june7 2018
VERNONIA’S
volume12 issue11
free
reflecting the spirit of our community
“Save the Grandstands”
Project Moves Forward
Community group
presents plan to City Council
The local effort by community
members to repair and restore the histor-
ic grandstands at Greenman Field took
another big step forward when the group
presented their Business Plan to the Ver-
nonia City Council on May 21, 2018.
Stacey Pelster, Rachel Organ,
and Janice McGuire represented the
group of citizens that have come to-
gether to renovate the grandstands and
generate revenue to maintain them in the
future.
The grandstands were part of the
Vernonia School campus and served as a
covered seating for high school football
games and other school activities. Fol-
lowing the flood of 2007 and the relo-
cation of the school campus, Greenman
Field became the property of the City
of Vernonia, who has leased the sports
fields back to the Vernonia School Dis-
trict. The School District is currently in
the process of constructing new sports
facilities at their new campus and will no
longer have need of sports fields at the
old campus, now called Spencer Park.
Last year the City closed the
use of the Greenman Field Grandstands
after it was discovered that the roof
trusses were failing and the structure
inside
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vernonia sk8 park
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the end of an era
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vhs
graduation tribute
was deemed unsafe. The City Coun-
cil voted to demolish the grandstands
after they determined the cost to repair
them and make them structurally safe
was prohibitive.
A group of interested citizens
organized and asked the Council to de-
lay the demolition and allow them the
opportunity to find a way to save the
grandstands. The Council suggested
the group form a nonprofit to operate
and maintain the facility and gave the
group until the end of the fiscal year to
show progress in developing a realistic
proposal.
The Business Plan presented
to the Council states the mission of the
group is “...to restore, preserve, and
maintain the Greenman Field Grand-
stands, and to provide event opportuni-
ties not only for locals to experience,
but also to generate new potential reve-
nue in Vernonia, while at the same time
contributing to the history and promot-
ing the community heritage of unity.”
The proposal identifies a fiscal
partnership with the Intercultural Soci-
ety of Vernonia (formerly the Chamber
of Commerce) to achieve nonprofit sta-
tus. The group said they intend to raise
the funds needed to restore the grand-
stands through donations and business
support.
The Business Plan included a
Spencer Park
Memorial Trees Get Planted
The City of Vernonia has plant-
ed 20 new trees at Spencer Park. The
trees are being funded by donations
from the community and are purchased
as Memorial Trees.
a member of the Vernonia Parks Com-
mittee, who wanted the park to include
some shade trees and places for people
to sit and enjoy the open space.
The City purchased three
varieties of trees - Valley Forge Elm,
Sun Valley Maple, and Pacific Sunset
Maple - which were chosen for the
10 trees have already been pur-
chased and 10 more are available. The
trees were planted around the new pic-
nic shelter, the playground, and the ball
field. 10 trees line what will eventually
be a paved pathway, linking the park-
ing/picnic shelter area with the snack
shack and a future paved picnic plaza.
The idea for the Memorial
Trees was initiated by Steve Whiteman,
varied colors they offer in the fall.
City Administrator Josette
Mitchell said the City will be purchas-
ing and installing plaques for each Me-
morial Tree.
If you are interested in learning
more about the Spencer Park Memorial
Tree project, please contact City Hall at
(503) 429-5291.
Citizens can still
purchase trees from the City
proposed budget for restorations and re-
pair of $121,500.
Ongoing maintenance and op-
erations will be funded through revenue
from organized events and vendor fees.
The possibility of a business sponsor
with naming rights was also proposed,
with interest being expressed by Peter-
son CAT, Sportsman’s Warehouse and
Parr Lumber.
According to the group, poten-
tial events include high school home-
coming and alumni games, local sports
tournaments, Jamboree events, concerts,
running events, and the possibility of
bringing an event related to the Pacific
Northwest Sportsman Show to Vernonia.
The Business Plan calls for the
creation of excess revenue beyond the
costs of maintenance that would help
fund the construction of a new grand-
continued on page 15
Dates Change for Beaver Creek Bridge Closure
Full road closure on High-
way 47 will begin on August 6
The 60-day closure to replace
the Beaver Creek Bridge on OR 47
south of Vernonia is now slated to start
on August 6 to accommodate the town’s
biggest event, the Vernonia Friendship
Jamboree and Logging Show on Au-
gust 3-5.
The contractor working for the
Oregon Department of Transportation
(ODOT) was originally scheduled to
replace the bridge starting on July 9.
The shifting of the start date to August
6 ensures that the closure will not affect
travel during Vernonia’s biggest event
on the first weekend in August.
To accomplish the work, a full
24-7 closure of OR 47 is still planned
from August 6 to early October with lo-
cal access maintained and a detour us-
ing Timber Road. The bridge is located
between Vernonia and Staley’s Junction
(U.S. 26 and OR 47) at milepost 70.
The Beaver Creek Bridge is
an old, narrow bridge that is in poor
condition and in need of frequent re-
pairs. The plan now is to remove the
old bridge starting on August 6 and re-
construct a new one in its place. The
newly constructed bridge is expected to
be ready for traffic on October 1. The
work includes:
• Constructing a work isolation area
and removing the existing bridge
• Constructing pile foundations, abut-
ments and bridge super structure
• Installing drainage and storm water
facilities, and paving
• Installing a retaining wall
Local access will be main-
tained from McDonald Road south to
the bridge site and from Johnson Road
north to the site. A detour for thru traf-
fic is Columbia County’s Timber Road
that connects OR 47 (at milepost 64.5)
with U.S. 26 (at milepost 38). ODOT is
working with Columbia and Washing-
ton counties to get the road ready for
the detour.
Some work on the project has
already been completed including clear-
ing and tree removal from around the
bridge and work site. There may be ad-
ditional work required prior to the full
closure which may include single lane
closures, flagging of traffic, and some
minor delays. Variable message signs
placed along OR 47 and U.S. 26 will
be used to warn travelers of any traffic
control changes and delays caused by
construction.
For the latest information on
the project, please visit http://www.or-
egon.gov/odot/projects/pages/project-
details.aspx?project=17522.