Page 2
The INDEPENDENT, June 22,1994
INDEPENDENT
J vat
The
"Thìnk~ £> F ft~». , o w
I WAS A T WoAMArfùy
M Y Ç üua /T A y 'S
TH £ z V / 4 Z Z
x x -x
W H û'ô T M K T tfA T
Serving the upper Nehalem River valley. Published
twice monthly on the second and fourth Wednesdays of
each month, by Public Opinion Laboratory Ltd., 1206
S ta te A venue, V ernonia, OR 97064, as a free
new spaper. E ditors and P ublishers, Dirk & Noni
Andersen, (503) 429-9410.
Â.ATC.K l ' ù
¿¿A- H I I H
&
F#<M
x
x
Y£Aas
Be
'
M Y S £ L F FÆ û M S A M S
i ?
People demonstrate
no budget concerns
Are citizens really unhappy about the way tax mon
ey is spent in Columbia County, the Vernonia School
District, the City of Vernonia or the county Education
Service District?
With all the hue and cry about government spend
ing, it was interesting to see how many citizens actu
ally went to budget hearings to offer suggestions, ask
for explanations or state their opinions before bud
gets were adopted for the next fiscal year.
Vernonia School District had a budget hearing. To
tal citizen participation: 0
City of Vernonia had a budget hearing. Total citizen
participation: 1
Columbia Education Service District had a budget
hearing. Total citizen participation: 0
Columbia County had two budget hearings, one in
Vernonia and one in St. Helens. Total citizen partici
pation: 0 (They quit holding budget hearings in
Clatskanie, three years ago, because nobody ever
showed up.).
Our local government systems provide for open
communication between citizens and elected or ap
pointed officials. If citizens can’t spend an hour or
two, once a year, to ask questions or make sugges
tions before budgets are adopted, why should they
expect subsequent complaints to be taken seriously?
Schools must plan
now for future needs
Vernonia School District 47J needs to, and wants
to, make plans for population growth. The board and
the administration are aware of the real estate boom
in the area and its potential impact on the schools.
In addition to more students, they must also pre
pare for changes in the way children are taught and
how that may affect school facilities.
Community help is needed to plan for the many
changes the district is facing. At this time, the district
is seeking volunteers to serve on the facilities plan
ning committee. Facilities planning means just what it
says: What facilities will be needed to meet tomor
row’s education needs?
There are many people who don’t want to be in
volved in the numbers game on the budget commit
tee or don’t feel qualified to make recommendations
as a curriculum committee member. But some of
those same people may be great resources for the fa
cilities planning committee.
Think about it. If you want to be involved in the fu
ture of education in Vernonia, but haven’t found your
niche, this may be it.
If you are interested in serving on that committee,
call the school district office, 429-5891, and ask for an
application. It won’t hurt to inquire and this may be
where you can make a contribution to the future of
your community.
M.A.D.D. membership drive underway
The annual m em bership
drive of the Columbia County
chapter of Mothers Against
Drunk Driving is now under
way. Chapter membership is
the lifeline to the chapter, a
spokesperson explained. In
order to maintain active sta
tus as a chapter, there must
be at least twenty members,
some of whom can be non-
dues-paying family members
of drunk driving victim s. All
dues stay in Columbia Coun
ty and are used for chapter
projects.
Because of the small coun
ty population base, the local
chapter receives most of its
funding through the MADD
State Organizing Committee.
D u rin g th e p a st th re e
years, the chapter has pur
chased video-cam era units
for five of the seven local law
enforcement agencies. Two
m ore ca m e ra s are in the
1994-1995 budget for Scap
po ose and V e rn o n ia . The
cameras provide a valuable
tool in the identification and
a p p re h e n s io n o f im p a ire d
drivers. Included with each
camera is an initial supply of
video tapes.
Without the assistance of
M ADD, m any lo c a l p o lic e
agencies would not have the
cameras because of tax limi
tations and budget cuts.
The chapter has also pur
chased portable breath test
ers for local school districts,
upon request.
During the past year over
200 DUII offenders attend the
monthly Victim Impact Pan
els. This is the fourth year for
the program . O nly nine of
those who attended the first
two presentations have re-of-
fended.
A lcohol related fa ta litie s
appear to have gone down in
C olum bia C ounty ove r the
past three years, especially
among drivers under the age
of tw e n ty. A lth o u g h th e re
have been crashes resulting
in in ju rie s, the c o u n ty has
been fortunate that, accord
ing to Oregon state statistics,
there have been no fatalities
am ong te e n s fo r th e p a st
three years, but there have
been fatalities for the group
over age twenty.
The chapter monitor cases
upon request, and is currently
following a case involving an
injured child who was riding
with her father. It is also mon
ito rin g s e v e ra l c a se s th a t
have been adjudicated, but
are still having a direct impact
on the victim families.
A lim ite d sup ply of b ro
chures is available on victims
rights for DUII crashes and
on choosing an attorney. Any
one needing a copy may call
397-6159 and it will be sent
to you.
Several chapter members
are active on the speaking
c irc u it, a d d re ssin g church
g ro u p s, G ra n g e s, s e rv ic e
clubs and school classes. Lo
ca l m em b ers have also
helped on Victim Impact Pan
els in C latsop C ounty and
Cowlitz County (Washington).
Prevention continues be
the primary objective of the
chapter. There is continual
w ork with local schools by
providing information, statis
tics, brochures and anything
that may reach young people.
It is not at all uncommon to
have students call and need
inform ation fo r papers and
speeches. This provides an
excellent opportunity to work
one-on-one with teens. But it
is an uphill battle to reach
teens who are constantly af
fected by industry ads that
glamorize alcohol, or whose
peers and parents furnish al
cohol to under-aged people.
Another public awareness
campaign centers around the
Holiday Red Ribbon distribu
tio n . T h is p a st y e a r ove r
10,000 ribbons were given
out across the county. Local
ly, the program needs to have
someone in charge who can
devote time to make contacts
in the communities to get the
ribbons out and on vehicles.
If you can spare a few hours
in the late fa ll and holiday
season, please volunteer to
help in your community. The
ribbons are available, so all it
would take is time to be sure
your area has an adequate
supply available for the pub
lic. In most areas, the tim e
commitment is once or twice
a week.
Though not always in the
public eye, Columbia County
MADD stays busy, with much
of the work going on behind
the scenes. Changing peo
ples’ attitudes is difficult and
involves long-term dedication
by people who sincerely care.
The chapter has no paid staff
and no overhead costs.
There is more to be done,
but it will take additional vol
unteers who are w illin g to
work without a lot of personal
recognition, just satisfaction
for doing a valuable job. If
you can help, call 397-6159
and jo in M others A g a in st
Drunk Drivers.
Your voice is heard when you
speak from the ballot box.
Register to vote today.