city news
november17
2016
5
Vernonia City News...
At the November 7, 2016 City Council
Meeting:
Council Approves Sale of Photo
Solutions Property – Council approved
Resolution 16-06, recommending the
use of FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant
Program (HMGP) funds for the purchase
of the property at 603 California Avenue,
where the Photo Solutions business is
located. The buy-out is the final property
in Vernonia where FEMA funds will be
eligible for use from the 2007 flood. The
City had worked diligently to find a site
and a way to relocate Photo Solutions
in Vernonia, but the owner, Brad Curtis,
eventually ran out of time and chose the
FEMA buy-out option. Following the
buy-out the building will be removed
and the property will become permanent
open space managed by the City.
Council Approves Second Reading for
Park Closure Hours – Council approved
the second reading of Ordinance 911,
amending Ordinance 881 and setting
hours of closure for certain city parks.
According to the new rules Shay, Ora
Bolmeier, and Hawkins Parks will now
be closed from dawn to dusk; Spencer
Park will be closed 11:00 pm until dawn;
Vernonia Lake will be closed from 11:00
pm until 5:00 am; and Anderson and
Airport Parks will be closed to non-
campers from 10:00 pm to 7:00 am.
Council Approves Library Policy
– Council approved a newly created
Circulation and Membership Policy
presented by Library Director Shannon
Romtvedt. The official policy was
created from standing rules the library
has been operating under and will
guide basic transactions between
library staff and the public. The policy
covers membership, use of the library
by minors, alternative memberships,
loan and renewal periods, and fees and
fines and included a minor change in
the Master Fee Schedule involving a
reduction in fines for certain overdue
materials.
Council Receives Library Statistical
Report – The Council received a
statistical report from Library Director
Shannon Romtvedt that compares data
from 2015-16 to 20014-15. Romtvedt
told the Council the data was submitted to
the Oregon State Library in October and
the returned 13 page report is required
to be presented to the Council. Among
the highlights of the report: Library
visits increased from 18,512 to 20,614;
total circulation of materials increased
from 20,372 to 24,710; the number of
children’s programs increased from
112 to 127 and the number of persons
attending children’s programs increased
from 944 to 1,979; the number of
programs for adults increased from 25 to
35 and the number of persons attending
programs for adults increased from 137
to 162.
Council Discusses City Planner
Position – Council discussed the need to
decide about their City Planner position.
The City currently contracts with
CREST, but they recently reduced their
staff size. City Administrator Josette
Mitchell told the Council the employee at
CREST who had assumed responsibility
for Vernonia’s work has taken a new
job and is leaving the firm. CREST
is in the process of interviewing for a
replacement. The Council discussed the
possibility of rehiring Carole Connell,
their former City Planner who resigned
in June 2015 over disputes with the
former City Administrator. No decision
was made.
Council Approves Two Requests
From Chamber – Council approved a
request by the Vernonia Area Chamber
Clatskanie Cultural Center
Hosts New Year’s Eve Ball
The second annual New Year’s
Eve Ball in the Clatskanie Cultural
Center is set for Saturday, December
31, beginning at 6:00 pm in the elegant
ballroom of the beautifully-restored
I.O.O.F. Hall, at 95 S. Nehalem Street
in Clatskanie.
All interested persons, 21 years
of age and older, are invited to attend
the event which is being held on the
90th anniversary of the original grand
opening of the historic building.
The celebratory evening will
include a full-course dinner with a
choice of entree - prime rib, stuffed
pork chop, or vegetarian fettuccine.
Dancing to live music provided
by the Bob Nelson Band will be featured
from 7:00 to 10:00 pm. New York
City’s celebration will be live-streamed
on the ballroom’s large screen, and as
continued on page 9
of Commerce to block the entrance and
exits at Anderson Park on December 3
from 7:00 am to 12:00 pm during the
Ugly Sweater Run. Vehicles will be able
to use the park as directed by volunteers
when runners are not on the trail.
Council also approved the City
Administrator writing a letter of support
for the Chamber for their grant funding
requests for the Great American Bash to
be held on July 4.
City Administrator Report – City
Administrator Josette Mitchell told
the Council that a 10 day test on the
Wastewater Treatment Plant’s DAF
was scheduled to start on November 8.
She said the contractor was cleaning up
the site and preparing for an inspection
by DEQ. She said there are still items
that need to be completed and those
might be delayed until spring because
of the especially rainy and wet month of
October we experienced.
Mitchell reported the RFQ
for architecture for the Rose Avenue
Senior/Food Bank building has been
published with a deadline for proposals
of December 1. Proposals will be
reviewed and scored by a committee
including members of the Food Bank,
Senior Center, city staff, city engineer,
and a Council representative.
Mitchell reported there have
been a few emails back and forth with the
owners of the Nickerson Ridge Estates,
but no real progress has been made in
resolving the issues. She also reported
that she has had no response from
WOEC about the purchase of property
across from the WOEC headquarters.
Mitchell reported that the
City has received two of the four
reimbursement payments from FEMA
from the December 2015 high water
event that caused damage.
Council Changes Date of Workshop –
Council changed the date of a scheduled
workshop on downtown tress from
November 11 to November 28.
The Vernonia
Transfer Station
is open on the
1st and 3rd
Saturdays in
November/December
Vernonia City Council
Meetings
and Closures
City Council Meetings
are scheduled for 7:00 pm:
Monday, November 21, 2016
Monday, December 5, 2016
City Closures
are scheduled for:
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Friday, November 25, 2016
Thanksgiving Holiday
November 19
December 3 & 17
Dates and times subject to change
due to conflicts of schedules
Dates are subject to change
Police Blotter • November 1-14, 2016
ARRESTS / REPORTS TAKEN
• November 6, 2016 Report of Theft III on
Jefferson Ave.
• November 12, 2016 Report of a
Violation of Probation near Bridge St.
CITATIONS / OTHER
• November 7, 2016 Cited for Driving
While Suspended and Failure to Maintain
Lane near Bridge St. and Rose Ave.
• November 7, 2016 Cited for Expired
Registration near N. Mist Dr.
• November 8, 2016 Cited for Violation of
Posted Speed Limit 52 mph in a 35 mph
near Rose Ave.
• November 9, 2016 Cited for Passing in a
No Passing Zone, and Expired Tags near
Bridge St.
• November 13, 2016 Cited for Violation of
Posted Speed Limit near N. Mist Dr.
Vernonia Police Department responds
to calls that do not always end in Arrest,
Report, or Citation. 11/01/2016 through
11/14/2016 VPD had 176 calls for service.
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