june12 2012
VERNONIA’S
reflecting the spirit of our community
volume6 issue11
VHS Track and Field Team Brings
Home 4 State Championships
The Vernonia High School
Track and Field team returned
from the 2A State Meet with State
Championships in four events,
capping off what is probably one of
the most successful seasons in the
history of the program.
Nicoló Casale and Nathan
Fleck both brought home two gold
medals, Lea Wilson brought home
gold in the shot put and the boys
4x400 relay just missed setting a
state record on their way to winning
their event.
“This is the best Vernonia
track team ever,” said VHS head
coach Byron Brown. “We rewrote
school and league record books in
the sprints, the girls shot put and
the 800 meters, and won four state
titles.”
Fleck won the state
championship in the 800 meters in
a very exciting race—coming from
about 5th place going into the last
turn to accelerate past everyone
and win with a time of 1:59:01,
finishing just one second off the
state record— this after running
the 1500 meters just two hours
Nominations Needed
for WOEC Directors
continued on page 15
Three Board of Directors positions at West
Oregon Electric Cooperative are open for nomina-
tion this year, each for three year terms.
The positions are from District #1, District
#4 and District #6. To be nominated as a director
members must live within a district, be a member in
good standing, and cannot be employed or have a
financial interest in a business competing with the
cooperative.
District #1 includes the Jewell, Elsie and
Hamlet areas. District #4 includes the town of Ver-
nonia. District #6 includes the Chapman (Scap-
poose) and North Plains areas.
To be elected to the Board of Directors, a
member must first attend and be nominated at a spe-
cial district meeting. Elections will be held at the
WOEC Annual Meeting on Saturday August 18 th .
The District #1 meeting will be held on June
20 th at 7:00 PM at the Elderberry Inn. The District
#4 meeting will be held June 27 th at 7:00 PM at the
WOEC Boardroom (652 Rose Ave., Vernonia). The
District #6 meeting will be held June 22 nd at 7:00 PM
at the Scappoose Library.
The WOEC Board of Directors sets policy,
approves contracts, hires a manager, and monitors
operations. There are twelve regular board meetings
each year.
For more information contact Sarah Rossi at
the WOEC office at 503-429-3021 or email at sar-
ahr@westoregon.org.
Washington Grade School gymnasium. Be prepared to
dance to tunes from throughout the history of the build-
ing, or just sit and relax and catch up with old friends.
The Vernonia Education Foundation would
like to thank the business community for their contin-
ued support of this effort. A wide net was cast for do-
nations, and it was heartening to see such a positive
response. Burkett, Mariners, True Value, Evergreen,
Lamiglas. There are more, many more. Come to the
dinner and support the district while getting some cool
before and finishing sixth. “He had with a toss of 39-03.00—which
a fantastic finish in the 800,” said was just 10 inches short of the state
The VHS Boys 4x400 meter relay team (left to right: Kristian Wredstroem,
Nathan Fleck, Jacob Stevens, and Nicoló Casale) celebrate their state
championship. (Photo courtesy of Jon Steward)
Brown. “Fleck is the best middle
distance runner ever to come out
of Vernonia and will go to the next
level.”
Casale left no doubt in the
200 meters as he cruised to victory
with a time of 22.67. It was sweet
revenge for Casale who earlier had
finished second in the 100 meter
finals, missing the gold by just .01 .
Leah Wilson won state
championship in the girls shot put
record.
The boys 4x400 relay was
the final event of the meet and the
VHS boys finished in style, winning
the Loggers fourth state title with a
time of 3:26:80, just .16 seconds off
the state record. “It was a fantastic
race to end the meet,” said Brown.
“Kristian Wredstroem gave us the
lead to open—it was only his fourth
time running it--Fleck kept us
Last Chance Dance and Dinner is June 23
June 13th is the last day to buy tickets for the
catered dinner portion of the Last Chance Dance. If
you’ve been meaning to stop by Vernonia Florist or
NAPA, it’s time. You will also find tickets at the district
office or online at www.vernoniaschools.org. The din-
ner will anchor the events of the evening, which
include a live auction and dance.
On June 23rd, starting at 4:00 PM the
community is welcome to visit the Bridge Street
campus for the last time. The school buildings
will be open for reminiscing and there will be a
free, all ages dance from 7:00 to 10:00 PM in the
free
continued on page 7
inside
10
wizard
of oz
11
vhs class
of 2012
15
junior
salmon
Students and staff of Washington Grade School commemorated the final day of classes with a group photo.
The building is scheduled to be demolished in July.
Council Adopts Budget, Increases Sewer Rate
The Vernonia City Council
adopted the Fiscal Year 2012-13 bud-
get at the June 4, 2012 meeting.
Following a Public Hearing
at which there was no public com-
ment from the audience, Council ad-
opted the budget as recommended by
the City Budget Committee, with no
changes.
The budget includes an in-
crease of $19 to the Sewer Loan re-
payment fee, from $12 to $31. This
increase had been the subject of de-
bate during the Budget Committee
discussion over the past few months.
The increase was made offi-
cial later in the meeting when Coun-
cil approved amended changes to
the City Master Fee Schedule. This
amendment also includes the sug-
gested changes to City water rates
that were discussed in March of this
year after a water rate study was con-
ducted by the City.
The changes to the water rate
and increase to the sewer rates were
both recommended by the City Public
Works Committee.
Both changes will take effect
beginning July 1, 2012.
