It’s December and time for “Christmas in Vernonia”
It’s beginning to look a lot with tiny lights that sparkle
Vernonia bazaar...and it is!
tionally, the Boosters will pro­
like Christmas in Vernonia, and brightly after dark (though not
Sponsored by the Booster vide a good lunch, with lots of
with good reason.
all of the trees can be lit, as Club, this annual holiday
great homemade pies for
Colorfully painted, locally yet).
bazaar attracts crafters and ar­ dessert.
made wooden snowmen and
The community Christmas tisans from throughout the area
Proceeds from this bazaar
candy canes are decorating tree is up, just waiting for the fi­
because it has always empha­ will benefit the Booster pro­
planter barrels and the planting nal decorating.
sized “handcrafted” items. In grams; other community and
areas around trees on Bridge
In residential areas, Christ­ turn, the handcrafted items-
school organizations will also
Street. Natural greens and mas trees are shining through
wooden toys, quilts, dolls, be present at the bazaar to
sparkling ribbons put a finish­ windows while lights are being
wreaths, bread, needlework, earn funds.
ing touch on the planter bar­ strung from the eaves or on
and more— attract large num­
Join the crowd Saturday and
rels.
trees.
bers of browsers and buyers.
Sunday, Dec. 6-7, at Washing­
At the top of the trees, the
With all this, it must be time
Santa Claus will be there for ton Grade School, for the
bare branches are entwined for the annual Christmas in
pictures with the children. Addi- Christmas in Vernonia bazaar.
INSIDE:
Letters..... see pg. 3
Revenue Bond?
See City Scene
.................. on pg 3
Christmas cooking
with Gladys
............... see pg. 7
School Christmas
programs see pg. 13
BULK RATE
U S. Postage Paid
Permit No. 37
Vernonia, OR 97064
FREE
4
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Voi. 12, No. 23
Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley’
Vernonia Cares...
D ecem ber 3, 1997
Campbell out; can’t
agree on contract
By Noni Andersen
i nese Dusy young men were just two of many willing helpers who worked to re-stock
the shelves at Vernonia Cares during the door-to-door phase of the annual food drive.
More photos may be found on page 5.
ground” and had done a good
job of sound forest manage­
Since Sir James Goldsmith ment.
bought the local timberlands
Hancock could not come to
owned by Crown-Zellerbach in terms on a new contract, Scott
an unfriendly take-over a few Sacco said from the compa­
years ago, the community has ny's Boston, Mass., headquar­
watched a succession of man­ ters, because they feel that the
agers in the Columbia Forest.
total level of compensation to
Another change is in the the Campbell Group was “out
works now.
of line with what they (Camp­
The Campbell Group, which bell) should be getting.”
assumed management of the
Because its performance
forest (as part of 206,000 acres has been “outstanding" in fif­
in Oregon) in May, 1996, will teen years of contractual rela­
be gone at the end of Decem­ tionships with Hancock, Camp­
ber because of a contract dis­ bell’s communications manag­
pute with Hancock Timber er, Jim Cathcart, maintains the
Resources, which represents decision to terminate was “irra­
the owner/investors.
tional."
The quality of Campbell’s
In addition to the amount of
work is not in question, even compensation, a “non-com­
from Hancock, whose spokes­ pete" clause is also a major
person said that the Campbell issue in the dispute. The
Group “has good people on the clause means that Campbell
cannot compete with Hancock
for clients without forfeiting
deferred “incentive fees”. Prior
to incorporating that clause in
Chief Jim Walters signed the the contract a few years ago,
agreement in September and the two companies worked
has been working with the oth­ together for many years with­
er agencies all along. The out it and, apparently, without
agreement doesn’t change any competition problems.
At present, the Campbell
financial or legal structure in
place already, but it does clari­ Group says it is owed $33-mil-
fy what is expected from each lion by Hancock Forest Re­
sources, in deferred compen­
agency.
sation. Hancock disputes the
$33-million figure, but also
says that Campbell will forfeit
any incentive fees they have
coming if they compete against
Republican Joel Yarbor has
Hancock in the future.
filed for a second term on the
As a result of the impasse,
Columbia County Board of Campbell has filed suit against
Commissioners.
Hancock in Suffolk County
Rita Bernhard, a county em­ Superior Court (Boston), ask­
ployee, has filed for Yarbor’s ing for unnamed damages,
position, but on the Democratic
$33-million in incentive fees,
ticket.
and release from the non-com­
Pam Benham, also a county
pete clause.
employee, has challenged her
Hancock expects to decide
former boss, Betty Huser, by fil­ within a week who will take
ing for the non-partisan posi­ over management of the for­
tion of County Clerk.
est.
Law enforcement agencies sign agreement
All law enforcement agen-
cies in Columbia County have
now signed a cooperative
policing agreement.
Impetus for the agreement
was developed during a
statewide planning process
that was based on the following
assumptions:
• Law enforcement and pub- policing services.
lie safety agencies working
• Community policing must
alone cannot create communi­ be implemented locally.
ties that are safe and crime
• There may not be addition­
free.
al resources available to com­
• Partners in law enforce­ munities for cooperative polic-
ment, public safety and crimi­ .ing initiatives.
nal justice agencies should be
The agreement was signed
able to maximize cooperative by the top officer in each of the
six city police departments in
the county, by the sheriff’s de­
partment, the district attorney’s
Columbia County District At­
Gov. John Kitzhaber will ap­ office and the Oregon State
torney Martin A. Sells has an­ point someone to fill the vacan­
Police. The plan incorporates
nounced he will leave that po­ cy. Though there are nearly
many interagency agreements
sition at the end of February, three years remaining on Sells
already in place, but also iden­
1998. He has served as district term of office, the appointee, or
tifies and specifies the areas of
attorney for more than 22 any other qualified member of
public safety that are best han­
years.
the Oregon State Bar, can run dled by each jurisdiction and
As a cost-cutting procedure, for a new four-year term in the
makes that agency responsible
the county has offered an early May, 1998 primary election.
for operations in those areas. It
retirement benefit package to
The governor is not required also helps in avoiding duplica­
employees who are at least 55 to appoint an attorney who re­ tion of efforts.
years old and who have sides in Columbia County, but
Signing of the agreement
worked for the county for a the candidates are required to
took place between July 8 and
minimum of 15 years. Sells will meet the residency require­
Nov. 5, 1997, and it is now ful­
be 58 in February.
ment.
ly in effect. Vernonia Police
District attorney resigns
"—
-
Three filings for
primary election