april3 2014
VERNONIA’S
volume8 issue7
reflecting the spirit of our community
www.vernoniasvoice.com
Health Center
Celebrates Groundbreaking
Six years after the Flood of
2007 damaged the health clinic in
Vernonia, the new Vernonia Health
Center took another major step towards
becoming a reality on Friday, March 28,
2014.
Over 100 friends, family,
dignitaries and citizens joined members
of the Vernonia Health Board to
In her opening remarks Paleck
lauded the efforts of the many groups,
organizations, foundations, civic
entities, professionals and individual
volunteers who worked together to
move the project forward. Paleck noted
that, not only was the Health Board
breaking ground on a new facility, they
were also breaking new ground on the
The first shovels of dirt! (L to R) Vernonia Mayor Josette Mitchell, Senator Betsy
Johnson, County Commissioner Tony Hyde, Heather Lewis, Health Board members
Wendy Sears, Bob Wagner and Ralph Keasey
celebrate the official groundbreaking
for construction of the new health care
facility on a rainy but joyous day.
The event was held at the West
Oregon Electric Cooperative truck bays
and included speeches, light snacks
and the ceremonial first shovels of dirt,
which was held inside, due to the hard
spring rain that was falling.
Health Board President Erika
Paleck welcomed the crowd to what she
called a ”...long, and overdue occasion.”
rural health care paradigm as well.
“The old school paradigm said bring in
a big conglomerate,” said Paleck. “In
the new paradigm the Vernonia Health
Board is entering into partnerships that
emphasize not just primary care but
partnerships that educate, that support
mental health, that help clients navigate
through the insurance mazes and in
general support the whole human
being.”
inside
10
meet
mac maccallum
11
chamber news
12
the carpenter’s
house b&b
19
the girls of spring
free
continued on page 5
Library Event for
Local Poet’s Publication
Many of us have enjoyed read- her own words:
ing the poetry of Kala Cota. Cota re-
One day an announcement/ar-
cords special occasions and events in ticle popped up on my Facebook page.
the life of the Vernonia community and Somehow this announcement found me
its residents with
rhyming lines.
Now one
of Cota’s poems
has been chosen to
be published in a
new “Chicken Soup
for the Soul” edi-
tion which collects
101 poems about
Alzheimer’s
and
Dementia. Kala’s
mother, Faye Millis
Sword suffers from
Alzheimer’s and is
currently residing in
a memory care fa-
Kala Cota with her mother, Faye Millis Sword.
cility.
The Ver-
nonia Library will host an open house from Chicken Soup for the Soul. They
event on May 7th from 4:00 PM-8:00 were putting together a new book about
PM to celebrate Cota’s poem being Alzheimer’s and other forms of Demen-
published. Books will be available for tia and all the proceeds would benefit
purchase for $14.95 (signed of course the Alzheimer’s Association.
by Kala!) along with refreshments. Ac-
Since my mom’s diagnosis and
cording to Vernonia Librarian Jennifer subsequent move into a memory care
Moloney the money raised from the sale home, over a year and a half ago I have
of the books will be used for new land- written many poems and journal entries.
scaping at the library. “Kala’s mother This seems to be my way of coping with
loved reading and spending time in her my grief over this sudden and sometimes
yard, said Moloney. “It seemed the per- overwhelming change in our lives. Po-
fect fit to utilize all funds raised to beau- etry has become a form of therapy for
tify the landscaping, starting with a re- me.
membrance garden as you walk up to the
Anyway, with the encourage-
library from the parking lot.”
ment of family and friends I submitted
So how did Cota end up contrib- a few poems and one was chosen for the
uting a poem to Chicken Soup for the book. I had originally entitled it “Hold-
Soul, the Alzheimer’s edition?
ing Hands” they have since changed the
We’ll let Kala tell the story in
Meet Bob Perry
New General Manager at WOEC
By Scott Laird
continued on page 14
name plate, facing him) is “Non Sibi, sports, fishing and amateur radio.
Seb Aliis,” Not for Themselves, But Bob, who is of Scottish decent, also
Bob Perry has been the for Others.
owns and plays a set of bagpipes.
General Manager at West Oregon
Perry says he will become
Electric Cooperative (WOEC) since
a member of the Lions
January. Vernonia’s Voice sat down
Club and would like to be
to visit with him, find out about
an active member of the
his background and ask him a few
Chamber of Commerce.
questions about his view on the
The question on
operations at WOEC.
everyone’s minds about the
Perry is an intelligent and
new General Manager is,
thoughtful man who takes his time
of course, “Can you lower
and answers questions in a very
our electric rates?” Perry’s
deliberate manner. He is extremely
answer, though probably
knowledgeable about the electric
not what the members want
utility industry in general and
to hear, was a simple, no.
especially about cooperatives. He
“You have a certain
appears to approach his job with
revenue requirement to pay
a customer service mentality and
Perry and wife Linda are your bills,” explained Perry. “That is
is very community minded. He is purchasing a home in Vernonia with just a fact of life. The economics of
approachable and easy to talk to, a yard for Megan, their Labrador this co-op are not going to change.
with a dry sense of humor and a retriever. Together Bob and Linda It’s not that we can lower rates. I
no-nonsense attitude. He says his enjoy riding motorcycles and think looking forward we could
personal motto, which is etched in kayaking. Linda likes to quilt and stabilize rates.”
stone on his desk (on the back of his garden; Bob says he enjoys shooting
continued on page 8
