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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 1990)
Feb 22, 1990, The INDEPENDENT Page 3 C ostly environm ental re g u la tio n s force closure of many area gas stations As gasoline stations close throughout Oregon because ot requirements that under ground tuel tanks be tested for leakage, it becomes more and more obvious that peo pie in rural areas will find it increasingly difficult to say •Fill e ru p " The tanks are being tested (at $500 per tank) to find those that are leaking and polluting the soil or ground water Leaking tanks must be removed, or emptied and tilled with sand or some other substance to prevent them from being used in the future The station owner must also remove the polluted soil, a procedure that can easily cost $100,000 or more Perm its tor new under ground tanks will be virtually im possible to obtain and above ground tanks violate fire and safety codes in many municipalities In addition, the cost of liability insurance has soared with the new re quirements Legislation to help station owners with the increased cost of liability insurance isn't likely to help the situation in the upper Nehalem valley it's too little and too late and most ot the stations are ei ther closed or nearing a clos ing deadline The pum ps have been shut down a, Birkenfeld and Mis, In Vernonia Ralph's Service has closed. Riley's Service is scheduled to close March 15, Sunnyside Service will close in either September or December Costs for replacing the tanks would be approximate ly $30.000 according to both Judy Budge a, Sunnyside and Ralph Sturdevan, and they don't sell enough gas to make such an investm ent worthwhile The tanks a, Riley’s Ser vice are only five years old. according to Judy Riley and probably wouldn't need to be replaced for several years, bu, insurance increases of $2400 $3600 annually will shut down the station the Ri ley's lease Commercial accounts will have the option of using the Wilcox & Flegel cardlock in Vernonia bu, re ta il cus tomers will be served only by MiniMart which lacks the ca pacity to pump diesel fuel Insurance premium hike will close Riley's Service A Vernonia business will shut down March 15 as gov ernmen, regulations coupled with the cos, of mandatory li ability insurance forces the closure of Riley s Service Riley's, a nine year old business provides no, only gas and diesel service bu, propane and a U-Haul agen cy Joe & Judy Riley were no tifie d January 22 by their landlords Sliger and Monroe o, Hillsboro, that the five year old underground fuel tanks would be decommis stoned Comparatively minor upgrading of the tanks is needed to meet current teder al Environmental Protection Agency criteria bu, with the increased cos, of insurance coverage i, is no longer eco nomically feasible to operate the business Judy Riley said Riley's will continue to ac cep, Unocal. VISA Master Card Discovery and Amen can Express credit cards through March 15 Lew’s Place our annua^ ’I f St. Patrick’s Day Parade Bring your entry and join us at the corner of Bridge & State Streets All entries are free Parade starts at 4 p m. Corned Beef Si Cabbage all day!)) Love birds bill and coo a, Ihe Old Time 5< & 10c store Business tax forms due March 3 1990 is the dead line for businesses to tile their personal property tax form s with the Colum bia County Assessor's office Owners and operators of businesses in Oregon are re quired by state law to file the form s listin g fu rn ishings, leased equipment and other items tha, are used in their businesses Livestock most licensed vehicles and house hold goods are excluded from the report The form s are file d in March then the assessor's office determ ines the true cash value of the property and assesses a tax to be paid the following November No tax payment is required with the March filing The assessor mails the tax forms to those who have re ceived them in the pas, bu, new businesses must obtain the form and file it before the March 3 deadline A penalty is assessed tor late filings Personal property tax forms are available a, the as sessor's office in the Columbia Cojnty Courthouse in St Helens They can also be obtained by mail by con ,acting the assessor's office at 397 2240 Bid opening for two Jewell area bridges Bids will be opened Febru ary 22 for two bridges on Highway 202 northeast o, Jew ell when the O regon Transportation Commission considers eighteen projects estimated to cos, $14 2 mil lion The work on the two bridges, over Grub Creek and the Nehalem River Over flow Channel is estimated to cos, between $250.000 and $500,000 In addition to re placing the bridges, it in cludes reconstructing the ap proaches and in sta llin g guardrail a, the bridge ends The project is scheduled for completion by October 31, 1990 ANNUAL MEETING TIME VERNONIA FEDERAL CREDIT UNION Featuring Dick Berry" the Piano Bai 5 - 8 p.m. Pat Your Host*. Darlene Knight A Election of Officers • Door Prizes 1st - 1/4 oz. Gold Piece • 2nd -1 /1 0 oz. Gold Piece 3rd - 1 oz. S ilver Piece (6 Third Prizes) March 29,1990, 7:30 p.m. A, Senior Citizens Center. 446 Bridge S t . Vernonia (Use side d o o r) Lunch & Dinner served Tuesday through Saturday - Closed Sun., Mon. Call us fo r your banquet or catering needs - 429-3751 934 Bridge Street, Vernonia, Oregon 97064 ©NCUA 622 Bridge Street 429-8031 k V «
