vernonia’s
voice letters to the editor
january
2009
Readers lend their voices…
lost forever. We are concerned about noise from increasing air
traffic that would have no restrictions. We are concerned about
whether anyone would ever enforce any regulations on a private
business property. We do not oppose growth or an increase in lo-
cal economy, but we know there are other local areas where Bero
could successfully conduct this business.
We are amazed and saddened by the disrespect we have
been shown by the proponents of this zone change application
and all their supporters during the hearing process. We are speak-
ing up for what we believe in, yet our testimony has been laughed
at and we have been accused of having an “agenda”. Some of our
neighbors have had Bero stand in the road and take pictures of
their property, and others have heard he has plans to sue us if we
continue objecting to his proposal. Yet as the process unfolds, it
seems that everyone has made up their mind that Bero’s generous
proposal of creating jobs for Vernonian’s warrants exceptions to
all the rules. There have been no guarantees that jobs will actual-
ly all go to Vernonian’s, and there is no mention of what happens
if the business doesn’t fly in this economy (excuse the pun). Will
he tear his buildings back down? We doubt it. We’ll be looking at
those buildings whether they have any business in them or not.
And lest we forget, Bero is a businessman. However gener-
ous his proposal may seem, entrepreneurs do business for one
primary reason; profit. And that’s the real bottom line. If Bero
didn’t think he could make a bunch of money for himself, he cer-
tainly wouldn’t be creating any jobs.
Lee and Addie Duvall
Vernonia
On Dec 1st, my husband and I attended the Columbia Coun-
ty Board of Commissioner public hearing regarding the request
for a zone change on behalf of Tim & Michelle Bero and their
27.8 acres that they own near the airport. The hearing was to hear
“new” testimony only.
There were many things said in this meeting, some of it was
redundant, some of it inaccurate, some if it very personal, and
some if it held merit. At the end of the meeting Tim & Michelle
Bero were given time to rebut testimony given from the opposing
side. Their Lawyer Mr. Mark Greenfield and business associate
Mr. Glomb from Poland both gave a brief rebuttal to clarify a few
mistakes made in the information provided by their opponents,
but Tim and Michelle offered no rebuttal. I was surprised because
they clearly had much more they could have added to clear up
some very obvious misinformed statements and the assumptions
made. I asked Tim and Michelle why they did not stand up and
correct the incorrect information that was given, and they simply
replied that they had provided the documents that supports their
claims, to the committee that needed to have the information, and
that they were not going to waste anyone else’s time trying to
convince them of something they don’t want to hear.
My husband and I gave our testimony in support of the proj-
ect proposed by the Bero’s, and did so because we feel it is a well
thought out plan that will bring light industry to a community
that desperately needs jobs and revenue. With the Bero’s plan,
the city will have the opportunity to develop the airport, provid-
ing options for development and income not previously available.
But no matter if I am for or against their development plans and
the zone changes proposed, the reason for my letter is to provide
some clarity to a couple issues I feel need to be addressed.
During this hearing the Proponents stated their “facts” and
sat down. There were no finger pointing, no name calling, nor did
anyone single out another person. On the other hand, when the
opponents of the Bero’s plan began their testimony, it was made
very personal against Tim and Michelle. Rude comments were
made, people testified over and over again about where the Be-
ro’s should take their business and how they should or should not
conduct their business. Comments were made against the Bero’s
personally, fingers were pointed, and then when sighs, or looks of
complete and utter dismay were given to the people testifying on
such a personal level, (the worse coming from not the home own-
ers themselves, but by people who claimed they were in support
of the homeowners), the proponents were then accused of being
disrespectful while the opponents gave their testimony.
I have to add here, as land owners, we all have the right to
petition the county for zone changes, and land development. The
hearings are a way of due process to ensure that the impact of the
zone changes and land use, takes into consideration the rights of
the neighboring people, and the wildlife and environmental issues
that may be affected by change. These hearings are not a place to
tell another person where or how to run their business, nor it is
a place to tell them what to do with their land. Despite my own
desire to address landowners who use their land as a land fill, it
is still a free country, and the land that is in question for zones
changes belongs to the Bero’s.
So, if there were signs of frustration during the opponents
testimony, it was based on pure amazement at the amount if in-
accurate statements and personal attacks on the Bero’s, and be-
ing required to hear not facts, but testimony given over and over
again on how the Bero’s should use “THEIR” land and how they
should conduct “THEIR” business. Please keep in mind, these
statements were coming from people who want “their right” to
a good view from “their land”, and “their right” to have a quiet
road, and “their right”(although they bought houses and prop-
erties across from an airport zoned for airport and commercial
use and development) to not have light industry brought to their
neighborhood. I hope those reading this can see the irony of the
statements being made here.
Tim and Michelle Bero have been residents of Vernonia for
over 18 years. They have experienced floods, the rebuilding, and
more. In their first 5 years of conducting business in Vernonia
they put over $700,000 of payroll into the community each year,
(continued)
and for the last 13 years conducting business in Vernonia they put
our over half a million dollars of payroll each year. They provide
jobs locally. That should be appreciated!
Tim and Michelle have sponsored Fire Awareness Kits for
VRFPD, spent thousands of dollars in community support for fire-
works, and Toy and Joy. They have sponsored T-Ball, Baseball,
Soccer, and Boy Scouts. They have lived in this community, sup-
ported this community, been actively involved in this community,
and raised their family in this community. I found it totally offen-
sive to take one of your most prominent Vernonia residents and
business owners, and tell them to take their business elsewhere.
It was mentioned that the home owners that may be af-
fected by this plan are not being taking into consideration. With
the number of hearings allowed and time provided for them to find
support for their goals, I would have to say that is not true. Addi-
tionally, when they mentioned their way of life would change and
that for some there may be displacement. I’d like to respond by
asking them to remember the number of people who have lived
in Vernonia, loved their lives in Vernonia, yet had to move be-
cause they could no longer afford the commute to jobs outside of
Vernonia because there were none available in Vernonia. I’d like
them to consider the displacement of other small business who
had to move because there was no room for them in Vernonia for
light industrial, office space, etc… (Our business being one of
them), and I would also like them to consider the displacement
and commute they are asking the Bero’s to endure by taking their
business outside Vernonia.
Vernonia is lucky to have Tim and Michelle Bero in
their community, with their willingness to give back, and bring
work to the community so Vernonia can thrive. Change is inevita-
ble, and not always easy, but positive change for positive growth,
especially in today’s economy, should be applauded.
Sincerely,
Michael & Marie Botchie
Former Residents and Business Owners in Vernonia
Still Current Property Owners in Vernonia
To the Editor:
I am writing regarding the ongoing saga on Airport Way. Al-
though I am not personally a resident of Vernonia, our eleven year
old non-profit animal rescue organization purchased a property
on Airport Way in July of 2007 and we are currently operating a
unique “cageless” dog boarding business. As Executive Director
of Indigo Rescue, I represent the organization and its interests.
We are a small organization but we have a few employee’s and
lots of hard working volunteers with big hearts. Our hope for our
property on Airport Way is to one day profit enough to be able
to fund our continued rescue efforts on behalf of abandoned and
neglected animals.
We were quite surprised when we learned about Tim Bero’s
plans for the former Nice property. The application to rezone the
Primary Forest property to Airport Industrial, Light Industrial
and Community Service Recreational seemed out-of-place for
the area. Ironically, some of the things we found most attractive
when we chose Vernonia and the property on Airport Way, were
the quaint atmosphere of the town and the picturesque rural, for-
ested view from the home. We had immediately started a market-
ing plan that included promoting to our boarding clients that they
could golf, bike the linear trail or fly out of the Vernonia airport
for the afternoon, while their dog could spend the day playing
with other dogs in a spacious country setting. It never occurred to
us that the country flavor of our property might very soon be re-
placed by the unattractive appearance of an industrial park. When
we first heard that Bero had told one of our neighbors his business
was going to happen regardless of any application process, we
thought he must have been speaking only from arrogance, be-
cause we believed the process would be fair and impartial and
the probability of a man with a gun manufacturing business being
approved to put an industrial park in place of valued Oregon for-
est property seemed slim.
The surprise was all ours from the time the process began. I
have attended all of the meetings during the zone change applica-
tion process, and I have testified at two of the hearings. It seemed
clear from the onset that our neighbors were facing a bias from
both the city and the county. We expected that the city would be
enamored by the prospect of jobs in a depressed economy, and we
figured the county must see the potential for road improvements
to be done on someone else’s dime. Still, we were surprised by the
lack of interest from anyone, in approaching any of the neighboring
properties with ideas or compromises. The neighbors have united
to try to protect our properties and the wildlife. We divided up to do
the research and we consulted with individuals from several state
agencies. We learned that there were numerous legal obstacles to
this zone change (These have been outlined in prior articles.) We
have repeatedly outlined the issues we uncovered, yet Columbia
County has still recommended approval of the application. The
Mayor of Vernonia and a representative from the Economic De-
velopment Department have both testified that we must have some
kind of “agenda” if we object to this application. One of the men
on the Planning Commission panel mouthed the words “We’re
for you” to Mr Bero during one of the hearings. During the recent
meeting before the Board of Commissioners, the Chair frequently
seemed to get annoyed and spoke sarcastically toward several of
the neighbors during their testimony. Supporters of the Bero appli-
cation snickered and made faces during our testimony. It’s as if they
have forgotten any of the neighbors have a single right. As if they
are screaming at us to get out of their way! Our disappointment
goes beyond the tone and direction the process appears to be lean-
ing. We feel as if we are going through a process that is only being
conducted because it is required, and remarkably, no one has ever
indicated to any of us that we have a single legitimate concern.
05
All of our disappointment aside, there are legitimate con-
cerns, as well as legal issues. Our hope is that the process, if taken
to the state appeal level, will recognize those issues and assure
what we have always hoped for; a fair and impartial process. If
the zone change application is approved, we can only hope that it
is done with respect for the neighbors and their properties, which
will all be adversely affected.
Respctfully,
Heather Hines, Executive Director
Indigo Rescue
To the Editor:
I have been a resident of Vernonia for over 16 years. My
husband works in the Timber industry and I work at the Lo-
cal Grade School. Our family owns 10.5 acres on Airport Way
and we have horses, dogs, cats and chickens. My husband and I
raised our three children here. We have been in many parades and
Jamborees with our dogs, ponies and horses. Many of you might
know my daughter Sarah, who was the Vernonia Branch manager
for US Bank until she stayed home to be with her new baby girl.
Our family has given horse back riding lessons, we have church
camp and we have boarded and trained horses and have helped
many kids who had no place to stay.
Although we have survived two floods and worked hard to
help others during their struggles, we can’t help but feel we’re be-
ing overlooked by our community during the process involving
the proposed zone change made by Tim and Michele Bero. Mr.
Bero came to my house last year, just after the flood and intro-
duced himself as my new neighbor. He pointed to the view from
in front of my home and told me the beautiful mountains, three
ponds, and the valley that is filled with wildlife is going to be
gone. Industrial business is coming, and he pointed and told me it
would be in front of my house. He said you won’t even know I’m
there. I’m expanding the runway. Planes will land more often. I’ll
make it look like a barn, and it will fit in. I told him I hadn’t heard
of any zone change and when I asked about the zone change pro-
cess he told me I was an “idiot” to think the airport was not going
to expand. He informed me it was already a “done deal”.
The county sent us a letter shortly telling us about the pro-
posed zone change. I was naive but I knew I had rights too. I
thought the law was in place to protect and help us from land
developers who come in with their money and buy and build
wherever they want to.
When we went to the Planning Commission hearing in Co-
lumbia County, the neighbors and I felt we were treated with dis-
respect and rudeness. While we were at the podium giving our
testimony, one of the Commission members mouthed the words
“We’re for you.” to Mr. Bero seated in the audience, while point-
ing to the commission members to the side of him. Many people
witnessed this and we were shocked by this behavior. This month
we had a similar experience at the Scout Cabin when the County
Commissioners were to hear our testimony and the tone toward
us was very condescending.
The Vernonia Airport is already zoned Industrial. Many
years ago when Mr. Hyde was the Mayor, he fought to make the
zone change for Mr. Bero but after it was done, Mr. Bero decided
not to do his business there. He wants an Airport, but Mr. Bero
already has his own airstrip on Timber Rd., why does he need an-
other? Why does he need to take our property values, peace and
quiet. There are also alternative Industrial zoned options empty
and ready to do business so he could have his business without
filling in a wetland and destroying a big game habitat. Shouldn’t
he have looked into the wetlands and other concerns before he
bought his property, or did he believe they were irrelevant? The
eagle and Blue Heron as well as other migratory birds use these
ponds and the Elk graze here in large numbers.
The “small barn” Bero first told me about has changed and
is now being described as a 35,000 square foot Flex building with
parking, and our private gravel road is going to filled with cars and
trucks. As it is currently, if you meet someone on the road you have
to back-up or pull into someone’s driveway. Just since Bero pur-
chased his property the road is full of potholes because the 15 mph
speed limit is being ignored. Bero himself has been speeding up
and down the road in front of our home to “exercise” his dogs (who
chase his truck.) Mr. Bero slammed his fists down on Pat Zimmer-
man’s car while she pulled in to the Scout Cabin this year to speak
at the “Meet the Candidates” event. No one stopped him then ei-
ther. Have you ever visited the TNR Firearms website and read the
blogs from Bero’s current business? We can’t help but be afraid of
what the future might hold for our quiet little neighborhood.
I am all for Vernonia business and jobs but I thought every-
one in the community mattered, too. Everyone talks about the
commute, but the reason why we moved to Vernonia is to have
this valley atmosphere and country living. My parents lived in
Gales Creek and worked in Beaverton. They wanted the country
life and accepted their commute in exchange for the lifestyle they
chose. If you want to live next to malls and busy industrial areas,
you move into town.
I gave to this community and was hoping to be considered
as part of this town. We don’t have much but what we do have we
would love to keep, not only for ourselves but many people who
enjoy the beauty of Vernonia and all the individuality this town
holds. We should hold on to what makes this place special.
Sincerely,
Tim and Tammy Sook
Vernonia
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