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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2009)
may2009 free V E R N O N I A’ S reflecting the spirit of our community volume2 issue12 vernonia visitors guide Page 13 Preschool Teacher Still Take Care of Oregon Days: Celebrating Oregon’s Loves What She’s Doing, 150 th Birthday with Make Vernonia Shine Day By this time, most of us have heard that Oregon is clean up along roadsides and a project to clean and repair Even After Twenty Years! celebrating it’s 150th birthday this year -- the Sesquicen- cassette tape players for a talking book service. “We have so tennial if you want to get technical, use really big words, many cool things happening and a variety of people getting Kala Cota has been and impress your friends. Well, this month it’s time for all involved in a number of different ways,” said Ryan. teaching some of Ver- of us to join in the celebration with Take Care of Oregon Over 500 projects will take place in Oregon, the major- nonia’s preschoolers and Days. Vernonians will join others all around the state to ity of them on May 16th. In Columbia County, clean-ups are providing childcare in a help improve the quality of life in our great state with proj- planned in Clatskanie, at Pixie and Datis parks in Columbia wonderful learning envi- ects planned in communities everywhere. In Vernonia, it City, at Dibblee Point Beach in Ranier, and at Scappoose ronment for the young- happens on May 16th as Vernonia Pride organizes Make Bay in St. Helens. A month-long “Feed our Families and est members of Vernonia Vernonia Shine, our annual clean-up day here in town. Furry Friends” a community pet and food drive is also being families. And after twenty Students from Vernonia schools will be planting trees in held in Columbia City. years, her enthusiasm and the watershed on May 15th as part of the celebration. For more information about Take Care of Oregon Days or to love for teaching and help- Take Care of Oregon Days, a month-long celebration, find a project planned in a community near you, go to www.solv.org ing children learn has not is being organized in part by diminished one bit. SOLV, a non-profit organiza- On a recent visit to tion that brings together gov- Cota’s home-based school, ernment, business and volun- her excitement about teach- teers in programs and projects ing came shining through to enhance the livability of as she talked about her ap- Oregon. “We’ve had an amaz- proach to learning. “It’s ing turnout of volunteer lead- important to understand ers signing up for Take Care of the value of play,” says Oregon Days projects,” said Cota about her preschool Exploring the woods in the Cota’s Sara Ryan, a Program Man- philosophy. “When chil- backyard play area ager with SOLV. dren are young, they learn “Most of the projects are through their play. So to me it’s important to set up an en- the usual community clean- vironment that encourages social interaction and promotes ups and river restoration proj- their development.” ects, like our Down By the Cota takes a well-rounded approach to learning at her River clean-ups that SOLV school. “I like to change the environment to add new ma- sponsors,” said Ryan. But terials and things they can explore,” she explains. “I think there are also some unusual it’s important to introduce all the concepts, such as colors, projects. Ryan mentioned a a letters, numbers, shapes-- but in a fun way. To me, the most student in Baker City who has important thing is for them to learn that school is fun.” organized a “Pedal Pick-up” Cota and her husband, Chris, have converted the double to get friends to ride bikes and garage at their home into a fun-filled classroom with play and learning centers, activity areas, and even a quiet reading loft. A spring shower brought this rainbow to Vernonia Lake And they’ve turned their backyard into a kids’ outdoor play land. Their property includes a couple of wooded lots in which Cota has developed trails that her students can explore during nice weather and learn about nature. Indoors, she includes many sensory activities, books, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski addressed the first meeting of the toys, homemade play-dough, and art projects. Oregon Way Advisory Committee in early April, offering three projects for (continued on page 15) consideration, including rebuilding the city of Vernonia into a greener, and Oregon Way Kickoff Features Vernonia inside spring sports 8 10 23 a fish story vhs prom more energy-independent community. The meeting marked the beginning of Oregon’s effort to compete for and win competitive grants from the federal American Recovery and Re- investment Act. The purpose of the group is to advise the Governor on projects across the state that will showcase Oregon’s green expertise. “We have an unprecedented opportunity before us with the competi- tive grants in the federal economic recovery package,” the Governor said. “With this unique public-private partnership, we have the opportunity to secure federal dollars to showcase to the world that Oregon is the leader in doing business smarter and greener while creating jobs and sustainable economic opportunities for the future.” To set the group’s work in motion, the Governor offered three projects for consideration and asked the Oregon Way group to assess the projects, and if they support moving forward, to identify competitive federal grants to apply for. The group will report back to the Governor with that determi- nation and whether or not the projects meet the criteria and the goal of The Oregon Way economic recovery effort. If the Governor agrees with the assessment from the advisory group, he will then advance recommended projects to the appropriate federal agency(s) for consideration. In addition to the Vernonia Project, the Governor asked the advisory group to consider and review expanding the presence of solar highways in Oregon and retrofitting Portland Community College Sylvania campus to achieve “net zero” energy usage. Columbia County Commissioner Tony Hyde addressed the group as project sponsor for Vernonia, outlining the proj- ect details, and explaining how it fits the Oregon Way criteria. The Vernonia Project includes: creation of a new school campus outside the flood zone; development of a fully self-sustaining electricity system by using biomass; construction of a more efficient, safer wastewater treatment facility outside the floodplain; beginning a downtown renewal and Main Street Program, complete street improvements; and building a Community Service Center that would be home to a senior center, food bank, and medical clinic. What Does The Future Hold For Vernonia? An Interview with Tony Hyde Columbia County Commissioner and Vernonia resident, Tony Hyde, has played an integral role in the recovery of Vernonia and other county communities after the flood of 2007. He has played an even bigger role in the effort to rebuild the community, acting as Co-convener for the Oregon Solutions process that helped the school board choose a site for a new school campus and, using his connections in Salem, to keep Vernonia in the forefront for the Governor and other state agency heads. At the first meeting of The Oregon Way, the team put together by Governor Kulongoski to review projects that could be submitted for Federal economic stimulus funds, Hyde presented the Project Concept for Rebuild Vernonia to the Governor and the team, hoping to attract funds for construction projects in our community. Vernonia’s Voice recently sat down with Tony Hyde to talk about Vernonia schools, economics in Vernonia and in Oregon, and what the future might have in store for us. Vernonia’s Voice: Where are we with the Oregon So- lutions process? Tony Hyde: In danger. The entire Oregon Solutions pro- gram is slated for a sixty percent cut. The state is not just targeting Oregon Solutions. They’re saying that anything that is not core services in the university system is gone. From my perspective, that’s just not acceptable. I know too much about the value of Oregon Solutions, and it’s not just helping Vernonia. But it’s Vernonia right now. Every Oregon Solutions project is individually funded to the tune of $50,000. (continued on page 22)