Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (July 5, 2018)
july5 2018 VERNONIA’S volume12 issue13 free reflecting the spirit of our community WOEC Board Approves Rate Increase The West Oregon Electric Co- operative (WOEC) Board of Directors voted to approve a recommended rate in- crease at their monthly meeting on Tues- day, June 26, 2018. The rate increase will take effect July 1 and will show up on customer’s bills they receive in August. The Board of Directors voted to increase the base rate for residential cus- tomers by $3, from $39 to $42. They also voted to increase the energy usage charge by $0.025 per kilowatt hour for residen- tial customers. In addition, the Board approved a $0.027 charge per kilowatt hour on all customer accounts, which will be used specifically to retire accumulated Patron- age Capital Credits. Capital Credits are the amount of money left over at the end of a business year once all the operating expenses of the co-op have been paid. The remaining money is allocated to the member-owners of the cooperative and are paid out, or retired, to members when the Board decides they can afford to do so. WOEC has only retired accumulated Patronage Capital Credits up to 1969. According to Finance Director Dan Huggett, the funds collected towards retiring Capital Credits will be placed in a separate money market account and then paid out when enough money is available. “We’ll set aside those funds and then every year we’ll look and see how much money is there and if there is enough to fund retiring a year or two of Capital Credits we’ll do that,” said Huggett following the Board vote. “It may take several years for us to acquire enough funds, but at least this is a start. What paying off Capital Credits does is it moves the equity in the co-op from the people in the past, from the sixties and seventies, to our current members. Basi- cally we borrowed that money from those past members as part of their rates in or- der to operate the co-op. Now we’re pay- ing them back.” Huggett noted that WOEC does pay out discounted Capital Credits to the estates of deceased members. Huggett reminded past members of the co-op from the seventies to please update WOEC with your current address so they can easily find you and send the Capital Credits payments when they are retired. Farewell Whistlin’ Pete Long time Vernonia mail carrier Peter O’Leary has re- tired from the United States Postal Service. Peter, also known as “Postal Pete” or “Whistling Pete” (he had a com- plex and extensive repertoire of tunes), began his career with the Post Office in 1988 and has been the local mail car- rier in Vernonia since 2000. He organized the National Associa- tion of Letter Carri- er’s Food Drive each year, which benefitted Vernonia Cares Food Bank. A former volunteer with the Vernonia Fire District, who also served on their Board of Directors, Pete also enjoys hiking, pickleball, and badmin- ton, having won the Senior Doubles competition at the Oregon State Games two years in a row. He was also an early contributor to Vernonia’s Voice, author- ing the “Voices in my Head” column for several years. Peter and wife Leslie have pur- chased a home and moved to Eugene. Vernonia’s Voice would like to wish Peter and Leslie much future hap- piness. Columbia County to Replace Culvert on Apiary Road Apiary Road to be closed for one month in late summer A metal culvert at milepost 16.1 on Apiary Road will be replaced this summer under a contract between the Columbia County Road Department and Kinsi Construction of Clatskanie. Fund- ed by the Oregon Watershed Enhance- ment Board (OWEB), the Oregon De- partment of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), and the Upper Nehalem Watershed Council, the culvert will be replaced with a bottomless concrete structure, al- lowing for a more natural stream flow for salmon and other aquatic organisms. inside 5 columbia humane society pawsitive 5 what’s happening at the library 6 vernonia ultramarathoner Construction be- Funded by the Oregon gins August 27, but the Watershed Enhancement County began alerting Board in conjunction with businesses and residents the Scappoose Bay Water- early to allow for planning. shed Council, the project Project closure dates have includes replacing the cul- been placed at the site, vert with a bottomless steel and during closure reader structure to improve fish boards will be placed on and wildlife habitat. Highway 30 in Rainier, The precast piece, Apiary Road at Meissner which resembles an arch Road, and at Highway 47. with footings. The design Detour routes will travel allows for more natural along Scappoose-Vernonia stream flow for salmon Highway and Canaan- and other aquatic species. Meissner Road. It also avoids debris block- The 36-foot wide, age, which can cause ero- 125-foot long structure sion of streambanks and resembles an open arch. roads. It is one of two such The project location is This culvert on Oak Ranch Creek, currently a barrier to fish passage, structures along Oak one-tenth of a mile north will be replaced with an open bottom arch, as shown in yellow. Ranch Creek, which of Pittsburg Road. Prepa- Columbia County Road Direc- flows into the Nehalem ration work began in late River. The County replaced a similar tor Michael Russell said the County has June with equipment placement and util- worked with OWEB and ODFW to re- ity relocation. structure at MP 17.4 in 2015. “Oak Ranch Creek is considered place more than 80 culverts to improve A detour will direct traffic onto essential salmon habitat,” said As- stream flows and fish and wildlife habi- Hankey Road then to Pittsburgh Road. sistant County Road Director Tristan tat in the last 12 years. For more information, contact Wood expects construction to be Wood. “Removing the metal culvert Tristan Wood at (503) 397-5090 or email not only improves fish and wildlife completed by September 27. He added him at tristan.wood@co.columbia.or.us. habitat, it helps to avoid stream bank that the start date of the project was cho- sen deliberately to occur after the Hood The Columbia County Road Depart- and ultimate roadway erosion.” According to the Upper Ne- to Coast relay, which travels along Api- ment manages 550 miles of paved and halem Watershed Council, a 50 per- ary and other County roads. gravel roads as well as 93 bridges. Its Columbia County also an- territory ranges from nearly sea level cent increase in salmon species in the Nehalem basin is expected as a direct nounced that beginning July 9, Robi- to 2,000 feet. In addition to road build- result of this and other stream improve- nette Road will be closed for improve- ing, the department’s 21 employees also ment work. The Nehalem basin area is ments. The County’s Road Department oversee signs, road striping, roadside home to Chinook, coho, and steelhead is managing a contract with TFT Con- vegetation, pothole repair, building salmon, as well as cutthroat trout and struction of Scappoose to replace a metal and equipment repair, and regulation culvert over Dart Creek. Construction is and permitting. lamprey. expected to last through September 3.
