8/14/2019 Molalla Pioneer - May 14, 2008

1/2

Fuel, labor and food costscited as reasons for raisingthe lunch price 10 cents

By Bethany Monroe

MOLALLA PIONEER

School lunches are taking a 10-cent price hike next fall in theMolalla River School District.

We try and keep those to a minimalincrease as much as we can, MRSDbusiness manager Rick Gill said.

The MRSD board voted last Thursday

to approve the price increase, due toinflation in food, fuel and labor costs.

The district tries to avoid increasing

meal prices annually, although highschool lunches did go up 25 cents lastyear, Gill said.

The 10-cent increase calculates to anadditional $17 if a student purchases aschool lunch every school day nextyear, Gill said.

The district contracts its meal servic-es through Sodexho, the largest foodservice company in the U.S.

The goal for food service is to bekind of a self-sustaining service we offerto students, Gill said.

But with this years food cost increas-es, the meal program has not been self-sustaining. It will likely cut into the foodservice fund, which is intended to be

used for equipment replacement andupdates.

Teresa Susmilch-Miller, the MRSD

director of nutrition services, said shewill likely be able to fulfill only a thirdof the needs in her food services capitalimprovement plan, due to food costscutting into the fund.

Dairy products and fresh producehave especially taken a toll on the budg-et, Susmilch-Miller said.

Health requirements have become

stricter and students are encouraged tofill up on fresh fruits and vegetablesrather than entrees, making produce a

necessity in each days menu plan.We do encourage them to have all

the fruits and vegetables they want,Susmilch-Miller said.

Even though Sodexho has a large pur-chasing power that allows them tosecure prices significantly lower thanthe average consumer, they are still feel-ing the increase.

MolallaRiverSchoolDistrictLLUNCHUNCH MMENUENU(2008-2009schoolyear)Elementarybreakfast: $1.10Elementarylunch:

$1.85Middleschoolbreakfast: $1.35

Middleschoollunch:$2.20

Highschoolbreakfast: $1.35Highschoollunch:

$2.45Adultbreakfast:

$1.85Adultlunch:

$2.95Milkorjuice:

50centsReducedbreakfast: 30cents

Reducedlunch:40cents

w w w . m o l a l l a p i o n e e r . c o m

Local BriefsMolallans to celebrate with Spring Fling

Spring Fling arrives in Molalla this weekend, fea-turing food, merchandise booths and entertainmentat Long Park on Molalla Avenue.

In addition to the park festivities, the Molalla FireDepartment next door is hosting a Bike Rodeowhere children under age 18 can receive free bikehelmets.

At the Hoffman House on Main Street, the annual

Chili Cook-off takes place on Saturday and the Gem,

Mineral, Jewelry and Fossil Show will be on display

all weekend.

Spring Fling is put on by Molalla Community

Schools and sponsored by Molalla Communications

Company. For more information, contact Maureen

Philips at 503-829-2359 ext. 250.

Spring Fling events

Vendors and entertainment in Long Park: May 17-18,10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Bike Rodeo at fire station:May 17-18, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Gem, Mineral, Jewelry and Fossil Show at HoffmanHouse Restaurant:May 16-18, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Chili Cook-off at Hoffman House Restaurant: May 17,cooking at 8 a.m., judging at noon

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

FORECAST

FRIDAY

High 70Low 54

High 84Low 57

High 91Low 60

Volume 96, Issue 39 75 Cents

MOLALLA, OREGON

KEEPING UPRead the Opinion page tosee what your neighborsare saying PAGE 4

CAPITAL GAINMolalla trumps foe Gladstone

by one run PAGE 12

Rising prices force school lunch costs upwardWe try and keep those (lunch prices) to a minimal

increase as much as we can.

Rick Gill

Business manager, Molalla River School District

Turn to LUNCHES on Page 3

Learning from the outdoors in

Photo by Bethany Monroe

Mulino Elementary School third-graders Ian Liss and Elizabeth Healy spread pinecones with peanut butter and roll them in bird seed to createbird feeders. Sixty-six students participated in Mulinos Outdoor School last Thursday, hosted by the Raschio family on their property border-ing the Molalla River. The event was organized by Julie Walker, science curriculum consultant for the Molalla River School District.

Funding woes lurkwhile library marksits 108th birthdayFate of library thatbegan as a book clubdepends on will ofcounty voters

By Bethany Monroe

MOLALLA PIONEER

The Molalla Public Librarycelebrates 108 years of servicethis weekend, but that long-standing history could be in jeop-ardy with Clackamas Countyphasing out library funding.

Voters will decide thisNovember if they are willing totake on a fixed-rate property taxincrease and allow MolallaPublic Library to join a LibraryServices District with otherlibraries in the county.

The tax would take 39 centsper $1,000 of a homes assessedvalue and would allow the libraryto continue operating after thecounty removes its support.

The county currently provides

the librarys main source ofincome, but that funding will becut by 20 percent every yearbeginning in 2009 for the nextfive years, eventually reducingtheir financial backing to zero,Molallas head librarian GlendaTriebwasser said.

For the coming year, wereOK, Triebwasser said.

After that, the librarys futureis unstable if voters choose not topass the tax increase.

While some of the countys

Photo by Bethany Monroe

Brenda Ross of Rosse Posse Acres, a local elk farm, shows off Tucker, asix-month old wallaby who is one of the farms newest additions. He willbe carried in a pouch for about six months until he is ready to venture outon his own. Rosse Posse Acres also recently welcomed a babyPatagonian cavy to the farm.

Molalla marsupial

Turn to LIBRARY on Page 3

Saving the river, one bag of trash at a timeMolalla RiverWatch againtries to clean up river leftlittered by careless visitors

By Joe Wilson

MOLALLA PIONEER

Its been said of many things that it allstarts with one person. The good thing withkeeping the Molalla River clean, you donthave to be that first person. You just haveto help out.

Heres your chance.On Saturday, May 17, people who

would like to volunteer some of their timeto clean up litter and garbage left along theMolalla River can join up with others whowant to do the same thing.

At 9 a.m. Molalla RiverWatch, a non-profit group formed to protect and enhancethe river, will be assembling volunteers atFeyrer Park for the groups annual springcleanup.

Again this year, Molalla RiverWatch isparticipating in the SOLV Down By theRiverside Enhancement, Cleanup andAppreciation Day event.

Target areas will include the Molalla

River Corridor and other public riveraccess sites near Molalla.

This is a wonderful opportunity forvolunteers to meet new people, enjoy thebeautiful Molalla River and feel goodabout helping to keep the Molalla Riverclean and beautiful for everyone to File photo

Molalla RiverWatch will be rallying the troopsthis Saturday to clean up litter and garbage thatvisitors have left at the Molalla River.

Turn to RIVER on Page 3

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2008

38 YEARSBusiness & Commerce

PAGE 6

8/14/2019 Molalla Pioneer - May 14, 2008

2/2

Wednesday, May 14, 2008 PHONE: (503)829-2301 FAX: (503)829-2317 MOLALLA PIONEER E-MAIL: pioneer@eaglenewspapers.com 34

larger libraries, such as WestLinn and Lake Oswego, couldhave the means to survive with-out county funds, the smallerlibraries like Molalla, Canby,Estacada and even Oregon Cityare all in danger, Triebwassersaid.

The library has tried to dofundraisers to help supplementfunding and applies for grantswhen they become available.

Oak Rebekah Lodge recentlycontributed $2,000 to the libraryand the Bill and Melinda GatesFoundation is consideringMolalla Public Library for agrant to purchase new comput-ers.

A lot of our Internet comput-ers were starting to hit the dust,Triebwasser said.

The grant would allow the

library to purchase six new com-puters for public use, replacingthe current 7-year-old comput-ers.

The Molalla Public Librarywas founded in 1900 when AnnieL. Robbins organized a book

club in her home, starting with10 members.

The original library was aroom in (what is now) theHoffman House Restaurant,Triebwasser said.

Originally, books were sentfrom Portland. Molallas firstthree library books were YoungFolks History of India,Benners Prophecies and Lifeof Washington, according tolibrary records.

After six years in the Robbinshome, William and RodaMackrel took over managementand moved the library to theirharness shop.

The library moved to its ownbuilding in the 1930s, located onMolalla Avenue across from cityhall and near the formerBuckeroo rodeo grounds,Molalla Area Historical Societymember Isabel Williams said.

The original building now sitsat Greenstone Montessori Schoolon Main Street.

The library moved to city hall in1955 and remained there for nearlyhalf a century until it was relocatedto its current location in 2001 at the

old Molalla High School librarybuilding by Fox Park.

Despite all the moves, thelibrary never had a halt in opera-tion, although it has changeddrastically since first introducedby Annie Robbins more than 100years ago.

Libraries arent just booksanymore. Its where you can geta lot of things to expand yourmind, Triebwasser said. Itsknowledge to the world.

Audio books have become apopular item, among other mediamaterials.

Were offering music andmovies and games for theirPlayStations, Triebwasser said.It gives them opportunities for

things they maybe cant afford tobuy.

Thanks to a courier system,materials can be borrowed freelybetween libraries in ClackamasCounty.

Each library is independent,but they share common ser-vices, Triebwasser said.

Lake Oswego holds claim asthe countys oldest library, but itwas out of service for severalyears, making Molalla the oldestcontinuously-operating library inthe county.

Cake will be served at theSpring Fling event in Long Parkon Saturday in celebration ofMolalla Public Librarys 108years in the community.

Library: Book club in 1900 becomes library laterContinued from Page 1

Whether looking for something special or nothing

in particular, weve got you covered.

North Willamette News Classifieds

Molalla Pioneer503-829-2301 www.molallapioneer.com

enjoy, said Kay Patteson,Executive Director of MolallaRiverWatch.

Volunteers should dressappropriately for the ever-changing Pacific Northwestweather.

Sturdy boots and gloves arenecessary. For those who donthave gloves or forget to bringthem, some will be provided bySOLV and the Oregon Lottery.

Participants can also earncommunity service credit forthis event.

All this work will not comewithout a reward. Following thecleanup, a volunteer apprecia-tion barbecue will be providedby Molalla RiverWatch back atFeyrer Park in the afternoon.

For more information or topre-register your group, call KayPatteson, 503-824-2195 or ZachJarrett at BLM, 503-375-5610.

The local cleanup is sponsoredby Molalla RiverWatch, Inc., theBureau of Land Management,SOLV"Down By the Riverside",Metro, Clackamas CountyDumpstoppers and MolallaCommunications Company.

River: Volunteers need todress for the outdoors

Continued from Page 1

Last year, a box of 113 orangescost Sodexho around $14. Now,the cost has more than doubled,Susmilch-Miller said.

Gas prices have played a majorrole in the increased food expens-es. For each food order delivery,the district now pays an extra $3to $15 as a fuel charge, Susmilch-Miller said. Minimum wage has

also gone up, making staffingmore expensive.

Between the districts highschool, middle school and ele-mentary schools, Sodexho servesabout 1,500 meals each day,Susmilch-Miller said.

The Colton School District isalso considering an increase inschool lunch fees. Upon boardapproval, prices would rise 25cents.

Lunches: Colton District

considering similar increaseContinued from Page 1

Walking with a purpose

Submitted photo

Walkers participate in Steps for Life in downtown Molalla last Saturday. More than 400 people turned out for the annual two-mile walk aftercollecting pledges to benefit the Pregnancy Care Centers in Molalla, Woodburn and Canby. This years event raised more than $38,000 to helpthe centers offer free pregnancy tests, counseling, parenting classes, baby items and other services to local women.

The Molalla Rural Fire Department is holding a communityopen house on May 17 at 4 p.m. at their main station in Molallaas a follow-up to the survey sent out to Molalla area residents.All are invited to meet the staff and ask questions. Call (503)829-2200 for more information.

Fire district to host openhouse during Spring Fling