december17 2020
free
VERNONIA’S
volume14 issue24
reflecting the spirit of our community
Lucky Dog and Fox
Hollow Antiques
Were Worth the Wait
By Scott Laird
It took over two years, but the long awaited opening of
Lucky Dog Antiques finally took place on Saturday, December 5.
Lucky Dog Antiques owners Joe and Nina Versaw join
their next door neighbor Fox Hollow Antiques, owned by the Ver-
Vernonia looks festive for the holidays thanks to the efforts of the Intercultural Society of
Vernonia, The Spirit of Christmas Committee, and the Vernonia Freewheelers.
Vernonia City Council Adopts
Equality and Justice Resolution
The Vernonia City Council voted unani-
mously, 5-0, at their December 7 City Council
meeting, to adopt Resolution 2020-17, support-
ing equality and inclusion in the City of Verno-
nia.
The draft of the resolution was a col-
laboration between a group of local citizens,
Vernonia Equality and Racial Justice (VERJ),
working together with two City Council mem-
bers, Susan Wagner and Dale Webb, and several
members of City staff, including City Adminis-
trator Josette Mitchell and City Recorder Stepha-
nie Borst.
The resolution condemns discrimination
and violence against anyone in the community;
affirms the values of compassion, inclusion, re-
spect, and dignity; welcomes all people who rec-
ognize an individual’s right to live with dignity
and free from racism, intolerance, and bigotry;
and commits the community to work to uphold
these values.
During the discussion on the Resolution,
the Council added socio-economic status and
appearance, to the list of people protected from
discrimination under the resolution, which al-
ready included race, color, ethnicity, nationality,
inside
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holiday food boxes
18
pioneer museum’s
rare mulay saw
19
holidays
and quarantines
country of origin, age, marital status, disability,
religion, sexual orientation, gender expression,
or gender identity.
The resolution commits the City to the
following goals:
• undertaking Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
(DEI) training for all City Councilors and Staff
and making said training available to citizens
and local businesses and encourage community
participation
• creating a visible inclusion campaign for the
community
• supporting the creation of a new discrimination
reporting system to collect data about discrimi-
natory experiences in the community
• reviewing discrimination and bias data quarter-
ly to identify areas for improvement and measure
outcomes
City Administrator Mitchell explained
these goals would be achieved through collab-
orative efforts that could include the community
and other organizations and agencies, and by
working with VERJ.
The Council appeared to enthusiasti-
cally endorse the adoption of the resolution,
saw’s friend Julie Kehoe, and the Rusty Nail just up the street, to
form a sort of “Antique Row” in Vernonia’s downtown.
“Vernonia is like a beach town, but not on the beach,” says
Nina. “It’s the cutest little town. The people have been so friendly
and welcoming.”
“We absolutely love it here,” adds Joe.
It was a long road for the Versaw’s, who purchased the old
J.C. Penney building at the corner of Bridge Street and Madison
Avenue in 2018, along with the former Foursquare Church build-
ing on Madison. At the same time Kehoe purchased the old Lin-
coln School building, which she is currently trying to renovate into
a residence. A few months ago she bought the old Lew’s building
downtown.
Lucky Dog and Fox Hollow feature antique furniture, vin-
tage items, and collectibles. A doorway between the buildings tells
continued on page 7
continued on page 15
(L-R) Nina Versaw, Julie Kehoe, and Joe Versaw
in the Fox Hollow Antique store.
City Moves Forward with Tree Removal
Danger trees in Ora Bolmeir and
Hawkins Parks scheduled to be cut
Vernonia will look very different in the com-
ing months after two major tree removal projects
take place.
About 60 Douglas fir trees in the lower part
of Ora Bolmeir Park will be removed before the end
of February; work could start as early as December
17. In addition, five or six trees in Hawkins Park
along Rock Creek will be removed.
The trees have become safety concerns, or
what are considered “danger trees,” for the City. Af-
ter much consideration and deliberation, the City has
decided to remove them.
“I just want the citizens to know this is not
something we do lightly. There is a purpose,” said
Vernonia City Administrator Josette Mitchell. “The
City Council has discussed this on several occasions. I know
people won’t be happy about it, but this needs to be done for
the safety of the public.”
Ora Bolmeir Park is located on O-A Hill, overlook-
ing Highway 47 (Bridge Street), across from the Pioneer Mu-
seum. The stand of mature Douglas fir trees were inspected
by certified arborist David Hunter and were determined to
be suffering from a type of root rot which is spreading and
slowly killing the trees. “The trees have stood many wind
storms and storm events, but there are decay issues in the
stand which have high concern for me...” stated the arbor-
ist report. The report mentioned the high flow of traffic on
continued on page 7