IN CASE YOU MISSED IT.

Byline: The Register-Guard

City will take bank loan

to rebuild firehouse

City officials will take the rare step of securing a sizable, long-term bank loan to finance reconstruction of the deteriorating Thurston firehouse.

A preliminary estimate for the job places construction costs at about $1.9 million. But by taking out a loan and paying interest on it for several years, the city's final tab could be closer to $2.4 million.

The City Council last month endorsed using reserve funding to cover between 20 and 30 percent of the new station's base construction cost. Various other city funds will add an additional $160,000 for the project.

Typically, construction projects are financed with voter-approved bond measures or long-established funds with money accumulated over time.

But city officials say the 27-year-old Thurston firehouse needs immediate attention.

The city spent about $500,000 between late 2005 and March of this year to deal with water intrusion issues at the flat-roofed station.

Officials said that when repair work began, they did not expect to encounter widespread damage to the building.

Local photographer

honored by peers

Bruce Berg, owner of Bruce Berg Photography, has won several awards in the Professional Photographers of Oregon's 60th annual commercial competition.

His pictures took top honors in the best fashion photo and best album categories. His album entry also received the Kodak Gallery Trophy. Berg also maintained his position in the Court of Honor - a list of the top 20 photographers in the state - for the 16th year running.

Free books given to

nearly 1,000 children

Nearly 1,000 Springfield first-graders received brand-new books last week during an event at Lane Community College.

The book giveaway was part of the school district's second annual Education Day.

A main idea of the Gift of Literacy was to encourage youngsters to make reading an everyday habit, even during summer break.

"It's about wanting all of our students to be wonderful readers," Springfield schools Superintendent Nancy Golden said. "For many of our kids, it might be the first hardback book they've ever had."

After the book giveaway, the first-graders dispersed to LCC classrooms, where local celebrities and dignitaries - including U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken and KMTR weatherman Joseph Calbreath - read to them.

The May 31 program was organized by the Springfield and Twin Rivers Rotary clubs and local public agencies in Springfield. They raised $35,000 from corporate sponsors for the event.