free
december2009
july13  2010
V E R N O N I A’ S
reflecting the spirit of our community
volume4    issue13
Smith Family Gets a Home
First Flood Buyout Completed
By Scott Laird

After thirty-one months of
waiting, the Smith family finally has a
new home.

On June 27, 2010, Ernie and
Robin Smith, along with their children,
twins Sara and Paige, and Taylor
received the keys to their new house on
Fourth Street in Vernonia-- a property
the last thirty-one months than we had
in twenty-eight years of marriage,”
laughed Ernie Smith with relief,
looking back on his family’s ordeal.

The Smiths arrived on June
27th in three separate vehicles at
their new home, all loaded with their
belongings, ready to start moving in.
They gratefully accepted the keys from
previous owner Angie Rhodes and her
Ernie, Sara, Robin, and Paige Smith on the day they moved into their new home.
that is on high ground and out of the
flood plain.

The Smiths are the first family
to complete a FEMA buyout and close
on a new property after being flooded
in December of 2007. The Smiths have
spent the last two-and-a-half years
living with friends, in travel trailers, in
a FEMA-provided manufactured home,
in a couple of different rental homes,
and in an RV at Vernonia’s Anderson
Park campground. June 27th provided
the final stop in their long journey.

“We’ve moved more times in
two girls, Sara and Carly. The Rhodes
girls had made a sign welcoming the
Smith family to their new house.

There were tears of joy all
around as the Smiths stood in their new
front yard and then entered the new
house that was finally theirs.

“This is great,” said Ernie.
“It’s like a million pounds have been
lifted off our backs.”

The closing on the house came
as a surprise, as the family had recently
been told there was going to be another
delay in the proceedings to finalize the
details on the buyout of their
inside
9
wheels
park
11
2011 miss
rodeo oregon
19
4th
of july
free
property that was flooded.

“I wrote a letter to State
Senator Betsy Johnson explaining our
situation and heard back from her on
Tuesday [June 22],” said Ernie Smith.
“Senator Johnson said she had read my
letter and was moved by what we have
been through. She said she was making
some phone calls to see if she could
help and promised to get back to us that
afternoon. She called back and said
that everything was taken care of
and the papers would be ready to
sign on Wednesday.”

Realtor Sharon Bernal, who
has been working with the Smiths
throughout their whole ordeal, had
to quickly get the banks to prepare
paperwork so the closing on the
new property could take place as
swiftly as possible. By Sunday, the
family was moving in.

“I’ve tried to have a positive
attitude about the whole thing,” said
Ernie. “The people down at the Flood
Relief Center have been phenomenal--
they’ve worked non-stop. They were
learning as they were going [through
this] and there has been bureaucracy
all over the place that they have had to
fight with. But they never gave up and
I give them a lot of kudos. We have all
our friends to thank who have helped us
out so much. And Sharon [Bernal] has
been great working with us for the last
year and a half, trying to find a house
for us and helping us work through the
red tape, whether it had to do with the
continued on page 11
School Town Hall July 28th
at 7PM Vernonia School Cafeteria
Jamboree
Logging
Show May Be
Postponed

The Vernonia Logging Show,
usually held on the Sunday of Jamboree
weekend, has been postponed for one
year.

At press time a group of citizens
had scheduled a meeting to try to plan
a way to save the Logging Show this
year. The Jamboree Committee is
also currently looking into options for
alternative events to help fill this year’s
schedule.

Members of the City Economic
Development Committee and other
concerned citizens were scheduled to
meet on Monday July 12 at Lincoln grade
School to organize a plan to salvage the
show.

According
to
Jamboree
Committee President, Joann Glass, due
to the usual organizers of the events
having unforeseen personal conflicts and
other obligations, the Logging Show will
not be held this year, but the intention is
to hold it again next year.

“This has nothing to do with
the Jamboree Committee or the city not
wanting to have it,” explained Glass.

According to Glass, the City of
Vernonia doesn’t have anything to do
with the actual planning of events for
Jamboree. Glass, who is a city employee,
is volunteering her time as a citizen to act
as Jamboree Committee President, and
doesn’t represent the city in any way in
her duties.
Please check www.vernoniachamber.
org/community/events for up to date
information concerning the schedule for
this year’s Jamboree.
It’s Columbia County Fair and Rodeo
Time Again! Let’s Play!-- The Fair Starts July 14th!

It’s time once again to bake
communities bringing torches and
that apple pie, pack up the kids and
together lighting the Fair Flame.
the chickens and head over to the
“It will symbolize the County
Columbia County Fair and Rodeo!
coming together,” says Courtney.
And this year, don’t forget your
According to Courtney, the “Get
running shoes!
Your Game On...” theme means

This year’s Columbia
lots of fun activities. There will be
County Fair and Rodeo runs from
a huge checkers game in the grass
Wednesday, July 14th through
that everyone can play. There will
Sunday, July 18th. The theme
also be computer games and board
of the Fair this year is “Get Your
games with areas for families to
Game On...Let’s Play!,” and this
relax and play together. There
year’s festival features many new
will be a Footbag Club that will be
activities as well as many old
doing demonstrations on Saturday.
Nicole Glass of Vernonia, was Grand
favorites. “We’ve got a pretty
Also on Saturday, there will be a
Champion Jr. Showman in 2009.
full week planned,” says Ronda
“Fairly Fun Run and Walk”-- a
Courtney, Columbia County Event Complex Manager.
5K run and 1.5 mile walk that will raise money for the

“Opening Ceremonies” will take place on Huntington Disease Society of America.
Wednesday at noon, with all five Columbia County
continued on page 11