city news
At the May 20, 2013 City Council
Meeting
Vernonia City News...
City already contracts with; this could
save the City about 50% for the contract.
Council asked for more information to
EMS Week Presentation-Jeff Mathia, be provided in a workshop about the
Supervisor from Metro West Ambu- scope of work and the qualifications of
lance, presented the City Council with any City employee who would be con-
a proclamation and plaque proclaiming sidered for the job.
Emergency Services Week and thanking
the City for their support for emergency Council Accepts Brownfields Site Se-
services.
lection Report-The City has engaged
with PBS, under their EPA Brownfield
Topics From the Floor-Ilene Grady Assessment Cooperative Agreement.
expressed concerns that the City is not PBS completed a preliminary inventory
maintaining the Vernonia Memorial of potential cleanup sites and developed
Cemetery and that work is having to be site selection of criteria to help prioritize
done by volunteers. Grady stated that the selection of sites for cleanup. Accep-
a permanent solution to maintaining tance of PBS’s work allows the City to
the cemetery needs to be found. Grady move forward to identify the six highest
also thanked the volunteers that worked priority projects.
there this year.
Brett Costley told Council that Council Considers Cemetery Com-
he is available and would like to work mittee Recommendations-The Verno-
with City Administrator Bill Haack as a nia Cemetery Committee made several
volunteer intern to help with appropriate recommendations concerning equipment
City projects.
needed for maintenance of the cemetery
and also what should be done with the
Council Holds Public Hearing on Sew- property owned by the City where the
er Rates-Council held a Public Hearing former caretaker resided.
to discuss a sewer rate study conducted
by FCS. Council heard a presentation Council Approves Police Copier
from Doug Gabbard of FCS and will Lease-Council Approved a new lease
meet again in a workshop to discuss fi- for the copier used by the Police De-
nancing options for the upcoming waste- partment. The old contract cost the City
water upgrade project as well as two rate $429/month; the new contract would
design options. (See story on page 9.)
cost the City less than $100/month.
Council Discusses Clerk of Work Po-
sition-City Administrator Bill Haack
presented a proposal to create a Limited
Term Contract Employee staff position
called “Clerk of the Works” to manage
the complex construction management
and project management functions re-
lated to the wastewater upgrade project
jointly supervised by the City Engineer
and City Administrator. The position
would provide support of the project
over the next twenty-four months. Based
on discussions with the City Attorney,
Haack told Council the City has the abil-
ity to hire a current City employee un-
der a separate contract to perform this
function rather than use current firms the
At the June 3, 2013 City Council
meeting:
By Bill Haack
develop a bid package, publish a bid, and
select a contractor in the near future.
HEADWORKS PARSHALL FLUME
& RELATED IMPROVEMENTS
The City contracted with Lyda Excavating of
Banks, OR. Lyda has initiated efforts. Otak
has four change orders under review po-
tentially for removal of cement blocks from
lagoon 2, road improvement from California
Avenue to headworks, staging area at lagoon
2, additional aggregate requirement due to
deeper cut to attain stable soil and replace-
ment of aggregate with cement in trenching.
These change orders add about $20,000 and
4 calendar days to the contract.
Council Hears Update on Rose Avenue
Project-City Council heard an update
from Erika Paleck, President of the
Vernonia Health Board, who gave a brief
history of the Health Board and their
work in the community as a non-profit.
Paleck also provided a history of the
current Health Center Building, owned
by the Health Board and paid for with
funds raised by the community. Paleck
updated the progress of the current
campaign to build a new Health Center
as part of the Rose Avenue Project.
Paleck informed Council that all three
City Administrator Report
WASTEWATER
TREATMENT
PLANT PROJECT
WWTP COST ESTIMATE
The Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP)
facility improvements project cost estimate
is within a $5.25 to $6.0 million range. For
the purposes of planning these estimates will
continue to be used.
WWTP FINANCING PLAN
City Council will conduct a works session on
June 10, 2013, to review the pros and cons
of the various financing options.
WWTP ENVIRONMENTAL
ASSESSMENT
Pacific Habitat provided DEQ and EPA with
an Environmental Assessment & Biological
Assessment as well as provided NMFS with
a draft of the Biological Assessment. NMFS
has yet to determine whether an informal or
formal consultation will be required in this
process. Current issue is acceptance of lan-
guage to become a part of the O&M for the
finished project.
BIOSOLIDS PLAN
Otak is reviewing planning options for the
removal of the biosolids. We are coordinat-
ing with DEQ on the Biosolid Plan. We will
PUBLIC WORKS ACTIVITIES
CDBG PROJECT NO 06021
MONITORING LETTER RECEIVED
The City received a monitoring letter from
Infrastructure Finance Authority. There was
one Finding and two Concerns. The City’s
legal counsel has responded to the procure-
ment issue that resulted in a Finding and a
Concern. The City will resolve the second
concern by closing out the grant by 6-27-13.
The City must respond to this letter by June
27, 2013.
SDC FEE SCHEDULE
entities involved in the development
of the Rose Avenue Project-the Health
Board, the Vernonia Senior Center
and Vernonia Cares Food Bank-are all
working together and will meet regularly
to keep each other informed on their
progress. Currently the different entities
are on different time lines to develop
their portion of the project which had
previously raised some questions and
concerns from some Council members.
Council expressed approval of the
current status of the project.
Heather Lewis also spoke on
behalf of the Health Board and explained
the business model the Health Board is
using in order to successfully provide
health care in a rural community. The
Health Board asked Council for help
from the City in identifying potential
grant funding sources to complete
street improvements that are part of the
entire project. Council directed City
Administrator Bill Haack to explore this
possibility.
Council Approves Downtown Parking
Plan-Based on recommendations from
City Planner Carole Connell, Council
approved a Downtown Parking Plan
by a 3-2 vote. City staff is attempting
to implement new parking provisions
in the Downtown Zone. The Planning
Commission and Council have discussed
the matter in the past. The current
ordinance states that all businesses are
required to provide off-street parking.
Council had considered a complicated
plan that would include a fee-in-lieu of
being able to provide required parking-
funds raised would go into a fund to
maintain a City owned parking lot in
the Downtown area. Connell, in a
written memorandum, recommended
that Council delete the requirements for
existing businesses, require the fee-in-
lieu only for new businesses, consider
raising the suggested $10 fee for each
required space a business cannot
provide and that the City determine the
actual costs to develop and maintain the
public lot. Council approved the plan
based on the recommendation from the
A proposal will be presented on June 17,
2013.
WATER RATE UPDATE
OAWU will provide recommendations in
June or July 2013.
SEWER RATE STUDIES
june6
2013
5
City Planner, with the exception of not
raising the current fee of $10. Councilors
Tierney and McNair and the Mayor
voted in favor of the recommendation,
Councilors Parrow and Webb voted
against it. Council also approved a
worksheet presented by Connell to be
used by new businesses to determine the
number of parking spaces their business
requires.
Council Approves Master Capital
Program-Council approved Resolution
08-13, adopting the City of Vernonia
Master Capital Program. The Master
Capital Program was recently updated
and provides a road map for future
investment in capital assets. It includes
a prioritized list of infrastructure projects
and other capital spending projects.
Council Approves Creation of
Operation Manual-Council authorized
the City Administrator to contract with
Tetra Tech Engineering and Architecture
Services to complete a preliminary
Operations and Maintenance Manual for
the new Wastewater Treatment facility.
City Administrator Haack explained to
Council that the early creation of this
draft will assist the City in securing
approval of the needed environmental
assessment of the project from EPA and
DEQ. The creation of the manual was
already part of the project scope of work.
The cost for the draft is $21,671 and will
be paid for with EPA STAG grant funds.
Council Approves Trailer Permit-
Council approved an application by
Gerrie Reynolds for Inhabiting a Travel
Trailer at 810 E. Alabama Ave. from
June 15, 2013 to October 5, 2013.
Vernonia City
Council Meetings
and Closures
City Council Meetings are
scheduled for 7 PM:
Monday, June 17, 2013
Monday, July 1, 2013
City Closures are scheduled for:
Independence Day
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Dates and times subject to change
due to conflicts of schedules
continued on page 6
Old,
worn out
and rusty?
Need body
work?
Call...
Meyer’s Auto Body
•493 Bridge St•
VERNONIA
503-429-0248
