By James Day The Silverton City Council is discussing two primary sites as part of its work to establish a homeless camping ordinance for the city. Such an ordinance is prudent, city officials say, because recent court actions point toward possible liability for cities if camping is not offered when local shelters are full. Councilors looked at the most recent […]
By James Day Parking and pedestrian changes are coming to Silverton. Councilors confirmed at their Oct. 21 meeting that the current parking meters will be removed from the downtown area. They still are discussing whether downtown visitors will be charged for parking. The city spent the past four months in a pilot program that featured free parking for four hours […]
By James Day The Silverton City Council has directed City Manager Cory Misley to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that locks the city into dealing with only one development firm on an affordable housing project planned for a parcel adjacent to the dog park and the Silverton Senior Center. For the next year Hacienda Community Development Corporation of Portland […]
By James Day Design work for new Silverton park facilities for pickleball and hiking are 60% of the way there. The Silverton City Council heard a presentation on Aug. 5 from Jon Champlin, a landscape architect with NV5 in Portland. Champlin showed plans for six pickleball courts on property next to the skatepark and also debuted maps that show a […]
By James Day The Silverton City Council passed its regular budget for 2024-25 and one for its urban renewal agency at its June 17 meeting at the Silverton Community Center. But both spending plans, which total approximately $79 million, involved little councilor discussion and no amendments were offered. The budgets passed unanimously, and the largest chunk of time at the […]
By James Day Approximately 30 people participated recently in a half-day session on climate change and adaptation at The Oregon Garden. The event, called “Tools for Adaptation,” was organized by Sustainable Silverton and used the education center and the fire safety house at the Garden. The conference was divided into three sections, air and water, earth, and fire, with regional […]
By James Day An opening celebration has been set for 6 p.m. Friday, June 7 for the new Silverton City Hall. The $19 million project is replacing the old City Hall about a half mile south on Water Street. The city has run out of room in the old building and it is seismically unsafe. The new structure will house […]
By James Day Silverton has instituted a new pilot program for downtown parking and has hired a new employee to run the system. Parking is now free for four hours during business hours Monday through Friday. New signs have gone up on the streets, and the meters, and the program essentially took effect Memorial Day weekend. It is intended to […]
By James Day The Silverton Budget Committee is moving toward approval of a $75 million budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year. The committee, which consists of Mayor Jason Freilinger, the six councilors and seven citizen members, heard the budget message from the city manager at a May 7 session and began its review of the document. Final passage could come […]
By James Day The City of Silverton has completed work on a new water intake project that will dramatically increase its water producing capacity as well as extend the life of the system another 50-plus years or more. On April 5, city staff, a federal official and the project manager held a walk-through at the intake project site alongside Silver […]
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 new Silverton Civic Center, a years-long $19.5 million project, likely will not open until late April, city officials said. Our Town participated in a tour of the building Feb. 15, along with project manager Jason Gottgetreu, the city’s community development director, new city manager Cory Misley and Luis Mendoza of Compass Project Solutions, which is providing consulting services […]
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 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 James Day The lease on the Silverton Community Center likely will transfer to the Silver Falls YMCA when the Silverton City Council moves its meetings to the new Civic Center building next spring. The Oregon Military Department owns the Community Center building on South Water Street, with the city’s lease set to expire March 31, 2024. The council discussed […]
By James Day Cory Misley is just starting his second month as Silverton’s city manager. His schedule sounds punishing. He has met with all the councilors and Mayor Jason Freilinger. Plus Chamber representatives, social-service and nonprofit directors, and with his next whirlwind tour government officials such as those of Marion County, Governor Tina Kotek’s office, and the state Legislature. “I’m […]
By James Day A proposal by Silverton Mural Society to place a mural celebrating Silverton’s cultural roots on the new Civic Center is closer to fruition. The Silverton City Council reviewed the latest proposal at its Nov. 20 work session, and although a vote was not taken, there was a strong consensus to move forward with the plan. New City […]
By James Day The new Silverton Civic Center will not be occupied until next spring. The $19.5 million project, which originally was projected to open in July 2023, has experienced a steady stream of delays, including supply chain issues, work that had to be redone and even emails that went missing. The project remains under that $19.5 million overall cost, […]
By James Day Cory Misley has been hired as Silverton’s city manager and will start work Oct. 16. Misley replaces Ron Chandler, who retired to Utah in May. Misley’s hiring and contract were approved Oct. 2, on a unanimous vote of the Silverton City Council. As the top administrator for the city Misley will supervise all departments and report to the […]
By James Day The Silverton City Council is in the home stretch in its effort to hire a new city manager. The council is seeking to replace Ron Chandler, who retired and moved to Utah in May. Councilors, who started with a batch of 27 applicants, have reduced that list to three, with the finalists introduced to the public on […]
By James Day Silverton residents have an opportunity to meet the three finalists for city manager with a Monday, Sept. 18 meet-and-greet session 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Silverton Senior Center, 115 Westfield St. Silverton is seeking to replace chief administrative officer Ron Chandler, who left the city in May to retire to Utah. Members of the public will […]
