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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 2011)
september13 2011 V E R N O N I A’ S reflecting the spirit of our community Haack is Back as Vernonia City Administrator The Vernonia City Council has hired William Haack as the permanent City Administrator. Council met in Executive Session on August 30th to interview candidates Haack and Dennis Rhodes for the position of City Administrator, and again on August 31 st to deliberate on those interviews. Council returned to regular session on August 31 st and authorized Interim City Administrator Jim Johnson to negotiate a contract with their first choice. On September 6th Council met again in Executive Session prior to the regular City Council Meeting to discuss the contract before approving a contract with Haack during the regular meeting. Haack had previously served as Interim City Administrator through a contract between ColPac and the City of Vernonia. The Vernonia City Council voted 3-2 to terminate that contract on May 2, 2011. Haack began work immediately on a part-time basis and was scheduled to begin working full-time on September 19. inside 7 boosters buzz 9 davenport racing 12 vhs sports free volume5 issue17 Three New Vernonia City Councilors Take Office Three new Vernonia City Councilors were sworn into office at a special meeting on August 29, 2011. Bruce McNair, Kim Tierney and Donna Webb were appointed by sitting Council members, Mayor Jo- sette Mitchell and Councilor Randy Parrow. The three new members were appointed based on a recom- mendation from a panel of citizens who chose the three from a group of eight citizen candidates who applied for the three open positions. The City Council positions were open after three Councilors had been recalled and removed from of- fice by citizen election. According to the Vernonia City Charter, open council seats are filled by appointment by the remain- ing council members. Mitchell and Parrow agreed, because of the un- usual situation of having a major- ity of three seats vacant, that they should convene a special citizen panel to interview prospective appli- cants and make a recommendation for the appointments. The panel of fifteen citizens was chosen by lottery from a pool of twenty-nine citizens. The citizens on the panel were; John Agee, Sha- ron Bernal, Kellie Crowdis, Katie New City Counselors (l-r) Bruce Mc- Nair, Donna Webb and Kim Tierney. Garcia, Helen Hudson, Eric Larke, Heidi Matheney, Sharon Parrow, Lorna Poetter, Ernie Smith, David Spackman, Sonia Spackman, Janet Wageman, Larry Wageman and San- dy Welch. Candidates were inter- viewed separately and asked the same eight questions. The panel then broke into three groups of five and discussed the interviews. The panel- ists then individually ranked the can- didates in order of their preference, one through eight. The scores from all fifteen panelists were totaled for all eight candidates; the three candi- dates with the lowest scores were the panel recommendations. In addition to the three citi- zens who were appointed to fill the vacant spots, other candidates for the Council positions were: Noni An- derson, Brett Costley, Ilene Grady, Sally Harrison and Victoria Peters. The new Council members got right to work after being sworn in. They convened for two special Executive Sessions, one on August 30 th to interview two candidates for City Administrator, Bill Haack and Dennis Rhodes, and on August 31 st to discuss those interviews. On Sep- tember 6th Council approved a con- tract with Haack. UNWC Facilitates Another Restoration Project By Scott Laird Another watershed restoration project is underway in the Nehalem Val- ley, thanks once again to a partnership between the Upper Nehalem Watershed Council (UNWC) and Weyerhaeuser. A crew is hard at work in the Pebble Creek Basin, replacing two cul- verts on two tributaries of Cold Creek, which drains into Pebble Creek, and placing large woody debris in the streams throughout the Pebble Creek watershed. The project also includes an improvement to one of the logging roads This new culvert on a tributary of Cold Creek allows for better fish passage. that crosses a tributary. cies of native trees suit each particular area,” explains “This project was ranked number one in the Peyton. One goal of the planting is to ensure that there North Coast region by the OWEB (Oregon Department will be future large conifer trees that will eventually fall Watershed Enhancement Board) technical review,” says into the channel and restore the natural process of large UNWC Director, Maggie Peyton. “The implementation wood becoming stream habitat for many years into the of this project allows us to create salmon passage and future. salmon habitat and do riparian forest restoration.” The land where the project is taking place The new culverts, bridge and road removal will is owned by Weyerhaeuser, as is most of the Pebble allow for unconditional fish passage, opening up about Creek Basin, and is being managed for timber produc- five miles of habitat to salmon and other fish. Five miles tion. of large wood placement creates new places for salmon The project brings together several partners- to rest in winter and encourages aquatic insects which -the UNWC has received funding for the project from then feed the fish. “Later this fall we will go back and do OWEB and US Department of Fish and Wildlife as well an under planting in the riparian area with whatever spe- continued on page 14
