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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2009)
vernonia’s voice letters to the editor march 2009 Columbia County Transit Plan Community Meetings Scheduled An Opinion: With Patience, Persistence and Unity We Will Succeed By Scott Laird The statements by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski in mid-February that Vernonia reconstruction was one of three top projects he would like to see funded with economic stimulus funds in his state was obviously good news for Vernonia. It was also a just reward for some of our com- munity and civic leaders who have worked extremely hard to keep Vernonia on the Governor and other policy makers’ radar. It was also a call for this community to unite and work together to use this opportunity and make the most of it. When the Governor talks about financial aid for Vernonia, it wasn’t just our schools that are being mentioned. Waste- water treatment, bio-mass power generation, and assistance for other essential services are being CONSIDERED as potential projects for funding. The big word here is con- sidered. Because even though being on the list of priority projects is a very good place to be, the Governor’s com- ments are not a guarantee that Vernonia will receive any actual funding. Being mentioned by the Governor so prominently while an- nouncing his intentions to seriously pursue stimulus fund- ing has to be satisfying for Vernonia leaders like County Commissioner Tony Hyde, Mayor Sally Harrison, School Superintendent Ken Cox, and School Board Chair Kim Wallace, among others. These people have shouldered the burden of rebuilding a ravaged community, a responsibil- ity that has weighed heavily on each of them. They have consistently stayed in contact with the Governor, his staff, our federal representatives, state agency leaders, local of- ficials and our community, leaving no stone unturned in the search for assistance to rebuild Vernonia. They have been true champions for this community. And the hard work is just starting. 05 muster with the Governor’s Oregon Way Advisory Group before being approved at the federal level. Shovel-ready projects are supposed to be the priority, and in that regard, Vernonia may already be behind and need to hustle to catch up. In states everywhere, county and community leaders are dusting off plans for projects that have been halted be- cause of the economic downturn. Those projects just need to be updated and submitted-- Vernonia’s projects are not yet shovel-ready. Moving forward quickly, strategically, and finding ways to fast-track procedures will improve our chances of get- ting projects funded. We have already been identified as a strong and resilient community-- a community worthy of assistance and support. Decision makers have shown a willingness to invest in us. We need to prove that their trust in us is valid. We need to work together with a unified mes- sage. If we do so, our chances for success will improve. Unity, and an aggressive timeline was the message from the Oregon Solutions team appointed by the Governor last year to assist Vernonia with siting and funding for new schools. The Oregon Solutions team has approved a site recommendation which now goes to the Vernonia School Board, which is scheduled to debate the issue on March 12. Choosing the site is one small hurdle on the way to get- ting projects funded in Vernonia. Passing a local bond in November to help fund school construction will probably be another. Both are chances for this community to show we are unified. Consensus is a tool that is taught to working groups, and although our city and school board are not run by con- sensus, there are some principles involved in this form of decision-making that our community leaders-- and the rest of us-- would be wise to consider. Consensus, as it is usu- ally thought of, means everyone agreeing on a common Things have not moved forward as fast as some of us would goal. That would be the short answer most of us would have liked, but it appears that our patience and their persis- give when asked what consensus means. But it’s more tence may be paying off. complicated than that. One of the principles is that if you disagree with a group decision, you agree not to stand in the All potential projects will have to be submitted to and pass way of progress-- that you will not work against the proj- ect and the group decision. If you have a different opinion, COLUMBIA COUNTY CLERK - DOG LICENSE DIVISION or an alternate idea, yes, by all COUNTY COURTHOUSE - 230 STRAND ST. means, bring it up. But if the group appears ready to move ST. HELENS, OR 97051 forward in a direction differ- 503-397-3796 ent than yours-- for the good Oregon Revised Statute 433.375 requires that every person owning or keeping any dog of the group, you need to get which has a set of permanent canine teeth or is six months of age, whichever come on board, and help your team first, shall within thirty days after becoming the owner or keeper of the dog, and yearly move forward. thereafter, procure from the county a license for the dog. We are now one big work- There will be a grace period until March 2, 2009 after ing group here in Vernonia. which any person owning or keeping an unlicensed dog We can try to learn from our will be subject to a fine of up to $250.00. past mistakes, but right now we can’t really spend a lot of A license may be obtained by mailing this application to the address given above, or in time looking back, we need person at the County Clerks office, main floor, Columbia County Courthouse. to be looking forward. It’s a new day in Vernonia. We have FEES a tremendous opportunity to $30.00 yearly for unaltered dog get new schools built for our $12.00 yearly for spayed/neutered dog students, to get help to make There will be an amnesty period from January 1, 2009 to March 2, 2009 improvements for our com- After March 2, 2009 there will be a $25.00 penalty. munity-- to make things better PLEASE CALL FOR SENIOR DISCOUNT here. If we all work together with unity and commitment, A current Rabies Vaccination Certificate and correct fee (including appropriate we have a chance to accom- penalties) must accompany this application. NOTE: Your dog’s rabies vaccination plish great things. must be valid for at least 10 months of the licensing year. Spay/Neuter Certificates Columbia County will be holding three Community Meetings to share information and to seek public feedback about two transit planning projects that affect County resi- dents and workers. The meetings are scheduled for: • Thursday, March 5, 2000 Hump’s Restaurant 50 E Columbia River Hwy Clatskanie, Oregon Time: 12:00 Noon Co-sponsored by the Clatskanie Chamber of Commerce • Wednesday, March 18, 2009 Vernonia Senior Center 446 Bridge Street Vernonia, Oregon, 97064 Time: 11:30 a.m. • Monday, March 30, 2009 St. Helens Senior Center 375 S 15th Street St. Helens, Oregon Time: Noon Co-Sponsored by the St. Helens Senior Center Some of these meetings are being conducted in con- junction with or before regularly scheduled events hosted by co-sponsoring groups but will also be open to other members of the public. County Transit Division Staff and consultants working on this project want to hear people’s opinions about transit- related recommendations, including transit fares; improve- ments to fixed-route bus and demand-response bus service; and the design and location of potential facilities improve- ments. Columbia County, through the Columbia County Transit Division, is currently undertaking a comprehensive look at how to provide better access to public transportation within the county. Columbia County Rider, a service of Columbia County Transit Division, provides general public transpor- tation within Columbia County, with services to surround- ing counties. Two related projects-- the Columbia County Community-wide Transit Plan Update and the US 30 Transit Access Plan-- are currently underway and will assess the ef- fectiveness of current transit services and facilities. Draft recommendations for the two projects have been identified and will be described at the upcoming meetings. The Transit Plan Update builds on the Columbia Coun- ty Community-wide Transit Plan, adopted in 2002, and the Coordinated Transit Services Plan, completed in 2007. The updated Transit Plan will provide further direction for the planning and implementation of transit services, operations, facilities, funding, and promotion/information efforts for the next 10 years. In concert with the Transit Plan update, Columbia County is developing a Transit Access Management Plan for US 30. This related project will identify improvements for pedestrian and bicycle access to transit on the US 30 corri- dor, develop designs for urban and rural bus stops/pullouts, and create a program for park-and-ride or park-and-pool lots. Recommended improvements within the corridor will build on, and will be consistent with, the existing and recommend- ed future transit system that is identified in the Transit Plan. Recommendations from these projects will be presented at the meetings along with a variety of opportunities to com- ment on them. More information will be available on the Columbia County Transit Division Web site within the next several days. must also be enclosed if applicable for the reduced fees to apply. DOG LICENSE APPLICATION Dog’s Name Sex Breed Color Spayed/Neutered Fees Do you live inside city? Rabies Expiration Date Veterinary Clincic Name/City Owner’s Name Telephone Number Street Address Mailing Address City Readers lend their voices… State The Girls from the Cadette Girl Scout # 2067, Would like to thank the individ- uals and businesses that donated to the ’Meals-on-wheels three day emergency boxes’. Without your help we could not have provided these people with these supplies. Thank you to: Anonomous from Mike Pihl Logging, Anonomous – T.B., Absolute Marble and Granite, Lindsay from Mike Pihl Logging, Karin Davenport from Spirals, and Craig from True Value Hardware. Cadette Girl Scouts in troop #2067 Felica, Amanda,Sara & Tori Zip Code If you have any questions, please contact the Columbia County Animal Control Division at 503-397-3935 or come to the County Animal Shelter, located at 2084 Oregon Street, St. Helens, OR. HOW TO SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Vernonia’s Voice welcomes and requests your thoughts, opinions, and ideas. Please include your name, ad- dress, and phone number; limit your letters to 300 words or less. Vernonia’s Voice reserves the right to edit, omit, respond, or ask for a response to letters submitted. We will print letters, space permitting. Deadline is the 20th of the month. Email to: news@vernoniasvoice.com or mail to: Letters, PO Box 55, Vernonia 97064.