Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 12, 2012)
community bulletin board/letters to the editor june12 2012 Upcoming Events Community Action Team Homebuyer Education Workshops Saturday, June 16th, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Learn to shop for a home, financial readiness, understanding mortgages, the closing process and how to protect your investment. Cost is free for this month only. Includes the workshop, workbook, certificate and future individual one- on-one counseling. Community Action Team is your local HUD Approved Agency. Pre-registration is required. Call (503) 325-9215, ext. 2303 or e-mail cindkp@cat- team.org. Angels Making a Difference 10.4 mile Run/Walk for a Cause, June 23-- benefits this local non- profit helping cancer patients and their families. 5K and 10K available. Registration includes: Entry, Lunch, Water, T-Shirt, Goody Bag. Register online or by flyer registration form.tarts at the Sain Creek Pavilion. (Henry Hagg Lake Park Map) Walkers start at 8:00 AM Runners start at 9:30 AM. REMINDER: There is a $5.00 park entrance fee that is the participant’s responsibility. Vernonia Florist or online at www. VernoniaSchools.org. Upper Nehalem Watershed Council Steering Committee meeting, June 28, 6:30 PM-- at the Fishhawk Lake meeting hall. The public is welcome. For more information see our website http:// unwc.nehalem.org, call the UNWC at 503-429-0869 or email steve@ nehalem.org. 4th of July Celebration, 5:00 PM, at Greenman Field. Featuring Jesse Last Chance Dance, June 23. Say Cain concert and other family fun goodbye to Vernonia’s old school entertainment. Fireworks at dark. buildings with a dinner, fundraising auction and dance. No admission Community Wide Garage Sale, for the dance. Tickets for the dinner August 25. For more information are available for purchase until contact Vernonia Realty and June 10 at Vernonia Auto Parts and Insurance at 503-429-6203. Readers Lend Their Voices... continued from page 3 next to students that behave worse than he does but earn candy bars because they were better than the week before while the kids that are not bad enough to be on a behavioral program earned Bee Bucks. He gets teased, called names and knocked down and struggles in his studies as well. Read through all of our experiences with the school staff and tell yourself how a new building will fix these problems! It won’t!!! Fix the staff!! Fix the problem!!! Pay attention to what is really going on!! Ask why? Look at each child!!! We are getting our son away from this dilapidated Staff but my son is not the only one screaming to be seen and helped! There are many others!! Step up and help them!! These students are our future!! Give them a helping hand like educators are suppose to!!!! Karla Eastlick Vernonia To the Editor, My name is Hayden Cieloha. I am 13. I am going into the 8th grade next year. I am looking for work to earn some money over the summer. I know how to mow lawns, operate a weed wacker and operate a leaf blower. I am also willing to do small jobs like move firewood, rake leaves, wash cars/crummies. If your interested then call 503- 429-0745 or 503-688-8103. Hayden Cieloha Vernonia To the Editor, Hello Everyone, This is Payton Wolf, and if you don’t remember me, I am a local 7th grade student at Vernonia Middle School and an avid Softball player. You might also remember me from some of my letters to the paper, or more recently, I was in the paper for being chosen as Vernonia Middle School’s “Student of the Month!” I am currently playing tournament softball for a Beaverton team called Blaze~Ohana. I have been raising money to earn my way to Colorado for the “Colorado Sparkler Junior tournament” at the end of June, which is a college exposure tournament. Also, my team is now planning to go to Western Nationals in California at the end of July. This is a tournament you have to qualify for, and since my team is doing so well, we qualify to go. Although I am very excited to travel with my team to these awesome tournaments, it does HOW TO SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Vernonia’s Voice welcomes and requests your thoughts, opinions and ideas. Please include your name, address and phone number, limit your letters to 300 words or less. Vernonia’s Voice reserves the right to edit, omit, respond or ask for a response to letters submitted. We will print letters space permitting. Deadline is the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month. Email: scott@vernoniasvoice.com or mail to: Letters, PO Box 55, Vernonia, OR 97064. 2012 Summer Canning Class Schedule Have you thought about learning to can this summer? Are you an experienced canner who would like an update on the latest USDA recommen- dations? Plan to attend one or more of the canning classes offered by the Columbia County Extension Service. Classes will be held at the First Lutheran Church, 360 Wyeth St., St. Helens. Each class will cost $20.00 or $70.00 for all four. A small number of scholarships are available. Payment must be made in advance to hold your spot. Class size is limited. • Wednesday, July 11th, 5:30 to 8:30 PM - Canning Jams & Jellies • Wednesday, July 25th, 5:30 to 8:30 PM – Canning Fruits and Pie Fillings • Wednesday, August 8th, 5:30 to 8:30 PM – Pres- sure Canning Vegetables & Meats • Wednesday, August 22nd, 5:30 to 8:30 PM - Can- ning Pickles, Tomatoes and Salsa For more information and to register for classes, please call or visit the OSU Extension Ser- vice office at: 505 N. Columbia River Highway, St. Helens, OR 97051. 503-397-3462 cost a lot of money. With the support of the community, family & friends, I have earned half my money needed to go. I’ve done several fundraisers and continue to collect pop cans and bottles. I still have half my money to earn and that is why I’m writing, to ask for your help. If you have any pop cans/bottles you’d like to donate, give me a call. I am also available to babysit if you’re in need of a babysitter. I also plan to do one last Krispy Kreme fundraiser, which has been very successful for me in the past. It will probably be in the beginning of July and if you are interested in pre-ordering a dozen or more, please call 503-429-0457 or e-mail at amandawo@msn.com. Again, thank you so much for all your support you have given me, it is very much appreciated!! Payton Wolf Vernonia Dear Editor, I want to make it abundantly clear that this is not, by any means, an indictment against or criticism of our sitting City Counsel. They are an intelligent, thoughtful, caring, hard- working group of volunteers. I just don’t want them to fall into the same trap I did as your Mayor. You all received a notice in your utility bill from city Administrator, Bill Haack, outlining the city’s plan for the sewer rehab. If my calculations are correct, we will be paying $19 a month on top of the minimum $103 to pay off the $4.3 million already used. Now there is an additional $4.3 million balance they want to use to add 3 feet to the top of the sewer lagoons D aga s COMPUTER & Owned and Operated by Don & Kim Wallace INTERNET SERVICES continued on page 6 ral Path Health Ser ces vi g WiFi n i vid et & o r P tern In SL per FEMA’s directions and install a system that allows the sewer overflow to be cleaned and cooled through the ground under the lagoons per DEQ’s orders. That all sounds great, EXCEPT the cost to you and me will be an added $7 per million. Now, that adds up to a monthly utility bill of $152…that is if you keep your water consumption at 2000 gallons or less per month. I understand why the Council is going forward. They have two very large state and federal agencies telling them they have to do it. DEQ says, “It’s the EPA that set the rules we have no control.” Couldn’t DEQ refinance the city’s debt to lower the repayments to a level we can afford to pay? FEMA wants to protect itself from future costs concerning the sewer in case there is another flood. I say, “Fine and dandy! Let FEMA pay for it!” I think we should be concentrating on increasing our diminishing population. Let’s get more utility users pulling our considerable wagon. It will be good for everyone, the schools, W.O.E.C., the city, the businesses, and ultimately the community as a whole. There are several reasons I’m concerned: 1) The consequences of a high utility bill: Not a very good welcome sign—“Come live in Vernonia, highest utility and electric bills in the state!” 2) Who is to say that in the proposed 20 years that DEQ won’t change the rules again? 3) We have other concerns like our water supply. Do you remember the summers of water rationing? We cant be naïve enough to think it’s not going to happen again and Na tu 4 Dr. Carol McIntyre Naturopathic & Chinese Medicine 503.429.3928 cccmnd@yahoo.com naturalpathhealthservices.com 503.429.TECH jeff@agalis.net 786 Bridge Street Vernonia, OR, 97064
