area news
april13
2010
Vernonia’s Voice Hosts Transfer Station Rate Adjustment
“Meet The Candidates” Effective April 1, 2010
Vernonia’s Voice will
host “Meet The Candidates,”
a political forum of candidates
running for Columbia County
Commissioner Position #2.
The event will be held on April
15 at 7:00 P.M. at the Vernonia
Community Learning Center,
939 Bridge Street.
Current Commission-
er Rita Bernhard is retiring and
leaving her seat vacant. Six
candidates have filed to run in
the primary election: Demo-
crats Henry Heimuller, Russ
Moon, Shawna Sykes, and
Judith Taylor; along with Re-
publicans Glenn Dorschler and
Terry Luttrell.
The “Meet The Can-
didates” forum will consist
of a series of questions and
answers with questions be-
ing asked by a panel of pre-
selected local residents and
candidates’ responses having
a structured time limit. This
will be followed by an “open
house” where the audience can
meet with the candidates and
ask specific questions about
their campaigns.
For more information
about “Meet The Candidates,”
contact Scott Laird at (503)
367-0098 or email scott@ver-
noniasvoice.com.
7
On Wednesday, March 17th, The Colum-
bia County Board of Commissioners approved
rate adjustments for the Columbia County Trans-
fers Station, effective April 1, 2010. The new
rates are as follows:
ceptable as a restrained load. If bags are above the
sidewalls, they must be restrained with rope, net,
tie-downs, strap and/or covered by a tarp/canopy.
Revenue generated by the Transfer Sta-
tion supports the Columbia County Solid Waste
Commercial Hauler Rate $77.00/ton
Program which includes the following programs:
Self Haul Rate $114.00/ton
• Household Hazardous Waste and Medical
Self Haul Minimum Rate $19.00
Sharps Program
Senior Discount Rate (37% discount off Min. • Dump Stoppers
Rate) $12.00
• Bulk Community Clean Up Events
Minimum Weight Limit 300 pound
Yard Debris Rate $45.00/ton
In addition, local haulers offer a 1-can,
Unsecured Load Fee* $15.00
On-Call Service for a reduced rate. Call your local
* An unsecured load is defined by: Any load that garbage hauler for further information and rates.
can drop, fall out, leak, blow or otherwise escape The last rate adjustment for the Columbia County
from the transporting vehicle. Trash in closed Transfer Station occurred in 1998.
plastic bags that are below the sidewalls is ac-
PCC, MTC Launch GED Testing in St. Helens
On Friday, March 12 Portland Community
College and Management & Training Corporation
(MTC) launched a GED addendum test site for adult
residents of Columbia County at MTC’s site in the St.
Helens Oregon Employment Department building.
The first round of GED testing brought in six
Columbia County residents for a total of nine tests.
PCC sent staff and tests to the site on March 12 at 8:00
AM for a full day of testing.
The addition of St. Helens as an addendum
GED testing site is part of a larger conversation of how
PCC can better serve Columbia County. The project
began as an informal chat between MTC Manager Kar-
in Miller and PCC Rock Creek Community Relations
Manager Meryl Lipman, both members of the South
County Chamber of Commerce. “Karin approached us
with the idea last fall, and it echoed what we’d been
hearing in focus groups and interviews from the county
commissioners to displaced workers and everyone in
between,” said Lipman.
Since Columbia County is served by PCC’s
Rock Creek Campus and GED testing is run out of
Cascade Campus, the next step involved a meeting be-
tween MTC Director Julie Gassner and the two cam-
pus presidents, David Rule and Algie Gatewood. When
they met in September 2009, both presidents proved
enthusiastic and positive about the project. Rule said
he saw the collaboration between the Rock Creek and
Cascade campuses as, “a marvelous example of how
the PCC District, as a whole, (could) come together to
better serve the people of a specific geographic area
(who had) a specific need.”Rule immediately commit-
ted to the finance, which is estimated to cost $6,061 for
staffing and mileage the first year, not including infra-
structure and materials.
Cascade’s Associate Dean of Student Develop-
ment, Joseph Fischer, took the lead from PCC’s side
and Miller worked from MTC’s to bring the project to
fruition. After approval at the state level, PCC’s appli-
cation was sent to GED Testing Services in Washington
DC, who approved an addendum to their existing con-
tract. Next, PCC and MTC tackled logistics. Those in-
cluded, “payment, registration, protocols, staffing and
scheduling,” he said. PCC can now proctor the reading,
writing and math portions of the test at MTC. The two
organizations are still working out kinks in the online
registration process. “The best idea is still to go down
to MTC, talk to the staff there, and get an information
packet,” said Fischer.
Jennifer Dennis, who runs preparation classes
for the GED test at MTC said her course consists of a
series of pre-tests, followed by an individual planning
process, help with soft skills, study habits and one on
one assistance. “In the past, we put together a check-
list and sent (students) to Cascade,” said Dennis, who
stressed that, “many people in rural areas don’t know
how community colleges work; for them it was very
daunting.” The longer a client is laid off, Dennis said,
the less money she or he has to spend on travel to Port-
land. She lauded the new partnership. “The fact that we
can offer testing here is huge.”
According to MTC Manager Karin Miller,
MTC can pay for the test if the student is enrolled in
their program. The only other GED testing site in South
Columbia County is the Northwest Educational School
District (ESD), which offers monthly GED testing to
students under 18 years old. But, since the entire GED
consists of five tests, and only two can be taken in a
day, “that takes a long time,” said Miller. High school
students can also test at MTC if they have the proper
releases.
The first round of testing went “very smooth,”
according to Fischer. “The facilities are great and the
staff is very helpful,” he said. GED testing will be held
at MTC every third Friday, with the next available time
slot being April 2.
“Henry Knighton Days” Historic Festival In St. Helens
The 1850’s will live again in
Olde Towne St. Helens this summer.
From June 4 through 6, Henry
Knighton Days will celebrate St. Hel-
ens’ heritage. The festival is named for
Henry Montgomery Knighton, founder
of St Helens.
According to Columbia County
history, Knighton brought his wife and
children to the St. Helens area with a land
claim. By 1852, he had brought enough
interest to the area to entice the Pacific
Mail Steamship Company to come to St.
Helens, but after the docks burned, the
steamship company settled in Portland.
From steam ships and steam
tractors to “Oregon is Indian Country,”
an Oregon Historical Society exhibit fea-
turing the nine recognized Oregon Na-
tive American tribes, the event will have
something for everyone. Other planned
exhibits include spinners, toy makers,
wood crafters, musicians, a Conestoga
wagon with mule team and even a dulci-
mer demonstration.
Don’t know what a dulcimer is?
Come down to the festivities in June to
find out!
The three day event is taking
shape, but something is missing. You!
We need you to help bring history to life.
Do you have insight into life as it was
in the 1850’s? Please share your knowl-
edge with us!
Community support and input is
welcome. Committee meetings are nor-
mally held at 6:00 PM, on Tuesday eve-
nings. Call for more information. Your
help and input in planning will be much
appreciated.
For more information con-
tact the Historical Society of Columbia
County (503) 720-7001, or South Co-
lumbia County Chamber of Commerce
(503) 397-0687. The Historical Soci-
ety of Columbia County is a non-profit
501(c)3 corporation.
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493 Bridge Street,
Vernonia
503-429-0248
