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Wednesday March 12, 2025 | Volume 150, Issue 11

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Mayor outlines Dallas’s future growth in state of the city By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor

Newly elected Dallas Mayor Rich Slack gave his first state of the city presentation at the City Council meeting March 3, focusing on projects and initiatives currently underway. He began by discussing the proposed new building for the Dallas Police Department.

“One of the foremost items on our agenda is the new Police Station and Bond project,” Slack said. The proposed police station would replace the current Itemizer-Observer building, encompass 12,528 square feet and span two floors. The project would include secure parking, interview rooms, evidence storage, space for training, and meet all current building code requirements. This project would provide all the

necessary space and amenities under one roof for the officers to efficiently and collaboratively complete their essential work, with room to grow for the future. The city plans to pay for the $17.2 million project with the sale of general obligation bonds over 30 years at 52 cents per $1,000 of assessed value of your home. “This crucial initiative will be presented on the May ballot, and

I urge all citizens to participate in the voting process and vote for its approval,” Slack said. “The proposed police station is designed to enhance our law enforcement capabilities, ensuring that our officers have the resources and space they need to keep our community safe and secure.” Next, Slack continued with another project with safety in mind,

the signalization of Levens and Ellendale streets. “In our commitment to improving infrastructure and traffic management, we are excited to announce the signalization of the intersection at Levens and Ellendale,” Slack said. This $2.1 million project is planned for completion during the upcoming summer school break. The See CITY PAGE A3

Aquatic Center gets by with a little help from its Friends Maganda

Glassworks offers creative outlet for the soul

By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor

When the city of Dallas considered selling its aquatic center in 2018 to the YMCA during a round of budget belt tightening, a group of long-time residents banded together to prevent that from happening. However, rather than just opposing the city’s actions, they formed the nonprofit Friends of the Dallas Aquatic Center to work with the city to help keep it operating. Leading the charge is president Anne Hurd, who said since the group got involved, they’ve raised $181,000 to help with the maintenance costs of operating the Dallas Aquatic Center. “We’ve been very fortunate that people love the pool so much that they really help us,” Hurd said. But don’t just take her word for it. Consider the testimonials of 18 community members in the Friends latest social media project, Patrons Speak, posted on their website, https:// fdacoregon.org and their YouTube channel, Friends of the Dallas Oregon Aquatic Center. For example, Donn, a senior citizen, said the Aquatic Center was one of the key factors he and his wife moved to Dallas to spend their retirement years. When he recently started exhibiting symptoms of neuropathy in his left foot, he utilized the center’s therapy pool. “I started doing a regular workout in the water for myself to mitigate those symptoms, three days a week,” Donn shared in his video. He was happy to say the symptoms completely reversed and have not returned at all after starting the water therapy. “I just want you to know this aquatic center makes a difference in my quality of life every single day,” Donn added. “If you don’t know it, the Dallas Aquatic Center is one of the jewels in the crown of Dallas, Oregon.” However, now in its 25th year of operation, the jewel is in constant need of repair. The Friends of the Aquatic Center initially pledged to raise $50,000 to offset the costs

By DAVID HAYES I-O Editor

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

(Top) The Dallas Aquatic Center, now in its 25th year of operation, features five separate pools. (Bottom) A lifeguard stand by watching patrons use the water slide at the Dallas Aquatic Center.

of upkeep. Hurd said while they have fallen short of that goal, their contributions have been substantial. She said several larger memorials totaling $30,000 have filled the gaps, including $10,000 to pay for a new therapy/ADA lift into the pool, $14,000 to help install a new pump for the “lazy river” pool, and $27,000 for a new computer to regulate all the pools’ heating systems. The list of maintenance projects keep popping up all the time, Hurd said, requiring a reshuffling of priorities. The need to replace sand filters was put on the back burner when a leaking pipe in the mechanical room and the second boiler needed attention, which it got with a fix rather than a replacement. And most recently, the heat exchangers also need replacing, so the kiddie pool will have cold water in it until that’s accomplished. “Things just crop up all the time that need money thrown at it all the time,” Hurd said.

Heath Lawson finished his 18 ½ year career with the state of Oregon as a senior investigator in human resources. “In HR, a lot of people don’t want to see me coming,” he said. But after getting burned out in the position, he and Twyla, his wife of more than 30 years, were ready for a change. “I needed something that fed my soul,” Heath said. The Lawsons celebrated that life-changing move March 7 when they invited the Independence community to the ribbon cutting to a larger facility for their growing glass making business, Maganda. Having been involved in mediThe Friends are required to keep helped prevent the city from dipping eval recreation for about 20 years $10,000 in its account for operainto its operating budget.” making armor, historical costional costs. Any time that amount Jennifer Ward, city of Dallas tumes and leather working, Heath accrues above $15,000, the group administration services manager, said had a lot of hobbies. He recalls takes out $5,000 to give to the city the contributions from the Friends of the day Twyla told him she was to deposit into a trust fund which the Aquatic Center have been critibored, so he told her to get her it uses to help pay its end of repair cal. She explained there have been own hobby. costs. many times where she just didn’t That’s when she signed up for David Morelli, Friends treasurer know how they would have been a stained glass making class. But since the beginning, said initially, the able to stay open and operate all five when her instructor moved away, pools without them. city raised franchise fees to pay for Twyla had to keep being involved “From my perspective, the mainthe pool’s approximately $1 million in a craft she’s grown to love. tenance that is required on any pool operational costs. For one of their anniversary requires a lot of expenses, including “That raised about 50 percent of celebrations a couple years back, chemicals, filters, pumps, and a lot the costs, which is more than most they took a fused glass class of the infrastructure. We have five other pools, which usually muster together at the coast. pools. All have their own pumps and only 25 percent. But the city still “He was like, ‘This glass stuff had to pick up the remaining 50 peris pretty cool,’” Twyla recalled. cent,” Morelli explained. “But since the Friends have come in and picked See AQUATIC, page A3 See MAGANDA, page A4 up the maintenance costs, that has

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