4
letters to the editor/community bulletin board
february5
2015
Readers Lend Their Voices...
To the Editor,
In May we will be able to vote
on a 35 cent increase in the natural
resource depletion fee.
This 35 cents will be added to
the existing 15 cent depletion fee and
will cost the gravel industry a total of 50
cents a ton.
The mining industry will
probably pass this cost along to their
customers and a 10-12 ton load may cost
a buyer $5.00-$6.00 more. This amount
of money is not enough to put anyone out
of business, nor will it cause people to
look elsewhere, since the cost of hauling
gravel or rock into the county would be
greater than the total price increase.
Columbia County is blessed
with a wonderful rock resource. Our
gravels are more valuable than gold.
Unlike gold, miners don’t have to use
acids or caustic chemicals to extract ore.
The hardness of our rock is excellent
for concrete, road construction and for
other building materials. Our mined
Columbia River Basalt is also prized for
its hardness and is used for rock jetties,
rip rap and numerous other purposes.
Our rock is a wonderful resource
and it is non renewable. Once it is gone,
there will be nothing to show for it other
than holes in the ground.
Our roads are being destroyed
by heavy truck traffic and our public
transportation system is hurting for
money. The depletion fee has not been
increased in 18 years.
All new fees will go toward
roads and public transportation.
This ballot item will give people
an opportunity to help build our counties
infrastructure.
CCRider Transportation. From the very
nice lady who saw me standing outside
of Ace Hardware on one of the colder
days and brought me a wonderful cup
of tea to all of the very nice people who
stopped and talked about the initiative.
I would like to thank the management
of Ace Hardware both in St. Helens and
Scappoose and Wal-Mart. They were
instrumental in allowing the democratic
process to continue and flourish in
Columbia County.
While gathering signatures can
be a slow process, that wasn’t the case
with this initiative. We were able to
quickly get the signatures we needed for
this initiative to be on the May ballot.
The comments were supportive and
most were very clear. The roads so need
to be improved and CCRider does need
stable funding.
The initiative is not about
eliminating jobs - because it will not
eliminate jobs. It’s not about taking
company profits, because it is a modest
increase that as not been raised in
18 years. It is about maintaining
essential services - our roads and saving
CCRider for seniors and voters who
need to get to jobs, the grocery store
and medical appointments. Economic
development goes hand in hand with
good transportation services. Even one
of the County Commissioners rode the
bus the other day.
As with my last letter, I feel
that we all need to work together. There
should be no conflict between me, the
County Commissioners or the miners.
We need better roads and public transit
in Columbia County and if the County
Commissioners would help provide a
stable source of income for the Rider
Bill Eagle
and for road improvements, then I would
St. Helens, OR
withdraw my initiative right now. But I
don’t see that happening, so I’m going
To the Editor,
forward and work to get the Safer Roads
I would like to thank all of & Bridges and CCRider Transportation
those who helped get signatures of the initiative approved by voters.
Initiative for Safer Roads & Bridges and
Will you work with me to get
HOW TO SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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 permitting. Deadline is the 1st and 3rd Monday
of each month. Email: scott@vernoniasvoice.com or mail to: Letters, PO Box 55,
Vernonia, OR 97064.
Columbia Humane Society
Featured Pet
Please meet Bella. This very
friendly little girl is going to
melt someone’s heart. She gets
along well with other cats and
is very friendly with every
person that she meets. She is
about 5 years old. Come in
and meet her today she is the
Bell of the ball.
Her adoption fee is $90.00
2084 Oregon Street
which includes all her vaccines,
St. Helens, OR 97051
her microchip and her spay.
Web: www.columbiahumane.org
Phone: 503-397-4353
Email: animalwelfare@columbiahumane.org
approval of this initiative? If you want
to help, let your opinion be known or
call the commissioners at 503-397-4322.
Thelma Bonar
Chief Petitioner
Safer Roads &Bridges
and CCRider Transportation
To the Editor,
A year ago last Christmas I lost
my companion and best friend to cancer.
We’d travelled several years together
up and down the West coast aboard
“Journeyman,” my 36’ motorcoach. It’d
been 50 or so years since I’d driven 101
north and south so I was surprised to
find pot holes big enough to hide a small
mammal in ‘em.
“Beka” - my “Not-So-Great-
Dane” - helped navigate from the co-
pilot’s chair. Didn’t criticize my driving,
loved all the music I played, and her
regularity reminded me to walk out the
kinks at rest stops every 3 or so hours.
I was unable to look for another
dog for most of a year, hobbled by the
pain that holds on after losing someone
so dear. So I was finally ready to be
pleased when my daughter called about
a Labrador retriever in need of a home.
I told her that we would like to meet
him when we flew up to Portland for
Christmas - could she set something up?
Well, she did and we did and
after 3 weeks, 2 cancelled return flights,
the resurrection of our old Ford station
wagon and a hotel night in Ashland,
“Chester” is sleeping, now, at my feet,
by the fire. He has begun to share the
space in my heart that once belonged to
“Beka”.
We feel very lucky to have
found him! He’s a 6 year old Yellow lab
- who thinks he’s 2 - who’s spent the last
2 years on a beautifully wooded preserve
outside your lovely town. With maybe
even a few dozen doggie friends at any
given time he’s become wonderfully
socialized. He’s in excellent health,
Safe Kids
Columbia County
Car Seat Clinic
Saturday, March 14th
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Vernonia Fire Station
555 E. Bridge Street
For more info call:
503-556-3736
Upcoming
Events
Columbia
County
Chapter
of Oregon Hunter’s
Assoc.
Fundraiser - Saturday, February
28 at the Columbia County
Fairgrounds, 588892 Saulser
Rd, St. Helens. Doors open 5:00
PM, Dinner served 6:30 PM.
503-396-5265
Safe Kids Columbia County Car
Seat Clinic - Saturday, March 14,
11:00 AM-12:30 PM at Vernonia
Fire Station.
Vernonia Sportsman’s Banquet
- Saturday, April 18, 6:00 PM at
the Vernonia Christian Church,
410 North St. Tickets on sale
March 2 at R&S Market.
having been lovingly cared for by Erica
Ochs at her “Run! Day Camp for Dogs,”
a thoroughly amazing service. We’re
most grateful for her generosity and help
with “Chester’s” adoption, and most
especially for taking such good care of
him. Erica Ochs; a truly splendid friend
of dogs! We are having a happier New
Year, thanks to Vernonia’s Erica Ochs.
John Thomsen
Los Gatos, CA
Need Help?
Call for meeting times
and locations
Columbia Community
Mental Health
Call 503-397-5211 -or-
1-800-294-5211
For after hours Crisis call:
1-866-866-1426
http://www.ccmh1.com/
crisis.html
Narcotics Anonymous
NW Region
503-345-9839
http://portlandna.com/
Alcohol Anonymous
NW Region
503-366-0667
http://www.pdxaa.com/
PUBLIC NOTICE
The Vernonia Police Department
is currently accepting bids on
two patrol vehicles. Both vehicles
are equipped for law enforcement
use. If the winning bid is not a law
enforcement agency, all emergency
equipment will be removed prior to
delivery.
Vehicle #1
2007 Ford Expedition 4x4
Color: White
Mileage: 77979
Minimum Bid $9000.00
Vehicle #2
2006 Ford Crown Victoria
Color: White
Mileage: 93971
Minimum Bid: $3000.00
NOTE:
This is a sealed bidding process.
Please mail your sealed bids to
the Vernonia Police Department
(Attention:
Angie
Handegard),
1001 Bridge St, Vernonia, Oregon
97064. All bids must be received
by February 13th, 2015 at 5:00 pm.
For information regarding these
vehicles, please contact Chief
Michael Conner (Vernonia Police
Department) at 503-429-7335 ext.
110
