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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (July 24, 2012)
july24 2012 V E R N O N I A’ S reflecting the spirit of our community free volume6 issue14 Firefighters Battle Keasey Wildfire Fleck to Compete at By Scott Laird said the wildfire was a little under five acres National Junior Olympics in size on non-industrial, private forest land. Firefighters from the Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District (VRFPD), with as- sistance from several other area agencies, were called to a fire on Keasey Road near Boeck Road on Tuesday July 10, 2012. Crews from the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), Mist-Birkenfeld Rural Fire Protection District and the Oregon De- “It had been logged over already and had a south facing slope which can heat up,” said Simek. Simek said the initial attack was done by VRFPD, the ODF crew and Mist- Birkenfeld personnel. It was decided to bring in two, ten-man crews from the South Fork Unit to assist; those crews worked to Vernonia volunteers helped extinguish a wild fire near Boeck Rd. Photo courtesy of Ben Fousek. partment of Corrections South Fork Forest Camp, along with an ODF water helicopter, worked together to contain and extinguish the natural cover wildfire. VRFPD Deputy Chief Dean Smith led the initial local response at around 2:30 PM, with assistance from local volunteer firefighters Tori Ellis, Kendrick Leverton, Dan Hensen, and Alex Barber. A total of eleven Vernonia firefighters were eventually on scene to battle the blaze. Smith said his crew was met almost immediately by a crew from ODF who took Incident Command of the scene. Together the two agencies devel- oped a plan and began working to extinguish the fire. Mike Simek, Unit Forester for ODF, inside 8 school move 8 county fair 9 soccer camp cut a perimeter line to contain the fire. Simek said ODF also decided to bring in a medium sized helicopter to do some water drops. According to Smith the fire was spreading fast when he arrived at the fire. “The medics who were the very first on scene said it was 100 feet by 500 feet,” explained Smith. “I was two minutes behind them and by the time I got there it was probably 75 yards wide by 160 yards long, so it was growing pretty quick.” Smith said before ODF arrived he witnessed twenty foot high flames about fifty feet from the tree line. Smith was pleased with the perfor- mance of his Vernonia crew. “I have to give them credit, the people I had out there did a really good job,” said Smith. “A few of continued on page 10 L o c a l National meet by Vernonia runner, qualifying in the George “Nathan” Oregon Association Fleck is heading to meet at Willamette the National Junior University where he Olympic Track and finished third with a Field Champion- time of 2:03. Fleck ships at Morgan then traveled to State University in Bend, OR to com- Baltimore, Mary- pete in the Region land. 13 meet against Fleck will runners from the compete in the 800 entire Pacific North- Meter Run begin- west, where he fin- ning on July 25th. ished fourth with a Fleck, a junior this time of 2:10.24. State Champion Nathan past year at Verno- Fleck will run the 800 meters. Fleck, who won nia High School, Photo courtesy of Tina Smith. his state title with a was the 2A state champion in the time of 1:59.01, said he had trou- 800 this season. Fleck also won ble adjusting to the very hot and a state championship in the 4x400 dry climate in Bend at the Regional meter relay. He also ran the 1500 meet. “My mouth dried up in the for the VHS track team and com- first 100 meters and then I was peted for VHS in cross country. just making sure I qualified,” said “Nationals is a dream Fleck. The top five runners from come true for each and every kid each of the sixteen regions are in- that makes it there,” said Fleck’s vited to attend the National Junior mother, Teresa Willard. Olympics. The National Junior Olym- Fleck says he has been pic meet is sponsored by USA training by doing interval work, Track & Field, the national govern- running 200 and 400 meter sprints, ing body for track and field in this some 800 meter runs and longer country. USATF is responsible for distance runs. He says he alter- establishing grassroots programs, nates with a hard workout, then an such as the Junior Olympics, to easier workout every other day. help develop future stars as well as At the Junior Olympics developing, selecting and leading Fleck says he expects there to be Team USA at the Olympics, World two qualifying heats he would Championships and more than need to advance through before he twelve other international events reaches the finals. each year. Roughly 700 athletes of Vernonia’s Voice would all ages wear a Team USA uniform like to wish Nathan Fleck good in any given year. luck as he represents Vernonia at Fleck advanced to the the National Junior Olympics! Vernonia Coffee Roasters is Back in Business By Scott Laird Vernonia Coffee Roasters, a local, home-based business, has found a way to stay open. Tim and Jessica Davis have been roasting their popular gourmet coffee in their home and selling it lo- cally for the past four years. When their main coffee bean roaster broke down this past spring the cost of re- placing it was beyond the means of this micro business and the Davis’s were faced with some tough deci- sions. Unable to find suitable fund- ing, in early May the Davis’s formal- ly announced they would be shutting down their business. “We explored everything— we had meetings with County Com- missioners, with economic develop- ment people at the state level,” said Tim Davis during a recent interview. “So we had really looked at all of our options.” After announcing they would be closing, Davis said he had numer- With no other real viable op- ous phone calls from customers ask- ing them to try to find a way to keep tions, the Davis’s decided to give in their business open. So they decided and try a thirty day, crowd funding campaign. Vernonia Coffee Roasters to try something different. successfully com- In mid-June pleted their project Vernonia Coffee in early July by rais- Roasters announced ing $5,810, far ex- they were embark- ceeding their goal of ing on a crowd fund- $4,900. ing project through “There are Indiegogo. “A bunch really some gener- ous people - people of people were ask- that just do things ing us to try some- thing like this,” said from their heart,” says Davis. “As Davis. “And I just crazy as this world wasn’t sure at first. is, there are still a I don’t like asking Tim and Jessica Davis with newly lot of great people people for help—I arrived coffee beans. like to do things my- out there that really care about what happens on the small self. I really hesitated.” Crowd funding is a some- scale.” what new concept that allows fans, The Davis’s have now made supporters and customers to finan- a decision about which roaster to pur- cially back artistic, business, disaster chase for their business and are start- relief, and other endeavors by going ing to take orders again for their cof- continued on page 12 online and pledging their support.
