Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current, June 08, 2010, Image 1

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december2009
june8  2010
V E R N O N I A’ S
reflecting the spirit of our community
volume4    issue11
Tree To Tree Adventure Park Offers
Challenges and Excitement
 
A  new  outdoor  park,  Tree  To 
Tree  Adventure  Park  has  just  opened 
between Forest Grove and Gaston, and 
WOW! is the only way to describe it!
 
Tree To Tree Adventure Park is 
a playground/obstacle/challenge course 
that is set up in the trees and according 
to the owners is currently the only park 
of its kind west of the Mississippi Riv-
er.  Visitors can choose their own  level 
of difficulty, with various  adventurous 
paths to take.  You decide what degree 
of  difficulty  suits  your  comfort  level.  
Similar  to  ski  runs,  there  is  a  blue, 
green, red and black diamond course-- 
the  higher  the  level  of  difficulty,  the 
higher up in the trees you head and the 
more  difficult  the  obstacles.    Adven-
turers move from “Tree to Tree” using 
platforms, tight ropes,  wobbly bridges, 
suspended logs and more, including zip 
lines.    Visitors  are  fully  secured  by  a 
harness and lines at all times for safety.
 
With a soft opening on Memo-
rial Day Weekend, owners Julie Barris, 
her daughter Marissa Doyle and a host 
of other family members had the oppor-
tunity to welcome paying customers for 
the first time.  The family continues to 
work on the rest of the grounds around 
the new park before their official grand 
opening  on  June  19th.    But  the  tree 
course is open and ready for action.
 
“It’s  a  self-based  adventure,” 
says Doyle.  “You go at your own pace 
and it’s really more of a personal chal-
lenge.   That’s  what  we  focus  on  here-
- we get you ready and organized with 
your  equipment  and  then  let  you  do 
inside
tion  has  been  ongoing  throughout  the 
winter and spring.  
 
The  course  was  built  and  de-
signed  by  Synergo,  a  local  Portland 
company  that  design  and  builds  chal-
lenge  courses  that  include  aerial  ele-
ments. 
 
Working  your  way  through 
the course is a real adrenaline booster.  
Even though you know you are attached 
to the safety cable with no possibility of 
falling, it still takes some time to settle 
in and feel comfortable.  This is not for 
the  faint  of  heart!   Working  your  way 
through  the  green  course  takes    bal-
ance,  some  strength  and  conditioning, 
and most of all, nerve.  If you are in any 
way adverse to heights, this might not 
 
The Vernonia City Budget Com-
mittee is struggling through an especially 
tough budget process this year.  The com-
mittee  began  meeting  on April  6,  2010, 
and almost two months and close to ten 
meetings later, were still having difficul-
ty  deciding  how  to  produce  a  balanced 
budget.
 
The Budget Committee is made 
up  of  five  citizens  along  with  the  five 
members  of  the  Vernonia  City  Council, 
who work with staff to recommend a bal-
anced  budget  back  to  the  City  Council 
for final approval.  Oregon law requires 
all  governments—state  and  local—to 
balance their budgets before the start of 
the July 1 fiscal year.  
 
This year’s budget process began 
with what appeared to be a rosy forecast 
in the Budget Message by City Adminis-
trator Bob Young, who is the Budget Of-
ficer for the process.  Since that time, the 
Budget Committee has unearthed numer-
ous discrepancies in the original numbers 
that were presented.  
 
On  May  25 th ,  a  memo  was  sent 
out  to  City  department  heads  at  the  Li-
brary  and  Police  Department  and  to 
members of the Parks Committee asking 
for  them  to  review  their  proposed  bud-
gets and make suggested cuts from their 
departments.  Those cuts requested were 
$9,000  from  the  Library,  $33,000  from 
the Police Department, and $10,000 from 
Parks.  
 
The Budget Committee met most 
recently  on  June  2nd  where  Committee 
Chair  Josette  Mitchell  led  a  discussion 
continued on page 10
continued on page 5
Cultivator: Not Your Usual General Store
 
2
vhs
graduation
9
mountain
bike trails
20
first
friday
City Wrestles
With Budget
At Tree To Tree Adventure Park near Gaston, visitors move from stable platforms as
high as fifty feet off the ground by way of suspension bridges, swings, zip lines, and more.
whatever  you  want  and  have  fun  out 
there.” 
 
The family-run business (it in-
cludes Mom Julie, and Dad, as well as 
siblings Marissa, George and Jared and 
all their spouses) is located on a twenty-
six acre parcel of land-- the tree-top ad-
venture course is situated in 4.5 acres of 
forest.  The rest of the property features 
nature  paths  and  trails  and  a  separate, 
low to the ground, challenge course for 
facilitated team building activities.  
 
The  family  has  been  develop-
ing the project for the last three years-- 
according to Doyle, it took quite a bit of 
time to find the proper location with the 
right zoning, and time to acquire all the 
necessary permits.  Everything was se-
cured by last November and construc-
free
Cultivator  General  Store  recently 
opened  in  Clatskanie.    The  creation 
of Paulette Rees-Denis and Jeff Rees, 
this is not your Mom and Pop’s Gen-
eral Store.
 
The  designation  “General 
Store” conjures up images of a dim-
ly-lit, dusty interior, with a bunch of 
old guys in overalls sitting around a 
wood stove drinking coffee and talk-
ing  about  the  weather,  the  price  of 
corn, and tractor parts.  
 
The name General Store also 
brings to mind a place where you can 
purchase a variety of goods and catch 
up on the latest local news.  And, in 
reality, that’s what Cultivator is.  It’s 
just not dim and dusty and there is no 
wood stove.  
 
In  fact,  Cultivator  is  bright 
with lots of sunlight, is colorful and 
cheerful,  and  full  of  wonderful  spe-
cialty goods-- wines, craft beers, or-
ganic  produce,  chocolates,  cheeses, 
household  products,  personal  care 
items  and  gifts.    It’s  still  a  place  to 
sit around with a cup of coffee (or a 
double mocha), and catch up on the 
local news.  And you can also get a 
bite to eat from the  kitchen.  
 
It’s a cross between a health 
food  store  and  cafe--  all  rolled  into 
one.  A general store for the new mil-
lennium, so to speak.
 
Paulette  and  Jeff  have  cre-
ated  a  warm  and  beautiful  space 
that invites their visitors to relax and 
stay for a while.  The atmosphere is 
friendly  and  the  staff  is  knowledge-
able.  The food is tasty, healthy and 
fresh.  And the variety of goods en-
courages  browsing  and  discovering 
new  and  interesting  ideas.    Paulette 
and  Jeff  also  hope  to  create  a  sense 
of community-- a place for people to 
gather, share ideas and build relation-
ships.
Just some of what you’ll find when you
visit the Cultivator General Store in
Clatskanie.
 
“Jeff  and  I    have  talked  for 
years about opening a wine bar,” says 
Paulette.  “We love food, we love to 
eat,  and  we  love  to  cook.   And  be-
continued on page 11