4
letters to the editor/community bulletin board
august20
2015
Readers Le Their V
To the Editor,
If I were a conspiracy theorist...
From 1998 - 2000 in the building
of Nickerson Ridge Estates subdivision,
the developer ignored:
1 - City planners, City engineers
2 - Columbia County Road Department
3 - Local and state construction standards
4 - Unified fire codes
5 - And even his own engineers
As the investigation into these
matters has progressed it has uncovered:
1. City Public Works, and his own
engineers issued letters of concern for
internal lot drainage, lacking compaction
and construction standards.
2. Columbia County letters regarding
a promised half street improvement in
front of the subdivision
3. At least two outstanding citations for
a reported $16,000 from the Department
of State Lands involving the moving
of Nickerson Creek, destruction of
wetlands, and installation of a undersized
culvert structure, all without any kind of
engineering or permit.
4. Letters of concern from the city and
then Fire Chief Paul Epler involving
undersized water lines and low “Fire
Flows” at all three hydrants servicing
this subdivision and adjacent home
owners.
All this documentation of non
compliance, and yet our City’s previous
administration signed off on the final
plat and registered it with the county.
Despite the short comings
listed by these departments with almost
no exception each one indicated that
“NO BUILDING PERMITS” should
be issued until these matters had been
addressed. And yet permits have been
issued and homes have been built.
This brings us to present day.
After weeks of investigation, inter
agency interviews, conference with
the city attorney and discussion over
multiple council meetings, our City
Administrator was finally days away
from bringing all parties to the table for
an open and candid discussion on how
these matters can be remedied.
After two executive closed door
meetings by our council on Aug 5 th and
Aug 11 th the Mayor and Councilman
McNair at 8:00 am on August 12 th
walked into the City Administrator’s
office and fired him, took his keys and
his password for his computer. He
was released from his duties “ Without
Cause.”
We the public are not allowed
in the information loop as to his
performance review. And while
contractually speaking Council is within
its right, I see this kind of termination in
poor taste. It is no way to treat a human
being.
Additionally he was not
permitted to summarize or complete
his investigation. And now it has been
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dropped for this council meeting’s
agenda.
In our last council meeting one
council member suggested I have an
axe to grind against the developer. The
“axe I have to grind” has two edges.
Yes this developer, as the City’s
current investigation seems to support,
did what he wanted, where he wanted,
how he wanted .
Not only did his actions affect
the welfare and safety of those who
will buy into his own development,
but it also affects the adjacent land
owners, the citizens of Vernonia. By
his own words he has no intention of
repairing or rectifying any of it, and
lays responsibility at the feet of the city.
But the other edge to this
“axe” I have to grind is with the city
administration past and present, for
turning a blind eye to so many building
codes and requirements.
It can no longer be ignored
that every piece of documentation,
Planning Commission files, permits,
inspection reports, DEQ, Department
of State Lands, County reports and,
“development as builds,” have been
removed from this City’s records, save
for the few documents we found and
have submitted to Council. This was no
accident. If I were a conspiracy theorist
I would see a pattern that could not be
ignored.
One council member in the
last open meeting, suggested he had
knowledge of poor water flows. “on
all the tree streets” on the east side
of the Nehalem River. If he has real
information or documentation on this
Vernonia Weather
July 2015
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Weather data is collected at the
U.S. Weather station at the
Vernonia Water Plant
Upcoming
Events
Vernonia Open Air Market - Every
Saturday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm on
Adams Avenue at Bridge Street.
Bear Creek Run - Saturday,
August 22, at Anderson Park.
Contact: kelliem@westoregon.
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Community Wide Garage Sale
- Saturday, August 22, 9:00 am -
5:00 pm. To sign up contact Helen
Bateman at 503-429-6203.
West Oregon Electric Co-op
Annual Meeting - Saturday,
August 22, register 10:00 am;
meeting 11:00 am at the Cabin in
Vernonia.
Columbia City Show & Shine -
Saturday, September 19, 8:00
am - 2:00 pm at Columbia City
School. All vehicles welcome.
Pancake breakfast, book sale,
quilt show, music, food and
vendors. Benefits Columbia City
Community Library. For more
info contact Gordon at (503) 396-
5658.
matter it is required of him to bring it
forward. And it is time to discuss why
we are releasing any building permit for
the entire area in question.
The charges set forth in this
investigation are real. And I feel confident
that if ALL information is brought into
the light of day and then challenged by
an unbiased, knowledgeable inspection
process the Developer will need to come
to the table to finish what he started.
Tony Schrader
Vernonia
Editors note: Mr. Schrader read this
letter into the record at the August 17,
2015 Vernonia City Council meeting.
When he asked that it be published as a
Letter to the Editor, he asked Vernonia’s
Voice to add City staff’s response to his
comments.
City Recorder Josette Mitchell
told Schrader that the City Attorney
and the Developer of Nickerson Ridge
Estates had a conference call scheduled
for Thursday, August 20 to discuss the
issue and that interest in this issue has
not been dropped by Council. She also
told Schrader the City Building Inspector
is working with staff to understand what
is required from the developer. She also
noted that no new building permits have
been issued for the development since he
came forward with his allegations.
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TO THE EDITOR
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Letters, PO Box 55, Vernonia, OR
97064.
