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Vernonia City News...
At the October 3, 2011 City Council
Meeting:
Council Approves Contract With
Union--Council entered into Executives
Session at the end of the Council
meeting per ORS 192.660 (2)(d)
Labor Negotiator Cosultations; (e)
Real Property Transactions; (h)Legal
Council. Council returned and approved
the collecting bargaining agreement with
AFSCME, the union which represents
city employees, and authorized City
Administrator Bill Haack to sign the
contract.
Mayor Josette Mitchell, with
consensus from Council, also instructed
City Administrator Haack to continue
land acquisition negotiations with West
Oregon Electric Cooperative.
Council Expresses Condolences to
Barlow Family—Speaking on behalf of
the entire Vernonia City Council, Mayor
Josette Mitchell expressed condolences
to the family and friends of St. Helens
City Councilor Phillip Barlow who
passed away on September 24, 2011 at specific geotechnical engineering
the age of 39. Barlow died of a heart services of soils and related substrata to
support plans for the Wastewater Facility
attack while in Thailand.
Update Plan. Council authorized the
Council
Discusses
Floodplain City Administrator to sign a contract
Enforcement—City Administrator Bill with KLS Surveying to establish survey
Haack provided Council with a letter the points for the report and with Shannon
City is prepared to send to one resident & Wilson, Inc. to add additional data to
family that is not in compliance with a report they completed in August 2005.
the city floodplain ordinance. Both the The work will be paid for with an EPA
National Flood Insurance Program and and Tribal Assistance grant the City had
FEMA require the City of Vernonia previously secured.
to manage floodplain enforcement.
According to the letter homes not in Council Approves Contract for GIS
compliance could be subject to a fine Services—Council approved a contract
of up to $500 per day. The home in with Triangle GIS, LLC for Data Access
question has been declared Substantially and GIS Project Consulting. Triangle
Damaged after the 2007 Flood; the home GIS will provide the City with support
owner is required to either lift or remove for the continued development of their
the home. Dan Brown from Columbia “Vernonia Explorer” system, which
County Flood Recovery explained that includes searches, mapping, report
grant funds have been secured to assist generation, data input and data editing for
the family in question become compliant. city related data. The Vernonia Explorer
system had the potential to assist the
Council Approves Contracts for City with Flood Plain Management,
Geotechnical Services—City Council Utility Management, and other Land
approved two contracts to complete Management projects.
Why Build a New Park?
As a result of the new K-12 school, the old
Spencer Park was converted from park
and open space land into school property.
The design and development of a new
Spencer Park and Tot Lot is required by
National Park Services to replace the
converted park and open space land.
Project Goals
The School District has hired design con-
sultants to work with Vernonia residents
on a park master plan for the new Spencer
Park and Tot Lot.
Some of the project goals include:
• Preserve historic features on
Get Involved!
We want to hear your ideas regarding the design of the new Spencer Park. This is a great
opportunity to make a difference in your community! Please, fill out the attached question-
naire located on the back page of this newsletter. This information will be used to craft
several design options that will be presented at the first public meeting. Thank you!
Building a Park within a Floodplain
Because the new Spencer Park will be located
within a floodplain, there are certain restrictions
that go along with any construction for the new
park. These restrictions are set by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and
are meant to ensure the site is prepared for
flood conditions.
Generally, the park is allowed to have
sport fields and some site amenities, but they
must meet certain criteria in order to comply
with FEMA. This means no new structures
with walls or any fencing that could potentially
restrict the flow of water during flood events.
Required Park Amenities
The new park is required by the National Park
Service to include the same amenities that
were at the old Spencer Park. These amenities
include:
• Full size baseball field with
backstop, dugouts, and benches
• Restroom facility
• Children’s play area
• (2) Soccer fields
• (2) Parking areas
• ADA accessible path system within
park
Q&A: Frequently Asked Questions
Question: Can any of the old school buildings
remain?
Answer: Unfortunately no. FEMA open space
land use requirements do not allow retention
of pre-existing structures unless all walls are
removed. However, measures are being taken
to reuse some of the historic architectural
features at both the new park and at the new
school to satisfy the Historic
Preservation requirements.
Question: Will FEMA allow any new structures
to be built in the park?
Answer: Public shelters, pavilions, and ga-
zebos are allowed, provided that the structure
does not contain walls. Public restrooms will
be allowed to contain walls; however, all other
walled structures are not permitted.
Question: Why are you separating the project
into two phases?
Answer: The School District is obligated to
fund certain park improvements as part of
the first phase development. However, it is
important to think holistically about the entire
park site. The master planning process will
provide a blueprint for future phasing of park
development.
Question: What is the project timeline?
Answer: Design of the park master plan will
continue through the end of 2011. The Tot
Lot construction will begin in Spring 2012, the
deconstruction of the existing school buildings
will begin in Summer 2012 and the dedication
of the new Spencer Park will take place the
following Summer, in 2013.
october11
2011
5
Haack Gives Update on Projects—
City Administrator Bill Haack provided
a written update on numerous priority
projects he is working on and discussed
in detail the sewer repair project the
Public Works Department performed;
gave an update on the Vernonia School
District wetlands mitigation project;
discussed the idea of doing an inventory
for standing timber on all city owned
property; updated the ODOT Missouri
Avenue project; and discussed the Rock
Creek Hydrology Report which provides
some options for creating better flow
during high water events.
Mayor Proclaims Fire Prevention
Week—Mayor Josette Mitchell read
a proclamation, declaring the week
of October 9-15, 2011 as National
Fire Prevention Week, encouraging all
citizens to protect their families from fire
and take steps needed to protect their
homes from families safe from fire.
the buildings before deconstruction.
• Provide sport fields and ameni-
ties at the new Spencer Park that are
similar to the old Spencer Park.
• Work with Vernonia residents
to create a park that can be enjoyed by all
age groups.
The Master Planning Process
The City of Vernonia views the entire park
master plan as a 10 year process. Phase
1 of the master plan includes the planning
of the new 11.82 acre Spencer Park and
a 0.2 acre Tot Lot located next to the new
school. Phase 1 planning will continue
through the end of 2011.
