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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 11, 2011)
welcome from the editor Last weekend at our house we made what I would consider an “Or- egon Harvest” dinner, which reminded me how much I enjoy living in the Pa- cific Northwest and how much I appre- ciate this time of year. We made a pre-dinner snack of roasted pumpkin seeds, salvaged from the pumpkin carving booth at the Vernonia Salmon Festival. Next we cooked up some corn-on-the-cob and sliced some tomatoes, freshly grown just down the road at Dairy Creek Farm. We sautéed chanterelle mushrooms we gathered locally in the forest that after- noon and served them over mashed po- tatoes. For dessert—apple/strawberry crisp, with apples from our back yard and strawberries from our garden, fro- zen earlier this season. It was a fresh, tasty and locally grown treat—and a real joy to be able to put all these foods together and enjoy them in the same meal. I know people do this kind of thing all the time—grow, harvest and serve their own food. But in this day and age it is becoming less common. I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and my family didn’t have a vegetable garden in the summer. We could stop at farm stands and buy fresh produce and some of my fondest memories are of cookouts with platters of ears of corn— pretty much all you could eat. That was when corn was twelve for a dollar—the good old days! And my grandfather grew some of the tastiest tomatoes, and lots of them, so we always had those. But I love it here in the north- west, even though the corn and toma- toes don’t really arrive until sometime in August. I love gathering fresh berries all summer and walking in the woods and gathering mushrooms in the fall. I Vernonia Council Schedules Work Sessions october11 2011 love making a meal from items mostly from within a few miles of my home. I love knowing where my food came from—it makes it just a little more en- joyable—and I think it tastes better. *** *** Here in Vernonia three new City Councilors just took office last month, replacing three City Councilors who were recalled this past summer. While chatting with one of the new Council- ors I was reminded of some comments I made when three new Council members took office in January 2011. In part, my message at that time was that growing into an effective and productive gov- erning team takes time. I noted that, as a community, we would need to have some patience and allow a new Coun- cil, with three new members, some time as they all figure out their roles and re- sponsibilities, get familiar with the de- tails of current projects and issues and learn the nuances of how a city govern- ment functions. I said it would take time for the group as a whole to come together, learn each other’s styles, per- sonalities and triggers and learn to work together as a team. I also mentioned that the new Council would need to build a working and trusting relationship with staff. Much of that never happened with the last Council—they chose to jumped in head first and the result was the recall of three members. What this new Council needs to remember as they start their work to- gether is that they are on the same team and have a common purpose—oversee- ing the operations of the City of Verno- nia . At their October 3 rd meeting the Council scheduled two workshops— one to develop a list of their top priori- ties for City Administrator Bill Haack and one to set goals for themselves as a Council. This is encouraging and a very positive early step for this group. Establishing their priorities and devel- oping a plan for how they will approach the myriad of issues in front of them will set a good base for their upcoming work together. This Council will need to de- velop a long term vision and do what is best for Vernonia. They need to see the big picture. They need to develop trust—in themselves, in each other, and in their staff. They need to recognize that all of this will take time. *** *** Many of you may have already seen the feature article about Vernonia in the October 2011 issue of Oregon Business Magazine. “Build a School, Save a Town—Reinventing the future of Vernonia” was the cover story and included eleven pages of photos and an depth discussion about the relation- ship between building a new, high tech school campus and the potential impact on economic development in our com- munity. I felt like the article was a very real and true portrayal of the challenges we have faced since December 2007, our attempts to create change within our community, the possibility of Vernonia becoming a model of a sustainable, rural Oregon community, and even some of our failures as we have waded through all the muck, red tape, and con- fusion while trying to rebuild after a di- saster. It is an excellent read—you can find it online at www.oregonbusiness. com/features. 3 Publisher and Managing Editor Scott Laird 503-367-0098 scott@vernoniasvoice.com Contributors Lynn Berry Kimberly Brandt Mackenzie Carr Gayle Rich-Boxman Dr. Chris Scheuerman Michal Smith Don Webb Photography Krystina Fields Scott Laird Gayle Rich-Boxman Want to advertise? Have an article? Contact: scott@vernoniasvoice.com One year subscriptions (24 issues) $35 Vernonia’s Voice is published on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month. Vernonia’s Voice, LLC PO Box 55 Vernonia, OR 97064 503-367-0098 www.VernoniasVoice.com Scott Laird Editor and Publisher Need more room? The Vernonia City Council has scheduled several Study Sessions, including a session on October 17 at 6:00 PM to review the Water Rate Study; October 21 at 5:00 PM to set priorities for the City Administrator; November 9 at 6:30 PM to set City Council Goals; November 18 at 5:00 PM for a GIS Work Session. In addition a Public Hearing has tentatively been scheduled for Monday November 7, at 6:00 PM on the Water Rate Study. Also, the Vernonia Planning Commission will hold a Public Hearing on October 13, at 7:00 PM to consider a request by the Vernonia School District to change a Condition of Approval that required underground utilities on Missouri Avenue. What: The Columbia County Citizens for Human Dignity (CCCHD), the Rural Organizing Project (ROP), Working Families, MoveOn.org, and Rebuild the Dream will host a nonpartisan candidate forum for the candidates vying to fill the open congressional seat in Oregon’s 1st Congressional District. Who: The following candidates have confirmed their at- tendance for this event • Brad Avakian • Suzanne Bonamici • Brad Witt • Delinda Morgan When: Tuesday, October 11th, 2011 at 6:00pm Where: St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church 51555 SW Old Portland Rd. Scappoose, OR 97056 See us for the lowest prices GUARANTEED! Move-in Special 5x10 $25 5x10 $39 10x10 $69 10x20 $99 RV Storage $149 Outside storage available Totally fenced and gated Padlocks Available 58605 Nehalem Hwy S. P.O. Box 292 Vernonia, Oregon 97064 (503) 429-7867 10-6 Tue-Sat, 12-4 Sun Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-7 Lady’s Night Wed 5-12 “STILL BIKER FRIENDLY” LIVE MUSIC Sat, 10/15 Sat, 10/22 Sat, 10/29 Sat, 11/5 “The Third Member” Rockin’ Country TBA Halloween Rocktober w/ “Random Access” Costume Party, Prizes “Monkey Fist” Hard Rock Monday 10am-6pm Cafe Closed • Tue-Wed 10am-6pm, Cafe 10am-5pm Thr-Fri 10am-7pm, Cafe 10am-6pm • Sat 10am-11pm, Cafe 10am-10pm Sunday 10am-2pm, Cafe 10am-2pm (or call) 11139 Highway 202 (503) 755-2722 Saturday, Oct. 15 Spin Cycle • Specialty hamburgers • Draft beer & mixed drinks • Pool tables & satelite TV • Special live music events • Free Wi-fi Sun - Thurs 11 AM - Midnight • 733 Bridge St, Vernonia Saturday, Oct. 29 Country Backroads Gift certificates available Fri - Sat 11 AM - 2:30 AM • 503-429-9999
