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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 2015)
city news august20 Vernonia City News... At the August 17, 2015 City Council Meeting: Council Fails to Pass Parks Smoking Ban – Coun- cil members deadlocked in a 2-2 tie on Ordinance 906, which would have prohibited tobacco use in all areas zoned Public Recreation in the City of Vernonia, in- cluding all City parks. (See full story on this page.) Council Approves Separation Agreement – Council approved the Separation Agreement between the City and former City Administrator Gian Paolo Mammone. Council voted to terminate their contract with Mammone without cause on August 11 following a performance evaluation. Mammone has 21 days to sign the agreement. Details of the agreement were not made public. improvements during construction of their new facil- ity. Mitchell told the Council that the Senior Center will be applying for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for construction and will be approach- ing private foundations to secure the balance needed to complete the project. Mitchell told Council that the timing of when the CDGB funds and private founda- tion funds are awarded does not line up, and the project needed the option to forestall all street improvements in order to complete applications for the funds. Coun- cil approved the request. Council Approves Purchase of Electronic Tablets – Council approved the purchase of five Microsoft Sur- face 3 tablets for use by the Council. The cost would be up to $3,145, with funds moved from Contingency to the Office Supply budget to cover the cost. The Council Approves Amendment to Water Restric- move to the tablet is intended to eliminate the paper the tions – Council approved an amendment to current City uses to produce the informational packet for each water use restrictions, which now allows direct hand Councilor for every City Council meeting, which are watering of food producing plants. (See full story on often 50 or more pages in length. front page.) Council Revisits Downtown Trees – Council once Council Approves Request on Senior Center – again discussed the plan to remove the trees that line Council approved a request from Casey Mitchell of Bridge Street through downtown. Following research, Community Action Team, on behalf of the Vernonia staff brought Council three tree options that are recom- Senior Center, to forestall the completion of all street mended for streetscaping projects and meet the needs 2015 5 of Vernonia: Red Chokecherry, Japanese Tree Lilac, and Zelkova City Sprite. Staff told Council the current plan would see the removal of 41 trees from down- town and strategically replace just 15 of them. Council instructed staff to move forward with the experimental removal of two trees to see how difficult it is to accom- plish and return with results for Council to consider be- fore moving forward. Topics From the Floor – Council President Kim Tier- ney read a letter from Susan Wagner into the record, which praised the work of the City Nuisance Abate- ment officer. Tony Schrader read a letter to the Council in which he was critical of the City and Councils handling of concerns he has continually raised over the last sev- eral months about the Nickerson Ridge Estates devel- opment. (See full letter on page 4.) Georgiana Seager expressed concerns about the cleanliness of the restrooms at Vernonia Lake. Police Department Report – Vernonia Police Chief Mike Conner told Council there were only three ar- rests during Jamboree on August 7-9. Conner said it was one of the best Jamborees from his standpoint and noted the Parade was especially well organized. Council Fails to Pass Parks Smoking Ban Two people spoke against the ordinance. Donald Normand noted that the smoking ban in bars has only forced smokers out onto the street where the public and children are exposed to second hand smoke. Bob Perry said he enjoys relaxing and smoking his pipe at Vernonia Lake and does not want to see that go away. Ashley Baggett, Coordinator Tobacco Prevention, The Public Health Foundation of Columbia County, who also helped work on the ordinance, gave neutral testimony and provided facts about smoking levels and health costs in Oregon and Columbia County. When the Ordinance was brought up for vote later in the meeting, there was a lengthy delay when Tierney asked for a motion to pass the ordinance. Councilor Bruce McNair finally made the motion to approve, and then joined Councilor Mike Seager in voting “no.” Councilor Jill Hult noted that she is concerned about the erosion of personal freedoms before casting her “yes” vote in favor, along with Tierney, resulting in the 2-2 deadlock. Tierney asked staff to bring the ordinance back before Council when all members are present for a vote. Forestry Team Coach Needed The Vernonia High School Forestry Competition Team is in need of a new volunteer coach. If interested please contact Superintendent Aaron Miller at 503-429-5891. Police Blotter August 1 - 16, 2015 REPORTS TAKEN • August 8, 2015 Arrest on a Warrant near Bridge St. and Adams Ave. • August 10, 2015 Report of a Burglary on A St. CITATIONS/OTHER VIOLATIONS • August 6, 2015 Cited for Driving While Suspended, Uninsured, and No Operators License around Bridge St. • August 8, 2015 Cited for Failure to Drive Within Lane and Failure to Register near Bridge St. Vernonia Police Department responds to calls that do not always end in Arrest, Report, or Citation. 8/01/2015 through 8/15/2015 VPD had 184 calls for service. Vernonia City Council Meetings and Closures City Council Meetings are scheduled for 7:00 pm: Tuesday, September 8, 2015 Monday, September 21, 2015 For fast cash! 010412 Following a Public Hearing on Ordinance 906, which would have prohibited tobacco use in all areas zoned Public Recreation in the City of Vernonia, including all City parks, Council members deadlocked in a 2-2 tie when the ordinance was brought up for a vote. Mayor Randy Parrow was on vacation and not available to cast a deciding vote. Council President Kim Tierney, who presided over the meeting in Parrow’s absence, had been an advocate for the tobacco ban. Tierney declared Ex Parte contact in the proceedings at the start of the hearing, based on her participation on the committee that helped craft the ordinance. During the hearing three citizens spoke in favor of the ordinance. Brittany Roberts, a member of the Parks Committee who also worked on the ordinance, said through experience working as a life guard at the City swimming hole she has witnessed litter from smoking and is concerned that it sets a bad example for children. Tobie Finzel said she is a former smoker and sees a lot of litter when she walks around Vernonia Lake. Mark Brown raised concerns about fire danger from smoking and the influence on children. City Closures are scheduled for: Monday, September 7, 2015 Labor Day Holiday Dates and times subject to change due to conflicts of schedules 2245 Baseline St., Cornelius (Across from Fred Meyer) 503-530-8119 State Licensed PB-0388 Open everyday at 9 a.m.
