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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 2011)
community news april26 7 Judgment Nullifies 5-209 but Hospital Project is Ended 2011 Recovery Act Funds Energy Efficiency Improvements in Columbia County Energy-efficient retrofitting is set to start on two projects awarded a total of $758,073 in federal funds by the Oregon Department of Energy. The Columbia County Courthouse and the Columbia County Rider Transit Facility received funding for installation of new energy efficient heating and ventilation systems and weatherization. The projects are funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) awarded through the State Energy Program (SEP) and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program. These funds are designated for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in public buildings. The US Department of Energy administers the funds, approves the projects and reviews the state’s progress. Expected annual energy savings for each facility from the energy efficiency improvements are: Columbia County Courthouse: $57,000 Columbia County Rider Transit Facility: $1,000 Tony Hyde, Chair of the Columbia County Board of Commissioners commented, “As a county, we are facing significant revenue shortfalls. The energy savings from these efficiency improvements will not only help us mitigate some of the shortfall, but provide long term savings.” “We are pleased to have made these awards to the Columbia County Courthouse and Rider Transit Center,” said Paul Egbert, manager of the Oregon Department of Energy ARRA team. “These facilities have high public use, and these improvements will save energy each month and provide a more comfortable environment for occupants.” The Oregon Department of Energy received more than 1,100 letters of interest, representing requests of over $2 billion in Recovery Act funding. Local WIC Program Receives Honor The Columbia Health District WIC program has been chosen to present at the National WIC Association’s 28th Annual Education and Networking Conference, May 1-4 in Portland. “ Te c h n o l o g y Innovations in Providing WIC Services,” is the topic on which Public Health WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Coordinator Jana Mann will speak. She has been with Public Health in Columbia County for 23 years, and WIC Coordinator since 2009. “They’re interested in our remote dietitian project,” said Mann. She explained that keeping a Registered Dietitian on staff is not cost effective. “The RD works with our high-risk participants and their families, such as those with diabetes or other medical condition,” said Mann. The RD also counsels for feeding concerns, such as tube feeding. When a dietitian is needed, the local clients access services through technology, such as Skype, Mann said, and as technology changes our services will take advantage of that – conferencing via smart phone is one possibility. The annual conference is expected to have 1,200 attendees, with 250 at concurrent sessions. Recent Columbia County Facts issued by the State WIC program show that in 2010, local WIC served a total of 2,254 clients, including infants and children under age 5, and pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women. 967 families were served. WIC certifiers travel to five cities in Columbia County to see families, and WIC issues $728,000 in food vouchers to families annually. The vouchers are redeemed at eight stores, five farmers at two farmers’ markets and one farm stand. DON’T FORGET! MARK YOUR CALENDAR St. Mary’s “Spring Clean” Rummage Sale Friday, April 29 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Saturday, April 30 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM St. Mary’s Church 960 Missouri Ave. Vernonia Questions? Call Maria at (503) 429-1069 or St. Mary’s at (503) 429-8841 “Unconstitutional and unenforceable in its entirety” Circuit Court Judge Steven Reed declared Columbia County Local Measure 5-209 in a summary judgment recently issued. The decision was rendered after the Columbia Health District filed for a judgment on the validity of the Measure, which voters approved in November 2010. Measure 5-209 was an initiative petition to stop all work on the CHD’s hospital project, to stop levying any hospital tax and to give back all of the money collected for the hospital project since 2004, when voters approved a measure to build a hospital. CHD Board Chair Jay Tappan called it a “moral victory,” because the Board stopped all work on the hospital immediately following the vote, and has no plans to levy further tax. The judgment settles the issue of how to return funds that were legally levied and spent. In a letter issued with the order, Judge Reed said he had received no formal opposition to the motion and no material issue of fact, since he had received no other affidavits or declarations. He said he had received a letter from the chief petitioner, Thelma Bonar, whose citations were inapplicable to the motion and another copy of a handwritten letter from a group, without return address or legal basis. Neither the County nor the State opposed the petition. The judgment validated the CHD Resolution 2011-01, which was approved by the CHD Board on Feb. 3, 2011. The Resolution says that the CHD Board would not continue with the hospital project, would attempt to sell the hospital property as an offset to any future taxes and would do a supplemental budget for FY 2011 to effectuate the Resolution.
