By Stephen Floyd Two political newcomers have joined races for mayor and City Council in Scotts Mills, leading to a contested election in a city that sometimes struggles to fill the ballot with candidates. Incumbent Mayor Paul Brakeman and councilors Robin Fournier, Casey Dean and Monika Martin have filed for new terms and are joined by Jason Axness, seeking the […]
By James Day A 1.7-acre parcel in the hills off of Edison Heights Road will become part of Silverton. The Silverton City Council voted at its Sept. 12 meeting to accept an annexation request from the property owners, Al and Sheila Skomial, who sought the annexation because of a failing well, which does not deliver the required water flow and […]
By James Day The Silverton Chamber of Commerce is hosting an election forum on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at the Oregon Garden. The noon luncheon event ($15 for chamber members and $20 for non-members) will take place at the education building, which is just across from the visitor center entry gate. Go to https://business.silvertonchamber.org/events/details/silverton-candidate-forum-20009 to register. Invited to participate will be […]
By Melissa Wagoner When it came time to decide where Yanliang Zhu and his business partner, Boyi Qiu, would open their first full-service sushi restaurant, coined Akatsuki Sushi Bar, Silverton seemed an obvious choice. Zhu’s most recent venture was a takeout sushi business located in Madras Oregon. City chosen, the partners began looking for a location, stumbling upon the former […]
By Melissa Wagoner When Deanna Perkins opened Serenity Home and Spa Shoppe in downtown Silverton in August 2020, she knew exactly how she wanted each customer to experience her store. “When I worked at spas, the moment people opened the door they would relax,” the seasoned spa manager said, describing the way the sights, sounds and even the smells of […]
By James Day The flurry of construction activity continues on the $19 million Silverton civic center project that is a year away from completion. Community Development Director Jason Gottgetreu, the project manager for the facility, said that “we are looking at an Aug. 22, 2023 substantial completion date, which is about three weeks later than originally anticipated.” The slab for […]
Incumbents for two out of the three Mt. Angel City Council seats on the Nov. 8 ballot have confirmed their intent to run for re-election. Councilor Tony Astorga confirmed to Our Town he will be running, while Councilor Matthew Donohue has filed his candidate paperwork with the city. Councilor Ray Eder had not responded to inquiries and had not filed […]
By James Day Silverton voters will once again be asked to decide on a local option tax levy to support the Silverton Community Swimming Pool. Voters first approved a ten-year obligation bond for major pool renovations and improvements in 2002. Since then voters have passed a pair of five-year local option property tax levies that raise $275,000 annually for operations […]
By James Day Six seats on the seven-person Marion Soil & Water Conservation District board will be up for grabs in the Nov. 8 election. The board consists of five directors who are elected by zone, with two at-large seats filling out the roster. Only Zone 4 director Dave Budeau is not on the ballot. Zone 4 is in southern […]
By Melissa Wagoner When Gabriel and John Berukoff’s construction business slowed down in 2007, the brothers weren’t sure what their next step would be. “We were thinking we might get into making cabinets,” Gabriel recalled. But then their sister, a fiber arts hobbyist who processed, spun and dyed her own yarn, came to them with a problem. Her drum carder […]
The Scotts Mills office of mayor and three city council seats are on the Nov. 8 General Election ballot. Mayor is currently Paul Brakeman, who has served three, two-year terms. The council seats are currently held by Monika Martin, Casey Dean and Robin Fournier. Councilor terms are four years. Candidates have until Aug. 12 to file. For information email [email protected] […]
By James Day Silverton government will present a slightly different face in 2023. Mayor Kyle Palmer, a Silverton political fixture since 2004, is not running for re-election. Veteran councilor Jason Freilinger and local businessman Morry Jones have filed for the race to replace Palmer. Meanwhile, the six-person City Council will see at least one change and perhaps more. Two-term councilor […]
By Melissa Wagoner When Garron and Rebekka Lamoreau moved to Panama in 2014 to teach at the country’s International School, they discovered something they never anticipated – plastic waste everywhere. “There’s plastic in every waterway and on every beach,” Garron recalled. “The canal is there and the ships just drop their garbage, these big freighters… drop garbage. And it becomes […]
By James Day At Silver Falls State Park you can spend a lot of time looking down. Down the trail, down the canyon, down the creek and definitely, down at the waterfall. But what happens if you look up and keep looking up. There is a whole new world in the tree canopy, and now there is a way to […]
Candidate packets are now available for municipal positions in Silverton that will be on the Nov. 8 ballot. Voters will cast ballots for mayor, with Kyle Palmer already having announced he will not seek a new two-year term, and three councilor seats. The four-year Silverton City Council seats currently held by Dana Smith, Jim Sears and Crystal Neideigh also will […]
By James Day The Silverton City Council, the Chamber of Commerce, area business leaders and city staffers all agree that downtown faces parking challenges. June 20 folks got together via Zoom and began talking about solutions. ”This is a really hot issue right now,” said Stacy Palmer, executive director of the chamber. “There have been some dramatic changes to downtown,” […]
By Stephen Floyd A Silverton apartment complex has admitted in court to overcharging one of its tenants and has agreed to pay thousands in damages, including eight months of overcharged rent. Pacific Crest Apartments LLC has offered to pay $3,455, in addition to reasonable attorney’s fees, to resolve a lawsuit filed by Gregory Marlowe for increasing Marlowe’s rent last year […]
By Melissa Wagoner For Carly Blue there is nothing quite like experiencing a culture through its food, whether that’s olive oil-soaked hummus in Dubai, chili lime mangoes in Puerto Vallarta or an apple strudel in Salzburg. And now, with the creation of her home catering company, The Blue Pomegranate, she gets to share that feeling with others. “Not many people […]
By Melissa Wagoner When the Willamette Career Academy (WCA) in Salem opened its doors in September 2021 it immediately began changing the lives of students, offering them the chance to earn, not only a diploma, but college credits, career prep, internship opportunities and job certifications as well. “Our kids come from 11 districts and three counties,” WCA Principal Johnnie Ferro […]
The Oregon Garden Resort has received TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Award for 2022. Voted on by guests, the award represents recognition in the top 10% of hotels. The resort, adjacent to The Oregon Garden, offers a seasonal outdoor swimming pool and hot tub, the Moonstone Spa, locally inspired cuisine at the Garden View Restaurant and nightly live music in the Fireside […]
By James Day The Silverton City Council is planning a discussion on the challenges of downtown parking. Councilors will review the problem as well as possible solutions at a June 20 work session that also will have action on the 2022-23 budget. Fueling the discussion was a survey conducted by the Silverton Chamber of Commerce and presented at the council’s […]
By Melissa Wagoner It has long been a goal of Audry Van Houweling – owner of She Soars Psychiatry in Silverton – to be a part of a collective of holistic-minded healthcare practitioners. So, when the opportunity came up to do just that – through the purchase of a commercial building at 503 N. First St. in Silverton – she […]
By James Day A new meat processing company will be taking over the BrucePac facility on North First Street in Silverton. Tillamook Country Smoker will be starting operations in the facility, perhaps as soon as this summer. The move constitutes an expansion for Tillamook Country Smoker, president Geordie Mosbarger told Our Town. The privately held jerky and meat snacks processor […]
By Melissa Wagoner As a real estate developer, Ben Johnston’s goal isn’t just to build buildings, it’s to create spaces for the community to gather. Which is why, when he was given the opportunity to refurbish the building that once housed the Silverton Flower Shop in the heart of downtown, he knew just what he wanted to do. “I have […]
By Stephen Floyd When COVID-19 lockdowns began in 2020, the restaurant industry took a massive blow, and those who wished to survive had to adapt. Mt. Angel Sausage Co. rose to the occasion and – in addition to take-out orders and outdoor seating – owner Jim Hoke took an international food display that occupied a corner of their waiting area […]
