city news
may2
2019
5
Suicide Prevention
Resources in Columbia County CC Rider Transit District
Task Force makes strides to
prevent suicide in Columbia
County
In honor of Mental Health
Awareness Month, there are several ini-
tiatives currently taking place around St.
Helens and greater Columbia County to
promote personal growth and prevent
suicide. One of those is the Suicide Pre-
vention Task Force (SPTF). In February
2018, the SPTF was formed to address
suicide in the area. To do so, members
have met twice each month since then to
raise awareness about suicide as a pub-
lic health issue, prevent further deaths
by suicide, and combine efforts to tackle
this topic. The SPTF has grown to over
100 members, introduced new resources
to the County, and assisted in projects to
create a culture of care that values con-
nection among everyone in our commu-
nity.
In January of 2019, Weston
Perkins-Clark joined the Columbia
Health Services Health Promotion team
as the county-wide Suicide Prevention
Coordinator. In his role, Perkins-Clark
focuses on coordinating and support-
ing suicide prevention efforts across the
County while also continuing to grow
the SPTF’s presence and impact. One of
the most exciting projects he is working
on currently has been forming a team
of suicide prevention trainers. These in-
dividuals will provide training models
like Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR)
and Applied Suicide Intervention Skills
Training (ASIST), as well as being able
to provide information regarding other
curricula that are available. The goal is
to make these pieces of training more ac-
continued on page 17
Vernonia Police Blotter
April 15-29, 2019
Reports Taken/Arrests
• April 20, 2019 Arrest on a Warrant near
Adams Avenue
• April 20, 2019 Report of Burglary in the
1st Degree and Criminal Trespass near 1st
Avenue
• April 21, 2019 Report of a Runaway
• April 24, 2019 Report of Hit and Run with
property damage near Missouri Avenue
• April 25, 2019 Arrest on a Warrant near
Bridge Street
• April 26, 2019 report of Theft III near
Jefferson Avenue
Citation/Other
• April 16, 2019 Citation for Open Container
near Airport Way
• April 17, 2019 Citation for Violation of
the Basic Rule 75/55 mph and Driving
Uninsured near Nehalem HWY South
• April 17, 2019 Citation issued for Violation
of the Basic Rule 86/55 mph near Nehalem
HWY South
• April 22, 2019 Citation issued for violation
of the Urban Speed 39/20 mph near Rose
Avenue
• April 22, 2019 Citation issued for violation
of the Urban Speed 42/20 mph near
Cougar Street
• April 24, 2019 Citation for Driving While
Suspended and No Insurance near Sheely
Creek Road
• April 24, 2019 Citation for Violation of the
Basic Rule 75/55 mph near Nehalem HWY
South
• April 25, 2019 Citation for Violation of the
Basic Rule 79/55 mph near Nehalem HWY
South
• April 28, 2019 Citation for violation of
the Posted Speed 47/20 mph near Rose
Avenue
• April 28, 2019 Citation for Violation of the
Basic Rule 72/55 mph near Nehalem HWY
South
Vernonia Police Department responds
to calls that do not always end in Arrest,
Report, or Citation. 4/16/2019 through
4/29/2019 VPD had 206 calls for service.
continued from front page
CC Rider service has been funded, on
average, as follows: 60% grants, 25%
fares, 9% contracts, and 6% county gen-
eral fund and other local sources, such
as advertising. Wood said most grants
require that CC Rider provide match-
ing funds for a portion of the project,
sometimes up to 50% of the total cost.
He said for example, a $250,000 project
supported by a grant with a 20% match
requires CC Rider to commit $50,000 in
local matching funds and fare revenues
are not eligible to be used as matching
funds.
In order to keep costs low CC
Rider continues to contract all driver
and maintenance services to a third
party vendor. That contract is up for re-
newal and will likely increase expenses
an additional 20%.
CC Rider offers five lines of
service: St. Helens to Portland, St. Hel-
ens to PCC Rock Creek/Willow Creek
in Hillsboro, Flex Line that travels in a
loop around St. Helens and Scappoose,
St. Helens to Rainier and Longview, and
Vernonia to Banks and Willow Creek
on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
CC Rider recently restored
regular service to Vernonia, after earlier
cuts.
CC Rider does still provide Di-
al-a-Ride service of approximately 12
The Vernonia Transfer
Station is scheduled
to be open on the
nd
2 and 4 th Saturday
January - October
May 11 & 25
June 8 & 22
Dates and times are subject
to change due to weather
hours per week dedicated to Vernonia
and North County. Dial-A-Ride is an
on-demand, curb-to-curb service that
does not make the same stops every day.
Wood said dispatchers coordinate be-
tween three to five Dial-A-Ride routes
daily. “In some cases, Dial-A-Ride may
be the only opportunity for an elderly
or disabled person to leave their home,”
said Wood. “The demand for Dial-A-
Ride services in our county is high, and
we receive more requests than we can
accommodate every day.” He said CC
Rider provided over 160 Dial-a-Rides
for residents of Vernonia last year. “We
have been working to improve service
to the Vernonia area, and are continuing
to analyze what the residents need and
how we can better serve those needs.”
Wood said with stable fund-
ing CC Rider would return to offering
weekend commuter service to Portland,
expand service to PCC Rock Creek, ex-
pand Vernonia service to five days per
week, expand flex service - including
weekends, expand Dial-A Ride servic-
es, increase services to Portland area
hospitals, and reduce fares for the elder-
ly, disabled, veterans, and low income
residents. He said without additional
funding CC Rider will need to make
more cuts to service starting in January
2020.
Vernonia City
Council Meetings
and Closures
City Council Meetings
are scheduled for 7:00 pm:
Monday, May 6, 2019
Monday, May 20, 2019
City Closures are scheduled for:
Monday, May 27, 2019
Memorial Day Holiday
Dates and times subject to change
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS
BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMISSION & CITY COUNCIL
BEFORE THE PLANNING COMMISSION & CITY COUNCIL
Proposed Street Vacation
in the City of Vernonia, Oregon
File No. VAC 19-02
When: May 16, 2019 at 7:00 pm for the
Planning Commission hearing; and,
May 20, 2019 at 7:00 pm for the City
Council hearing
Where: Council Chamber, City of Verno-
nia, 1001 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR
Why: Vacation request by a petitioner
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that
the Vernonia Planning Commission
and the City Council, will conduct two
separate public hearings for a request
by Andy Perdew to vacate a portion
of the un-constructed alley between
Louisiana Avenue and the platted (but not
constructed) Oregon Avenue. See map at
City Hall.
SAID PUBLIC HEARING will be held
before the Vernonia Planning Commission
on Thursday, May 16, 2019 and before the
Vernonia City Council on Monday, May
20, 2019. Both hearings will be held in
the Council Chambers of Vernonia City
Hall, 1001 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR at
or after 7:00 pm, at which time proponents
and opponents of the proposed Vacation
will be heard.
A staff report will be available to the
public at City Hall one week before each
hearing, and may be copied for a nominal
fee. Failure to raise an issue in a hearing,
in person or by letter or failure to provide
statements or evidence sufficient to afford
the decision-maker an opportunity to
respond to the issue precludes appeal to the
board based on that issue. Public testimony
is welcome, and written statements will
also be received before the hearing.
The meeting location is accessible to
persons with disabilities. A request for an
interpreter for the hearing impaired or for
other accommodations for persons with
disabilities should be made at least 48
hours prior to the public hearing to Josette
Mitchell at 503-429-5291 ext. 106, TTY
1-800-735-2900 or at City Hall, 1001
Bride Street, Vernonia, OR 97064.
The City of Vernonia is an Equal
Opportunity Provider and Employer.
Proposed Street Vacation
in the City of Vernonia, Oregon
File No. VAC 19-01
When: May 16, 2019 at 7:00 pm for the
Planning Commission hearing; and,
May 20, 2019 at 7:00 pm for the City
Council hearing
Where: Council Chamber, City of Verno-
nia, 1001 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR
Why: Vacation request by a petitioner
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the
Vernonia Planning Commission and the
City Council, will conduct two separate
public hearings for a request by Jake and
Kathy Wolfe to vacate a portion of the
un-constructed alley between State Street
and the platted (but not constructed) East
Avenue. A home is currently constructed
within the alleyway. See map at City
Hall.
SAID PUBLIC HEARING will be held
before the Vernonia Planning Commis-
sion on Thursday May 16, 2019 and
before the Vernonia City Council on
Monday, May 20, 2019. Both hearings
will be held in the Council Chambers of
Vernonia City Hall, 1001 Bridge Street,
Vernonia, OR at or after 7:00 pm, at
which time proponents and opponents of
the proposed Vacation will be heard.
A staff report will be available to the
public at City Hall one week before each
hearing, and may be copied for a nominal
fee. Failure to raise an issue in a hearing,
in person or by letter or failure to provide
statements or evidence sufficient to afford
the decision-maker an opportunity to
respond to the issue precludes appeal to
the board based on that issue. Public testi-
mony is welcome, and written statements
will also be received before the hearing.
The meeting location is accessible to
persons with disabilities. A request for
an interpreter for the hearing impaired
or for other accommodations for persons
with disabilities should be made at least
48 hours prior to the public hearing to Jo-
sette Mitchell at 503-429-5291 ext. 106,
TTY 1-800-735-2900 or at City Hall,
1001 Bride Street, Vernonia, OR 97064.
The City of Vernonia is an Equal
Opportunity Provider and Employer.