Salem, Ore. Earlier today Salem Fire Department responded to a residential structure fire at 3362 Sunnyview Road NE.
Upon arrival the structure was fully involved. Crews made entry into the structure and located a fire victim during the primary search. The victim was removed from the building and was moved to an awaiting ambulance. After examination and a medical consult with the hospital it was determined that he was deceased and no further treatment was possible and resuscitation efforts were ceased.
The victim's identity withheld pending notification to next of kin.
Salem Police Department and Salem Fire Department investigators are in the process of determining the cause of this fire.
Salem, Ore. — The City of Salem is warning drivers that use Madrona Avenue SE that the road will be closed east of Fairview Industrial Drive SE to 22nd Street SE beginning Saturday, March 30, 2024, from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. The one-day closure is necessary to repair and replace the pavement pad at the railroad crossing on Madrona Avenue SE. Local access to nearby businesses will be permitted during construction.
The Active Construction Map provides up-to-date information on scheduled or emergency road closures in Salem. For additional information, please contact the City of Salem at 503-588-6211 or service@cityofsalem.net
Salem, Ore. — Drivers in Southeast Salem should be aware of a road closure on Turner Road SE, south of Boone Road SE and north of Deer Park Road SE beginning April 1, 2024. The closure will continue through April 15, 2024.
During construction, northbound traffic will be detoured to Deer Park Road SE continuing to the Aumsville Highway. Drivers are encouraged to use Delany Road to Commercial Street as an alternate route.
The construction is part of the new 900,000 square-foot Dollar General Development currently under construction and is necessary to connect the development to new utility infrastructure in the area. The Dollar General property will be a dry goods and cold storage distribution, dispatch, and administration center for the company.
Details:
The Active Construction Map provides up-to-date information on scheduled or emergency road closures in Salem. To report issues, contact the City of Salem’s Public Works Dispatch Center at 503-588-6211 or service@cityofsalem.net.
Salem, Ore. — The City of Salem is informing drivers who use McGilchrist Street SE that the intersection at 22nd Street SE will be closed to traffic beginning April 1, 2024. The closure will continue through July 2024.
This project is partially funded through the 2022 Safety and Livability Bond project approved by the voters and will:
During the closure, drivers are advised to follow designated detour routes and use caution while traveling near work zones. Traffic congestion is expected and drivers in the area should expect some delays.
Details:
Location: McGilchrist Street SE at 22nd Street SE
Date and Time: Monday, April 1, 2024, continuing to July 2024.
Affected Areas: The McGilchrist Street closure will include travel lanes and sidewalks within 650 feet of the intersection.
Caution: Drivers are urged to use 12th Street, 25th Street, Madrona Street, and Mission Street as detours, follow all traffic signage, and watch for workers in the area.
Find details about the McGilchrist Street Project or other Safety and Livability Bond Projects at the City of Salem’s website. The Active Construction Map provides up-to-date information on scheduled or emergency road closures in Salem. To report issues, contact the City of Salem’s Public Works Dispatch Center at 503-588-6211 or service@cityofsalem.net.
Salem, Ore. – Mayor Chris Hoy delivered the 2024 State of the City message to a full house today at the Salem Convention Center. The message content is included below, or watch on demand on YouTube:
2024 State of the City
Thank you, Chair Pigsley, for your wonderful invocation and taking the time to join us today.
Good afternoon everyone!
Thank you for being here today. My staff assured me that if we ordered the Moroccan Tagine for lunch, that you would all show up.
Thank you to the sponsors of this annual event!
Before I begin, I’d like to take this opportunity to share my appreciation and gratitude to several individuals.
I am happy to report that our local economy is robust and is gaining momentum.
Our downtown continues to see progress with the development of the Rivenwood Apartments, Holman Hotel, and the recent announcement of the development of Block 50, into mixed use housing and shopping.
Additionally, we continue to work with the developer supporting the Front Street Cannery project – a transformational project for the Riverfront north of downtown.
Private investment is excited about Salem’s future.
And Killer Burger came to town. We must be doing something right. But, sadly, still no Burgerville.
We are also demonstrating that Salem cares, we have been able to care for some of the most vulnerable in our community by continuing to advance as a statewide leader in our housing and homeless response.
While we have had some amazing successes, our persistent revenue challenges threaten our ability to support these critical services and threaten our hard-won success.
Despite the enormous capabilities of our city employees, and the advances we’ve made in housing and economic development, we are faced with an unprecedented revenue shortfall.
This crisis wasn’t created by city management, city council, or by any of you. It’s a math problem that needs a statewide fix, and until the state fixes it, we will live under a broken revenue system that doesn’t keep up with the rising costs of basic services like police officers, firefighters, and librarians.
Property taxes help the local government pay for public safety. Thirty years ago, Measures 5 and 50 combined to severely limit property tax revenue. Fast forward to today and now those same dollars that used to pay for a firefighter or police officer, only pay for three quarters of one.
How did we get to this point?
When I joined the council in 2017, at the beginning of the homelessness crisis, 26% of Salem residents listed “responding to homelessness” as their top priority. In 2018 it was 33%, then 41, then 49, then in 2021, 58% of residents listed “responding to homelessness” as the number one issue that they wanted Council to address.
But cities like Salem are the first and last line of defense, and when the problem is on Liberty Street and not Cordon Road, our residents expect action from us.
Using one-time grants and Covid relief funds, we were able to step up and address homelessness, but our revenue system has never been adjusted to fund these services annually.
Our residents’ expectations pushed us to explore new partnerships and develop new strategies that reached beyond the capacity of Salem alone.
All of these programs have been launched since 2017, in response to
listening to our residents’ wishes.
At the core of the homelessness crisis is the cost and availability of housing. We prioritized streamlining and simplifying the process to better support development.
To continue responding to the needs of the community, City leaders have focused on eliminating barriers in the creation of housing and have worked to eliminate barriers for individuals seeking housing.
In response, last year we shifted permitting professionals into one team to build a community-centric culture of service delivery informed by data-driven decisions.
Because of these changes, on November 30, 2023, the Salem Housing Authority exceeded our placement goals for the rapid rehousing program we established under Governor Kotek’s executive order. We not only exceeded our placement goals, but also expended only 68% of the budget that was meant for that program.
As a result, we were allowed to continue the program past its original deadline to further benefit our community members.
All in all, there are thousands of apartments, single-family homes, and affordable housing units coming online.
In addition to revenue reform, preventing homelessness, and increasing housing, we are also laser-focused on responding to a rising rate in violent crimes through our Community Violence Reduction Initiative.
Last year, Chief Womack and I began meeting to discuss how the City should address the increase in violent crime. The first task was to understand, in detail, what was going on and where.
The goal of these meetings is to
Law enforcement is only one piece of the solution. The rest must come from the community. As we have done to address our housing challenges, we need to forge partnerships and enlist our residents, not for profits, service organizations and businesses in strategies designed to help prevent violent crime.
When I was on this stage a year ago, I spoke about a new beginning for Salem. A vision of collaboration with city councilors, interest groups, businesses, and residents.
Like mayors before me, I reported on the amazing work of our city employees and of our volunteer council, and then delivered information on the delicate state of our revenue situation.
I explained how thirty years ago Measures 5 and 50 capped property taxes, resulting in today’s costs being beyond the revenue we can capture. Leaving us with two choices:
find additional revenue, or reduce services.
Fast forward to today and we continue to fight for additional revenue to support our residents’ needs.
We have a revenue taskforce of volunteers from around the city that is hard at work, identifying funding that will help us address our short-term problems.
And so, the road ahead is challenging. Its path is unknown, and our destination is not obvious, but we have faced challenges before.
And thirteen days ago, when the unimaginable happened in Bush Park, bystanders from our community and first responders, sprang into action to save lives.
Thank you.
# # #
Salem, Ore. – Center 50+ is launching a new volunteer-based transportation pilot project to benefit residents ages 50 and older.
The program’s goal is to assist older adults who do not drive, have difficulty paying for or accessing public transportation, and may not have friends or family to help. Rides are provided free of charge to medical appointments, grocery shopping or other essential errands.
Volunteers will:
Center 50+ is recruiting a limited number of volunteer drivers and riders this spring to participate in this pilot program. Pilot participation will help evaluate the program, test systems, and develop best practices.
For more information, call 503-588-6303 or email Connect50plus@cityofsalem.net.
Salem, Ore. — The City of Salem is warning drivers who use Hyacinth Road NE that the road will be closed to through traffic between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and 25th Avenue NE beginning Friday, March 15, 2024, and ending March 16, 2024.
The two-day closure is necessary to repair and replace the pavement pad at the railroad crossing on Hyacinth Avenue NE. Detours will be marked on Portland Road, 25th Avenue, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway as construction is taking place.
Location: Hyacinth Road NE at 25th Avenue, Salem, OR.
Date and Time: Friday, March 15 and 16, 2024, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Affected Areas: The Hyacinth Road closure will include travel lanes and sidewalks near the train tracks in the construction zone.
Caution: Drivers are urged to be cautious while traveling, follow all signage, and watch for workers in the area.
The Active Construction Map provides up-to-date information on scheduled or emergency road closures in Salem. For additional information, please contact the City of Salem at 503-588-6211 or service@cityofsalem.net.
Salem, Ore. — The City of Salem is warning drivers who use State Street that the road will be closed east of 12th Street NE beginning Monday, March 4, 2024, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The one-day closure is necessary to repair and replace the pavement pad at the railroad crossing east of the 12th and State Street intersection. Traffic on 12th Street NE will be allowed in both directions as construction is taking place.
The Current Road Conditions Map on the City of Salem website provides up-to-date information on scheduled or emergency road closures in Salem. For additional information, please contact the City of Salem at 503-588-6211 or service@cityofsalem.net.