july6 2017 VERNONIA’S volume11 issue13 reflecting the spirit of our community www.vernoniasvoice.com City Council Considers Plan for Street Repairs Friends of the Scout Cabin Contemplate Their Future Public Meeting Scheduled for July 11 to Discuss Management Plan The Cabin In Vernonia has been the site of many mem- ories, as it has been the location of numerous weddings, birthday parties, memo- rial services, community events, and public meet- ings. Now the future of this versatile commu- nity treasure is in ques- tion. Formerly known as the Scout Cabin, the facility is owned, man- aged and maintained by the Friends of the Scout Cabin, a 501(c)(3) non- profit. A small group of local volunteers do the maintenance and management of the facility. That group is dwindling as its members have been slowed by age and their ability to maintain the building has decreased. The Friends of the Scout Cabin invite anyone in- terested in joining the group to attend the quarterly meeting on July 11 at 7:00 pm to be held at the Cabin In Vernonia located in Hawkins Park. They are hope- ful that there are more people in the community who are looking for volunteer opportunities and would like to offer their time to help maintain the inside and outside of the building, along with general operations to al- low future generations to en- joy this wonderful community amenity. The Cabin In Vernonia is a beautifully restored log cab- in nestled among huge trees in Vernonia’s Hawkins Park. The Cabin has a full kitchen, river rock gas fireplace, wrap around deck and tables and seating for 100 people. and has been unable to assist in cleaning and preparing the cabin for guests. Long-time community volunteers Don and Dede Webb, though still hearty and willing, do much of the maintenance of the build- ing and they need support. Julie Prohaska and Margy Prout are The Cabin is accom- panied with a wonderful story about its restoration. Built in 1928 and used by local Scout troops for decades, the cabin was obtained by the City of Vernonia when it fell into dis- repair in the 1980s. It sat un- used and was damaged in 1996 by a severe flood. A group of local volunteers, spearheaded by longtime resident Shirley Daughtry, organized the friends group, developed a business plan, fundraised, and rebuilt the cabin over a three year period. The end result is the handsome and functional com- munity center. The Friends of the Scout Cabin rent it out and continue to maintain the venue with the proceeds. D a u g h t r y, who originally en- visioned the project and rallied the com- munity to save the iconic building, is now in poor health also board members. Kathy Larsen is a new- er volunteer with the Friends of the Scout Cabin who joined the group a few years ago to assist Daughtry. Larsen manages the reservations utilizing an online reservation system on their website www.CabinInVerno- nia.com. “People in our com- munity don’t realized that this facility is managed and main- tained mostly by a group of people in who are all now in their eighties,” says Larsen. “They do a wonderful job, but we need to start finding the next generation of volunteers to keep this facility operating as a community resource.” Larsen points out that youth activities and functions are held free of charge at the fa- cility and fees for other events are very reasonable with the goal to keep the costs afford- able while keeping the facility in good condition. inside 3 salem report 7 where do you read the voice? 15 where in the world? 15 4th of july parade free Council discusses current conditions, estimated costs, and potential funding options in workshop The Vernonia City Council discussed the need for street repairs in the city limits during a workshop held follow- ing their regular City Council meeting on June 19, 2017. At question was how to deal with aging infrastructure, deteriorating surface street con- ditions, and limited funding op- tions for repairs. The City Council was presented with a comprehen- sive and detailed report from Planning Department staff member Ben Fousek, which in- cluded detailed maps and data on current conditions for all streets in the City, along with an analysis to help the Council and staff prioritize future re- pairs. According to the re- port, there are 24 miles of streets, alleys, access roads, and trails within the Vernonia city limits that fall under the jurisdiction of the City of Ver- nonia, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Or- egon Parks and Recreation De- partment (OPRD), Columbia County, and private entities (in- dividuals, home owner associa- tions, etc). The report was pre- pared following an extensive inventory of all streets, with surface conditions graded us- ing the following five point scale based on the Vernonia Transportation System Plan: 1. Poor - Pavement is in poor to very poor condition with extensive and severe cracking, alligatoring (a pattern of crack- ing in all directions on the road surface), and channeling. Rid- ability (a measure of surface smoothness) is poor, meaning that the surface is rough and uneven. 2. Marginal - Pavement is in fair to poor condition with fre- quent cracking, alligatoring, and channeling. Ridability is poor to fair, meaning that the surface is moderately rough and uneven. 3. Fair - Pavement is in fair condition with frequent slight cracking and intermittent, slight to moderate alligatoring and channeling. Ridability is fairly good, with intermittent rough and uneven sections. 4. Good - Pavement is in good condition with very slight cracking. Ridability is good, with a few rough or uneven sections. 5. Excellent - Pavement is in excellent condition with few cracks. Ridability is excellent, with only a few areas of slight distortion. While the overall av- erage surface condition of all streets for which the City is re- sponsible was 3.2, which indi- cates the streets in Vernonia are generally in fair condition, the report recommended address- ing the issues with poor and marginal condition streets, and establishing a 5-10 year plan to maintain the streets rated in fair and good condition. “The majority of our streets are not in horrible con- dition,” said City Administra- tor Josette Mitchell following the workshop. “We do have a large number of them that are considered ‘marginal,’ which need to be addressed before they become ‘poor,’ because then you end up in an upside down cycle where the majority of your streets are ‘poor.’” City staff identified 10 areas for street improvements continued on page 3 Burright Named Interim Director of Columbia 9-1-1 Brian Burright, a retired Divi- sion Chief at Columbia River Fire and Rescue, has been named the Interim Executive Director of Columbia 9-1-1 Communication District. Burright served with Columbia River Fire and Rescue from 1982 until his retirement in 2013. Following his retirement, he worked for The Special Districts Association of Oregon, ful- filling various assignments around the state, including Interim Executive Di- rector for Western Ambulance District. Burright takes the position fol- lowing the unexpected resignation of former Executive Director Steve Wat- son in April following an internal inves- tigation concerning sexual harassment from several years ago, as reported in the South County Spotlight in April. That investigation also involved Tyler Miller, a reserve deputy with Columbia County Sheriff’s Office who was also a candidate for the Columbia 9-1-1 Board of Directors. Miller had been doing consulting work for the 9-1-1 District. A report of the investigation indicates Miller had threatened to expose Wat- son’s past sexual harassment if he was not given more consulting responsibili- ties.