By Anne Scheck

COMMUNICATION SNAGS OVER INTERNET SURVEY

A survey being conducted by the Polk County Board of Commissioners about the need for broadband services in rural parts of the county prompted MINET General Manager Don Patten to express disappointment that the board “did not reach out to us to learn what we could have contributed” before the data-collection effort was underway. 
 
In a letter written this past week by Mr. Patten to commission members, he pointed out that MINET has been deeply involved in research on the same matter. “Together I think we can accomplish much more in addressing the internet needs in Polk County than we can by working at non-coordinating purposes,” Mr. Patten concluded. The online survey asks participants to rate various potential broadband providers. So far, there have been an estimated 1,000 responses, which represent about 25% of the targeted rural demographic.
 
Mr. Patten suggested “a partnership going forward between the Polk County Commissioners and MINET/Willamette Valley Fiber.” MINET, a municipal broadband company co-founded by Independence, has been seeking to widen its customer base for the past several years. 
 
Mr. Pope called the letter “at least, disingenuous.” Instead, "why don't they just pick up the phone?" he asked.  "Our intent right now is to qualify loosely stated rural need with data that would qualify us for federal funding assistance,” he explained.  
 
The Board of Commissioners expects to help partner with whatever company or companies are interested in expanding to rural customers and may need grant assistance to get it done, he explained. “And so, the best deal for the public is being sought,” he stated. A reply sent to Mr. Patten, signed by the county’s administrative officer, Greg Hansen, pledged that “throughout this process Polk County will share its results and give periodic updates to the public.” 
 
Once the final data are collected “of course, we’d have MINET at the table if they have something to offer rural consumers,” Commissioner Pope said.

CITY COUNCIL: Seeking New Museum

A hunt for a new location of the Independence Heritage Museum got the official stamp of approval Tuesday, after City Councilor Marilyn Morton introduced a resolution to set in motion the search for a better building. 
 
The resolution was worded to reflect the exploratory nature of the effort -- it ensures that findings will come back to the city council before any further action is taken.  
 
The Heritage Museum, which is housed in a former church with multiple stairs, has been difficult to access for anyone who requires a mobility-assistance device, such as a walker or a wheelchair. Some elderly residents who would like to visit the museum haven’t done so, according to some attendees at events, who have reported that friends or relatives stayed away because the steps are too big a barrier. 
    
One location under consideration is the former “Picken Chicken” antique store, a single-level space at 281 2nd Street. It has the advantage of being much closer to the downtown area and, also, it has large storage capacity, said Vickie McCubbin, president of the Heritage Museum Advisory Board. 
 
The scouting effort for a new museum was affirmed by all but one of the city councilors: Jennifer Ranstrom-Smith cast the dissenting vote. 

UPDATE

The Independence Hotel is nearing completion, though it’s not taking individual reservations yet. But it’s under obligation to open August 23, 2019 – that’s the date when a fairly large group has contracted the first overnight stay. Staff has been hired; A liquor license has been approved. The city council toured the facility Tuesday afternoon. 

COMING UP 

A look at water issues facing the city was scheduled for this month’s issue of The Independent, but it has been delayed until September. Pick up this month’s issue on new approaches being used by the Independence Police Department.  

FINAL NOTE

City-owned property at Independence Landing, a parcel across from the new hotel known as “Lot 7,” is up for sale. The price is open to negotiation. City Manager Tom Pessemier wouldn’t put a dollar value on it, but, in general, such land is worth about $10 per square foot and the lot is nearly 24,000 square feet.

 By Anne Scheck
 
PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT: Airport Area Plan Unveiled

A development concept for vacant land around the Independence State Airport was presented Tuesday night to the city council – with a list of business options that range from industrial manufacturing east of the airpark to smaller operations west of the airport runway.
 
The power-point presentation, called a “Targeted Industry Analysis,” was given at the meeting by consultant Todd Chase of FCS, a firm based in the Seattle area. It was the “draft-final report” – a document that will return to the city council for official approval. 
 
The effort to study the issue involved several airpark residents and local pilots, who had volunteered to work with city staff and the consultant to help decide the best potential development for land around the airport and airpark. None of the members of that volunteer group attended the city council meeting. Local airpark resident David Ullman, an appointed member of the advisory group, said he wasn’t notified of it; The president of the Independence Airpark Homeowners Association, Gary Van Horn, said he wasn’t told about it, either.  
 
Shawn Irvine, the city’s economic development director, said he didn’t consider it essential to personally inform any of the residents who had contributed to the volunteer group. City Councilor Michael Hicks, a neighbor of Mr. Van Horn, said the same thing. “I am open to answering questions when someone has them,” Councilor Hicks said. 
 
Though the original aim of the report was to provide an overview of what might be suitable for land west of the airport, it also included the possibility for more manufacturing in the heavy industrial zone across Stryker Road. That zone is a “state-certified industrial site with rail access,” according to Mr. Chase’s presentation. 
 
Wetland mapping may be needed for the western parcels, Mr. Chase said. Wetland areas often “end up being a bottleneck for many cities,” Mr. Irvine noted, adding that it may be necessary to determine the “scope of the problem.” 
 
The draft-final report wasn’t in the agenda packet or posted on the city’s website at the time of the meeting. The item on the city council agenda that referred to the report was listed “FCS Group: Targeted Industry Analysis.” 
 
*A request was made that the draft-final document be posted on the city website. See editorial note at end of Linking Letter for an opinion on this topic.

KAYAK COMPANY FOR RIVERVIEW CITY PARK

A one-year contract is being extended to a kayak and paddleboard company for placement of a trailer in Riverview Park, where the river-faring equipment can be rented. The company, Woodward Surf, will pay 5% of its gross profits to the city in exchange for doing business at the spot. The cost to the company was “deliberately kept low to encourage early profitability,” according to the memorandum on the contract. 
 
The council approved the proposal, with one dissenting vote. Safety concerns about a water-craft enterprise on city property without more information prompted Councilor Jennifer Ranstrom-Smith to vote against it, she said.   

COMING UP

A new pipeline to spray water recycled from the city’s wastewater lagoons will be installed between the Independence State Airport and Rogers Road. The new effluent system, which will spread the water on fields, will cost about $726,000. That’s $500,000 dollars under the original engineering estimate, said Kie Cottam, the city’s public works director. The city’s capacity for wastewater storage frequently is reached – and exceeded – during the summer months, he explained. This system, which will be 10,000 feet long, can help reduce the volume in the lagoons, he said. 

EDITORIAL NOTE

I live at the airpark, and, though I'm so terrified of planes that that it takes a big dose of liquid spirits to get me on a commercial flight, I am proud of my local airport. It makes money for the state. It brings visibility to the town. It offers many family-oriented events, from hot-air balloon launches to the Young Eagles program, which acquaints youth with aircraft. I don’t have any interest in flying. In fact, my house has no direct access to the taxiways here – just an easement. But here is what I do have: participatory neighbors. I believe they deserve more heads-up from the city than a five-word title on the city council agenda about an analysis in which some were asked to contribute. I believe all of our citizens deserve good communication, and I hope the city can provide it.

 By Anne Scheck
 
NEW TRANSPORTATION PROPOSAL PRESENTED

A new transportation system that would include regular bus stops in Independence was presented by Salem transportation planner Ted Stonecliffe at the last city council meeting. Mr. Stonecliffe, who appeared on behalf of Cherriots, Salem’s public transit system, thanked Independence for its previously stated support of this proposed “redesign.” 
 
The plan would change bus transportation from a pattern that has no fixed pathway in Independence – but is available by request 24 hours in advance – to one with scheduled times and locations for travel back and forth to Salem, up to eight times daily. Riders who have difficulty getting to the designated spots could continue to arrange for special pick-up and drop-offs, he explained.  The project would be funded with grant money, Mr. Stonecliffe added. Several options are being examined, and public input is being sought (see link below). 
 
However, the concept failed to win approval from the Polk County Board of Commissioners last month. At the city council meeting, Mr. Stonecliffe said there has been some “fence-mending” since that time. 
 
At the most recent meeting of the Polk County Board of Commissioners, Commission Chair Craig Pope explained that a rift occurred more than a year ago, over a bus route from Falls City to other cities, such as Dallas. It was financed as a pilot project – and widely seen as a success, he said. But it failed to win support for more funding from Cherriots. Now, the county is paying for that transportation. “Some of the people who need to go to a pharmacy, who want to shop – they would have no way to do this from out there,” he said. “So we’re using county money.”
 
Commissioner Pope said he couldn’t rule out the possibility that the Polk County Board of Commissioners might take a more conciliatory view in the future. “I think the (Cherriots) general manager might do well to come to (our) commission meeting,” he commented. (To take a survey on the proposed change, click on this link   https://www.cherriots.org/regional/  and scroll down the web page and click on TAKE THE SURVEY.)

 UPDATE: RIVERFRONT – 124 APARTMENTS COMING

A site-design review is in the works for 124-unit apartment complex along the downtown riverfront. “They want to get going,” City Manager Tom Pessemier told the city councilors at their last meeting, referring to the developer, Tokola Properties. The apartments are to be located next to the as-yet unfinished hotel. The development, originally called Independence Landing, is now being referred to in city documents as Osprey Landing subdivision. Both the multi-family housing and the hotel are being built by Tokola of Gresham, Ore. 
 
Tokola company officials estimated last month that the opening for The Independence Hotel would occur in July, but that date now has been pushed back to August. However, Tokola apparently is ready to start the second phase, which includes two apartment buildings, as well as townhomes and duplexes. The company plans to use the vacant land across the street as a staging area for the new construction. No public hearing was required on the proposal, according to forms filed with the city. 

 IN BRIEF

Skippers, the seafood house on Main Street, has moved to Monmouth (165 S Broad St.) The Picken Chicken, a vintage-vendor shop In Independence, has vacated its location across from the Independence Post Office; It’s now at 120 D Street. Two business-related fees renewed last month by the city are unlikely to affect locally relocating businesses like the Picken Chicken. A business-registration fee, of $25, isn’t required for a move in town, and a business-occupancy fee, of $75, is imposed only on businesses that need city-provided proof of a commercial enterprise, usually for the purposes of securing financing, according to city staff.   

COMING UP 

A project manager has been selected for construction oversight of the round-about traffic circle for Highway 99, which is scheduled to be built at the juncture of Clow Corner, according to an announcement at the Polk County Board of Commission meeting. Work on the project may mean some drivers will divert to Highway 51 or other parallel thoroughfares through Independence, according to some commuters who were asked to predict how they might change their homeward or work-heading navigation.  

FINAL NOTE

Trammart News wishes you a happy, healthy, fun-filled and safe Fourth of July in a town known far and wide for Independence Day.