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.
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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-
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