4
letters to the editor/community bulletin board
may7
2015
Readers Lend Their Voices...
To the Editor,
As some of you may know, the
Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District
has placed two measures on the ballot
this month. Measure 5-245, is a General
Obligation Bond to replace our out of
date pumper tender. Measure 5-246, is
a Local Option Levy to hire on a full
time training officer. Vernonia RFPD,
has been publishing information in
Vernonia’s Voice, on the Facebook page
and at the Annual Pancake Feed. Up
until May 1st, I had not been approached
about either Measure. I was very pleased
when a couple community members
contacted me after receiving their ballots
in the mail. I was able to explain why
exactly the District is in dire need of a
water tender and a Training Officer.
I enjoyed our conversations and the
opportunity to educate them on what the
department has been up to.
I wanted to write this letter to
remind the community that I am always
available to hear your concerns, answer
your questions about the measures and/or
how things are going within our District.
Please feel free, as you get your ballots,
to call or email me with your questions.
The District Board of Director’s meeting
is May 12th this month and is a public
meeting. This is a great way to get up
to date information from our department
volunteers and employees. An informed
voter is a smart voter!
Thank you for your time and
continued support of the Vernonia
RFPD!
Chief Dean Smith
Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District
firechief@vernoniarfpd.us
503-429-8252 Station
503-709-8821 Cell
To the Editor,
This was an email that I received
this morning regarding one of our riders
who rides on the St. Helens to Portland
bus. Many people say that our buses are
running empty and that we don’t carry
people to jobs and that public transit is
not needed in Columbia County.
This was not the first email
that I received about this issue today
either. While we are working very hard
to make everyone’s trip as comfortable
as possible it is very difficult due to the
funding issues we face. We have two 43
passenger buses and four 28 passenger
buses. Any changes in the schedule will
require additional funding that we don’t
have. We appreciate your patience and
concerns. Riders can stand if there is no
seat available or they can wait for the
next bus.
Good morning,
This morning on the 6:55 AM
bus from 1st and Prairie in Scappoose
to Portland was so full I was unable to
secure a seat and sat on a tool box in the
back with another rider on the floor.
I have no other choice but to
take this bus because I have no other
transportation and need to be at work
at 7:30 AM downtown. Something needs
to be done to provide a safe comfortable
mode of transportation from Columbia
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://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/
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
Mabel came to the shelter as part of
our California transport program. She
is right around 2 years old, and about
95 lbs. She gets along great with other
dogs and will be a great addition to
any family. Her adoption fee is $165.00.
Web: www.columbiahumane.org
2084 Oregon Street
St. Helens, OR 97051
Phone: 503-397-4353
Email: animalwelfare@columbiahumane.org
County to Multnomah County.
John
The Staff at CCRider
St. Helens, OR
To the Editor,
I support Katie Cook for Vernonia
School District School Board! Katie’s
knowledge of the most important issues,
volunteer experience, and passion for
putting our children first are exactly
what Vernonia needs right now.
Shawn Lindsay,
former State Representative,
Hillsboro, OR
To the Editor,
We so need CCRider for our
community. People depend on our
transit system to go to work and to
school. Patients use it to go for life
saving dialysis treatments.
CCRider is part of our County
infrastructure and infrastructure is one of
the things that large businesses look for
before becoming part of a community.
Please help keep the economy
of Columbia County strong.
Please help us keep our transit
system and help with needed repairs on
our county roads.
Please support Measure 5-243.
Bill Eagle
St. Helens
To the Editor,
There is a real effect on jobs, but
it isn’t the jobs the miners would like
anyone to think or talk about. CCRider
takes people to their jobs in addition to
employing real people in our community
too. The miners concerns over a small
increase in the depletion fee, (which
has not been increased or adjusted for
inflation in 18 years) is a pretty pathetic
argument for not voting yes on Measure
5-243 on May 19th.
Many people don’t know that
without the passage of Measure 5-243
CCRider and Roads employment will
be affected. CCRider has 27 employees.
The road department has 21 employees.
The issue of jobs that will be affected
is always used by the miners as an
overblown tactic to scare people into
thinking that they will walk away from
these valuable resources that they are
mining. Even as they expand their hours
of operation.
Another issue is how many
Upcoming
Events
Friends of the Banks Public Li-
brary Plant, Book, and Art Sale
- Friday, May 8, 2:00 - 7:00 PM
and Saturday, May 9, 9:00 AM -
3:00 PM at Schlegel Hall in Sun-
set Park, Banks.
Vernonia Community Garden
Fair & Plant Sale - Saturday,
May 9, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM at
the School Commons. 503-429-
0196
LEED/Green Globes Celebration
- Saturday, May 9 at 10:30 AM
inside the Vernonia Schools
building.
Jewell Memorial Scholarship
Fundraiser - Saturday, May 16,
doors open at 4:00 PM at the
Jewell School. 503-717-2234
Election Day - Tuesday, May 19.
Guns in America: Exploring
the Second Amendment -
Wednesday, May 20 at 6:30
PM at the Vernonia Public
Library, an Oregon Humanities
Conversation Project program.
Jr. Salmon Auction - Thursday,
May 21, 7:00 PM at the Vernonia
Schools Commons.
jobs will be affected by riders who rely
on CCRider to earn their living. Last
year CCRider transported 126,000
riders on their fixed-route services.
On the demand-response service they
transported over 23,000 riders to doctors,
grocery stores, banks, and many other
local businesses. Oh yes, Mr. Kemp’s
letter stated that CCRider just uses the
nicely paved US Hwy 30 when they pick
up an elderly, disabled person or a sick
person needing to go to dialysis, if that
were true then the buses wouldn’t get so
beaten up using County roads. CCRider
uses County roads just like everyone
else does.
I have heard that the miners
conducted an opinion survey and are
tailoring their campaign to focus on jobs.
This is even in a climate of economic
recovery where they have increased the
hours of their mining operations and
continued on page 16
Public Certification Test and Drop
Sites for the Election to be held
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
The Public Certification Test of the counting equipment for the Special
Election to be held on May 19, 2015 will be held on Tuesday, May 12, 2015.
The testing will begin at 10:00 AM in the County Elections Department. The
public is welcome to attend.
Drop sites for the election will be as follows:
VERNONIA LIBRARY
701 Weed Avenue
April 30 - May 18, During Library Hours
May 19, 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM
RAINIER CITY HALL
106 B Street West
April 30 - May 18, During Office Hours
May 19, 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
CLATSKANIE LIBRARY
11 Lillich Street
April 30 - May 18, During Library Hours
May 19, 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
SCAPPOOSE CITY HALL
33568 E. Columbia Avenue
April 30 - May 18, During Office Hours
May 19, 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
MIST BIRKENFELD RFPD
12525 Highway 292
April 30 - May 18, During Office Hours
May 19, 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
ELECTIONS DEPT.
230 Strand Street
St. Helens, OR 97051
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Mon. – Thu.
Election Day - May 19, 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM
A drive-by drop box is located in the lower
parking lot.
