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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 1997)
Pag« 4 Th« INDEPENDENT, August 20,1997 County assessor’s office will close mornings until further notice The Columbia County As sessors office will be closed to the public mornings, starting Monday, August 18. The clo sure, affecting only the asses sor’s office, is temporary. Nor mal hours will resume when the staff completes the work needed to implement Ballot Measure 50, the property tax measure passed by Oregon voters in May, 1997. “Public service is one of our highest priorities, so we did not make this decision lightly,” County Assessor Tom Lin- hares said. “There simply is no other way to do all of the things required by Measure 50 and continue to offer the Prohaska sells business to ACI Bob Prohaska, owner of Nehalem Valley Sanitary Ser vice, told the Vernonia City Council Monday night that he has sold the business to Am brose Calcagno Inc. (ACI), ef fective Sept. 1, 1997. Rates for garbage service are determined by the council in connection with the city franchise so there will be no changes at this time. ACI will also assume rural area service. Rates outside the city are set by the county granting the franchise, so rates will also remain un changed in rural areas. M eeting fo r builders on new sprinkler system for residences The St. Helens Rural Fire District will host a seminar to showcase a new residential fire sprinkler system that uses a special valve and half-inch pipe for easier installation and new levels of home safety. The seminar will be held Au gust 21 from 1:00 p.m to 4:00 p.m. at St. Helens Main Fire Station, 105 South 12th Street. Local builders, contractors, and building and fire officials will find the seminar of special interest. The featured speak er, Franz Haase of Peterbor ough, New Hampshire, is a nationally prominent expert in the residential sprinkler field. According t o , “Mr. Haase is one of the leaders in the promotion of fire and life safety through the use of sprinklers in the home and is the person who invent ed the valve that is the key to this system,” said Assistant Fire Chief Dick Jacobus. Haase will demonstrate the latest approved system com ponents and use a local house plan from the Warren area to show the layout of a typical home sprinkler sys tem. The St. Helens area has been selected as one of only two areas in the country to serve as a test site for this lat est residential system, which features use of existing plumbing and 1/2 inch water lines to trim the costs of in stallation by as much as two- thirds the cost of previous systems. According to Ja cobus, the 248-unit Ridge crest subdivision will be a centerpiece for the test since the planned community will be 100-percent protected by residential sprinklers. Anyone interested in learn ing about the latest develop ments in home sprinkler tech nology and the new costs of installing a sprinkler system should plan to attend, Ja cobus emphasized. VanNatta tree farm in final four The VanNatta family tree farm near Rainier was recently selected as the Western Re gional winner for the National Tree Farmer of the Year. The operation conducted primarily by KC VanNatta and his son, Jeff, has frequently been selected for tours as an Vitamins etc. Mon 1 0 -4 Tu-Fri 10-5:30 Sat. 1 0 -2 Canning & Pickling Spices Universal Pectin - Jells with sugar, honey, artivi- cial sweetener or plain fruit 2034 COLUMBIA BOULEVARD ST. HELENS • 397-4728 example of excellent manage ment for others interested in healthy silviculture. Initial estimates place the number of these “exceptions” at 30 to 40 percent of the 27,000-plus property tax ac counts in Columbia County, according to Linhares. Normal office hours are expected to resume in October. State applies fire restrictions to area stoves using liquefied or bot tled fuels are allowed. 3. All non-industrial use of chain saws is prohibited, ex cept as waived by the Forester. Current waiver al lows operation of chain saws in woodcutting until 1:00 p.m. Chain saws used in personal woodcutting must have a spark arresting screen, a shovel, and a minimum eight- ounce fire extinguisher at all times. The forecast for continued dry conditions has prompted the Department of Forestry to place public use restrictions in effect for Northwest Ore gon. Fire danger indices are well into the moderate cate gory, reports Mike Simek, protection unit forester with the Department of Forestry. With the increased fire dan ger comes increased risks of a fire starting from human ac tivities. People are reminded to use extreme caution when recreating, traveling and working in grass, brush and forested areas. The following restrictions and requirements apply on all private and public lands within the Northwest Oregon Forest Protection District. Contact the Department of Forestry for current waiver status as this is subject to change. 4. All motorized vehicle traffic (including motorcycles and all terrain vehicles) are restricted to improved roads. 5. The use of all fireworks is prohibited, including spark lers, “snakes”, or other spark or smoke producing articles which contain combustible materials. 6. All welding, arc/torch cutting or grinding of metal is prohibited, except as waived by the Forester. 7. Motorized vehicles trav eling forest roads (excluding 1. All smoking is prohibit ed, except while in closed ve hicles on improved roads, in boats on water, and in desig nated locations. 2. All open fires are prohib ited, - campfires, charcoal fires, cooking fires and warm ing fires, except at designated locations. Portable cooking motorcycles and all terrain vehicles) must carry the fol lowing equipment: a water container of at least one gal lon filled to capacity or a 2-1/2 pound fire extinguisher fully charged; and a shovel not less than 26 inches in length overall, with a blade not less than 8 inches wide. Definitions Improved Road: any road that has been constructed for automotive use and is main tained clear of flammable de bris. Forest Road: any unpaved road which crosses forest land, woodland, brushland, timberland, cutoverland or clearing, which during any time of the year, contains enough flammable forest growth, forest refuse, slash or forest debris to constitute a fire hazard. Information on local fire season regulations for both public and commercial log ging operations may be ob tained by calling the Colum bia City Office at 397-2636, or the Forest Grove office at 357-8005. One call finds underground utilities If you are planning to install a fence, sprinkling system, or maybe plant a tree, call 1- 800-332-2344. The Oregon Notification Center will keep you from digging yourself into a hole by contacting under ground electric, gas or phone facilities. The Oregon Notification Center is a f a t e agency formed to provide homeown- ers and contractors with a sin gle contact point for coordi nating the location of under ground utility equipment. State law requires all under ground facility owners and op erators to subscribe, and pro vides fines for those who do not call to request an under ground ‘locate’. ‘The one-call system helps consumers avoid the hassle of making multiple calls for a cable locate,” said Del McGin nis, operations manager at West Oregon Electric Cooper ative. The system also helps avoid the danger and liability for repair costs if an under ground cable is damaged. RIVERCITY Q «W ant to check • Internet Connections • E-Mail Accounts • Web Pages • Network Gaming • Digital Imaging value. changes such as new con struction, property divisions (subdivisions, partitions), dis qualification from special as sessment or exemption and others, since 1995, must be calculated separately. Each of these accounts must be re viewed and recalculated for the new maximum assessed high level of attention to tax payers, property owners and professionals that utilize the records in our office,” Lin- hares continued Measure 50 limits as sessed values in 1997-98 to the assessed value in 1995- 96 less ten percent. In addi tion, properties that have Street Stock Sportsman . Women a prospective tenant? At Wmkcndll Give us a call! The Credit Bureau of Columbia County ug. 30, Rug. Racu & WESCO 7 Wag. 31, Rug. Racu’ WESCO & XDIrt Ringin', around Poundin', 1/4 MÜ« Oval Action I i V r 429-7029 1-800-953-3190 HOURS: Tue 2-10:00 pm Wed-Sun 10 am -1 0 pm Closed Monday Accounts Mgt. Co. (503) 397-0346 v X Columbia County Fairgrounds, St. Helens Time Trials 3:30 p.m. • Racing 6:00 p.m. « 736 Bridge St., Vernonia “Supporting Columbia County business since 1933" V X Info: 503-397-2393 Race Day Only: 503-397-6506 Sponsored by CCRA £ X X 1 W JW S- - W /M _________
