast is currently being seen on projections in the “Oregon Wildfire Risk Explorer.” ▪

Councilor Sarah Jobe questions nearly $4 million resolution and issues strong call for transparency
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, December 15, 2023

At the most recent Independence City Council meeting, Councilor Sarah Jobe voted against a nearly $4 million resolution that was called a "housekeeping" item by the city manager, citing a history of “messy” financial decisions during a period of accumulating city debt, which now exceeds more than $36 million.

To explain the reasons for her no vote, Jobe read a statement calling for more transparency and expressing disappointment with the way the city has handled certain past financial transactions.
Reactions to Jobe by those outside the meeting have been universally positive, although only a small number of residents appear to be aware of the statements she made at the city council meeting.

City Manager Kenna West and Interim City Finance Director Rob Moody explained that no history of the nearly $4 million sum to which Jobe alluded could be found – other than a money transfer in 2017. However, it obviously represents an intended loan by the city to the urban renewal fund and, by formally recognizing it as a loan, a repayment schedule will officially begin, according to Moody.

Jobe asked for an apology from those who were councilors at the time, noting that there was no record of a loan being approved six years ago – only the transfer of funds.
City Councilor Shannon Corr countered that “it may have been approved by the council, but they just don’t have the paperwork.”

One of those who viewed the city council meeting called Corr’s assertion of this incident a “restating of the obvious” – and labeled the missing paperwork as concerning, not reassuring.
“With the date, and being unable to track this down, and given the time of this, it probably had something to do with development of Indy Landing or the new city hall because MINET was always tracked,” said the viewer, who didn’t want to be named. It now raises questions about whether, at the time, the city wanted this to be “out in the open.”

In fact, some of the sums that originated about the same time – 2017 to 2018 – are attributed to city payments for covering system development charges assigned to the developers of Independence Landing, including one for $564,270. “The urban renewal needed money to do the projects,” Moody told Jobe. Jobe was joined in voting against the resolution – an amount of $3.867 million – by Councilor Dawn Roden, who said she wanted more clarity on the proposed resolution, as well.

Roden reminded the council that she had mentioned concern about the financial status of the city when she came aboard the council a few years ago. “I was called uneducated, uninformed, unaware – essentially stupid,” Roden recalled.

Due to the excused absence of one councilor, Marilyn Morton, the no votes of Jobe and Roden split the decision evenly, forcing Mayor John McArdle to break the tie – in favor of the resolution – and he cast other yes votes, as well, on a list of resolutions that brought the total sum to more than $4 million.

City Manager West repeatedly has cited a shortage of financial staffing as a reason for unanswered questions by Jobe and others. Staff can “only work as fast as they can work,” she said.

Before voting no, Roden stressed that “my desire to create more work for staff is not as important as making sure we get details right.”

(Disclosure: the author of this article, Anne Scheck, has attempted to get a response from the city on several issues that involve Independence, and she has been unable to do so. A mistake spotted by Jobe at a work session on city debt, and subsequently researched by Scheck, shows the city mistakenly called nearly $19 million of the city debt as caused by MINET, a miscalculation of the actual $8.3 million owed by the municipal fiberoptic company. City Manager Kenna West, during a personal encounter, had told Scheck she refused to confirm that finding by Scheck, and advised Scheck that she could risk error by printing her own numbers or wait until the city council meeting for further documentation. Scheck published her own figures, which proved accurate. In a presentation to the city council, Scheck asked that the city either abide by its media policy, which pledges to answer media questions in a timely manner or drop or change the policy.) ▪
 
A homeowner who's spent years fixing up an old house says the city's restrictions are too costly
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, December 15, 2023

A homeowner near downtown who asked the city to approve a proposal to make the house she occupies a safer, better-insulated place by substituting look-alike siding to match the original wood planking was turned down by the city's Historic Preservation Commission – a decision she said will force her to move.

“I would love to keep it,” Beverly West told commissioners of the small historic home. However, the wood siding it came with requires continual repainting – there is periodic peeling, apparently due to caulking undertaken by a previous owner.

Asked what she would do if her plan was disapproved, West said: “I think at that point we would probably prepare the house for sale.”

The circumstances West now faces – pitting the cost of historic preservation against practical alternatives – is one that is being seen in cities across the country as historic homes in more reasonably priced areas become unaffordable to homeowners. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, an independent federal organization, has begun looking at this potential cause of displacement as a result of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

Since then, studies have shown that, in some historic districts, early buyers who struggle to refurbish homes can find the costs imposed by cities – often once gentrification is fully underway – so burdensome as to make the neighborhoods attractive only to those who have the purchase power for careful restoration.

The move to reject the siding West proposed would cost thousands of dollars more to purchase the aging wooden ship lap, rather than the substitute lap siding, she pointed out to the commissioners. The character of the home would be retained. “It is not going to look out of place,” she asserted.

The single-family home, on A Street, is considered part of the Independence Historic District. West’s proposed project sought to replace two windows, as well as the siding. The windows were approved.

A report written by City Planning Manager Fred Evander states the siding replacement would mean removal of historic material. Such an alteration should be avoided because it helps characterize the historic look of a property, according to Evander.

Outside of the session, West said she disagreed with the decision “but the process itself is just as concerning.”

The Historic Preservation Commission appears to consider Evander an authority on the issue, making her objections subject to disregard, such as citing another homeowner who was able to use the siding she recommended. The city communications coordinator, Emmanuel Goicochea, was asked to respond or seek comment on the situation but so far has declined to do so.

At a subsequent meeting by the HPC in November, Commissioner Anne Devane expressed sympathy for West. Devane inquired about whether West had been apprised of resources that could possibly have helped her. Devane also called for commissioners to receive more training. “I know Jennifer feels the same way I do,” she said, referring to fellow commissioner Jennifer Flores.

“I have been saying this for years,” Flores said. In a brief interview following the meeting, Flores was asked about the matter.

Training in meeting protocol and role responsibilities of the commissioners could help with decorum at the sessions as well impart information about what can be accurately conveyed to residents, she said.

Flores has suggested that a booklet or packet be put together for new residents of the historic district, describing what it means to reside there.

The historic district is a confusing “hodge podge,” she noted. “The entirety of the district isn't included as part of the district,” she added, observing that there are exceptions in it, according to the way lots are designated. For example, construction for a home colloquially dubbed the "container house" is going to go up on a city block that currently houses only historical buildings. However, “the other new build that will join this block will be required to adhere to historical code,” she said.

More training for the HPC, including learning more about up-to-date information on resources for homeowners, would be helpful, she said. ▪
 
Is there a recycling center in Indy's near future? Local recycling expert Josh Brandt says maybe so
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, December 15, 2023

INDEPENDENCE – In a presentation at a recent Independence City Council meeting, Joshua Brandt, owner-operator of Brandt's Sanitary Service in Monmouth, told city councilors that the growth of Independence -- combined with an Oregon law to expand recycling efforts -- makes the city an appealing site to state authorities who are providing funds to help with increased operations.

So, will Independence be getting a recycling center?

That depends on what happens next, said Brandt, who explained that the city undertook a needs assessment on the matter, but not much has happened since then. “It is probably going to be a long process,” he explained after the meeting.

In the last census, Independence’s population was recorded as having pushed past 10,000 residents -- and that triggered new requirements for recycling, under the “Opportunity to Recycle Act” in Oregon. The city had to add two recycling programs to be in compliance; The programs are food waste and multifamily property collection.

The city requested some improvements to its existing recycling depot. The improvements include on-site monitoring equipment, such as cameras to monitor for contamination or illegal dumping, and equipment to compact and bale recyclables for shipment, according to the needs update filed with Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality, apparently in response to the new Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act in Oregon.

In terms of the potential funds to help the city enhance or build a facility, “we don’t know yet how much money may be allocated for these improvements,” stated Dylan Darling, public affairs specialist for the Oregon DEQ’s Western Region.

“We really need to figure out what people want,” Brandt stressed. ▪

City grapples with high debt amid report incorrectly showing MINET as half the cause
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, December 8, 2023

INDEPENDENCE – A recent report showing the city’s debt at $37 million, which was confirmed “high” by the city’s financial director, apparently wrongly attributes half that amount to MINET, city documents show. City Manager Kenna West declined to comment on the alleged error when asked about it after the meeting, advising “you can wait till the next city council meeting” for a response to what appears to be a $10 million mistake.

The report was given at a work session on the city’s debt, just before the last city council meeting. Noting the debt level, City Councilor Dawn Roden asked Rob Moody, the city’s contracted finance director, “Do you think this is a high amount of debt for a city this size?”
“It is,” Moody responded.

City Councilor Sarah Jobe also inquired about the loan for the Independence Civic Center, which past estimates have put at about $10 million. “Where does the city hall debt fall?” she asked. City Manager Kenna West said that questions about the debt-listing document would be answered after more research but cautioned that the city’s financial department is “understaffed.”

Independence City Councilor Marilyn Morton, who also attended the work session, observed that because MINET is now operating in the black, half of the city debt is being taken care of by the municipal fiberoptic. "Basically, half of that is the MINET debt, which at this point in time, am I accurate in saying that MINET is paying all of their load on that? So, we are actually only paying half of this (city debt)," she said.

However, in figures calculated by perusing past financial summaries, the amount of MINET debt is between $8 million and $9 million, and closer to $8 million. More uncertain is the loan amount that appears to be owed for the construction of the Independence Civic Center – the loan for the civic center seemed to be missing from the list of indebtedness provided at the work session.

Morton, who was queried by email along with Mayor John McArdle and City Manager West, said she “chose not to respond” when asked about her lack of reply to Trammart News’ debt estimates during a chance encounter at a coffee shop. Multiple efforts to obtain information on the issue from the city’s communication coordinator, Emmanuel Goicochea, went unanswered. No reply from Mayor McArdle was received, either.

A video of the meeting is posted on the city’s YouTube channel. ▪
 
One woman’s fight to make sure the library is no longer the home address for a sex offender
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, December 8, 2023

INDEPENDENCE – When Laurel Yourkowski discovered that a homeless man on the sex-offense registry had listed his home address as the Independence Library, she sprang into action – and advocacy.

Initially, she was told by several she contacted, including those in local law enforcement, that the convicted felon had the same rights as everyone else to a facility that serves the community, even one that’s commonly used by children. However, she persisted.

She took her findings directly to the Independence City Council, where – with backup from City Councilor Dawn Roden – her voice apparently was heard. She also credits Polk County Commission Chair Jeremy Gordon with helping to raise awareness of the issue once he was contacted. Gordon attributes the outcome to a joint effort at problem-solving. The library is no longer the man’s home.

“Conversations were already underway before I was alerted,” Gordon stated. Independence Police Chief Robert Mason “made the necessary adjustments” in consultation with Polk County Community Corrections, Gordon said. “I simply kept Laurel abreast of the situation,” he added.
This isn’t how Yourkowski sees it, however. She said she was disheartened by the initial response of Independence city officials, so she addressed the topic during public testimony at a recent council meeting.

The public sex-offender registry – with the man’s home address as the same as the Independence Library – could be a deterrent to use by residents, she asserted. “We should move somehow to change the public library address away from the sex offender’s address,” she said.

City Councilor Dawn Roden agreed, and asked Chief Mason how this situation could “slip” through the city’s safety net.

“I think this person sleeps regularly at the library,” Mason acknowledged. However, his sleeping occurs outdoors; homeless individuals cannot be prohibited from doing that under the law, Mason noted. “People can sleep where people can find shelter,” he explained.

In an email to Gordon, Yourkowski cited an Oregon statute that bars such convicted criminals from being in a location where children regularly congregate. A short time later, Yourkowski was notified of the man’s change of address.

Asked why she had been so tenacious – Yourkowski lives out of town and doesn’t have children – she said she has friends among local families, and it seemed “like the right thing to do.” ▪
 
School District bond committee recommends against trying for new voter-approved bond in near future

By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Dec. 8, 2023

INDEPENDENCE – The representative of a consulting firm hired by Central School District 13J to explore whether residents would support a new school bond advised against going forward with the proposal, which a survey shows doesn’t have the public support to justify the effort and expense of a campaign.

The bond, which would have gone on the next election ballot, was being considered to raise the money to renovate and refurbish aging infrastructure at schools. “Based on our research, the timing is not right to pass a bond measure during the May 2024 election,” said Anne Marie Levis, president of Funk/Levis & Associates, the Eugene-based company that assisted in exploring the feasibility of adding a new bond to the spring ballot.

The telephone survey was conducted in early October, two weeks before most residents received their annual property-tax bill with an increased tax amount due to school-bond payments.

The recommendation to delay a bond effort was based on a telephone survey of 400 people, which showed that those strongly in favor of a bond were roughly equal to those strongly against it. Hearing more information about the need for it didn’t shift those numbers, Levis observed. For a bond to have a good chance of passage, more support should be documented – 60% affirming support is a good sign, she said.

The bond committee, which convened months ago, consisted of 14 people, mostly community members, and involved Independence-based Creo Solutions as well as Funk/Levis.

Other reports from the school board meeting indicated reading success is being attained at several levels through more-frequent assessment – progress-tracking tests are now done three times annually to target some students for more intervention.

However, youths who are jumping from one school setting to another – fifth grade to middle school, eighth grade to high school – often lag in this tough transitional period. This can take a toll on academic growth, according to Julie Heilman, CSD’s executive director of teaching and learning, and Ashley Wildfang, CSD’s elementary director of teaching and learning.

The topic of absenteeism was pushed back to early 2024, but outside the meeting, Brian Flannery, the school district’s executive director of assessment and human resources, said that homelessness is an issue for the students contributing to the relatively high absentee rate in CSD. “The K-12 student focal group with lowest regular attender rate last year was our students navigating homelessness,” he stated. “There are many barriers and stressors that these students, and their families experience,” he said. This issue will be revisited when the matter becomes an agenda item in the near future. ▪

Police Chief Robert Mason shares crime statistics that show an upward trend in youth offenses
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Dec. 1, 2023

An increase in the number of juvenile offenses is a cause for local concern, though strategies to lessen the impact in certain neighborhoods has proven successful over the past year, Independence Police Chief Robert Mason reported at the mid-November city council meeting.

The final crime count involving young offenders isn’t yet available since the end of 2023 hasn’t yet been fully reached. “But I will say those numbers are trending up,” said Mason, who described efforts to address the problem as a “struggle.” The situation “really made some neighborhoods feel unsafe,” he said.

By placing more-intense police focus on areas in which more fights and drug use were reported among youth, such incidents have significantly declined, he noted. Some of the perpetrators have relocated, he said.

Mason offered no potential explanation for what he described as an upward trend, but it coincides with reports from the Central School District that absentee rates of CSD students are higher than the state average, prompting school officials to begin new approaches to combat the findings. This past week, the Oregon Department of Education released a report that included discipline events for the 2022-23 school year -- nearly nine percent of Oregon students had to undergo such measures, constituting another troubling trend.

Both juvenile delinquency and school discipline occur more often in economically disadvantaged groups, according to both the ODE report and the National Center for Health Research. The latter organization hasn’t linked poverty to such youth-related incidents in less populated cities, but in small towns housing and family instability are known to be associated with more crime in adolescents and young adults.

Historically, Oregon has had a relatively high Property Crime Index in its youth population, a reference to a nationally-used number that reflects burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson. ▪
 
Polk County Fair officials report unprecedented participation by 4H and FFA youth at the county fair
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Dec. 1, 2023

This year’s 4-H and FFA entrants to the Polk County Fair helped make it the biggest success in years -- the youth livestock auction raised nearly $596,000 in revenue – and the efforts of these young participants appear to be rivaling the rodeo as a draw for fairgoers.

As Polk County Fair Manager Tina Andersen put it: “These kids rock!”
Do they ever. The 4-H groups came within a hog’s tail of completely doubling their exhibits compared with last year.

At a recent meeting of the Polk County Board of Commissioners in Dallas, Andersen and Fair Board chair Tim Ray reported that the two groups – FFA and 4-H – were responsible for helping make the fair bigger and better than the one in 2022 – there was an increase of 11.5% over the last one.

FFA had 116 exhibitors, a 23% increase, as well as 202 exhibits, an uptick of 1%; 4-H had 234 exhibitors, up 31.5%, along with 2,206 exhibits, which translates to a whopping increase of 90%.
The youth auction played a starring role: there were 212 animals, up 14% from 2022. All those hand-raised goats, sheep and other animals resulted in a jump of overall revenue at the auction, by 16.5% with a total that reached $595,779.

Outside the meeting, Andersen and Ray confirmed that many of the teen contributions were from Central High School, which has an expanded greenhouse and a thriving student agricultural community.

Costs for participation by 4H, FFA and open-class youth were covered by donations from the Polk County Farm Bureau, according to a list of donors to the Polk County Fair. ▪
 
All over town, residents and the city are lighting up the town with illuminated holiday decorations
 
By Anne Scheck
Trammart News Service, Dec. 1, 2023

From a home-based light show on Williams Drive that becomes a popular cruising destination this time of year to a tree along Highway 51 all dressed up for holiday cheer, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Independence.

When darkness descends, a drive-by to some parts of town this time of year is making spirits bright.

For anyone who wants to see holiday scenes ablaze in color and light, the front yard of 1365 Williams Drive, where the Aldrich family puts on a display that can only be called an extravaganza, is a good place to start. The show starts Saturday, Dec. 2, beginning at sundown, and continues nightly.

Not far away, on Gun Club Road, is the unofficial city Christmas tree. On the west side of the street about a block from the intersection with Hoffman Road, one of the town’s tallest evergreens is festooned with multi-colored lights. It is not only a sight to see, but hard to miss.
A tree that looks like it could be a twin is along the west side of Highway 51 near Marker 3. Both big trees have been made available for viewing by families that decorated them all the way up to the top of their gigantic branches.

In Riverview Park, the Glow Walk is not to be missed. Stroll under an archway with winking-blinking lights and take in the illuminations on king-sized Christmas ornaments.
These spots are surefire bets to awaken your inner ho-ho-ho. And keep an eye out for Santa and Rudolph, who are all lit up and temporarily occupying the yards of many houses this year, as Indies of Indy offer a highly visual and luminous way to offer season’s greetings. ▪