january11  2011
V E R N O N I A’ S
reflecting the spirit of our community
volume5    issue1
Keasey Century Farm:
A Family Farm
Survives in Vernonia After Many Generations
By Scott Laird

The Keasey Tree Farm
has been part of the Vernonia
landscape for many, many
years. Officially established in
1896, it has been recognized as
a Century Farm and was also
named the Tree Farmer of the
Year in 1992 by the Columbia
County Small Woodlands
Association. Generations of
family members have lived
on and cared for the property,
maintaining its natural beauty
and rustic feel, while still
harvesting timber and actively
managing the property assets.

Located five miles
from Vernonia along Keasey
Road, the almost 400-acre
property meanders on both
sides of Rock Creek, and is of
historical significance to the
Vernonia area. The Keasey
family line has now reached
its seventh generation in the
region and continues to have a
presence on the farm.

Today the Keasey
Family Corporation controls
the property with only a small
handful of family members
still residing in Vernonia. A
board of directors makes
management decisions and
the property
is maintained
inside
9
fire
training
12
our
schools
12
logger
sports
free
by a caretaker. The family
occasionally logs timber in
order to pay for maintenance
and taxes, and family members
continue to use the property
for recreational purposes--
for family picnics, hunting,
mushroom gathering and just
general wandering around in
the woods.

The Keasey family
first settled the property in the
1880’s, and have been on the
property ever since. Ralph
Keasey, the fourth generation
continued on page 10
Rainier Police Chief
Painter Killed in the Line
of Duty

Rainier Police
Chief Ralph Painter
was killed during
an altercation with a
suspect on Wednesday,
January 5, 2011.

Painter,
a
veteran of twenty years
with the Rainier Police
force was 55. He
had served as police
chief for the last five years. He
leaves behind a wife and seven
year old son, in addition to six
grown children and several
grandchildren.

Painter was killed
while responding to call at the
Sound Authority in Rainier. He
was removed by Life Flight
Helicopter and later pronounced
dead at a hospital in Longview,
WA.

A suspect, Daniel Butts,
21, of Kalama, WA, was shot and
injured during a shootout with
police following the incident.
Butts was taken into custody and
transported to a hospital. He was
arraigned on Friday, January 7 for
aggravated murder.

Painter’s body was taken
to the State Medical Examiners
Office in Clackamas, and given
a police escort back to Rainier
on Thursday,
January 6.

Rainier
Mayor
Jerry
Cole was
emotional as
he addressed
a
press
conference on
W e d n e s d a y .
“This has been
a tragic day in our city’s history,”
Cole said. “No one thinks
something like this will happen.”

A public memorial
service will be held on Friday,
January 14 at 1:00 PM at the
Chiles Center located at 5000
N. Willamette Blvd. on the
University of Portland campus.

Columbia River Fire and
Rescue Volunteers Association is
accepting tax exempt donations
to assist with the funeral expenses
and other unmet needs for the
Ralph Painter Family. Donations
may be sent to the Columbia
River Fire District office at 270
Columbia Blvd., St. Helens, OR
97051.

Make checks payable
to: Columbia River Fire and
Rescue Volunteer Association, in
memory of Ralph Painter.
Josette Mitchell is New Vernonia Mayor

Josette Mitchell is the new
Mayor of Vernonia.

Mitchell, 35, took the oath of
office at the beginning of the January
3 Vernonia City Council meeting,
along with new City Councilors,
Marilyn Nicks and Willow Burch.

“The goal for me is to remain
transparent and efficient,” said
Mitchell in an interview after her
first City Council meeting as Mayor.
“Because we are elected to represent
the citizens’ interests and to do what
is best for Vernonia, it’s my goal that,
as a Council, we do that.”

Mitchell has been a resident
of Vernonia for ten years and
has been extremely active in the
community. She has served on the
Board of Directors for the Vernonia
Cares Food Bank and is currently the
Treasurer. She has also served as the
Chair of the Vernonia Community
Learning Center and is on the City
Budget Committee, serving as the
Chair this year. She was a member
of the Ford Institute Leadership
Development Program’s Cohort 2 in
Vernonia, and acted as a community
Trainer for Cohort 3. She and her
husband, Casey, have also served
as the Co-chairs for the Vernonia
Salmon Festival for numerous years.
Mitchell says the only elected office
she has ever previously held was as
her college sorority President.

Mitchell, who grew up
in Bend and graduated from the
University of Oregon, has taught
school and substituted in the Vernonia
School District, including teaching
fifth and sixth grades at the Mist
School. She has also been a stay-
at-home mother with her daughter,
Sailor.

As Mayor, Mitchell says
she is planning to hold monthly
workshops before City Council
meetings, based on large projects
and issues to help better inform the
City Councilors and the public. She
also intends to revamp the agenda for
Council meetings and intends to keep
those meetings to the business that is
on the agenda. She is also planning
training for all City committee
members to streamline the processes
and the way information from those
committees is shared with the City
Council and the public. There is
also the intention to have training for
the City Council members provided
by the Oregon League of Cities in
February.

Mitchell
is
especially
interested in the upcoming
wastewater system upgrade that is
still in the planning stages, and in the
City’s financial stability. “People are
starting to get used to the fact that we
continued on page 7