area news
july12
Jail Commander Retiring After 22 Years of Service
Jim Carpenter came to the
sheriff’s Office to serve in Corrections
in 1989 after a career as a small-
businessman
in
Scappoose.
On
Thursday, his 22-year career with the
Sheriff’s Office will officially come to
an end, although the retiring captain will
still be available to help occasionally,
said Sheriff Jeff Dickerson.
“Jim Carpenter has been a
shining star for the Sheriff’s Office
for many years,” the Sheriff said, “and
he was instrumental in making my
transition to the Sheriff’s Office in 2009
a fairly easy one.
“His experience in corrections,
his knowledge of our facility and its
operations, and his interest in people
helped make him an outstanding resource
for three sheriffs from 1989 to now. He
will be missed by this administration as
he takes this next step that he and his
wife, Kelly so richly deserve.”
Sheriff Dickerson named Jim
Carpenter as his jail commander in 2009
after a regional search for candidates.
Due to budget cuts at the Sheriff’s Office,
no new hires will be made to fill the
jail commander position. Undersheriff
Andrew Moyer will now take on the role
as Jail Commander.
Captain Carpenter began his
career with the Sheriff’s Office started
as a part-time deputy after working for
many years in muffler repairs. He owned
Jim’s Muffler and More in Scappoose
and was very active in the Scappoose
City Club before Sheriff Oester hired
him.
In 1990, Carpenter became
a full-time deputy in the Corrections
Division, and in 1997, Sheriff Phil Derby
promoted him to sergeant. Carpenter
oversaw the planning and construction
of the new jail facility in 1999 after the
old jail became unusable. Carpenter
spent an equal amount of time (11 years)
in both facilities. He said that when
the Sheriff’s Office moved from the
old facility at the courthouse, they had
nearly twice the number of inmates as
they had authorized beds.
“The old jail had a capacity of
38 beds,” he said, “but when we moved
to the present facility in 2000, we moved
with 75 inmates.”
Prior to the move, Carpenter was
instrumental in beginning the Sheriff’s
work crew to help ease jail overcrowding
at the old jail. Afterward, Sheriff Derby
put Carpenter over jail programs where
he became well known for his ability to
work with inmates and the community
in finding jobs for inmates to help keep
them out of jail.
Sheriff Derby later promoted
him to administrative First Sergeant,
where Carpenter expanded his services
The
Columbia
Health
District Board of Directors on June
23 successfully wrapped up details to
dissolve the district and end work as
the Public Health Authority at the last
meeting before five new directors take
office in July.
The Board unanimously
authorized transfer of the deed for the
public health building on Gable Road
to the county, and authorized Public
Health Administrator Karen Ladd to
sign the warranty deed. The County
Commissioners accepted the deed on
June 29.
An 11th hour attempt by
the incoming board members to stop
the transfer of the public health clinic
was quickly dismissed by Circuit Court
Judge Ted Grove on June 30 because the
transfer was already completed, “which
makes this injunction, as we say, moot,”
said Judge Grove.
“We were forced to
defend ourselves against this empty
complaint,” said Karen Ladd, public
health administrator, “and to spend time
and tax dollars to do it.” She added that
the state public health grants paid for the
clinic building from the time of original
purchase in 1996 until the final payment
was made.
Ladd announced that the
contract for provision of public health
services had been signed by both the
Columbia
County
Commissioners
and the Board of the Public Health
Foundation of Columbia County
effective July 1. With that transition,
the non-profit Public Health Foundation
has the Public Health Authority for
countywide public health services.
Later, Ladd said that the
CHD Board, the Foundation Board
and the Board of Commissioners have
accomplished a seamless transfer of
public health services, and clients will
not see a change in programs, services or
staff. “The changes will be in business
cards, signage, heading on paperwork,”
she said.
All archives for the
Columbia Health District were
physically transferred to the County
on June 30, and voters will decide on
dissolution of the district in the Sept.
20 election.
At the end of the meeting,
Board member Diane Hutson said that
she has respected her fellow board
members and staff, and knows that
everyone had the best of intentions.
“It is my hope that this unrelenting
harassment by a small group of angry
Jim Carpenter is retiring as Commander
of the Columbia County Jail.
Kids Can Eat FR EE 5 days a Week
Public Health Transfer Successful
Summer Meal Program
June 20th — August 19th
Vernonia Middle School Cafeteria
Breakfast
8:30
Adults $1.25
Scheduled
Activity
9- 11
Lunch
11:30
Adults $2.00
All REGISTERED volunteers & staff are provided a meal on the day they participate
Over 1
4 00
Youth
Meals
Served
to Dat
e!
te
la
Choco
k
il
M
e am
Ice Cr
s
Friday
Pizza
Wedn
esday
s
Waffle
Breakfast
ull You Can
Eat Salad bar
The Vernonia Summer Meal’s Program committee has agreed to provide a set of
guiding principles that help ensure the sanitation and safety of the whole
Participant Standards
All youth under the age of 10 must be with an older sibling, parent or care provider (ORS
163.545)
Any youth, under 10, without a chaperone WILL be fed and sent home if they cannot provide
name of older care provider
All participants WILL have shoes and shirts ( T-shirts available to borrow)
Any questions please contact
Cathy Meyer (503) 429-8033 or (503) 522-5311
USDu and the State of Oregon are
equal opportunity Providers and Employers
2011
7
to the Sheriff on both the Corrections and
Enforcement side of the house. Sheriff
Dickerson later promoted him to captain
and made him the Jail Commander in
2009.
Though he is retiring from the
Sheriff’s Office, the sheriff says he still
expects Carpenter to remain active in
the community, where in recent years he
has organized the “Cop Walk for Life”,
benefitting the American Cancer Society
and other philanthropic events. He was
instrumental years ago (as a member of
the Scappoose City Club) in securing the
property from the state and designing the
Welcome to Scappoose sign and totem
pole. He and his wife, Kelly also were
the driving force behind the development
of the Scapppoose Sauerkraut Festival.
“Jim Carpenter has been a
mainstay for Columbia County for
many years,” Sheriff Dickerson said.
“Sheriff Oester, Sheriff Derby and I
all recognized him for his talents and
connection to the community, and now
he will have even more time to devote
to his favorite causes. He will be greatly
missed.”
people won’t keep good people from
stepping up to public service.”
The Health District had
been working since 2004 to build a
small community hospital in St. Helens.
Voters approved a 38 cents/$1,000 tax
to support planning and operations. In
November 2010, an initiative petition
to stop the hospital project and return
all of the tax collected since 2004 was
approved by voters. Although Circuit
Court Judge Steve Reed ruled March 28
that the measure was unconstitutional
and unenforceable, the CHD Board
agreed to follow through on the wishes of
the voters and end work on the hospital
and move toward ending the permanent
tax by dissolving the district.
In April, the Board hired
Sponsler to map the dissolution and
make sure the law was followed.
Sponsler, of Beery Elsner & Hammond,
a Portland law firm that specializes in
government law, worked with district
staff to complete public health inventory
lists, movement of public health staff,
public health assets and the public health
clinic out of the Health District to the
County for the provision of continuing
public health services.
CHD has served as the
public health policy board since 1992,
but those services had to be transferred
before the district could dissolve.
Because the dissolution required an
Vernonia
election, the Board set Sept. 20 as the
and submitted a ballot title to
Coffee Roasters election,
the County Clerk.
The Millard Road property,
“QUALITP COFFEE ROASTED
8.3 acres purchased as the hospital
TO PERFECTION”
site, will continue as an asset of the
CHD at the time of election. The
County Commissioners are designated
the trustees of the District, in the event
that voters approve the dissolution.
The commissioners would then carry
out the rest of the liquidation of district
assets.
The CHD Board approved
503.429.0850
the budget for the 2011-12 fiscal
year on May 26, prepaying a number
503.816.2265
of anticipated district expenses and
WWW.VERNONIACOFFEEROASTERS.COM
levying no tax, in anticipation of the
District’s dissolution.