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
