Let there
be lights
Photo by Steve Wilkowske
Jose Rodriguez, an employee of the Beaverton-based Light Up Co., hangs a string of Christmas lights at Wait Park last week. Thanks to an outpouring of support from the community, four maples will be illuminated throughout the holidays.
By David Howell
Canby Herald
After hiding in unseasonal darkness last
Christmastime, Wait Park will soon emerge from the winter shadows at nighttime.
Last week, workers from The Light Up Co. of Beaverton hung strings of bright white lights,
carefully draping them around the branches of stately maple trees.
As a result of their efforts, the downtown park will be partially lighted this yuletide,
and a Nov. 25 lighting ceremony will see four maples and the gazebo illuminated.
Attractive wreaths, spruced up by Canby Adult Center volunteers, will be hung by city
workers to ring Wait Park, adding to its atmosphere.
The Light Up Wait Park Campaign has successfully attracted citizen involvement, city
input, and an infusion of cash during the past seven months.
The Whiskey Hill Jazz Band will kick off festivities at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, with
Canby City Council President Walt Daniels as the master of ceremonies, and the Barlow
Trail Sweet Adelines singing seasonal songs. Santa Claus will arrive by fire truck in time
for the light switch to be flicked on by Daniels at about 6:30 p.m. Camp Fire girls will
then lead a community sing-a-long of Christmas carols.
The MOMS Club of Canby will pass out cocoa, cider and cookies to lighting ceremony
attendees.
(The club will host a 4-6 p.m. dinner and benefit the same day at nearby Knight Elementary
School to raise funds for Tammy Long in her brave battle against breast cancer, and hope
citizens will attend both events.)
Many local people and business owners heeded the call to illuminate a city centerpiece for
the holiday season.
At least $10,000 has been donated - enough to light four maples at $1,500 per tree, to buy
holiday-themed displays, and to save money for more lights and displays for Christmas
2001.
Roth Heating and Cooling, Canby Disposal/KB Recycling and Canby Telephone Association each
donated $2,000 to the campaign. Canby volunteer firefighters gave $800, and Dr. Donald
Perman's downtown dental office donated $500, challenging others in the medical field to
also make pledges toward the campaign.
Canby Utility put Light Up Wait Park campaign fliers in bills, and customers generously
responded by donating $2,630 to the cause, sending checks and putting cash in canisters
displayed at downtown businesses.
White lights with larger, longer-lasting bulbs that require minimal maintenance during 10
years will be installed in the trees and around the gazebo.
The lights had to be pre-bought months ago, so organizers ordered the quantity of lights
based on donation estimates at the time.
"The businesses and community had an overwhelming response, so next year we'll be
able to add more trees to be lighted," said Bev Doolittle, the chamber's executive
director.
"We really want to stress that this is a work in progress. We're going to work from
the inside out, lighting four trees this year and, hopefully, at least another four trees
next year.
''The semi-permanent lights will stay up year round, and do not require much maintenance.
''The checks coming in have been phenomenal, and we're collecting from donation canisters
around town, too . . . Any money we don't use this year will go toward lighting more trees
next year, so it'll be great to continue to get donations."
Campaign organizers have also decided to install a Christmas tree for the downtown Pioneer
Plaza, across from Parson's Canby Pharmacy, in late November or early December.
Many other individuals and businesses, including Canby Utility and Cutsforth's Thriftway,
have supported the Canby Area Chamber of Commerce-sponsored lighting effort with in-kind
donations and fund-raisers. Finden's Footwear created an in-store promotion, and is
donating $1 from every pair of shoes sold bearing a "Light Up Wait Park" sticker
to the campaign.
"I, personally, think developing a Christmas atmosphere and a shopping season in
Canby would benefit from the lighting of Wait Park," said owner Craig Finden.
"It's fun for the merchants to be involved, and it allows for the customers to be
involved, too.
''I like it with the lights. I know the efforts it took to the light the park as it was,
and I'm grateful for people's efforts in the past, but it'll be nice as a community if we
can light the park again. I think everybody will appreciate it."
Fred Kahut, the owner of Canby Disposal and KB Recycling, has also pledged $2,000 to the
campaign.
"I was involved from the beginning when they first had lights in the park," he
said. "People in the Kiwanis Club, in the chamber, Myra Weston - we would all help
put up the lights years ago."
Last year, Kahut, who has lived in Canby since 1964, also helped Canby Telephone
Association employees put up decorations along Highway 99E.
This year, his company's workers will put up the candy canes on highway light poles as
part of their donation to the holiday cause.
Businesses surrounding Wait Park, including dental offices and others, plan to light and
decorate their buildings to add to the park's appeal.
Many downtown businesses and local residents felt, with lights absent from Wait Park last
Christmas, something was definitely missing from the town's yuletide scene.
"All of a sudden (the tradition) just disappeared, and we didn't have any
lights," Kahut said. "There ought to be to lights. I'm glad somebody's stepping
up. We need lights in Canby at Christmas."
Kahut and the chamber hope other companies and citizens will continue to get involved.
And money left over from the cost of buying this year's lighting and decorations will be
used to light more trees and buy more displays for next Christmas, Doolittle said.
For more information on the ongoing campaign, call Kory MacGregor at 503-266-1249, or
Doolittle at 503-266-4600.
City eyes potential
marketing strategies
By David Howell
Canby Herald
The goal of creating a vibrant and viable mixed-use downtown district,
brimming with stores, restaurants and shoppers, is continuing to gather pace.
And eventually the hard decisions regarding money and marketing will need to be made by
stakeholders in Canby.
Mary Bosch of Marketek, the city's contracted consultant, recently presented findings from
her Canby Market Assessment survey and offered initial marketing strategies, based on her
research and suggestions made during six public workshops held this past summer.
She defined a "trade area" around Canby with a population of more than 32,000
people, with a median age of 41, and a median household income of almost $52,000, all of
which are forecast to grow by 2005.
"The trade area is the geographic area where downtown Canby has the greatest
potential to draw customers from," Bosch said, "and it has above-average
population growth and income growth, which is the combination you're looking for."
Rural areas north, east, south and west of Canby, plus Aurora and Barlow, were deemed to
be the main trade area, but larger cities in the region were not.
Bosch said Canby's competitive advantages include a growing market area and target
markets; visible, but removed from Highway 99E; several strong, large traffic-generating
(stores), and institutional anchors; significant investment and business growth; adjacent
residential neighborhoods; an established Economic Improvement District; committed,
positive business owners; and a walkable, friendly and green downtown.
The city's competitive disadvantages include many blocks and many buildings are not
conducive to retail; absence of critical mass of retail stores; a lack of a clear market
identity; and a limited selection and limited store hours, she found.
Opportunities suggested were retail niche/cluster expansion and promotion, development of
vacant properties, in-fill lots with mixed-use development, and cross-marketing with area
visitor attractions.
Challenges observed were commercial expansion near 99E, the need to serve multiple target
markets (residents, workers, visitors, seniors, etc.), property owner expectations, and
unclear roles and responsibilities related to downtown marketing/business redevelopment
among stakeholders.)
Business opportunities outlined included specialty retailers, restaurants, a movie
theater, and live entertainment at a restaurant, coffee house or microbrewery. Bosch, who
surveyed 50 businesses and spoke with about 80 residents, suggested promoting downtown's
image as a place to work, shop, live and play, and focusing on specific images and
promotional themes, such as a farming-railroad theme for signage and advertising.
The Nov. 9 meeting at the Canby Adult Center attracted 30 people, including councilors,
business owners, and Canby Business Revitalization members.
Canby Planning Department project manager Matilda Deas demonstrated computer software and
graphic programs to show how existing businesses could look in the future, including Bikes
'N More on Northwest First Avenue (pictured).
Bosch said downtown Canby needs to be promoted as a destination to keep customers coming
back, incorporating a series of developed target market campaigns, and a consistent,
comprehensive and ongoing marketing program.
She offered numerous promotional ideas and business development strategies, and noted that
the tens of thousands of annual visitors to events at the Clackamas County Fairgrounds
need to be "pulled into downtown."
Bosch said key players - the CBR, the Canby Area Chamber of Commerce, city staff, and
downtown merchants - must agree on roles and responsibilities during the upcoming
"action plan" stage.
"The next step is to set up a meeting with all the key players to divvy up the pie
and bring this forward," Deas said, "and, of course, to work out the money
aspect."
Bosch's final report is due in late November, and the downtown redevelopment plan is
scheduled to be completed in April.
"This is one spoke in the wheel for the downtown visioning process," she said.
"What jumps out is Canby is in the path of growth, being a fringe community on the
outskirts of the metro area, which is dynamite from a market perspective.
''I'm excited. There's huge opportunity in Canby . . . but the right businesses will need
to be courted and enticed here."
The state Transportation Growth Management program awarded Canby's downtown project an
$85,000 grant, with a $9,000 city match, and the state Department of Land Conservation and
Development gave $15,000 to study downtown parking issues.
The Mount Hood Economic Alliance is providing a $34,000 grant for downtown facade
improvements, such as awnings, painted window treatments, and landscaping, and the CBR is
putting up $17,000.
For more information about downtown redevelopment, or to schedule times to devise
computer-enhanced downtown store design ideas, call Deas at 503-266-9404.
Aurora election results mirror
trend established in Florida
By Jon Bell
Canby Herald
With bated breath, voters around the nation have anxiously awaited the
results of the presidential election. Recounts, confusing ballots and lingering chads have
left the electorate in limbo.
But voters in Aurora need only look to their own election of a new mayor and three City
Council members to satisfy any obscure election cravings they may have. Even though the
election was held more than two weeks ago, the final tabulations for Aurora's candidates
are just now available.
"We didn't get started as soon as possible," said a Marion County Elections
Division clerk, "and the fact that all of the votes for mayor were write-ins didn't
make it any easier."
One person, Charles C. Donald, registered to run for a council seat. Candidates for the
two remaining seats were write-ins.
In a scenario paralleling the presidential election, Aurora elections clerks had to first
pass all the ballots through a mechanical counter. The machine kicks out the ballots
containing write-in candidates into a separate compartment.
Clerks then examine the ballots, pass them through the machine a second time, count the
write-ins and tally the votes.
"We figure it's better to get it right," the clerk said of the lengthy
procedure. "I think we've all learned a valuable lesson" from the situation in
Florida, she added.
Marion County elections officials have released the names of the top vote-getters, along
with the number of votes they received. But the official announcement of the winners has
to come from the Aurora City Council.
Adding yet another twist to this bizarre election, Nick Kaiser, the current mayor of
Aurora, received the most write-in votes. But Kaiser wasn't interested in serving another
term as mayor, acting City Recorder Susan Wright said. Kaiser was not available for
comment.
Until the discrepancies are ironed out, the unofficial write-in results from Marion County
Elections for mayor are as follows: Nick Kaiser, 35 votes; Bill Carr, 24 votes; Wayne
Schultz, three votes; Nick Bilyeu, three votes; and a smattering of write-ins who received
one or two votes.
In the Aurora City Council race, Donald received 197 votes, Nick Kaiser got 23 votes, Neil
McLean captured seven votes, Patricia Heid earned five votes, and Mava Fabian finished
with four votes.
Bond upgrades
improve
educational climate
By Jon Bell
Canby Herald
The paint is drying, and the final nails have been driven in on most of
the first-round bond projects in the Canby School District.
Ackerman Middle School and the Lee campus, along with three elementary schools - Carus,
Knight, and Eccles - are all safe from the elements under new roofs. Various schools have
received shiny new playground equipment, and new siding at Ninety-One Elementary School
and Eccles is soundly in place.
The renovations are the result of the $30.8 million bond voters passed in May.
According to Don Staehely, the district's director of operations, all the projects, if
they're not already complete, are being "finished up." His assessment is a
literal one: Painting and siding work at Carus will be completed within the next few days.
"It's been a good project," said Corey Hayner, a painter who's putting on the
final touches at Carus. He added that the bond-related upgrades are sure to improve the
educational experiences of children.
Rhonda Rosenlof, a secretary at Carus, has had plenty of experience dealing with leaks.
Thankfully, those days have been relegated to the past.
"Oh, it's so much better," Rosenlof said. "Before (the repairs), whenever
it rained, a new leak seemed to appear . . . and you could literally put your finger
through the siding. Now, we love the fact that we can hear the rain and not feel it."
So far, $1.7 million has been spent on the first wave of projects. To date, the total from
all projects completed has come in $120,000 under budget. "People are already seeing
the effects of the (bond-related) projects," Staehely said.
The projects are doing exactly what they were intended to do, he said. "They're
providing proper classroom and teaching conditions."
With most of the initial projects complete, the focus now shifts to the design work for
the next round of projects. In the works are plans for Canby High School's professional
tech wing and gymnasium renovation, and upgrades for the science rooms at Ninety-One
Elementary, Ackerman, and at the high school.
Phase II of the renovation project at Carus includes upgrading the heating and ventilation
systems as well as the windows. In addition, the bus area and parking spaces will be
overhauled.
Over the next 2 to 3 years, all of the remaining schools will receive new roofs and have
heating and ventilation systems tended to.
"Security measures," such as new bells, clocks, and lighting systems, "will
be installed throughout the district" said Staehely Construction and work on future
projects will begin this summer.
At the district's Nov. 16 school board meeting, the board appointed members to serve on
the Bond Oversite Committee. The committee will act as a review board for bond-related
measures such as project design and conformance with industry standards, accountability
regarding the bond project list, and general procedures and business practices.
The committee will also make recommendations to the school board on significant changes to
scope, schedule and budget.
Appointees were: Molly Adams, Pattie Flagg, Scott Gustafson, Jeff Hip, Geoffrey Manley,
Marty McCullough, Andrew Rivinus, Keith Stewart, Duane Weeks, and Tim Woodley. Two school
board members - Sandy Ricksger and Charlie Stinson - will also serve on the committee.
In addition to the maintenance projects and renovations, $3 million has been earmarked for
future land acquisition. Eventually properties will be acquired for the proposed new
middle school and possible high school expansion.
No real specifics are available yet said Staehely, but "..various properties are
being considered for the middle school and around the high school."
