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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (May 16, 2013)
community bulletin board/letters to the editor may16 4 2013 Joy Creek Nursery County to Hold Public Offers Classes Hearing to Vacate Burn Road Joy Creek believes their classes are a good way for gardeners of all levels to improve their knowledge of plants and their gardening skills. The classes also of- fer an opportunity for gardeners to meet oth- ers who share a similar passion. Joy Creek hopes they give confidence to the beginner and inspiration to the long-time gardener. 1:00 Sunday, May 19 - free Fine Foliage - with Karen Chapman Discover the beauty of foliage-in- spired design with designer and author Kar- en Chapman. Learn to create eye catching combinations and vignettes, discover hidden jewels and explore new ways to use old fa- vorites. Book signing of Fine Foliage to fol- low. 1:00 Sunday, May 26 - free Hebes and Companions - with Andy Stockton Hebes are small evergreen shrubs that come in an amazing variety of textures and sizes. Joy Creek Nursery carries over 65 varieties of these diverse beauties and we will take a look at some of our heartiest and most unique offerings. This class will look at how to grow these wonderful New Zea- land shrubs, as well as give ideas for includ- ing them in landscapes. Other plants that compliment or contrast nicely with the color and form of various hebes will also be fea- tured. 20300 NW Watson Road Scappoose, OR 97056 503-543-7474 www.joycreek.com Vernonia Weather April 2013 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Ave/Tot HIGH 58 64 56 57 57 48 52 56 53 54 50 48 49 53 57 57 54 55 55 52 82 67 73 74 78 65 62 53 54 57.7 LOW PRECIP 0.08 46 0 46 - 48 0.37 43 0.42 41 0.55 34 0.2 35 0 35 0 38 0.13 31 0.02 31 0.23 34 0.09 32 0.1 33 0 34 0 33 0 41 0.19 45 0.08 43 0 30 0 29 0 29 0 29 0 33 0 32 0 35 0 44 0.08 37 0.07 28 0 36.2 2.61 Weather data is collected at the U.S. Weather station at the Vernonia Water Plant The Columbia County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a Public Hearing on Wednesday May 29, 2013 at 10:00 AM to consider the proposed vacation of a portion of un- used and/or unconstructed rights-of- way between Vernonia and Mist in Co- lumbia County. The meeting will be held in the Commissioners Meeting Room, Columbia County Courthouse, 230 Strand, Room 308, St. Helens, OR. The portion of road proposed for vacation are described as: Cheldelin County Road No. 39 (aka Burn County Road), a portion of Alfred Parkinen County Road No.P- 240. and all of Thomas Enneberg County Road No. P-215 between Mist and Vernonia, OR. The Board of Commissioners will consider at the hearing whether the proposed vacation is in the public interest. The vacation is being re- quested by ForesTree GM LLC and Longview Timberlands. The hearing is open to the public and all interested persons may appear and be heard. At or before the hearing any person may file with the Board of Commissioners any informa- tion they wish to be considered. Vote for 9-1-1 Renewal Levy? Of Course! Oregon is holding an election on May 21, 2013. There are only a few items on the ballots that we received in the Vernonia area—School Board positions and Rural Fire District Board of Directors positions. The other item up for decision by Columbia County voters is renewal of the 9-1-1 Emergency Communication Operating Levy. This levy is for five years and was originally approved by voters in 1998 and again in 2003 and 2008. The renewal is for the same rate as approved the last two times and is less than the original amount. This levy supports the operations of our local 9-1-1 call center which dispatch and coordinate emergency information for sixteen public safety agencies included fire, emergency medical services and police. The rate is 29 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, meaning that for a home valued at $150,000 the cost is just $43 per year. With all the cuts we have seen over the last few years to the Columbia County Sheriffs Office, including upcoming reductions to jail beds (see story in City News article on page 5 in this issue), we certainly hope that local voters can see the sense in continuing to support this operating levy. This levy will not increase taxes, but will maintain the current level of service and continue to provide a necessary and vital function for our communities. Please vote “YES” on your ballot for the Renewal of 9-1- 1 Emergency Communications Operating Levy. Readers Lend Their Voices... Dear Vernonia Community, It is unbelievable how time flies by. It seems like just yesterday was the time when we arrived to Vernonia. Sadly, now it’s time for some of us to go back to our countries. And no article, no words can describe how fantastic and eventful this year was. We want people to know how grateful we are. Thank you very much for being so nice, amazing, supportive and understanding. A big thanks to everyone we’ve spoken to for being friendly and kind. For every word they said and every smile they shared with us. It’s wonderful to be hosted by the Vernonia community. We enjoyed going to Vernonia High School and experiencing the Logger Spirit. Thank you, Mr. Underwood and school staff for being so welcoming. We can’t thank enough our dear host families: Shipleys, Youngs and Cheneys; for always being here for us and making our American experience full of joy. Thanks to Cathy Ward for finding us the great families and for her support. Thanks to all the exchange students who became a true family for us. We will miss all the people of Vernonia, this lovely town and America very much. A part of our hearts will always stay here. And we hope that one day we’ll be able to visit HOW TO SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR you again. 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 permit- ting. Deadline is the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month. Email: scott@ vernoniasvoice.com or mail to: Letters, PO Box 55, Vernonia, OR 97064. Sincerely, Iryna Budkevych (Ukraine), Yuliya Pestova (Russia), Karina Tolmacheva (Kyrgyzstan) PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE When: May 20, 2013 City Council Meeting Where: City of Vernonia City Council Chamber Why: To hear recommendation from FCS Group on the Wastewater Rate Study The City of Vernonia had begun to upgrade its wastewater treatment facility before the damaging December 2007 flood. The City now must complete that upgrade at an estimated total cost of $5 million. In the last fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, the wastewater service operated at a deficit, drawing down the fund balance to meet its operating and capital (including debt service) obligations. The wastewater utility fund balance was less than $100,000 to begin the current fiscal year, and the City must act quickly to stabilize the fund and position itself to pay for the remaining treatment plant upgrade. A draft report has been prepared that summarizes all of the findings, recommendations and supporting materials for the project for City review. Written comments are also welcome and must be received by Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at Vernonia City Hall, 1001 Bridge Street, Vernonia OR 97064. Both oral and written comments will be reviewed by the City Council. The location of the hearing is accessible to the disabled. Please let Joann Glass at 503-429-5291 know if you need any special accommodations to attend or participate in the hearing. More information about the FCS Group recommendation is available for public review at Vernonia City Hall, 1001 Bridge Street, Vernonia OR 97064 during regular office hours. The City of Vernonia is an Equal Opportunity Provider
