city news
june18
2020
3
Vernonia City News...
Citizen of the Month – Councilor J.R. Allen
and Mayor Rick Hobart (pictured left) recog-
nized Mike Pihl as Citizen of the Month. Pihl
was recognized for quietly volunteering his
time across the community in many ways, in-
cluding helping organize and donating materi-
als for the Jamboree Logging Show, placing the
timbers during construction of the Spencer Park
picnic shelter, serving on numerous Boards in-
cluding the CZ Trail, and Camp 18 Logger Mu-
seum, serving as the President of Timber Unity,
and as a former Board member of WOEC.
At the June 15, 2020 City Council
Meeting:
Grandstand Update – Stacey Pelster
told the Council the Greenman Field
grandstand repair project has received
donated materials for repairs and has
a contractor, Jim Morrison, with the
repairs to the trusses expected to be
completed by November. Pelster said
the project has raised approximately
$9,500 in cash, plus in-kind donations.
Master Fee Schedule – Council ad-
opted Resolution 2020-07, and ac-
cepted a revised Master Fee Sched-
ule. Updates include: Utility Billing
Fees – water loan repayment fee and
sewer loan repayment fees were both
reduced; Planning – fees for major lot
line partition and commercial zone
development were added, and added
a building over lot line permit
fee; Police Department – added
a fingerprint fee; Parks Fees
– changed language to annual
parking pass.
Council
Approves
Fishing
Police Blotter June 1-15, 2020
Reports Taken/Arrests
• June 1, 2020 Report of a Traffic Crash
near 1st Avenue and Umatilla Street
• June 3, 2020 Report of Domestic
Violence and Harassment near Bridge
Street
• June 10, 2020 Report of a Run Away
Juvenile near Bridge Street
Citation/Other
• June 2, 2020 Citation issued for Driving
Outside Restrictions near California
Avenue
Vernonia Police Department responds
to calls that do not always end in Arrest,
Report, or Citation. 06/01/2020 through
06/15/2020 VPD had 69 calls for service.
Dock Signage – Council approved the
design and language for signage at the
fishing docks at Vernonia Lake, which
would notify users to give access pri-
ority to disabled visitors.
ceive training in appropriate conduct
during meetings, and asked for an
apology from the Councilors she iden-
tified. The rest of the Council made
no response.
Bonamici Holds Town Halls – U.S.
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici
was scheduled to hold three telephone
Town Hall Meetings June 17 at 6:00
pm, June 18 1:00 pm, and June 20 at
11:00 am.
Council Meets in Executive Ses-
sion – Council met in an Executive
Session under ORS 192.660 (2)(h)
“To consult with counsel concerning
the legal rights and duties of a public
body with regard to current litigation
or litigation likely to be filed.” Upon
returning to open session the Council
took no further action.
Councilor Raises Concerns About
Professionalism – Councilor Susan
Wagner expressed concerns about
comments by fellow Council mem-
bers Dale Webb, J.R. Allen, and
Mayor Rick Hobart during the June
1 City Council meeting, which she
characterized as unprofessional. She
formerly requested the Council re-
The Transfer Station
is scheduled to be
open on the
nd
2 and 4 th Saturday
January - October
June 27
July 11 & 25
Council Schedules Workshop –
Council scheduled a workshop to
discuss the City Administrator Evalu-
ation Form Review on Monday, June
22 at 6:00 pm.
Vernonia City
Council Meetings
and Closures
Please check the City’s website
for details on upcoming
City Council Meetings
scheduled for 7:00 pm:
Monday, July 6, 2020
Monday, July 20, 2020
www.vernonia-or.gov
Currently not accepting
oversized items
(mattresses, couches, etc.)
and limiting the number of
vehicles in the yard at one time.
City Closures are scheduled for:
Friday, July 3, 2020
Independence Day Observed
Dates are subject to change
Dates and times subject to change
Affordable PPE “Pop-Up”
for Columbia County Small Businesses
County Commissioners trigger
small business buying power
with accessible PPE program
Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE) purchased in bulk will be avail-
able for small businesses to order and
pick up starting Friday, June 19 at the
Columbia County Fairgrounds. The
program is a collaborative project be-
tween the Columbia County Board of
Commissioners and Columbia County
Economic Team (CCET).
Commissioners
approached
CCET, a member of the County’s Emer-
gency Management Economic Recov-
ery working group, to develop a PPE
program in response to small business
owner challenges obtaining PPE in or-
der to operate safely. The availability
of PPE is imperative for implement-
ing good protective measures in order
to reduce COVID risk since Columbia
County was allowed to re-open under
Oregon’s Phase 1 and 2 Guidelines.
“Our county has been fortu-
nate to maintain a very low COVID-19
case impact rate relative to other coun-
ties,” said Paul Vogel, Interim Execu-
tive Director of CCET. “Especially with
reopening, businesses and the public
need to keep doing what we’re doing:
being safe and careful, controlling what
we can – and that means using masks,
gloves, good practices, and following
state public health guidelines,” Vogel
added.
CCET will be stocking only ba-
sic supplies: face masks, gloves, hand
sanitizer, and gowns intended for per-
sonal services sector. Medical grade
supplies have been made available
by County Emergency Management
throughout the COVID outbreak and
that will continue. As the small business
PPE program operates for the foresee-
able future, needs may change to dif-
ferent or additional items, which CCET
will consider. Disposable masks may
also be available for customer use at a
future date.
PPE will be available for pick-
up at the Columbia County Fairgrounds
each Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.
PPE orders should be placed in advance
in order to prepare them for pick-up, to
reduce waiting time and help maintain
proper physical distancing. Order forms
can be downloaded from CCET’s small
business website beginning Wednes-
day, June 20. Order forms submitted by
email will be prepared and available in
turn during the Friday pick-up. PPE may
be purchased without pre-ordering, but
purchasers should expect longer wait-
times. Access to the fairgrounds and the
Pop-Up is through Gate 2, 58892 Sel-
zer Road, St. Helens. Purchasers must
wear masks and adhere to public health
guidelines that have been put in place,
including registering all parties for po-
tential future contact tracing.
“We thank the County Fair
Board for their tremendous coopera-
tion in providing this valuable service
to small businesses,” said Robert Blum-
berg, President & CEO of Wauna Credit
Union and President of the CCET Board
of Directors. “We have heard horror sto-
ries of price gouging by suppliers and
even refusal to ship small orders to in-
dividual businesses. This program will
stop that, protect our small businesses,
and help them and their customers suc-
cessfully re-open/stay open, helping get
our economy and communities moving
again. That is CCET’s primary mission
right now,” Blumberg added.
Hosting the PPE Pop-Up is one
of many new initiatives the Fair Board
is pursuing to stimulate activity and use
of the Fairgrounds since County Fairs
have been cancelled by state directive.
Businesses should limit their orders to
what they need for one to two weeks.
All orders must be paid and signed for
with a check or cash. In addition, pur-
chasers must sign a commitment not
to re-sell the products, which are being
made available at cost.
“When available county funds
can be put to direct use in helping small
businesses re-open, recover, and stay
open, it’s a win for our communities and
our county,” Blumberg said. “The fact
that we can purchase some PPE from
local businesses, also putting people to
work makes this even better.” He added,
“Affordable, smart safety practices en-
abled by local workers, companies, and
jobs is a win-win for Columbia County
during a very challenging time.”
Publisher and Managing Editor
Scott Laird
503-367-0098
scott@vernoniasvoice.com
Contributors
Chip Bubl
Tobie Finzel
Karen Miller
Shannon Romtvedt
Photography
Scott Laird
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