RUTH STEERS
409 ROSE
VERNONIA OR 97064
MORE JAMBOREE PHOTOS PAGES 6 & 7
RODEO COURT—
The Columbia County
Fair and Rodeo Court
were entrants in this
year’s Jamboree Parade.
From left to right they
are:
Princess
Keri
McElhaney,
18,
of
Warren; Queen Kelly Ann
Ryan, 16, of Clatskanie
and Princess Diane
Van Winkle, 19, of
Vernonia. Queen Kelly
and her court represent
Columbia County at
events throughout the
state, including the St.
Paul Rodeo and the
Pendleton Round-Up.
CITY COUNCIL NOTES
City must demolish buildings
The City Council voted last
Monday night to demolish the
public restrooms on Bridge
Street and the public dressing
room at Hawkins Park. While the
council was reluctant to take this
drastic a measure, it was felt
necessary due to the amount of
vandalism the two structures
have been repeatedly subjected
to. So that the move will not be a
complete waste, and as part of
the city’s drive to conserve
money, the cinder blocks used in
constructing both facilities will
be recycled. Plans at this time
call for the blocks to be used as
part of the foundation for the
chlorination plant building
scheduled for construction as
part of the expanded sewer
treatment plant.
In other business, the council
was informed that DEQ has
approved a ten acre site about
the city cemetery for use as a
land fill site. Before the property
can be put to use as a land fill it
must first be logged. City
officials say that bids for that
logging will be let out in the next
week or two.
Effective Monday night, the
council voted to make all city
water deposits non-refundable.
This will not affect deposits
currently on file, but will apply
only to future deposits as the
ordinance cannot be made
retroactive.
Another chapter in the
continuing saga of dog control in
Vernonia was written during this
last council meeting as well. The
council has decided that instead
of building a holding facility for
confiscated dogs they will put a
removable wire cage on one of the
city pickup trucks, and as
necessary,
pick
up
and
immediately transport any
impounded animal directly to St.
Helens. It is hoped this measure
will prove adequate in handling
this long standing problem
without necessitating a large
capital outlay on the city’s part.
HOMEMADE— Paul Mackenzie, a clown for 23 years, holds
aloft one of the chairs he cut from logs in just minutes with a
chain saw. Each chair, as they were raffled off, became an
excuse for MacKenzie to impart a smeared grease paint kiss
to each winner.
School board levy failure forces program cuts
As a result of the negative vote
by School District 47 J citizens at
the June 30 election, the
Vernonia School Board, meeting
with the district budget
committee, has made extensive
cuts in the 1981-82 school
budget. The revised special levy
will be presented to the voters at
an election scheduled for
September 15. Schools will open
for classes on August 31 but
without enough funds to assure
operation for the full school year,
according to district sources.
In addition to reductions
affecting nearly all the school
programs, some school services
have been totally eliminated.
Because of reductions in school
staff, homemaking classes at
both the high school and grade
school have been cut out.
Forestry and small engines
classes and driver education
courses
have
also
been
eliminated. Special education will
also have one less full-time staff
member.
Athletic and activity programs
have been severely reduced at
both the elementary and
secondary levels. Boys’ and girls’
track, girls’ basketball, dance
team and cheerleaders have been
deleted from the grade school
program by a reduction of six
staff positions. High school
students will be denied the
opportunity to participate in
golf, cross country and freshman
basketball by the elimination of
those sports. Other high school
activities will be sharply
curtailed by elimination of seven
coaching positions and seven
activity supervisors. Included in
the activity budget cuts are
drama, school newspaper and
yearbook production costs, dance
team and all activity clubs such
as National Honor Society,
Lettermen
and
Foreign
Language. High school sports
and activities have been reduced
by approximately 40 percent
while the grade school activity
program has been reduced by
over 50 percent.
Another significant budget
reduction was the elimination of
accident/injury insurance
coverage of students. The
district will no longer provide
this type of protection for
students or athletes.
Major reductions were made in
the purchase of equipment,
supplies and maintenance
projects. Renovation of the
deteriorating mortar between the
bricks in the exterior walls at
Washington Grade School has
been postponed to some future
year as well as the purchase of
additional classroom space for
shop classes.
Other budget reductions
include the cutting of school
educational field trip allowances
by 50 percent , and the reduction
of the district subsidy to the
school lunch program by 65
percent. As a direct result of this,
along with the loss of federal and
state support, lunch prices
charged
to
students
participating in the lunch
program will be sharply
increased.
Some modest budget increases
were included to cover the
escalating costs of fuel and
electricity as well as the added
cost of holding additional
elections.
Overall budget revisions call
for a $214,000 reduction in the
levy of $456,195 that was
defeated in June. This reduction
coupled with the increases in
costs caused by inflation makes
continued on page 7