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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1997)
Bookeadc By Nancy Burch Vernonia City Librarian The citizens of Vernonia are presently in volved in making some very important deci sions concerning the direction they would like Vernonia to take in regard to their city and the services they wish to receive from it. Those who have been reading The INDEPENDENT, attending the council meetings, or just hearing talk around town, have heard that plans are taking shape for a new multipurpose/municipal building for Vernonia. Every effort is being made to provide answers to all possible ques tions concerning this facility. Since the library will be an important part of this building and since library patrons will benefit directly, I am hoping that these people will be vocal in their support for this much-needed facility. These are the people who have seen the conditions under which we function...no display areas, no work space for staff, no areas for quiet study or reading, no space for a permanent circulation desk, no separate space for com puter work stations, no space for children’s programs, and no storage for supplies or un processed books. Because of other, neces sary city uses of the library, hours of operation are limited. These are just the day-to-day conditions under which we, in the library, operate. The building itself has a flat roof that gathers water and deposits it periodically in the library, a wall in the back of the building that has been con demned, outdated wiring, no method of circu lating air in the summer, and no hot water in the leaky, unisex restroom. The building does not meet ADA standards. IPO m I I uMMMaaMMManaaaaaaH The other city departments all operate un der sim ilar substandard conditions in this building that was designed as a Safeway store in the 1930's. For ten years the City of Vernonia has been working toward a new building. Recently, new impetus has been given to the project, which would include the library, police department, city offices, public meeting room, municipal court, and a Visitor Information Center operat ed by the Chamber of Commerce. A site has been agreed upon and obtained, a preliminary design for the building has been presented, and a financing program is under investiga tion. You are welcome to view these proposed plans, to ask questions about probable financ ing, to see the condition of the present build ing, to ask any questions you may have, and to offer input regarding ideas for improved li brary services or for program s you think should be implemented. Your support is needed for this project to become a reality because it will be your build ing, serve you and be a constant reminder that Vernonia is proud of its past, living in the present, and planning for its future. (Of course, if you have a million or so dol lars to contribute, it would be gratefully ac cepted.) Vernonia Library is located at 919 Bridge Street. Library Hours: Monday and Fri day 1-5 p.m., Wednesday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Preschool Sto ry Time: Wednesdays, 10:30-11 a.m. Call 429-1818 for information. ■ By Dale Webb, member Izaak Walton League, Nehalem Valley Chapter (Ed. Note: This article was written prior to the re cent Federal decision to approve Gov. Kitzhaber’s Coastal Salmon Initiative, but could not be pub lished at that time.) By the time you read this article, we will ei ther have a Federally listed species in our local streams or the Governor’s Coastal Salmon Ini tiative will be approved. I have very mixed em otions about which will be in the Coho salmon's best interest. Listing the Coho will most likely result in a tangle of red tape for any project that can be demonstrated to impact the salmon. This same red tape will result in the slow-down of fish enhancement projects. Not listing the Coho salmon will allow activities that are still damaging the fish’s habitat. The Gov ernor’s initiative relies too heavily on voluntary • compliance; in the past this has been abused and will most likely continue to be so. In the real world, money talks. A case in point is the destruction of habitat in the North fork of Wolf Creek, a tributary of the Nehalem River. After a hard rain in late March, my father and I noticed that the Ne halem did not clear up as soon as it should have. Realizing something was wrong, I decid ed to start checking upstream. Dad said he thought somebody was logging up the North fork of Wolf Creek. Sure enough, the North fork was slightly discolored and a look at the tracks coming off Wolf Creek road onto Hwy. 26 said there was a logging operation going on up stream. Driving up Wolf Creek road, I soon re alized I had found the culprit — the road had become a muddy quagmire. If you have ever driven on a State Forest road you know that the crushed rock is usually so thick that, if you drive off the shoulder of the road, you can hardly get back on. The road I was looking at had been totally destroyed. Every culvert crossing had a load of ballast rock (this is big ger than pit run) dumped on it. In many places the road had actually been pushed below grade by the weight of the log trucks and, of course, the road was a muddy mess. When it rained, the mud flowed off the road, down the ditch into small tributaries, then into Wolf Creek. I have pictures of this, so I won’t have to be verbally abused by a state emyloyee who questions these statements. To me, this was in total disregard of the Governor’s initiative and it was allowed by the government agency that the Governor is relying on to rein in forestry practices that are harming the Coho habitat. When asked how this damage had occurred, the state foresty official in charge said that it was “a judgment call” and that they are “still learning.” Well, sorry fellas, the time for learn ing is over! How many years of experience does it take to see that a road is going to hell! The private timber company that bought this sale is just as culpable. They should have stopped hauling, but no, they were near com pletion of the sale so they tried to finish, to the detriment of the road and the salmon. So much for voluntary compliance! To top this off, Wolf Creek is recognized as a key watershed for Coho in the Governor’s Initiative. I wonder how State Forestry treats streams that aren’t given this special recognition. The timber industry’s proposal to help fund the Governor’s Initiative really boiled down to blackmail. Saving the salmon is either the right thing to do or it isn’t. We all know that man’s uses of the land have had an impact on the fish and if you’re a big exploiter of natural re sources you should step up to bat and help out. I read, a couple of years ago, about how the timber industry spends six-million dollars a year on TV ads, to show us the good they are doing. Frankly, I would be a lot more support ive of the timber industry if they put that money on the ground, into worthwhile projects. The adage, “Money talks and *&# walks,” applies here. On a positive note, I have noticed a real Please see page 17 ] [More Lettere A rt C enter needs help of community To the Editor: The Vernonia Hands On Art Center was established as an outlet to help the kids of the community deal with the flood of 1996. The art center has been funded by C olum bia C ounty M ental H ealth (CCMH), the Oregon Flood Support Project (OFSP) and a few individual donors from out side the community. It is now time for the com munity to step in and provide support fo r the program to continue. The CCMH/OFSP funding has expired, but there are opportunities for additional funding through various grant and trust organizations. In fact, several organizations have ex pressed a keen interest in sup porting the program. There is only one obstacle. These organizations require that the program be supported by local businesses and indi viduals as well. The art center has been in corporated as a 501 C(3) non profit entity, so your donation, however large or small, is tax deductible. I encourage the businesses and individuals of this commu nity to contact Michele Kunkel, Director at 429-4014. Find out more about the center, its pro grams and future. Sincerely, Don Kunkel Vernonia County employees object to budgeting To the Editor: A proposed 1997-98 budget was recently presented to the C olum bia C ounty Budget Committee. We are writing this le tte r as em ployees of the County and taxpaying citizens because we are seriously con cerned about the priorities set out in this budget. The budget a llo ca te s $300,000 to Courthouse reno vation and to lease additional office facilities. This plan is not part of the State mandate to create local correctional facili ties, in fact, if a new correc tional facility is built, the jail may be m oved out of the Courthouse, thereby increas ing available space within the Courthouse. Also, the building that is under consideration for a lease will need extensive re modeling, so it appears the County might lease a building that it does not have the mon ey to renovate or operate. The above plans are unnec essary and particularly unwise in the face of budget reduc tions. The facilities plan can only be paid for by further re ducing services to the public. This budget would do that by eliminatiing about six employ ees, expanding proposed lay offs from about two or three positions to NINE positions. In sum m ary, th is budget proposes to REDUCE COUN TY SERVICES while at the same time ADDING FACILI TIES W ITH UNKNOW N COSTS and providing NO TAX SAVINGS to the public. If you believe these priorities need to be changed, you can make a difference. The full committee will not finish its work until May 21, and the Com m issioners can change it any time prior to July 1. Please let the County Budget Committee know how you feel. A schedule of meet ing times is available from the Commissioners Office at 397- 4322. Committee members in clude the three County Com missioners — Jack Peterson, Joel Yarbor and Tony Hyde, and three citizen members - Sandy Dillard, Bob Schm or and Bessie Hausler. Sincerely, Kathy Bouchor Pam Benham Alan King Michael Simpson Jeff Benham Judy Gettman Ethelmae Jordan Double majority vote creates participation To the Editor: Your May 7th editorial posi tion on Ballot Measure 50 was well taken. Comments on the double majority provision of both BM 47 and BM50 are wrong. Double majority provi sion is there to promote both debate and voter participation. I was a volunteer aid in the W ayne Morse cam paign in 1968. Among the many lec tures and training sessions was one presented by a local teachers union on how to pro m ote an u n po pu la r school levy. It’s simple. You give it as little publicity as you can and hope only the teachers turn out to vote! I have watched our taxes forced through the roof all over the state in the thirty years since, by a minority of voters. The double m ajority forces these measures into the public forum. Those that are neces sary w ill be debated and passed by the majority. Those issues that are excessive, un necessary or superfluous will attract only a minority and will be defeated. Isn't that how the system is supposed to work? Sincerely, Bergh Bechen Banks Chamber continues vital involvement To the Editor: Many positive thin gs are happening in Vernonia. Strate gic planning on the future of the city, discussions about the new Vernonia Building, and a renewed sense of community pride are just a few of the ex citing reasons that Vernonia will be a town of future vitality and g ro w th . The V ernonia Area Chamber of Commerce is an organization that is ac tively involved in these events and many others, and looks Please see page 9 ■H 1 •V ;
