vernonia’s
voice community news
april
2008
Bridges Planning Group Helps
Community Consider Vernonia in 2020
By Scott Laird
What do we want Vernonia to be like in the Year 2020?
What are our priorities for Vernonia’s flood recovery?
What should we do about our schools? These are some
of the questions the Bridges Planning Group is asking
Vernonia residents this spring as they facilitate a series of
group discussions called “Vernonia 2020 Vision.”
The Bridges Planning Group consists of nine graduate
students from Portland State University from the Mas-
ter’s of Urban and Regional Planning Program who have
formed a partnership with the City of Vernonia in order
to gather citizen input and discuss citizen hopes for the
future of our community. The group has been working
with city staff, especially Vernonia Community Learning
Center Director Jessica Jones and Interim City Adminis-
trator Aldie Howard, to develop the goals and format of
the program and then implement the community discus-
sions. “This process is truly reflective of the administra-
tion’s dedication to better serve the public by involving
the public,” said Jones “I am very pleased that this step
was taken because it shows a willingness on the City’s
part to listen to the community.”
The Bridges Group is expecting to help identify commu-
nity priorities and deliver a plan that will help Vernonia
make this vision a reality. “When we arrived the com-
munity had already started recovery,” said George Zani-
novich of the Bridges Group. “We wanted to look out into
the future but not too far. That’s where the 2020 comes
from. It’s been twelve years since the last flood here.
2020 is twelve years from now.”
“We are interested in hearing what people want their com-
munity to be,” said Ariana Tipper, another member of the
group, who has worked with communities recovering
from Hurricane Katrina. “We want to help identify broad
ideas and look at constraints that will narrow priorities and
eventually create solutions.”
Through March there have been four total meetings be-
tween the Bridges Group and Vernonia. The first was held
in February and included a small number of community
what is good about the present schools and what the com-
munity wants and values in the possible location of new
schools.
“We have been happy to help facilitate getting the city and
schools working together in this type of public discussion
about the future of the community,” said Zaninovich.
There was also time at the March 20 meeting for commu-
nity members to identify what they see as community pri-
orities for recovery. The list of priorities generated from
the meeting included: creating places for teens, construct-
ing indoor activity facilities like a theater or bowling al-
ley, and creating outdoor facilities like walking trails and
a skate park.
“We have been extremely happy with the turnout and par-
ticipation so far,” said Tipper. “The citizens have been
supportive and engaged. It has really been a community
driven process.”
“The big challenge so far is that people are still in recov-
ery mode. People are not back in their homes,” said Za-
ninovich. “But even given those circumstances, people
have still been willing to come out and give their input.”
The process will continue with additional meetings sched-
uled for April 5 and May 3 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at
the Vernonia Community Church. The Bridges Planning
Group will be working with citizens to clarify the priori-
ties that were identified at the March 20 meeting. The
group will also help create a formal set of standards and
values that may influence the location of the new school
campus. There is also a plan to form action teams among
community members to work to make sure the commu-
nity priorities and plans start moving towards implemen-
tation.
“The decisions that are made in the immediate future are
going to affect this community for a long time,” said Tip-
per. “A thoughtful community discussion will be very
beneficial.”
stakeholders who were identified and invited because of
their immediate potential to offer input to the process.
Next was a community open house, potluck and “resource
fair” on March 3 which was open to the entire commu-
nity and was intended to introduce the process and answer
questions. Two more meetings were scheduled and took
place on March 10 and 20. These meetings focused on
dividing the community into smaller groups and having
facilitator guided small group discussions. The March 10
meeting focused on what residents like about Vernonia
currently and what they wanted to see the community as a
whole look like in twelve years.
The March 20 meeting included a presentation by mem-
bers of the school district staff and the school board about
the possible relocation of the school campus. The rest
of the evening was dedicated to group discussions about
19
Remembering “Nita”
Juanita “Nita”
Abbigail Olivo, 78,
of Lincoln City, OR
left this world on
Sunday, March 16,
2008 at the home of
her daughter Debo-
rah VonHeeder, of
Vernonia, OR after a
six month battle with
lung cancer. She was
diagnosed after the
removal of a brain
tumor in April of
2007. Juanita lived the last six months with Deborah and
Kerry Lyon at their home in Vernonia. Her stay was en-
hanced by the fine care given by the Washington County
HOSPICE group. Special thanks to Ginger and Sheena.
Born May 13, 1929 in Oklahoma, to Marvin Clyde
and Hazel Fern Mask. She graduated in the class of
1947 from Robert A. Long High School, Longview, WA
1948. She thoroughly enjoyed her 60th Class Reunion
last August. Special thanks to Monty, Priscilla Slotten
and Marilyn Miller, classmates. Nita married three times
during her life. First was to James L Price of Stanwood,
WA and ended in divorce. She married Glen V “Pete”
Rowe in March, 1968, who later died as a result of an au-
tomobile accident. The third marriage to Reuben Olivo
led her to near twenty years of adventure living in Gua-
dalajara, Mexico. It was the death of her father, Clyde
Mask, that brought her back to the states where she lived
in Lincoln City, OR near her mother, Fern Mask until
she passed away in January, 2006. Nita was preceded
in death by her parents Marvin Clyde Mask and Hazel
Fern Mask; her brothers’ Albert Glendale Mask, James
Wendell Mask; and daughter, Susan Rochelle Price.
Nita was a talented individual. She was involved in
music her whole life. She was a member of the Lake-
side Chapter of the Sweet Adelines in the early 60’s. She
was part of a Sweet Adelines Quartet called “Notes of
A Chord”. Early in the 70’s while residing in Vernonia,
OR, Nita performed in a local melodrama, “Paupers Play-
house.” Cooking was another talent that Nita enjoyed
– especially baking. Her pies were a favorite at family
functions. Her other interests and hobbies were paint-
ing, crocheting and doll collecting. She loved shopping
at the Goodwill and second-hand stores. More recently
she sang the lead as a member of the “Beach Notes” of
Lincoln City, OR. Nita was also involved with the Ocean
Lake Emblem Club since 2001.
Nita held a variety of jobs in her life. She worked as
an inspector at an egg factory, for Scott Paper Company,
as a nailer/packer at Mist Shake and Ridge, a cook at the
Timbernook, performed soldering at Intel, and as a card
dealer at the Elks Club.
Survived by her sister, Joyce Marie Johnson, of Lin-
coln City; brother, Marvin Clyde Mask, of Kettle Falls,
WA; sons, Larry Wayne Price, of Granite Falls, WA,
James Clyde Price and Michael Scott Price, both of Se-
attle, WA, and Wm A “Billy” Price, of Rose Valley, WA;
daughters, Deborah Jean VonHeeder, of Vernonia, OR,
Bonita Gail Quinn, of Albany, OR, Joyce Annette Cupp,
of Salem OR; 15 grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren
and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life was held on Sunday, March 30
at in Rose Valley, WA.
“I hope that those who have already attended will encour-
age their family and friends
to come to the rest of the
meetings,” said Jones. “The
people who come to these
meetings do really have a
chance to shape the future of
Vernonia. The process that
Bridges is using emphasizes
that. The priorities that come
out of this are directly from
those who show up.”
Spring is here! - Time to get out in the yard!
If you need more informa-
tion about the Vernonia 2020
Vision process you can con-
tact the Bridges Planning
Group at bridgesplanning@
gmail.com, or call Jesse
Jones at the City of Vernonia
503-429-5291.
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