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