city news
april26
2011
Vernonia City News...
At the April 18, 2011, Vernonia City
Council Meeting:
Council Hears Presentation About
Rave Parties— DeAnna Pearl, Director
of the Vernonia Prevention Coalition,
gave a presentation about the impact
of recent Rave parties that have been
held outside the city limits of Vernonia
on Keasey Road. Pearl explained that
the most recent party, held during the
weekend of April 8-10, drew as many
as 850 people and was the second
such party this year. According to
Pearl, complaints received and action
taken by the Columbia County Sheriff’s
office led to the cancellation of another
party planned in May on the private
property site, although Pearl noted that
the Sheriff’s Department was unable to
break up the party this month because of
a lack of resources and manpower. Pearl
reported that the organizers of the party
had not obtained proper permits to host
this type of event.
Columbia County Sheriff
Deputy Troy Caldwell, who had been
investigating the event, was in attendance
at the Vernonia City Council Meeting
on April 18. According to Caldwell,
the organizer of the event, who lives
on the property, was charged afterward
with nine counts of disorderly conduct,
threatening neighbors, furnishing
alcohol to a minor, and endangering
the welfare of a minor. According to
Caldwell, the property owner has begun
proceedings to evict the event organizer.
Pearl asked Council to consider
if they have clear expectations for their
Council Approves Expansion of Open
Air Market— Council approved a
proposal from the Vernonia Community
Learning Center Committee for operation
of the Open Air Market for the 2011
season. The proposal included a change
in market day to Saturdays from 9:00
A.M. to 1:00 P.M.; change of location to
Madison Avenue, south of Bridge Street;
and Kathy Larsen to serve as Open Air
Market Manager with compensation of
15% of profit. The market is scheduled
Council Moves Forward With Water to begin on June 4 th and will run through
Rate Study— At the request of the October 1 st.
Public Works Committee, Council
authorized the City Administrator to Council Approves Flood Mitigation
draft a Memorandum of Understanding Projects— Council approved two
between the City and Oregon resolutions regarding two properties for
Association of Water Utilities to assist flood mitigation: 661 Jefferson Avenue
with the completion of a water rate study. and 176 A Street. The resolutions
According to information provided, the included required consultation with
cost of this service to the city is estimated USACE and ODOT to ensure there are
to be between $14,000 and not to exceed no other planned uses for those properties
$17,000. The study is expected to be and the authorization for use of CDBG
completed by August 2011 and it is and HMGP funds for the buyout of the
anticipated that there will be at least one properties.
public hearing to review and comment
on adjustments to the water rate that will
be developed.
Police Department to continue with self-
compliance of established ordinances
for community safety and to prioritize
and support expectations through the
city budget. She also suggested a Social
Hosting Ordinance to hold property
owners responsible for unlawful
activities, a Citizens Patrol to create a
presence in the community, and signage
in City parks as prevention measures
that involve little cost.
Council Schedules Work Session
To Review Applications— Council
scheduled a Work Session for Monday,
May 9, 2011, at 6:00 P.M. to meet with
League of Oregon City representative
Jenny Messmer to begin reviewing
applications for the Vernonia City
Administrator position. The application
process closed on April 15 th .
DEQ Approves Vernonia Tank
Farm Site For Redevelopment
City of Vernonia Will Relocate Senior
Center and Food Pantry to the Site
DEQ has determined that current
environmental conditions at the former
Vernonia Tank Farm & Warehouse
site will allow for future use as a non-
residential senior center and food pantry.
The City of Vernonia and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency are
working together to relocate facilities like
Vernonia’s senior center damaged by the
devastating 2007 floods.
After reviewing the results of
environmental investigations at the site in
2009 and 2010, DEQ concluded that the
property does not pose a risk to human
health and the environment and that no
environmental cleanup is needed.
The Vernonia Tank Farm &
Warehouse site is located south of
Vernonia City Hall and northwest of
the intersection of Umatilla Street and
Weed Avenue.
From 1931 to 1960, Shell Oil
Company owned the site and operated
it as a small bulk oil storage facility
also called a tank farm. The property
was reportedly vacant when the Oregon
Department of Transportation purchased
the property in 1974.
Since that time, the Oregon
Department of Parks and Recreation
purchased the property and is transferring
it to the City of Vernonia for future
use as a senior center and food pantry.
That facility was damaged by previous
flooding events in 2007. This relocation
is part of a joint effort by the city and the
Federal Emergency Management Agency
to relocate residences, schools, businesses,
and community services impacted by the
devastating floods.
DEQ recommends that the city
develop a health and safety plan before
site redevelopment activities. If during
site redevelopment the city encounters
contamination, it should handle the
materials according to all applicable
regulations.
DEQ recommends the three off-
site monitoring wells on Weed Avenue
be kept in place to monitor if there is any
pollution in the soil around the property.
5
Mayor
Appoints
Economic
Development Committee Member—
Mayor Josette Mitchell, with approval
from Council, appointed Mitch Seibert
to the Vernonia Economic Development
Committee.
Council Approves Funds— Council
approved the payment of two sewer bond
payments: 92-03 for $18,537 and 92-
02 for $79,419. Council also approved
payment of water bond payment 91-04
for $119, 949.
Council approved the purchase
of a used 6” trash pump with intake and
discharge hoses to be used by the water
and sewer departments. The asking
price is $12,500.
Council Approves Agreement for
Maintenance of Radio Tower Site—
Council approved a lease agreement
with Columbia 9-1-1 Communications
District for the lease, operation and
maintenance of a radio tower site on city
property.
Geography Matters:
By Sean Pickner
Vernonia GIS has been
developing a variety of datasets that
represents both features within the
community, and the information that
is related to those features. When you
look at the database of information
that the city has compiled, there
has been a significant improvement
in access to this information-- but
without a purpose, it is difficult to
actually utilize this information. A
GIS professional can analyze and
manage information to an astonishing
level, but if the concept of having
a purpose is overlooked, then the
products that are produced become
limited.
When
reviewing
the
successes of Vernonia GIS, the
concept of having a purpose becomes
a major focus in its development.
One example of Vernonia GIS
successes is the development of
information related to the Public
Utility Systems. Since the beginning
of Vernonia GIS, there has been an
established purpose to provide a more
comprehensive view of the utility
systems. The purpose came from the
need to identify and improve upon
missing and outdated reference
GIS Products
materials.
The development of this
project took time, and consisted
of reviewing maps, consulting
professionals, and verifying through
field reconnaissance. As a result of
the time spent developing and storing
this information within a GIS, it
will allow for future analysis on the
product, but the initial purpose of
the project is a key element in the
successful use of this product.
GIS has produced a great
foundation to help the city better
manage information about place, and
the ability to recognize purpose has
provided usable tools that the city can
benefit from. I have watched many
governing agencies begin to adopt
GIS as an essential part of how they
function, and, like many investments,
the amount that is put in greatly
affects the degree of reward.
The future of Vernonia GIS
has identified many products that can
be developed, but like any visionary’s
perspective, a usable purpose for
these products will be the determining
factor on the amount of benefits GIS
can provide the city.
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Gym
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503-901-1705
16720 Noakes Rd. Vernonia
