voice vernonia’s the city october 2007 07 City of Vernonia Embarks on Long-Term Public Works Study By Jim Tierney, Chair of the Vernonia Public Works Committee During the last year, the City Council and our cur- rent administration have made a number of im- provements in how we make decisions about public works projects. One example is the formation of the Public Works Committee last spring. Another is that we are working to help the City make its public works decisions in context. During the last two months, Dick Kline has been discussing Vernonia’s public works infrastructure with Dale Merrill of CIDA, a civil engineering firm. Merrill and Mike Gilliland, a landscape archi- tect who works with him, have been highly recom- mended to the city as professionals who understand the needs and constraints of small towns. Kline’s goal is to work with CIDA to develop a workplan for a small short-term engineering study that will detail the condition of our existing infrastructure. The study will include an outline of necessary im- provements to our systems, the cost of those im- provements, and data to help us set priorities. Once we have the work plan and a cost estimate, we can find a funding source and follow the necessary pro- cess to hire an engineer. We need the study to help us make good choices. Most of you know that the city is under order from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to make further improvements to our sewer treatment system. The cost of these required im- provements is estimated as high as $9 million. We have recently applied for, and received, a five-year extension on DEQ’s demand. Given the enormous cost of the proposed sewer improvements, Kline felt it essential that we fully understand all of our needs before we start such an expensive project. The Public Works Committee agrees that we need the baseline data that the study will provide. The study will be comprehensive. Obviously, the sewer treatment system is on the list. The engineer will also look at our water plant and distribution system, our storm water collection and disposal sys- tem, plus our streets and sidewalks. The study will help your Public Works Committee do its job by giving us baseline data in each of these areas. We will use that data to develop improvement plans for each of these systems. These plans will include: - an inventory of our existing systems - a comprehensive list of the improvements needed over the next twenty to forty years - the cost of those improvements - a plan to pay for the improvements Using this knowledge, we can help the administra- tion and the City Council keep costs to ratepayers and taxpayers as low as possible. We hope to use the five-year delay to pare down the enormous cost of the sewer project. We also believe it’s an excellent idea to have a second set of experts review the problem and the proposed solu- tion -- similar to seeking a second doctor’s opinion. This proposed study is just one example of the improved public involvement and smart decision- making that will serve all Vernonians well. As we learn more, I will write additional articles about our community’s public works systems, our ideas to im- prove the city’s infrastructure, and how citizens can weigh in on our choices. Help Washington Grade School Get FREE Merchandise! For more than 30 years, Campbell’s Labels for Education program has awarded over $100 million in FREE merchandise to schools nationwide. And this year, America’s longest running education program of its It’s easy to pitch in. Simply save product proofs of purchase from any of kind just got better! 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