KATU TV-2's Melica Johnson Covers Salem - Salem Business Journal

april 2008 Salem Business Journal page 1
Investing in your Community
When we provide the opportunity to those
around us to improve themselves, and they
do, we improve our community, and, as a
consequence, our own lives. This article,
unlike those over the past few years that
focused on personal or business goals, will
focus on the very important issue of investing
in our community’s economic and intellectual
health by voting (on May 20th) for a bond levy
that will improve the educational offerings
at Chemeketa Community College and that
will provide the needed infrastructure repair,
expansion, and maintenance for the college.
Investing in Chemeketa is so important
because Chemeketa Community College is a
successful and unique public institution that
delivers a measurable benefit to Salem and
the surrounding communities. Chemeketa
is a valuable community resource, especially
given the increasingly diverse community
and world in which we live. Whether a
student’s goal is to ladder-up to a four-year
college or university, complete preparation
for a professional technical program (such as
nursing, fire science, computer, automotive or
manufacturing technologies), or enroll in an
enrichment or continuing education course,
the Chemeketa faculty and staff are focused
on creating an engaged learning environment
where students can do their best work. In
fact, many of the instructional programs are
recognized across the state and around the
nation for their quality.
In the past year, more than 64,000 people took
a Chemeketa Community College course. Not
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only does the college help individuals pursue
academic and technical educational goals, but
Chemeketa was a driving force behind getting
businesses that provide above-average wages
to locate in our city by offering these businesses
an educated workforce and training programs.
In Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties, the
Employment Department projects more than
78,000 job openings between now and 2016,
and the higher paying jobs will require at least
an associate degree, so Chemeketa will be a key
player here.
The facilities at Chemeketa were built in
the mid-20th century. And even with our
most visionary leaders, they could not have
anticipated the advancement in technology
that is ubiquitous in our everyday work
and personal lives. There is a need to adapt
Chemeketa to meet 21st Century demands in
education, technology, and job training.
Chemeketa is pursing a bond measure in
response to the students’ and community’s
needs. Currently more students want to take
classes in some Chemeketa programs than
the college has spaces for. This is especially
true in nursing, fire fighting and emergency
medical technology programs. There is
a growing community need for these and
other programs, such as dental hygiene, but
Chemeketa is currently working at full capacity
in these programs and wants to expand to
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accommodate the community and job force
need.
Specifically the bond proceeds would be
used in three categories: Health Science,
Public Safety, and Industrial Technology.
The college currently does not have enough
space or equipment to accommodate the
growing number of students desiring a career
in health science like nursing and dental
hygiene as mentioned above; the same lack of
space is true for the Public Safety programs
as well. We have young people that want to
become firefighters and paramedics, but there
is not enough classroom space available.
Chemeketa’s industrial technology buildings
were designed and built before many of today’s
technologies were dreamed of. The buildings
are at least 40 years old and have limited
capacity and little capability to take advantage
of modern systems or to accommodate for
future technologies. Chemeketa proposes
a new industrial technology building for
engineering, manufacturing, electronics,
computer science, and trades and
apprenticeships -- including electricians,
plumbers, HVAC (heating, ventilating, and
air conditioning) technicians and sheet metal
workers. These are jobs that give our young
people hope and provide family wage jobs.
They are also jobs that stay here in the valley
and create a quality of life we all want!
If the 2008 bond levy is approved, costs to
homeowners will be 27 cents per $1,000 of
April 2 through July 15 at the World
Beat Gallery in the Reed Opera House,
189 Liberty St. Exhibit Hours: MWF
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays 1-4
The Salem Multicultural Institute
and the Northwest St. Andrew’s
Society invite you to experience a wee
bit o’ Scotland at a new exhibit at SMI’s
World Beat Gallery at the Reed Opera
House. With information touching
on a variety of Scottish subjects,
including great and influential Scots,
as well as dress & daily life, the
exhibit, entitled “Scotland and Her
People” is designed to provide insight
into all things Scottish!
Additionally, the NW St. Andrew’s
Society, in co-operation with the
Homelearners Network, has produced
a free curriculum and information
packet available to educators wishing
to integrate the World Beat Gallery
exhibit into their lesson plans.
Though named after the Patron
Saint of Scotland, the Northwest St.
Andrew’s Society is not a religious
organization. “Our purpose is to
celebrate and perpetuate Scottish
assessed value. Keep in mind that assessed
value is usually much less than the sales
value of a home. Therefore, if the bond
passes, a person owning a home assessed at
$150,000 will pay $40.50 per year, which
is less than many pay for just one month
of phone service. If you just don’t like the
idea of a tax, you may prefer to think of it as
giving an annual donation to an institution
that really does some good in our community
and has a strong track record of meeting or
exceeding its goals.
The case for the 2008 bond levy breaks
down to what is best for our students and
the greater community. It is vital that we:
have the educational and training programs
available that provide what students need
for 21st century jobs; have the facilities
students need to enable them to reach their
goals; provide training for jobs that are
needed to keep people safe and healthy; and
take care of the investments taxpayers have
made in the college.
The Chemeketa measure requires a double
majority…50% of eligible voters need to
Continued on page 1
Presenting Scotland and
her People...
heritage, history and culture and
to promote fellowship amongst our
members,” said Board Member and
Exhibit Coordinator Carlee Murphy.
“Our goals include historical,
educational and philanthropic
activities, as well as participation in
cultural events, such as the World
Beat Festival, which help to promote
Scottish interest within communities
of the Northwest.”
The mission of the Salem
Multicultural Institute, which hosts
the annual World Beat Festival,
is to collaborate with public and
private organizations to promote
harmony and understanding through
innovative, educational cultural
programs and activities. SMI is
honored to present “Scotland and
Her People” as the sixth exhibit at the
World Beat Gallery, which opened
in 2006. The World Beat Festival,
which was founded to address issues
of racism and intolerance, will
celebrate its 11th anniversary this
June 28 & 29.