Opinion

Civic participation

The city of Canby wants you - and your opinions - to count. And so do we. Three public meetings during the next week will provide opportunities for local residents and business owners to air their thoughts and opinions about future industrial-commercial growth, redevelopment in downtown Canby, and how buildings in the city's commercial core should look.

The issues of the Urban Renewal District, and funding the extensions of Sequoia Parkway and Southeast Fourth Avenue will be discussed during a 6 p.m. workshop tonight at the Canby Utility board room.

Funding mechanisms to pay for the road construction projects in Canby's industrial area, estimated to cost a total of $2.2 million, need to be decided by the City Council, which acts as the Urban Renewal District Agency. About 70 people attended last Thursday's workshop on the same issues.

Following the Feb. 21 workshop, the council is expected to make road-funding decisions at its meeting starting at 7:30 p.m. in the adjacent Council Chambers.

At 7 p.m. Thursday, a draft of the Canby Downtown Redevelopment Plan will be presented to the public during a town hall meeting at the Canby Adult Center.

The plan's aim is to create a healthy mixed-use downtown commercial district, which attracts more local people and visitors to a wide variety of businesses.

The report to be discussed includes information on land-use patterns, transportation, opportunities and constraints, marketing assessment and strategies, and downtown revitalization projects.

The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of April, so city planners want public input at the Feb. 22 meeting before recommendations are made to the Planning Commission and City Council.

Canby Business Revitalization will host a meeting regarding its Storefront Improvement Grant Program next Wednesday.

Sprucing up business facades and frontages in the downtown business core is the aim of the program, and interested merchants and property owners will be presented new information about the program at the Feb. 28 meeting.

Architects will be on hand to display and discuss their creative ideas for how downtown Canby's commercial core could look in the future. The meeting will be held from 7-9 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Canby Adult Center on South Ivy Street.

If you or your family care about these issues, the upcoming three meetings will enable you to make your hopes and fears known. It's time to get involved.

Letters to the editor

Pitchpipers to host
chorus tomorrow

On Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m., the Oregon Trail Pitchpipers Barbershop chorus will have a guest night for men who enjoy singing. The event will be held at the Old Town Hall above Cutsforth's Thriftway in Canby.

The chorus was formed in the mid-1960s through the efforts of several local businessmen and others in the community. In a few years the chorus grew to 70 members. At the present time there are about 35 members.

Several of the original charter members are still active. They are Roy Zimmer, Al Rydmark, Duane Redfield, Jack Cutsforth, Ken Dworschak and Roy Dworschak.

Wayne Schumacher, the first director of the chorus passed away in 1980, and was an exciting director to sing for. He also sang baritone in the first quartet in the chapter, The Notorious Four. The three others in the quartet were Cutsforth, Redfield and Ken Dworschak. They may sing a song at the guest night with the help of a substitute baritone.

Any former member or anyone who loves to sing is welcome to attend this special guest night on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m.
Ken Dworschak
Canby

Tobacco store is too
close to high school

I am a student at Canby High School and, as you know, we have off campus lunch. In short walking distance there is a Smoke for Less Store. This bothers me because 18-year-old students can buy cigarettes. This means seniors at the high school can purchase cigarettes or other tobacco products.

This is not the problem. I think those kids who can buy the tobacco products buy and then sell them to kids not old enough to buy. This bothers me because kids who are not old enough to buy tobacco products are buying them at lunch, and even using them.

My solution to slow down the rate of minors using tobacco products is to limit their chances to buy them. This could be done in a couple of ways. One way is the store could move to a different location, like next to Fred Meyer.

The other thing that could be done is the store could be told to close down during the high school lunch hour, or they could card people and not sell to people under 21.

It would make me feel better knowing fewer minors smoked. It also makes it hard for some people to stop smoking even though they are told one thing in one class, but when they go outside there is a tobacco store within walking distance.

Thanks for your time.
Jon Iverson
Canby

Canby citizens
support the URD

Regarding the Urban Renewal District, I've heard a great deal of rhetoric about needing citizen input and "listening" to the public.

On Thursday, Feb. 15, a public hearing was held to consider the funding of Sequoia Parkway via the URD. The meeting was well attended and the citizens spoke overwhelmingly in favor of continuing the URD as originally planned.

I challenge the City Council to "listen" to the citizen's appeal and act accordingly.
Virginia Daniels
Canby

Don't be so quick to
plot a new course

I have been following the Herald's articles concerning the development of the industrial park and must admit I have noticed a considerable change in the tone of the conversation and focus since the election.

Even though it is understandable that new councilors and a new mayor may have a different approach, it would seem only responsible to carefully meter any radical change of a course already plotted and put into action. To fail to do so does a great disservice to the tremendous amount of work and planning and public input that has already been done. As we are seeing, a rapid shift jeopardizes and compromises benefits that would have soon been realized had we stayed on course.

I am not hearing this council reach out to the public for input, but only trying to out shout the voices that have come forward. Valid concerns are there and need to be discussed.

I compliment the position taken by the fire department as it allows for compromise and consideration. What seems to be tilting the field is a lack of sensitivity of the council to the needs of this community to balance its economy. A community that reduces commercial sustainability, while increasing its residential growth will lose its identity as more and more residents identify more closely to their career and work location (almost always out of town) as their "home."

Think about it. How many lunches does a commuter enjoy in our town? Where did he buy that "last minute" Valentine's Day card and flowers for his wife? Where did he get his hair cut? Does he know the name of his barber, let alone the name of his kids?

I understand it might be hard for a well-positioned professional to appreciate the benefits of having a real hometown that is more than a post office box, but think of the future - our kids and grandkids. Are we going to offer them a working town or a suitcase with the diploma as they graduate?

Can we begin to build a Canby that has something to offer them if they choose to stay here? Will they be able to make a family wage and buy their first home here? Can we build a town that nurtures and utilizes the talents of our kids, and will they in turn feel they have an investment here? After all, isn't that really the Canby of our imagination?

I hope the school administration weighs in on the need for opportunities for our youth. This propensity of building homes without offering jobs is not balanced. This approach of obstructing business instead of looking at the complex issue of managing growth is short- sighted.

This Urban Renewal District is not the boogie man come to town, but it takes a mechanic to understand the correct application of this tool. And it takes leadership and love for our community to want to maximize its benefit.
D. Shuman
Canby