By James Day Housing continues to be a major concern statewide, with the Legislature passing another major housing bill in its recently completed short session. The City of Silverton decided to bone up on housing and land use issues in a March 18 joint session involving city staff, the City Council and the Planning Commission. The special meeting heard from […]
By James Day Thriving in Times of Change is the theme for the Sustainable Silverton event set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 6 at The Oregon Garden. Admission is $12 and includes refreshments. Registration is available at https://www.simpletix.com/e/thriving-in-times-of-change-tools-for-adap-tickets-163552/. The conference begins inside the Garden’s education center, which is the building on the right as you enter […]
By James Day The Silverton City Council has finalized its work on goal-setting for the new fiscal year beginning July 1. The goals were discussed at length at a nearly four-hour special session at The Oregon Garden on Feb. 6, tweaked at the Feb. 26 work session and received unanimous support at the March 4 regular meeting. The goals are […]
By Stephen Floyd The Oregon Garden Foundation has been awarded a $150,000 grant from Marion County to help develop financial sustainability in its operations of The Oregon Garden. The Board of County Commissioners approved the grant during their March 6 regular meeting, with funds coming from the Oregon Lottery. Oregon Garden Director of Operations Delen Kitchen told Our Town the […]
Sustainable Silverton is hosting a Repair Fair and Share from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, at the Silver Falls Library, 410 S. Water St. Free services to be offered at the event include small appliance repair, simple jewelry repair, sewing and textile repair, house plant consulting, simple bike repairs and tech assistance with computers/phones/tablets/electronics and tool […]
By Stephen Floyd For many Silvertonians, The Home Place Restaurant represents a rite of passage. It’s where they got to have their first big birthday party, where numerous teenagers got their first jobs, where generations of athletes gathered for pre- and post-game celebrations. Co-owner Debbie Bennett said the establishment is old enough now that customers bring their own families, talking […]
By James Day Sometimes your ability to make a difference in your community can be as simple as how often you say ”yes.” That’s been the case in recent years with Oak Street Church and its pastor John Friedrick. Yes to continuing its Monday meal tradition. Yes to using the church building for a warming shelter. Yes to hosting listening […]
By James Day From its arrival in Silverton in 2002 Willamette Valley Bank has lived by the motto that to serve the community you must be involved in the community. “Twenty-two years ago a group of business owners opened Willamette because they believed the community would be better served by a locally headquartered bank, managed by people who understood the […]
By James Day Figuring out what is next for the Silverton Community Center is turning into a confusing game of musical chairs. The city holds the lease for the building, which is owned by the Oregon Military Department. That lease expires March 31, which means that tenants Jazzercise, Silverton Area Community Aid (SACA), WIC, the Silver Falls YMCA and the […]
By James Day Sustainable Silverton is putting on an event on how communities such as Silverton can thrive in changing times. The free event runs 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb., 8 at the Silver Falls Library, 410 S. Water St. Presenters in the “community conversation” will look at the examples of the 2020 wildfires and the 2021 ice […]
The annual “celebration of Silverton’s amazing volunteer spirit” will be held Saturday, Feb. 17 in The Oregon Garden’s J. Frank Schmidt Pavilion, 879 W. Main St., Silverton. The event showcases what’s special in the Silverton community and the impact volunteerism can have in a small town. Honorees for 2023 include: Laura Wanker – First Citizen John Friedrick – Distinguished Service […]
By James Day The City of Silverton’s work on a master plan for its parks is yielding immediate fruit. Two of its major pieces, a trail system at Pettit Lake and new pickleball courts near the skate park, could see design and construction contracts come before the city as early as next month. The funds for both facilities have been […]
By Melissa Wagoner The Oregon Garden recently received a $100,000 grant from Travel Oregon as part of that organization’s $3.6 million Competitive Grants Program focused on improving accessibility and inclusivity through visitor industry improvements across the state. “In my time here, and certainly in the last five years, it’s the largest grant we’ve received,” Delen Kitchen, The Oregon Garden Director […]
The Silverton City Council is heading toward a decision that will mean more housing than previously planned for a property on Eureka Avenue just east of The Oregon Garden. Developers already had received approval to build up to 42 units on the 5.15-acre property, which was zoned R-1 or single-family residential. During a public hearing at the council’s Dec. 4 […]
By Stephen Floyd Marion County is nearing the construction phase of replacing the Pudding River Bridge on Hazelgreen Road NE and has begun discussing follow-up work to address road flooding. The project would replace the current wooden bridge, built in 1969, with a concrete structure above flood levels, as the Little Pudding River inundates the current bridge during heavy rain. […]
By Stephen Floyd A lawsuit against the Oregon Garden Foundation by the owner of the Oregon Garden Resort has been settled after three years of litigation. Parties agreed to terms Aug. 29 during a settlement hearing in Marion County Circuit Court including a financial payout to the foundation and the return of online login credentials. The case was otherwise scheduled […]
Silverton High will be holding its first athletics Hall of Fame class induction in more than a decade when this year’s gala takes place Saturday, Oct. 7, at The Oregon Garden. “It’s been on hiatus for way too long, since 2011,”said Silverton teacher and volleyball coach Kirsten Barnes. “We had a lot of changes about that time and things were lost […]
By Melissa Wagoner Summer is a great time to visit the many museums, gardens and educational venues located within a two-hour drive of Silverton. But, if expenses ae running high, the price of admission can be a barrier. That’s where the Silver Falls Library’s Cultural Passes can help. Offering free admission to places like the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, the […]
By James Day About 50 people gathered Saturday morning at The Oregon Garden to learn more about wildfire resiliency and emergency preparedness. Experts from the Silverton Fire District, the Office of the State Fire Marshal and Oregon State University Extension offered tips to the group, which consisted of local residents, environmental activists, fire officials and landscaping professionals. Key topics covered included wildfire risk evaluation, […]
By James Day The City of Silverton began work on its 2023-24 budget amid a staff shakeup that has the City Council initiating a search for a new city manager. Ron Chandler, who took over the top administrative post in Silverton in May of 2021, is leaving effective May 12 and relocating to Utah. In an April 12 letter to […]
By Melissa Wagoner This spring Sustainable Silverton’s Urban Natural Resources Action Team is enlisting the help of local experts to hold an educational series about birds, bees and butterflies at The Oregon Garden. “It aligns with our mission statement and Action Team goals and the need to find a way to create more awareness about preserving or maintaining natural resources,” […]
Founding Member and long-time advocate of The Oregon Garden, Verl Holden, retired from his position as a member of the Oregon Garden Foundation Board on Feb. 14. A well-respected nurseryman, horticultural innovator and owner of Holden Wholesale Growers, Holden first joined the Foundation Board in 2018, and after five years of faithful service has chosen to make his position available […]
By Stephen Floyd Former Silverton Mayor Kyle Palmer said The Lucky Leaf was a shoo-in for 2022 Business of the Year. Though some may bristle at the notion of a cannabis dispensary being recognized for excellence, Palmer said the shop and co-owner Colby Jackson have risen above cynical stereotypes. “Colby [Jackson] is a Silverton native and chose to make an […]
By Brenna Wiegand Otto Stadeli said you could have “knocked him over with a feather” when the Silverton Area Chamber of Commerce crashed his pinochle game to name him recipient of this year’s Judy Schmidt Lifetime Achievement Award. Stadeli, 93, says doing good business and volunteering are just part of being in a community. Born and raised in Silverton, Stadeli […]
By James Day Maybe it was the white shirts and green bow ties. Or the way Roth’s always seemed to be involved in community affairs and causes. Or the tradition of an employee, often a student or teenager, always ferrying your groceries to your car. Or maybe you ran into Orville Roth himself in the produce section or bagging and […]
