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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 2015)
august20 2015 VERNONIA’S volume9 issue16 www.vernoniasvoice.com reflecting the spirit of our community Congresswoman Bonamici Visits Vernonia’s Summer Meal Program The Vernonia Summer Meal Program served lunch to more than just the local kids this summer. On Tuesday, August 4, the meal site hosted U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici. The Congresswoman was visiting Columbia County during the Congressional recess. Rep. Bonamici met with volun- teers and organizers of the program, then donned an apron and helped serve meals during her visit. She also met with lo- cal and regional leaders for a round table discussion about childhood hunger. The discussion included Ver- nonia Summer Meal Program Outreach Coordinator DeAnna Pearl, Vernonia School Superintendent Aaron Miller, Oregon Food Bank Public Policy Advo- cate Jeff Kleen, Partners for a Hunger- Free Oregon Public Affairs Director Matt Newell-Ching and Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon Executive Director Patti Whitney-Wise. Bonamici listened intently and asked questions during the roundtable. The discussion centered on ways Bon- amici could support programs to address not just childhood hunger, but all hunger, through the legislative process and in- cluded ideas about grant funding, com- munity partnerships, after school and extended learning programs, and food programs for the elderly. “People don’t struggle by choice, its circum- stances.” said Bonamici during the discussion. “We need to not let them fall through the cracks.” Thanks to federal funding, the support of the Vernonia School District, and local leadership, Verno- nia has continued to sponsor their highly successful summer meal program. Vernonia’s effort is part of the national Sum- mer Food Service Program. It works like this: com- munities with high percentages of students that are el- igible for free and reduced price meals at schools can offer meals to kids during the summer, when meals aren’t available at schools. Summer meal programs thrive when local volunteers rally to ensure kids have access to nutri- tious meals, and that’s exactly what’s happening in Vernonia. Through the commitment of volunteers and inside 3 oregon lng project 9 spencer park grand opening 12 scottish visitors meet mike pihl 19 jamboree photos free Linear Trail Closure Starts August 24th Beginning August 24, 2015 the portion of the Linear Trail, known as Webb Way, that runs along the Nehalem River will be closed between the Lake and the Transfer Station. Trail traffic will be re-routed to Bridge St. The closure is a necessary part of the Waste Water Treatment Plant project. The trail will be closed for installation of the pipe gallery that will carry effluent from the lagoons. While it is not certain how long the closure will last, it is expected to continue until mid to late October. The City apologizes for any inconvenience and we appreciate everyone’s cooperation. If you have any questions regarding the closure please contact City Hall. Council Fires City Administrator The Vernonia City Council voted unanimously late on Tuesday, August 11, 2015 to terminate without cause the contract of City Administrator Gian Paolo Mammone. The vote followed an Executive Session scheduled by the Council to perform an annual job performance review for Mammone. Mammone was hired as the City Administrator in August 2014. Terms of the contract separation were not available. Council did not discuss any plans to name a replacement at their August 17 City Council meeting. an experienced team of coordinators, the Vernonia Summer Meal Program is able to provide children and their families a place to enjoy a healthy meal and to participate in fun, supervised enrichment activities. “Without that buy-in, without those volun- teers, we wouldn’t be successful,” says Pearl, “Sure, we could feed kids. Sure, we can serve a meal -- but what we serve here is their hearts and spirits.” Even after five successful summers, Pearl continually seeks to improve the program for the sake of the children they serve. “We had kids come the day after school was out, wanting food -- we weren’t open,” Pearl observes. “They came in on a Saturday. They come before our doors are open. That’s what hunger looks like in our community.” Earlier this summer, the Vernonia Summer Meal Program was able to make a much-needed im- provement to increase their meal production. Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon named Vernonia’s Sum- mer Meal Program as a recipient of the 2015 Sum- mer Meals Support Fund, and awarded the program a $3,500 grant. The money went toward purchasing new stoves, which give their kitchen an upgrade and empower their volunteer cook staff to serve more meals. Vernonia’s Summer Meal Program goes above and beyond simply feeding kids who need a meal when school is not in session. “This is a great public-private partnership that is a part of what makes Vernonia such a strong community,” says Newell-Ch- ing. This summer, they even plan to give back by recognizing one of their youth volunteers as the Volunteer of the Summer. Vernonia’s Summer Meal Program coordinators recently created the award af- ter a local eight-year-old girl donated the proceeds from her lemonade stand to honor the memory of her dear friend and former volunteer, Lorelai Fields. The award will go to the youth volunteer who exemplifies the dedication and spiritedness of Lorelai, who passed away two years ago in a car accident. continued on page 10 Council Eases Water Restrictions for Food Gardens The Vernonia City Council voted to ease water curtailment restrictions by removing language that included vegetable and fruit gardens from an established Ordinance. Council adopted Ordinance 907 at their August 17 meeting, which amends Section 4 of Ordinance 796, and prohibits the nonessential use of water. Ordinance 796, signed in 2003, sets in place water curtailment provisions and declares a water shortage emergency of drought water levels in Rock Creek. The newly adopted language removes wording that placed restrictions on “gardens, vegetables” and adds the language “Direct hand watering of food producing plants (herbs, fruit, and vegetables) shall be permitted,” during Third Level of Concern in a water shortage situation. Vernonia Water Curtailment Measures include four Levels of Concern based on flow levels of Rock Creek where the City water system intake is located, and establishes progressively more strict water use reduction steps. The City is currently in the Third Level of Concern based on flows in Rock Creek decreasing to 10 cubic feet per second (cfs). Ordinance 907 retains the original ordinance language that restricts watering of shrubbery, trees lawns, grass, ground covers, plants, vines, flowers or other vegetation. Any citizen who does not comply with water restrictions can have their service disconnected by the City after one warning and be subject to fees to reconnect the service. At their August 17 meeting, Council additionally entertained a request from the Vernonia School District Superintendent Aaron Miller, asking that the School District be exempt from water conservation measures so they can water the football field. Miller told the Council, in both writing and in person that the primary concern continued on page 7
