14
city news/schools
february5
2015
City Department Updates
• Staff will be working on repairs to City Hall
and Library roofs.
• Staff replaced the water meter for Nehalem
View Trailer Park this week. This water meter
is a 4” meter that was installed in the mid
1980s.
• Staff replaced a meter curb stop at 998
Bridge St. This required disruption of water
service to more residents than expected. We
are very sorry for the inconvenience.
• Vandalism at Lake Vernonia continues to
be an issue and staff is discussing possible
solutions.
• Public Works staff helped City Hall staff
with moving of City owned property from the
Learning Center in preparation of the Senior
Center moving into this location.
• Staff repaired roof tiles at City Hall and the
Library that had blown off. Both roofs are
close to their life expectancy and will most
likely need replacement in the near future.
Planning / Building
• The City has received its letter from FEMA
after the September 4, 2014 Community
Assistance Visit (CAV) with a detailed
information package which summarizes the
findings and discussions from that meeting.
The City has 60 days to respond with a plan
on how the City will submit the required
documentation to FEMA and to close the
CAV in a timely manner.
• A primary purpose of the CAV visit was
to assure enforcement of Vernonia’s Flood
Hazard Reduction Ordinance. Continued
enforcement enables the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) to continue
allowing flood insurance to be sold throughout
the city.
Library
• The Library, “On the Shelves” column is
back in Vernonia’s Voice. The column will
include library program information and
book recommendations as well as other
information. The column will be in the paper
once a month but look for library programs
continued from page 12
and hours in every issue of the paper.
• The library shelves are full beyond capacity.
Library staff are removing items from
the collection to make space, looking for
books and materials that are damaged, not
checking out, and out dated. Items that are in
good condition will then be put in the Friends
of the Library Book sale. Profits from the sale
fund library programs and services. Mark
your calendars for the Spring Book Sale:
Friday, March 13 – Sunday, March 15.
• The Library Director is reviewing circulation
statistics for each magazine as it comes up
for renewal, canceling subscriptions that
do not check out and purchasing new ones
of interest. Now is a good time to make a
suggestion to consider for the collection!
• The Library had exciting visitors on
Wednesday, January 21. Children from
Head Start came to the library for a special
storytime. The class is currently learning
about animals so the Library Director shared
fun animal stories, rhymes, and songs.
• The Library Director ordered new books
for the collection this week. New materials
(including Books, DVDs, and AudioBooks)
are ordered for the library every 2 weeks. The
Library Catalog displays new items added
to the collection. You can view the library
catalog from home by linking to the library
page from the City of Vernonia website:
www.vernonia-or.gov.
• Library Director visited the Vernonia School
libraries to take a tour and meet with Vernonia
High School librarian, Dana Hyde.
• The Oregon Reads Committee gave the
library approval to spend grant money on a
project in 2015. Money needs to be spent
on poetry or writing related materials or
programs. The library applied for and received
a $500 grant for Oregon Reads 2014, William
Stafford Centennial Celebration. The grant
money was not spent for the original project.
The Library Director is working on a plan and
will report to the Oregon Reads Committee
once the project is complete.
• Library staff created “Library Craft Boxes”
that will be available starting February 2.
Boosters Buzz
Booster basketball is well underway
and going strong. The 3rd and 4th
grade girls are small in numbers but a mighty team.
They have a 3-1 record. The girls are being coached
by Bob Zavales and assisted by Stacy Adams. The 3rd
and 4th grade boys are pretty mighty themselves with
a 3-0 record. The team has a couple of high scoring
players and is being coached by Mac McCallum and
assisted by Matt Tesdall. All 3rd and 4th grade teams
play in the Forest Grove League as in years past. The
5th and 6th grade boys and girls are playing in a more
competitive Beaverton League this year. The teams
There are two boxes, one for Pre-K and one
for K-6. Children and parents can sign out for
a box at the desk and make a craft in the
library. Crafts will be switched out every 3-4
weeks. The first craft has a Valentine’s Day
theme.
• The library will be celebrating Dr. Seuss’s
Birthday on Tuesday, March 3, 6:00 pm.
Take a picture with the Cat in the Hat!
Birthday Cake! Find Dr. Seuss characters
hidden throughout the library and enter to
win a prize. This program is a Read Across
America event, sponsored by the Friends of
the Vernonia Library. Read Across America
is a National Education Association project
focused on motivating children and teens to
read.
City Clerk / Administration
• City Recorder is ending one year and
beginning another following the retention
rules.
• City Recorder will be working on the Flood
Hazard Reduction Ordinance to bring to
Council on February 2, 2015
• The City web page has been updated and is
more user friendly.
City Administrator /Administration
• City Administrator Attended County/
City Dinner Meeting held at the Cabin in
Vernonia. The meeting was sponsored and
hosted by the City of Vernonia. Among
Mayors, Councilors, City Administrators, and
other managers in Columbia County, other
attendees were Commissioners Fisher, and
Hyde.
• The PW crew did a great job at the cemetery.
All PW department members worked to
clean the fields, and to grade and restore the
internal vehicular paths. Thanks to Shirlee
Daughtry who, in addition to presenting
to the City Council her concerns (and
showing pictures) about the bad conditions
of the cemetery, raked all the leafs from the
grounds and piled them for easy collection
from our crew.
It is very nice when we can rely on
are playing at the Beaverton Hoop YMCA. It has
been a challenge and adjustment for the teams. The
boys team is coached by Matt Poetter and assisted
by Jake Handegard. The boys have a 0-4 record, but
are working hard and getting better each week. The
girls team is coached by Amy Cieloha and assisted by
Mike Neiderkorn. The team has 12 girls, all returning
basketball players and are acclimating well to the
adjustment of richer competition as well as high school
rules. The girls have played 5 games so far, with a 2-3
record. Their last game was pretty exciting with only a
6 point loss! We are proud of all our basketball teams
the assistance and support of our citizens…
and it is rewarding when we see that our
residents feel comfortable to come to City
Hall to voice their concerns and discuss their
worries about City operations. Constructive
criticism from our residents will do a lot in
helping us improving our ways and means,
and in becoming a successful organization
and community.
• The City Administrator attended a
“Readiness Training Identification and
Preparedness Planning Workshop” in St.
Helens. The Emergency Operations Plan
(EOP) establishes guidance for Columbia
County’s actions during response to, and
short-term recovery from, major emergencies
or disasters.
• The City Administrator and Police Chief
“walked their beat” in downtown and
visited some businesses. This is going to
be (for now) a weekly event with the City
Administrator and the Police Chief (or
another officer) walking downtown to make
the PD presence more visible, to get to know
businesses owners, to get residents familiar
and comfortable with our officers, to meet
residents and tourists and to hear about
concerns. This is what people expect police
to do: to reach out to their community and
residents by being an active presence and
also taking care of problems and…getting
the bad guys.
• The City Administrator attended the DEQ
hosted Public Information Meeting relating
to the proposed Oregon LNG project’s 401
water quality certification, on Thursday,
January 29, at the Cabin in Vernonia, 6:00-
9:00 pm. A large number of local residents
were in attendance
• The City Administrator, along with the
Mayor and Councilor Parrow met with
representatives of the Ridge Riders. This
was an informal meeting aimed at rebuilding
a City collaborative relationship with the
Riders, understanding each other’s concerns
and preferred options, while trying to forge a
strong and long lasting strategic partnership
that would benefit the community at large.
and coaches.
With basketball going strong and with plenty
of season left it is hard to believe that baseball, softball
and T-ball is just around the corner. Our first night of
spring ball sign ups was held on Thursday, January 29th
with the second and last night of sign ups on Tuesday,
February 17th from 6-8 PM in the school cafeteria.
Payment is due at registration and all checks are made
out to Vernonia Boosters. Booster meetings are held
the second Wednesday of each month at the school
library at 7:00 PM.
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• Kitchen & Bathroom Remodels • Finish Carpentry
• Ceramic Tile Work • Custom Home Construction
• Additions • Commercial Tenant Improvements
Jim Morrison, Jr.
General Contractor
CCB# 112057
Ph: (503) 429-0154
MorrisonRemodeling@hughes.net
Vernonia, OR 97064
• Licensed • Bonded • Insured
