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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 2012)
city news december11 Vernonia City News... At the December 3, 2012 City Council Meeting: Council Approves Rezoning Plan-Council approved Ordinance #887, which amended the Vernonia Com- prehensive Plan and rezoned 130 parcels of property. Council to Continue Legal Strategy With Ridge Riders-Council entered into Executive Session under ORS 192.660 (2) (h) to consult with legal counsel. After returning to open session Council agreed to di- rect legal counsel to stay the course and continue their negotiation strategy with the Vernonia Ridge Riders group. The Ridge Riders and the City of Vernonia are in disagreement over the validity of the lease that al- lows the Ridge Riders to use City owned property for their horse arena. Council Discusses Water Meter Recommendation- George Tice, representing the Public Works Commit- tee, brought a recommendation to Council, asking that an outside auditor be used to check the water meter at the Blue Heron Apartments. According to the Public Works Committee report, this particular meter has been under investigation for almost one year and is still not being read and charged for usage correctly. The Public Works Committee estimates that the customer is only being charged for about one-tenth of the cor- rect usage. It was initially thought that the meter was not operating correctly and was replaced. The problem has continued and appears to now be a problem in the reading or the technical reporting of the information. Council agreed that staff would work with the company that reads the meter and investigate the computer soft- ware that reports the amounts. City Administrator Bill Haack said he would try to have the issue resolved by January. Council Approves Northwest Natural Franchise Agreement-Council approved a new 10 year franchise agreement with Northwest Natural Gas. The City will continue to receive a 5% franchise fee. Council Approves Increases to Parks Fees-Council approved a request from the Parks Committee to make several changes to the Master Fee Schedule. The changes included increases in camping fees at Ander- son, Airport and Vernonia Lake, fees for group camp- ing sites, fees at the covered picnic area at Anderson Park, and the fees for exclusive rental of Hawkins Park. Council Votes Not to Accept Headstone-Council fol- lowed a recommendation from the Cemetery Commit- tee and voted to require Everlife Memorials to provide a proper headstone to be installed for Marcus J. Perez. Everlife Memorials had submitted paperwork for a headstone they had made on behalf of the Perez fam- ily that did not meet the Vernonia Cemetery specifica- tions. Council is requiring the company to meet the city standards. Presentation on Communication About Emergen- cy Preparedness-Council heard a presentation from Alexis Posley, a member of the Emergency Prepared- ness Committee. Posley showed Council an early ver- THANK YOU once again Ver- nonia and area pet lovers! Our Grand Re-Opening Celebration was a great success with many visiting for the first time and several folks taking advantage of the awesome deals on great products too! The outpouring of donations to Bai- ley’s Pantry has been amazing! The next time you visit the store or just drive by, take a gander at all the (paper) puppies and kittens in the window! At the time of submission of this article, you’ve all helped raise $125 to buy pet food for needy family’s pets! Of course our goal is $350 by Dec. 31 st but I’m confident we’ll hit it with your continued support. Remember too that all those puppies and kittens are “registered” at the store and will be put in a kennel at the end of the month and winners will be drawn for cool prizes so be sure to get your dona- tion in before the 31st! Speaking of the New Year, don’t forget about your pet(s) when you be- gin making your own New Year Reso- lutions. Often, our success is best if we have someone to partner with us or to have to be accountable to, so why not make it your pet? It’s pretty easy to create resolutions that include our pets. For example, owners often vow to start an exercise plan for themselves, if that’s you, why not add your dog into the plan to lose a few unwanted pounds along with you via a walk 3 times a week or have a dedicated play time with your cat and a laser light; an owner might resolve to do monthly self-health checks, why not add your pets to it- check out their skin for flakiness, coat for mats, and then give them a monthly flea med (whether or not you see a flea). Those are just a couple of ideas but you see how easy it can be. Our pets are usually our biggest fans and can be a great support for us in achieving our goals. By including them in our goals, we can pawsitively affect them, and owners can realize a deeper bond with their pet. After all, isn’t that why we have a furry or finned friend – or 2, 3, 4, 5? Rewards are also a necessary part of good resolution. Creatures Pet Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-7 Lady’s Night Wed 5-12 Mayor Appoints Brown to Another Term on Plan- ning Commission-Mayor Josette Mitchell, with ap- proval from Council, appointed Dan Brown to serve for another term on the City Planning Commission. Brown is currently serving as the Chair of the Com- mission. Council Authorizes Contract With Shannon Wil- son-Council authorized the City Administrator to sign a contract with Shannon and Wilson Geotechnical and Environmental Consultants for soil testing at the waste- water facility headworks. Council had previously ap- proved this contract, for $10,000, but city staff learned that more work was required under the contract. The new contract is for $12,000. Council Accepts Official Election Abstract-Council accepted the abstract of the results for the election held on November 6, 2012 which have been certified by the Columbia County Clerk’s Office. For Mayor, Josette Mitchell received 604 votes; there were 90 write -in votes. For City Councilor, Randy Parrow received 548 votes, Kim Tierney received 451 votes and there were 130 write-in votes. Store has a variety of treats i.e. rewards, for fish, birds, small animals, cats, dogs etc…. Stop by and see what’s new-be- sides our change in hours of operation to include Sundays from 12:00-4:00 and Mondays from 10-6! YES, WE’RE NOW OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK!!!! Vernonia City Council Meetings and Closures WOOHOO!!! Make sure to take ad- vantage of our Grooming Services dis- count coupon in this issue of Vernonia’s Voice– call for an appointment at 503- 429-PETS (7387) and have a happy and blessed New Year!! Vernonia Veterinary Clinic Small and Large Animals City Council Meetings are scheduled for 7 PM: Monday, December 17, 2012 Now Open City Closures are scheduled for: Monday, December 24 at Noon Tuesday, December 25 Monday, December 31 at Noon Tuesday, January 1 Dates and times subject to change due to conflicts of schedules Mon, Wed & Saturday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Call for Appointments (503) 429-1612 Or 24 hr. Emergency Number (503) 397-6470 700 Weed Ave. Vernonia, OR Cedar Side Inn “STILL BIKER FRIENDLY” EVENTS • Specialty hamburgers • Draft beer & mixed drinks • Pool tables & satelite TV • Special live music events • Free Wi-fi Sun - Thurs 11 AM - Midnight • 733 Bridge St, Vernonia Dec. 15 Texas Hold ‘Em Dec 22 Third Member Dec 31 Stepchild Now Beer & Kegs to go Fri - Sat 11 AM - 2:30 AM • 503-429-9999 5 sion of a website she has designed that would be used for communication outreach and give citizens access to helpful information in the event of an emergency situ- ation. Council was asked for feedback on the project so far. Creature Comforts ~ Supporting a Good Cause By Michal Smith 2012 Taco Tuesday from opening until 9pm 3 hardshell or 1 softshell $4.25 Prime Rib every Saturday New Year’s Eve Casino Night Blackjack & dice tables start at 7pm Buy $5 worth of food script & get $2000 in chips Complimentary black eyed peas after midnight for luck. Come back New Years Day at 7pm with your winnings for the prize auction. iheck our Facebook page for daily specials and upcoming events 756 Bridge Street, Vernonia 503-429-5841