MS Society will use Vernonia as home base for weekend bike ride
If you’re looking for an un
usual weekend get-away this
summer, you may want to
consider two days of cycling
fun and adventure from Ver
nonia to Seaside through the
Jewell Wildlife Refuge. This
get-away includes a 150 mile
cycling c h a lle n g e th ro u g h
som e of O re g o n ’s m ost
bre ath ta king scenery, one
night’s accommodation, food,
and all of the cycling support
needed for a safe and chal
lenging ride.
Organized by the Oregon
Chapter of the National Mul
tiple Sclerosis Society, this
year’s Portland MS150 Bike
Tour is being held July 30-31
and is expected to draw 400
local area cyclists. The ride
begins and ends at Vernonia
High School.
“If you need to get out of
town for the week end, the
MS 150 two-day Bike Tour is a
great way to do som e c re
a tive s ig h ts e e in g , get in
shape and, most importantly,
make a con trib u tio n to the
search fo r a cure fo r M S,”
said Cheryl Sheppard, direc
tor of special events for the
Oregon Chapter.
Each cyclist is sponsored
by friends, colleagues and
family members, who pledge
money for every mile com
pleted. Proceeds support lo
cal health-related and educa
tional services which reach
more than 3,500 people in
O regon and C lark County,
W ashington. In ad dition , a
portion of the funds are used
to support national research
efforts to find the cause and
cure for M ultiple S clerosis
(M S); a c h ro n ic , u n p re
dictable and often disabling
disease that attacks a pe r
son’s nervous system.
The National Multiple Scle
rosis Society is dedicated to
advancing the cure, preven
tion and treatment of MS and
to improving the lives of those
affected by the disease. For
more information on the ser
vices offered by the Oregon
Chapter, please call 1-800-
422-3042.
Individuals in te reste d in
registering for the Portland
MS150 Bike Tour should call
the O regon C hapter of the
N ational M ultiple Sclerosis
Society at1 -800-422-3042.
Vol. 9, No. 13“ Voice o f the Upper Nehalem River Valley"July 13,1994
Let it Rain. . .
Vernonia, rural Scappoose top
increases in real estate values
A 28% increase in local
real estate prices brings with
it both good news and bad
news.
The good news is that your
property has increased in val
ue. The bad news is that your
property taxes are likely to in
crease because your property
is more valuable— even if you
did nothing to improve it.
Dallas contractor J. W. Fowler is installing storm drain sys
tem on A Street.
INSIDE:
Ike Says................................................... See pg. 2
Business Notes...................................... See pg. 4
The Way It W as-70 years ago.............. See pg. 6
Cookin' Comer........................................See pg. 7
Letters, lots of letters....................See pgs. 8 & 9
Tee off on cancer....................................See pg.11
Summer burning ban............................See pg. 12
Job opportunities......................... See pgs. 15*18
A report issued recently
confirms what home buyers
and real estate agents have
known all along — that the
hot real estate market contin
ues to inflate home prices.
The report, called the As
sessors Certified Ratio Study,
analyzes sales of property
from May 1, 1993, to April 1,
1994. The report compares
19 93 -94 a sse sse d value s
with the sales price and de
termines how those assessed
values are to be adjusted so
that the 1994-95 assessed
values are at 100 percent of
market value.
"The real estate boom that
started in 1990 is continuing
u n a b a te d ,” sa id Tom U n
hares, Columbia County As
sessor. “ In fact, if anything,
the rate of increase is greater
th is y e a r th a n p re v io u s
years,” Linhares said.
Generally, residential val
ues have increased 20 per
cent, personal property mo
bile homes have increased 5
percent and commercial and
industrial property have re
mained the same. Each area
of the county is analyzed sep
arately. The increases range
from 18 percent in Rainier to
28 percent in rural Scappoose
and the City of Vernonia.
A total of 1,463 sales were
a n a lyze d th ro u g h o u t the
county. During the first three
m onths of 1994, deeds re
corded by the County Clerk
increased by 27 percent over
the firs t th re e m onths of
1993. Building permits were
up by 36 percent, during the
same period.
W hile higher real estate
va lu e s are good new s fo r
sellers, property owners will
likely see higher property tax
bills next October.
“ Despite lower tax rates
due to Ballot Measure 5, it
looks like residential property
taxes will be up approximate
ly five to ten percent next
year,” Linhares said.
L in h a re s a ttrib u te s the
higher home prices to a gen
erally favorable real estate
m arket com bined w ith the
strong influence of people
moving to Columbia County,
especially from the Portland
Metropolitan area.
“Without a doubt, what is
driving these increases is the
migration of people to St. He
lens, Scappoose and Verno
nia," Linhares said. “ Even
Vernonia is experiencing a
tremendous real estate boom
market,” he continued. To a
lesser extent, the in-migration
is also affecting Rainier and
Clatskanie, according to Lin
hares.
The ratio study was pre
sented on Tuesday, July 5, to
the Columbia County Board
of Ratio Review, a five mem
ber citizen panel that will re
view the report and make rec
ommendations to the asses
sor. The ratio study is also re
view ed by the O regon D e
partment of Revenue.
CHANGE IN PROPERTY VALUES 1993-94 TO 1994-95
(Selected Columbia County communities)
LOCATION
St. Helens
Columbia
City
Scappoose
(City)
Scappoose
(Rural)
Vernonia
(City)
Vernonia
(Rural)
1993-94
1994-95
% INCREASE
$100,000.00
X
20.2322
$ 2,023.22
$120,000.00
X ___18Æ422
$ 2,165.06
1 .20%
$100,000.00
X ...21.4723
$ 2,147.23
$123,000.00
X:
■19.2823
$ 2,371.72
1 .23%
$100,000.00
X__ 20J428
1 $ 2,034.28
$ 120,000.00
X___17,8428
$ 2,141.14
$100,000.00
X
13.6784
$
1,367.84
$ 128,000.00
X
11178 4
$ 1,430.84
$100,000.00
X ___ 1 7 6 4 1 8
$
1,764.18
$128,000.00
X
17 5116
$ 2,241.48
$100,000.00
JC___1Q.Q824
$
1008.24
$ 119,000.00
X___ SL9552
$
1,184.31
1 .07%
1 .10%
1 .20%
1 .05%
1 .28%
1 .05%
1 .28%
1 .27%
1 .1 9%
1 .17%