august16 2018
free
VERNONIA’S
volume12 issue16
reflecting the spirit of our community
Spike Table Serves Tasty Food, Senior Center/Food Bank
Honors Logging Tradition
Project Delayed
By Scott Laird
Vernonia’s newest restaurant,
Spike Table, is now open and serving up
their special sausage dogs and chicken
wings.
The new establishment, owned
by Heidi Lindsay, is located at the cor-
ner of Bridge Street and Weed Avenue
at the south end of Vernonia’s down-
town corridor, and is a welcome addi-
tion to the town’s culinary scene. Lind-
say opened on Jamboree weekend and
sold out of almost everything by Sat-
urday. She says she plans to be open
Fridays through Sundays year round,
usually from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm.
A cross between a food cart and
a restaurant, Spike Tree offers walk up
ordering and outdoor seating, with a
distinct logging theme.
“It’s like a mini Camp 18,”
says Lindsay, referencing the iconic
restaurant/logging museum on Highway
26 on the way to the Oregon Coast.
“This is a logging town and we wanted
to honor that.”
The menu features five different
types of sausage dogs and six flavors
of hot wings, all with logging themed
inside
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summer meals
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names, including The Crummy, The
Fire Watch, Fallers, and Widowmakers.
The menu also has a vegetarian sausage,
The Reprod. Lindsay says there will
always be some type of special each
weekend when she is open, - it might
be what she’s calling a “loader,” like
chili and cheese or pulled pork added
to your sausage dog - or a half rack of
ribs or a half chicken, or a special sauce
for the wings. “We want to give people
reasons to keep coming back,” says
Lindsay.
The hut was built by hand by
Lindsay’s friend Don Rudick, who also
designed and built the unique wood
slab benches and picnic tables. A fire
pit will keep patrons warm during
winter months. Logging signs and
memorabilia decorate the location and
video of logging operations is playing
on a monitor while you wait to order.
Lindsay’s daughter Haley has also been
involved, helping sand tables, running
social media alerts on their Facebook
page and on Instagram, and taking
orders this summer, before she leaves
for college in the fall.
“Wings and dogs are something
continued on page 10
Vernonia City Administrator Jo-
sette Mitchell had disappointing news for
the City Council and those waiting for
construction of the new Senior Center
and Vernonia Cares Food Bank project to
begin construction.
Mitchell informed the City
Council at their August 6 meeting that the
City only received two bids for construc-
tion of the project, and both were well in
excess of the proposed budget.
The City is the sponsor of the
project, which is planned to be built at
what is known as the “Rose Avenue Proj-
ect,” joining the new health center build-
ing on the site.
The City applied for and received
a $2 million Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG) for the project on
behalf of the Senior Center and Vernonia
Cares, and had hoped to begin construc-
tion this fall, after awarding the construc-
tion contract. The construction bids were
opened at the end of July.
Both the Senior Center and the
Vernonia Cares facility were flooded in
2007 and have been trying to relocate
since then. The old Senior Center build-
ing was located on Bridge Street next
to the Bridge Street Mini Mart and was
demolished following a FEMA buyout.
They lease the Community Learning
Center from the City where they have
their thrift store, but do not have a meet-
ing place for meals and other activities.
Vernonia Cares continues to operate from
the American Legion building on Adams
Avenue and remains vulnerable in high
water events.
“We are having a conference
with CDBG staff to see what our alter-
natives are,” Mitchell told the Council
during her City Administrators Report.
Mitchell said the timeline for the project
will now have to be adjusted and sug-
gested the City consider restarting the bid
process. “Other firms may be interested
in bidding with a new timeline.”
Vernonia Ballots May
Be Crowded This Year
By Scott Laird
Early indications are pointing
to a crowded field for Mayor and City
Council for the City of Vernonia in this
November’s election races.
A two-year term for Mayor,
along with four-year terms for two City
Council positions will all be on the lo-
cal ballot November 6. The Mayor and
Council positions are non-partisan with
the top two candidates for City Council
receiving the most votes awarded the
seats.
City Recorder Stephanie Borst
says paperwork to run needs to be turned
in by August 23, and said numerous citi-
zens have expressed interest and picked
up the candidate packets.
Current Mayor Mario Leonetti
has said he does not plan to run for re-
election, after serving just one two-year
term. Current City Councilor Jill Hult,
whose seat is up for re-election, recently
confirmed that she is considering a run
for Mayor. Another current Councilor,
Bruce McNair, who is not up for elec-
tion, has also hinted he might consider
running for Mayor.
Two citizens have indicated
their intention to run for the Mayor’s
seat in different ways: Rick Hobart rode
in his horse and carriage in the Vernonia
Friendship Jamboree on August 4 with a
sign that said “Rick Hobart for Mayor,”
while David Sterner has taken to the
Facebook Community Bulletin Board to
announce his intention to run.
Hobart is an active member of
the Vernonia Lions Club, who was in-
strumental in getting the Dewey Pool
continued on page 5
Understanding How WOEC Operates
With this year’s Annual Meeting just around
the corner, there is a lot of conversation in the
community about the local co-op. Here is some
information that might help members understand
how the local electric utility operates.
By Scott Laird
West Oregon Electric Cooperative (WOEC) is
holding its Annual Meeting on Saturday, August 18 at the
Vernonia Schools. All members of the co-op are invited
to attend to hear reports on the past year’s activities and
what plans management is making for the near future. The
results of elections for the Board of Directors will also be
announced.
The WOEC Annual Meeting offers an opportunity
for all members to reflect on what being part of an electric
co-op means to them. For some people it’s just a bill they
pay each month, sometimes begrudgingly, because as we all
know, West Oregon does have high rates, as acknowledged
by Board President Robert VanNatta in his Report to the
members in the August 2018 issue of the Ruralite Magazine,
which is sent to all members monthly.
Other members are happy to pay that monthly
bill, understanding that costs to provide electricity in this
beautiful, rural area are higher, and knowing when they flip
the light switch or go to use an appliance the electric power
they need will be provided by their co-op. Or, in the case of a
power outage, that employees of the co-op will be out there,
working hard to restore power as quickly as possible.
Some people may ask, “What benefits do I get from
being a member of this co-op?”
“The cooperative model is operated for all the
members in the community,” says WOEC General Manager
Bob Perry.
Being a member of an electric cooperative means
being part of something bigger than ourselves. The history
of electric co-ops in the United States goes back to the 1930s
when the formation of electric co-ops brought electricity to
rural Americans for the first time. In the mid 1930s just 10%
continued on page 3