vernonia’s
voice welcome
march
2008
03
VERNONIA’S
a letter from the editor....
As Vernonia continues to work towards recovery, it has become apparent that there
has been a lack of information getting out from officials to the public about inten-
tions, plans and regulations. Talk to any city leader and I believe they will agree
that both the city and FEMA could have done a better job disseminating information
relating to flood recovery these first few months. Anyone who attended either of the
recent Planning Commission Hearings held February 7 and 19 on proposed ordinance
changes saw that people did not feel informed, were frustrated and did not understand
the hearing process. The city, in its attempt to speed up the process for property own-
ers to begin reconstruction and repairs, missed a chance to communicate with and
include citizens in decision making that directly affects them.
But a close look at what needs to happen on a city and county-wide level reminds us
that this is going to be a time for many difficult decisions, decisions that affect us all,
and decisions that won’t always make everyone happy. The Planning Commission is
performing an almost all-consuming task of steering this community through a flood
recovery that no one expected to go through for another 100 years. Given the thank-
less job of interpreting handfuls of conflicting ordinances, the Planning Commission
took on the job of rewriting ordinances that were already under discussion and get-
ting them approved in a matter of weeks in order to simplify and clarify the process
for property owners. The decision was made to make the ordinance changes now to
allow those needing to make repairs to start as soon as possible. This did not allow
time for additional public discussion. This is just one example of decisions that our
community leaders will have to make in the coming months.
But some good news about information and public involvement has also arrived. On
February 22 the first planning session between The Bridges Planning Group and The
City of Vernonia was held. The Bridges Planning Group is made up of nine Port-
land State University graduate students and will facilitate a process they are calling
“Vernonia 2020.” The plan is to engage local residents and stakeholders to envision
and plan for a safer, stable, and more resilient Vernonia. They will involve citizens
through a series of informational meetings and discussions between March and May,
in the end creating a report that will guide Vernonia through the next steps of the re-
covery process; an opportunity for citizen participation and decision making.
Throughout this last month I have been reminded of how, as a community, we have
so many tools and assets at our disposal as we approach flood recovery. We have a
strong base of local resources to draw from as we attempt to rebuild our homes, our
lives, and our community’s economic future. This community has extremely dedi-
cated volunteers who are active, interested, and incredibly engaged, like Dan Brown
and Heather Lewis from the Planning Commission. We have talented leaders who
have assumed roles to guide the recovery process, leaders like Jim Tierney and Al-
die Howard. We have engaged the services of outside professionals like Bill Haack
and Dale Merrill who bring knowledge, connections and experience. We have local
organizations full of volunteers and leaders who have shown a desire to see this com-
munity recover, like the Lions Club and Vernonia Cares. We have outside volunteer
groups, just one example is Christian Aid Ministries, who have shown up and given
their time, resources and energy to help us rebuild. We have received an enormous
amount of donations. We have the support of local county, state and federal officials
who are working to secure resources. Lastly we have pride. Pride in ourselves and
in our community.
This job of recovery is going to take a long time – with much that needs to be ac-
complished. But when faced with difficult situations and big obstacles that need to
be overcome, I have always found it best to take a positive approach, to think of the
glass as half full. It is good to start from a place of hope.
Co-Editors,
Evangeline Doyle and Scott Laird
Publisher and Managing Editor
Evangeline Doyle and Scott Laird
News Editor
Scott Laird
(503) 367-0098
scott@vernoniasvoice.com
Home & Garden Editor
Evangeline Doyle
(503) 317-2632
evangeline@vernoniasvoice.com
Vernonia Schools’ Editor
Jill Hult
(503) 928-1800
Alumni Editor
Tammy Vanderzanden
(503) 429-8485
Copy Editor
Evangeline Doyle
Assistant Copy Editors
Tobie Finzel
Erika Paleck
Contributors
Allison Andrew
Kenneth Cox
P.J. O’Leary
Bob Paleck
Kris Richards
Chief Mathew Workman
Photography
Evangeline Doyle
Scott Laird
Art Director/Graphic Design
Amy Shearer, On Madison Studio
Web Design/Management
Amy Shearer, On Madison Studio
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HOW TO SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITORS
Vernonia’s Voice welcomes and requests your
thoughts, opinions, and ideas. Please include your name, address, and phone number; limit your let-
ters to 300 words or less. Vernonia’s Voice reserves the right to edit, omit, respond, or ask for a re-
sponse to letters submitted. We will print letters, space permitting. Deadline is the 15th of the
month. Email to: news@vernoniasvoice.com or mail to: Letters, PO Box 55, Vernonia 97064.
Thank you!
Evangeline and Scott