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The INDEPENDENT, April 1,1998
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INDEPENDENT
Serving the upper Nehalem River valley. Published twice
monthly, on the first and third Wednesdays of each
month, by Public Opinion Laboratory Ltd., 725 Bridge
Street, Vernonia, OR 97064, as a free newspaper. Edi
tors and Publishers, Dirk & Noni Andersen. Sports Edi
tor, Caren McGaugh. Phone/Fax: (503) 429-9410.
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“Deal” harms City’s
ability to attract jobs
Following comment here (March 18) on the negative
aspects of an agreement the Vernonia city administra
tor, attorney and mayor made with a Beaverton build
ing contractor that allows the siting of a manufactured
home in an industrial zone, another citizen made it
abundantly clear that we had missed the mark by fail
ing to adequately explain the zoning ordinance.
The ordinance says that, in an industrial zone, an
acceptable conditional use is for a “dwelling unit or mo
bile home accessory to a permitted use such as ac
commodations for a caretaker or night watchman.”
This says quite plainly that if_there is a functioning in
dustrial operation in the industrial zone and if it is the
type of operation that needs a caretaker or watchman,
then the operator can apply for a conditional use per
mit. It does not allow siting any sort of residence prior
to establishment of an acceptable industrial use...even
if that residence is not being occupied.
This agreement is also likely to complicate efforts to
attract industry to Vernonia because industries, espe
cially those that provide family wage jobs, understand
ably want to locate in an area that is designed for in
dustry, not homes. This means that local residents will
continue to commute to jobs elsewhere, which means
they will continue to shop and dine elsewhere, which
means the benefits of locally earned income will not
exist in Vernonia.
This “deal” violates the city’s own ordinance and,
without a doubt, it has violated the public trust by be
ing signed without approval by the City Council.
It’s time to take a new
look at nuisance abatement
As we head for the annual city-wide clean-up, it’s
obvious that more people are involved in improving the
community. At the same time, there are increasing
numbers of nuisances that should be brought into
compliance. There are unlicensed cars on the streets,
an auto repair business is operating in a residential
zone, there are buildings that need to be either fenced
off or removed. Unlicensed and inoperable cars are
again multiplying at residences and businesses; some
businesses are just plain messy, with useable and
non-useable equipment unnecessarily strewn about.
If the nuisance abatement ordinance is not applied,
it won’t help keep the city in presentable condition.
Council still has a vacancy
If you are interested in getting involved in city gov
ernment, there couldn’t be a better time. With the res
ignation of Don Amundson, there is a vacancy that will
be filled by the existing council.
There are two days left to apply. The closing date is
April 3, 1998.
On Monday, April 6, the applicants will go through a
public question and answer process during the council
meeting. Whether you apply or not, it’s a meeting
worth attending.
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By Julius Dalzell
Vernonia City Council
The Shay and Other
Topics
There are a number of hot
topics that could benefit from
your ideas, opinions, input and
involvement. In this column,
we’ll talk mostly about the
Shay locomotive, but make
mention of those other items
for emphasis. Undoubtedly,
they will be presented in future
articles.
Many of you know a whole
lot more than this writer about
the history of the engine and
maybe can remember the day
it was placed on permanent
display in Shay Park. In 1992
the City Council agreed to be
gin the lengthy process of
restoring the locomotive to op
eration, with that activity to be
facilitated by the Vernonia
Restoration and Preservation
Association (VPRA).
A lot of activity has taken
place since that time, with boil
er removal and disassembly of
the framing and wheels being
the remaining requirements.
Access to major components
has shown that the elements
have taken their toll. Advanced
and unanticipated deterioriza-
tion was found in many in
stances. In other words, the
restoration will entail a much
larger effort than originally
thought. The good news is that
restoration will add longevity
to this rather large artifact.
The situation today is one of
determining the City’s prefer
ence for moving ahead with
restoration, such as determin
ing at what location, that could
best proceed. In assuming
that the engine will be restored
to full operation, a related se
ries of questions pertain to
where a short line might be
laid for proceeding with a
small tourist railroad opera
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tion. As can be readily under
stood, each phase of the pro
gram will entail hundreds of
hours of volunteer effort and
many dollars!
Tim Anderson, as head of
the restoration effort, present
ed details in a well-document
ed plan, at a March 2 meeting
of the City Council, for their
consideration and approval.
The Plan entails significant de
cision-making in the manner of
endorsing some, or all compo
nents of the venture. As a
starting point, there is the fun
damental need of selecting a
location for restoration. Prefer
ence should, seemingly, be
given to any locations where
restoration activity could be
readily viewed, and individuals
encouraged to participate.
Although not mentioned in
the Plan, one option might be
to terminate activities at the
point of achieving a quality
static display with depot et al.
The Plan today, however, is to
proceed with some level of op
eration, if not on a few hun
dred feet of track, possibly a
few miles. The benefits of op
eration would be attraction
and tourism, and the econom
ic contributions that would flow
to local businesses by having
people come to view the train
and ride the “rail." In this re
gard, location would be most
important.
So the questions include:
(i) where do we locate the
Shay for restoration? A heat
ed, lighted building is a must if
we are ever to complete the
task, and Shay Park does not
offer the space needed. It
should also be mentioned that
a number of citizens have ex
pressed a desire to have Shay
Park transformed Into a true
memorial park with benches,
landscaping, etc. Undoubtedly
this will be a topic of discus
sion in conjunction with the
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soon to be launched Master
Planning activity.
(ii) how far should we pro
ceed with plans to operate the
Shay? And if a tourist line were
to be constructed, what should
be the routing? There are
many considerations that go
into such a venture, consider
ations that must be part of the
decision-making process.
Your ideas and comments
are most welcome. You can
get in touch with Tim Anderson
or myself through City Hall, if
not directly. Other members of
the Council would like to hear
your thoughts, as well.
Another reason the Shay is
a timely topic is because of the
ongoing planning for the de
sign and construction of the
new City Hall and Library.
Might the Shay be a comple
mentary companion on the old
railroad grade? This is also a
reminder that April 15 is a red
letter day for finalizing the City
Hall and Library building de
signs and layouts. A supreme
effort will be made to acquire
your input. Visit the Library
during the afternoon of the
15th to view and discuss the
options being considered. We
intend to complete the design
phase by the end of April so
now is the time to get involved.
And don’t forget, there are
still two days remaining in
which you can apply for the
vacant City Council position.
Friday, April 3rd, is the dead
line.
Your voice is heard
when you speak
from the ballot box.
April 28 is the last
day to register for
the May 19,1998,
Primary Election