6
city news
february21
2013
On the Shelves: What’s Happening at the Vernonia Library
By Jennifer Moloney
Columbia County Libraries Bring
You “Columbia County Reads 2013”
“But because of his telling, many who did not
believe have come to believe, and some who
did not care have come to care. He tells the
story, out of infinite pain, partly to honor the
dead, but also to warn the living – to warn
the living that it could happen again and that
it must never happen again. Better that one
heart be broken a thousand times
in the retelling, he has decided, if
it means that a thousand other
hearts need not be broken at all.”
- Elie Wiesel
Libraries
across
Columbia County are inviting
their communities to read a
common book related to this
year’s “Columbia County
Reads” theme: the Holocaust.
The purpose of
Columbia County Reads is to bring
reading to the forefront of public
discourse. If everyone reads the same
book at the same time, it is hoped that it
will inspire discussions, connections and
a shared perspective among Columbia
County residents. This year’s adult
selection is “Night,” by Elie Wiesel
and the teen selection is “The Devil’s
Arithmetic,” by Jane Yolen.
Speakers from the Oregon
Holocaust Resource Center will be
hosted in the communities
of Rainier, Vernonia and St.
Helens.
Evelyn Banko will be
speaking at the Vernonia
Public Library on Saturday,
March 9, 2013 at 4:00 PM
Evelyn was born in Vienna,
Austria in 1936. Her family
fled first from the Nazi
persecution and murder of
Jews in Austria, then from
the Russian invasion of
County artist with work in the permanent
collection of Pacific University, will
be exhibiting his artwork at both the
Vernonia Public Library and the St.
Helens Public Library. These works
are a tribute to the drawings and
poems of the children of the Terezin
Concentration Camp. From 1942-1944,
approximately 15,000 children were
imprisoned at Terezin, Czechoslavakia
– fewer than 100 survived. Art will
be on display in Vernonia on Saturday,
March 9 th following Evelyn Banko and
Monday, March 11 th time TBA at the
Vernonia Learning Center.
Information regarding these and
additional events can be found at the
Vernonia Public Library. All events are
free and open to the public.
Artwork by Dave Anderson will be exhibited
at the Vernonia Public Library and the
St. Helens Public Library.
Latvia to America by way of China and
Japan.
Dave Anderson, a Columbia
City Administrator Report continued from page 5
Vernonia Lions Club, and a representative
of a commercial pump vendor to assess op-
tions for a replacement pump at the lake to
draw water from the Nehalem River. Lion’s
Club envisions that they will be the project
sponsor. The City will be involved in review-
ing plans and specs, reviewing construction,
and ultimately in operating.
WASHINGTON GRADE SCHOOL SAL-
VAGE
The City made an agreement with Custom
Excavating to purchase a variety of salvaged
materials from the deconstructed Washing-
ton Grade School. The City intends to ac-
quire approximately 140 pieces of lumber
(e.g. 2x12 and 2x14 – 20 foot lengths; 12x12
and 12x19 inch nine to 15 foot lengths) that
will be used to build the picnic shelter, be
refinished as benches and used as architec-
tural elements in construction projects. This
will allow the legacy of the former school to
live on in the replacement park project now
in design.
DIRT DELIVERED TO VERNONIA AIR-
PORT AND AIRPORT PARK
The City is coordinating with an area ODOT
road improvement project to accept fill mate-
rial at the City Airport to be used for future
land leveling projects at the Airport and park
facilities.
GENERAL CITY ADMINISTRATION
FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT UPDATE
As we informed you earlier this year, FEMA’s
national Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
have numerous changes that begin rolling
out January 1, 2013. The Biggert-Waters
Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 requires
FEMA to take steps to eliminate a variety of
existing flood insurance subsidies and calls
for a number of changes in how the program
operates.
Changes in Effect or Coming –
Here are a few of the immediate changes
that we will see impact the community: (1)
Change starts January 1, 2013: Subsidized
premium rates for pre-Flood Insurance Rate
Map (pre-FIRM) non-primary residences in
Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) will be-
gin to increase by 25 percent a year until they
reflect full-risk rates. A pre-FIRM building is
one that was built before the community’s
first flood map became effective and has not
been substantially damaged or improved. (2)
There will be more changes in the future:
Some older residences in high-risk zones
have been receiving subsidized insurance
rates based on their pre-FIRM status. Subsi-
dies will be phased out for severe repetitive
loss properties consisting of 1-4 residences,
business properties, and properties that
have incurred flood-related damages where
claims payments exceed the fair market val-
ue. The City Attorney and City Administra-
tor discussed options with the City Planner,
and CAT Flood Recovery Manager. The City
will embark on a focused code enforcement
program to attempt to bring all parties that
are out of compliance into compliance with a
working goal of completing all improvements
in the near future. The underlying rational
is to allow the City in the future to be an ap-
plicant for Community Rating System NFIP
flood insurance reductions. To be invited to
participate in CRS we must have 100% com-
pliance with code enforcement.
Next steps for the City –
• The City will create a master list for all
property owners within the floodplain. The
City will contact all property owners from this
list to inform them of the compliance issues
that are now in effect.
• The City will contact the parties on the
1996-1998 to date Community Assistance
Visit to update their compliance status.
• The City will work with code enforcement
protocol to enforce the ordinance that the
City has in place.
As a result of this compliance process, the
City will develop an internal protocol to han-
It’s time for the Spring Book Sale!
Saturday, March 2, 2013 at the Vernonia
Community Learning Center, 939
Bridge Street. Times to be announced
soon
dle concerns and likely complaints raised by
this enforcement. We intend to also meet
with the local realtors and bankers to make
sure these professionals understand the
rules associated with selling property in the
floodplain.
ROSE AVENUE PROJECT
The City met with the key stakeholders (i.e.
Vernonia Health Clinic, Vernonia Cares Food
Bank, and Vernonia Area Senior Center)
and their project managers (i.e. Scott Ed-
wards AIA and Community Action Team).
This meeting established the framework for
making decisions jointly on this project. The
two project managers made a commitment
to establish a regular meeting schedule and
a commitment to work toward shared goals.
Through this process they intend to create a
site development master plan for all to use in
site planning. The City made a commitment
to inform the project managers of the City
of Vernonia entitlement process (i.e. Plan-
ning Department and Planning Commission,
Public Works Department and City Engineer,
City Attorney, and Building Official). The City
Attorney and Planning Director will work to-
gether to create a land partition to create the
leasehold for the clinic (this is the first project
moving forward and a legal land partition is
needed to establish the bounds for the proj-
ect). The City Attorney will develop a land
lease for all three entities, again the focus will
be the clinic, but this is a universal document.
The City Attorney will develop the access
easement that all parties will sign when ap-
propriate that will also include a maintenance
agreement. At this time, the Vernonia Health
Clinic is aggressively moving forward with
their development schedule as they hope
to be under construction this summer and in
their new building by the end of the year.
WOEC REIMBURSEMENT DISTRICT
The City will work with WOEC to develop
a reimbursement district that will allow
the Co-op potential access to capital from
commercial development on property that
abuts improvements that they invested in in
2011/2012. The Rose Avenue Project devel-
opment teams are apprised that this exter-
nal cost is applicable to their projects capital
budget planning.