Editorial

Earthquakes are rare,
but it's wise to prepare

Letters to the editor

Chamber endorses
school bond measure

To the Editor:
The Canby Area Chamber of Commerce would like to go on record in support of Measure 3-71, the bond measure for the Canby School District. As members of the local business community, we support the need for a quality school system.

Many of our business colleagues were students in the Canby schools. The quality of education they received translates to the quality of employee or business owner they have become. A vibrant community depends on a healthy school system. We have this in Canby, and do not want it lost in the future.

As a chamber, we have looked at the $30.8 million bond measure and are convinced the needs are real. The problems to be remedied by this measure have been allowed to exist for too long, and will only get worse - much worse - if not corrected immediately.

The chamber board, collectively and individually, have wholeheartedly endorsed Measure 3-71. Over the past several decades, the burden that has been put on the public school system to educate our youth, academically and socially, has increased dramatically.

Support Measure 3-71. It's an investment in Oregon's future. It's good for Canby, it's good for families, and it's good for business.
Michael McNichols, president
Canby Area Chamber of Comerce

Rural resident says
Gustafson her choice

To the Editor:
I am writing in regards to this year's race for Clackamas County's district attorney. Four years ago, I endorsed Terry Gustafson over John Foote and would like to do the same again this election.

Four years ago, my reasons were based on a very personal and tragic situation. Our family got trapped in the political crossfire of John Foote, using our 9-year-old son to make a name for himself. I would personally like to thank the voters of Clackamas County for sending a message to Mr. Foote four years ago, through your votes, that his tactics and politics are not wanted here.

As the mother of six children, I can only describe Mr. Foote and Co.'s reactions to losing the election as a Class A temper tantrum. Mrs. Gustafson has been harassed and sidetracked from the job we hired her to do from the first day she took office.

She has been accused of unethical behavior and anything else they can come up with. She was taken to court and acquitted of the charges. Unfortunately, that was not good enough, so they continued to pursue this harassing behavior and now are trying to get her disbarred.

Maybe they will succeed; hopefully not. But this I do know - we owe Terry Gustafson four more years as D.A. to give her a chance to do her job to her best ability without all the personal distractions she has been forced to endure.

She has done an excellent job despite all these attacks. She had 16 years Clackamas County experience in the D.A.'s office and, unlike her opponents, she realizes that most of us who choose to live a more rural, simple life aren't simple minded.

Give her four more years to show us what she can do. As an ironic side note, the same people who are trying to discredit Terry are staunch supporters of Bill Clinton. Make sense of that!
Laurel L. Roses
Mulino

Class delighted to be
part of Youth Summit

To the Editor:
We were thrilled to be asked to participate in the Canby Youth Summit. We feel very strongly about certain things, and it was nice to be heard. We've also talked with other sixth-graders and would like for everyone to keep a few thoughts in mind.

We want to be able to be successful throughout our schooling and later in life. To help, we'd like to have somewhere to go to get help with our homework or problems. We really liked it when the high schoolers came over to tutor after school.

This place could also have video games, somewhere to shoot hoops, and also a snack bar with music. The homework place could just be a corner area or something similar. It needs to be in town, so we could walk there (we don't drive yet!), and our parents could pick us up. It needs to be a place where we can feel safe and a place our parents can trust the people in charge.

We don't mind paying a small admission, or helping to keep it clean. It will help us feel like it is our place if we have to take care of it. This could also be a place for teen-agers to work, helping Canby solve the problem of not enough jobs. The center could also host events like dances, movies and concerts with local bands. An example of this place could be Boys and Girls Clubs, or the Woodburn Drop-in Center.

This center would help keep us out of trouble and that means that we would be safe. We'd also like to see more sidewalks so we don't have to walk on the streets. We think the helmet laws need to be better enforced, too.

We love living in Canby. We especially appreciate that it's small and we can walk to most places without having our parents right behind us. We like that there's a lot of sports opportunities, but wish there were more of them and that they were cheaper.

We like how people are always trying to improve Canby, like the Logging Road path, and how the Thriftway got bigger. We wish that promised things like the Canby Skate Park and the 13th Avenue Park didn't take so long to happen.

Thanks again for listening to us, and for realizing that sixth-graders can have good ideas, too.
Mrs. Barber's class
Ackerman Middle School campus

Ninety-One School
patrons back the bond

To the Editor:
We are Ninety-One area residents who support the $30.8 million bond wholeheartedly. We all currently have or had children go through the Ninety-One/Canby school system. We value the quality of education our children have received and wish to keep it that way.

The maintenance needs are real and have to be dealt with. If we don't pass this bond, it will only mean larger class sizes, reduction in programs, reduction in extracurricular activities, etc. The repairs have to come from somewhere, which means they will come from kids.

Securing land is a logical step, as it will only become more expensive and harder to find as time goes on.

The Canby School District has been Band-Aided too long. It is time to make positive changes. Please vote yes for Measure No. 3-71, the Canby School District bond.
Doug Aamodt, Anita Hosler, Richard and
Karen Kropf and Candi Millar
Concerned Ninety-One patrons

Support, vote for bond
is solution to school's woes

To the Editor:
Thank you to Lisa Stamp (Letter to the Editor, March 22) for stepping forward with her observations about problems in our schools. Her letter, in particular, mentioned overcrowding at Trost. However, as we have heard from the school district and articles in the Canby Herald, the overcrowding issue is just the "tip of the iceberg." We have serious building and infrastructure problems that also need to be addressed.

In her letter, Ms. Stamp encourages local business interests to step in and help alleviate the problems through donations and volunteer efforts. As a local business person and a member of the Canby Educational Foundation, it seems to me that the business sector, in general, makes significant contributions to our schools in both of these areas - over and above the dreaded words "payment of taxes."

It is important to remember that most businesses within the area are privately owned by a family. Although there are some exceptions and some businesses give more than others, the business community does support our schools. The immediate needs our schools have are well defined in the school district's "Facts! About Our School Bond Measure." They total more than $30 million. There is no way contributions by local businesses alone could begin to make a significant dent in that level of need.

There is a solution. The entire community must take responsibility for assuring that our public schools provide safe and adequate facilities for our children. We have before us Bond Measure No. 3-71 that helps address some of the problems raised by Ms. Stamp. I plead with the public - each citizen in this community - to get involved in the effort to pass this measure.

There is an active campaign that can use the assistance of all concerned community members. Please call me, Gay Kuykendall, Marty McCullough, Paul Bizon, Sandy Ricksger, Thelma Hooper or Wayne Scott and offer to help. All of us are in the phone book. Talk to your friends and neighbors. Encourage them to support the bond measure.

Above all, please vote in the coming election. Remember that our mail election in May is a "double majority" election. More than 50 percent of registered voters must vote, and more than 50 percent of those who do vote must vote yes. The old adage, "majority vote rules" is no longer the case. A registered voter who does not take time to vote can actually defeat a measure.

We have problems in our schools. The problems are ours. Let's unite by campaigning to take care of them.
R. Roger Reif
Canby