april16 2020
free
VERNONIA’S
volume14 issue8
reflecting the spirit of our community
Vernonia Lake
Temporarily
Closed to Fishing
Council Extends State of Emergency
at Special Meeting
The Vernonia City Council met in a special
meeting by phone conference call on Wednesday,
April 8, 2020, and discussed two issues related to
COVID-19.
The Council held a lengthy discussion con-
cerning continued use of Vernonia Lake for recre-
ational purposes by both local residents and visitors
to the community during the current “Stay at Home”
order. According to City staff the City has noticed a
substantial increase in the amount of people at the Ver-
nonia Lake during the day and evening time periods
and even more specifically, large crowds on the week-
ends.
Concerns were expressed about the current
policy to close the restrooms due to the inability to
keep them properly sanitized and reduce the risk of ex-
posure to the public, City workers, and the park host.
There was also concern expressed about whether the
fishing docks were safe. It was noted that other out-
door recreation opportunities around the state remain
accessible.
Eventually Council voted unanimously to
temporarily close Vernonia Lake to all fishing. The
decision was later approved by the Deputy Director
of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW),
and took effect Friday, April 10,
The fishing closure does not effect the walk-
ing path around the lake.
In a message to the community concerning the
temporary closure, dated April 10, Vernonia Mayor
Rick Hobart explained that the decision was based on:
• The health risk to the public and the surrounding area
due to the restroom closures
• The overcrowded parking areas, possibly jeopardiz-
ing the social distancing rule
• To reinforce the Stay at Home, Stay Safe Order still
in place until April 30, 2020
In the second item on the Council’s agenda,
they also voted unanimously to adopt Resolution 2020-
03, amending a previous Resolution, and extended the
State of Emergency until Council decides it is no lon-
ger needed. The previous State of Emergency was cre-
ated to address the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and
was set to end April 10.
inside
3
support vrfpd levy
5
seniors meals
program struggles
9
stay home,
read a book
Local Business Helps Restore Flagpole
This past September Ver-
nonia’s Voice reported on the an-
nual September 11 Remembrance
Parade conducted by Vernonia first
responders, including members of
the Vernonia Rural Fire Protection
District, the Vernonia Volunteer
Ambulance Association, and the
Vernonia Police Department. We
also reported briefly on the cer-
emony prior to the parade to dedi-
cate the refurbished flagpole and
the new garden area in front of the
Fire Station; that ceremony was
conducted by Girl Scout Troop
#45487.
What wasn’t mentioned
was the volunteer help that was
provided to refurbish the flagpole
by a local business, Meyer’s Auto
Body.
“Gary Meyer brought up
the idea of refurbishing the flag-
pole,” says Vernonia Fire Chief
Dean Smith. “He was the one who
got the ball rolling on the whole
project.” Meyer says he had been
driving by the flagpole for years
but had just noticed its poor condi-
tion and felt something needed to
be done.
When
Smith
raised the idea with his
volunteers, that’s when
Flo Lennox stepped up
and offered the services of
her Girl Scouts to help as a
service project.
Smith says Mey-
er and his crew of workers
put in “40 plus man hours
of work” to prep and re-
paint the flagpole. While
the pole was being worked
on, the Girl Scouts built
the new flower bed and
installed an antique hose
reel. When the pole was
completed the Girl Scouts
held their ceremony and proudly
raised new American and Or-
egon flags.
Former Fire Chief Steve
Weller says the flagpole was
originally an old street light on
Bridge Street. When the City
replaced all of them, the Fire
District got one. “It was around
1990 and Lyle Barker, a long-
time volunteer with both fire
and ambulance, and I welded
on the hardware and turned it
into a flagpole for the Depart-
ment,” says Weller. “Lyle and
I thought it was a piece of his-
tory so we grabbed one, cleaned
it and painted it up, poured a
foundation, anchored it, and set
it down.”
Now that old flagpole
has a new lease on life, thanks
to Gary Meyer and his crew and
the Girl Scouts.
So, the next time you
drive by the Vernonia Fire Sta-
tion, make sure to appreciate the
beautiful flagpole, its decorative
setting, and all these volunteers
that made it happen for our com-
munity.
Above: Meyer’s Auto Body refurbished
the flagpole in front of the Vernonia Fire
Station. Below: Girl Scouts from
Troop 45487 took part in a dedication
ceremony on September 11, 2019.
Columbia County Commissioner Candidates –
Answers to Questionnaire for May 19 Election
Columbia County voters will
be receiving their Vote By Mail bal-
lots shortly for the May 19 election.
Of course there are the Democratic and
Republican primaries, but locally, we
have several big decisions to make.
Vernonia voters are being asked
to approve a much needed levy to fund
operations at the Vernonia Rural Fire
protection District (see page 3).
At the County level, voters are
being asked to renew a levy that funds
operations at the County Jail, and Mi-
chael Clarke is challenging Jenefer
Grant for Columbia County Circuit
Court Judge District 19, Position 3.
Columbia County voters are
also voting for two of the three County
Commissioner positions – Position 1
is currently held by incumbent Marga-
ret Magruder, who is being challenged
by Tricia Stockwell, Brandee Dudzic,
and Wayne Mayo, while Alex Tardif is
seeking re-election for Position 3 and
faces Jeanne Corell and Casey Garrett.
Vernonia’s Voice was sched-
uled to host a political forum, Meet the
Candidates, with County Commission-
er candidates on April 27, but we’ve
canceled that event. Instead we posed
a series of questions to all the County
Commissioner candidates and we’ve
published their full written responses.
Hopefully this will help inform our
local voters. Responses are listed by
position and in the order they were re-
ceived.
1. Please introduce yourself, tell us
about your qualifications or back-
ground, and why you are running for
office?
Position 1
Tricia Stockwell:
I am Tricia
Stockwell, a longtime Columbia City
resident, where my husband and I have
chosen not just to raise our two girls, 11
& 14, but to start our family business
Columbia River Auto Glass. I am a
graduate of Rex Putnam High School
and received my Associates Degree
from Clackamas Community College.
I worked for the City of Portland Office
of the Mayor and the Portland Police
Bureau, later becoming a 911 Dispatcher
for two different agencies. I was an
office manager for a multi-million
dollar software company that was later
purchased by Tektronix, just before
starting our family and our business.
We own and operate our business and
are very active in the community. I am a
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