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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 1998)
The INDEPENDENT, August 5,1998 By Cecelia Sadtler Volunteer, Banks Library How are you spending these hot summer days? Would you like to find a place that’s spa cious, stimulating, bright and coot? Then, the Banks Public Library is just the place for you, with shelves full of interesting books, an exten sive reference section, convenient copy machine and friendly assistance. At the Library you’ll find a great section of new books including Cuba Libra, a novel set on the eve of the Spanish-American War, Summer Sisters by Judy Blume, Low Country by Anne Rivers Siddons and I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb. Another new book proposes that people with different blood tyeps have different dietary needs. It’s titled Eating Right 4 Your Type. The author, Peter J. D’Adamo, sites many examples to support his theory and substantiate his intriguing idea. Fans of John Irving's past novels, such as The World According to Garp and The Hotel New Hampshire will want to read Irving’s new novel A Widow for One Year. You’ll find this in the Banks Library also. While you’re in the Library don’t neglect the reference section because you think reference books are just dictionaries and encyclopedias. You’ll be surprised and delighted to find immense diversity. There’s a new Places Hated Almanac that contains a wealth of information about the best places to live in North America. This handy book includes data about weather, housing prices, health facilities, airports, muse ums and much more. You’ll also find a compre hensive guide to various poisons called Deadly Doses, a 1998 edition of The Complete Book of Colleges, a book of Small Business Legal Forms, and an interesting tome that looks at dai ly life around the globe titled The 1997-1998 Culturegrams. There are books about how to start a reading group, a 1998 Videohounds Golden Movie Retriever book, and a valuable resource for kids doing reports called Meet the Authors and Illustrators. Stop by the Banks Library soon for fascinating references and some cool summer reading! Big changes are in store for WILI, the Wash ington County Inter-Library Information service. The current text-only system will begin conver sion on July 31 in a transformation process lead ing to completely Windows-based software. This By Julius Dalzell Vernonia City Councilor "Time to Get Involved" No, it's not year-end and the time to review what has happened. Or is it? In fact, a review is quite in order. The fall election is just around the comer and, more significantly, August 26 is the filing deadline for City positions. Needed to be filled are the Mayor's position and two City Council seats. Now is not the time to be indiffer ent! Many tasks have been initiated over the past couple of years requiring management and oversight through to completion. In many cases, citizen committees have been given direct responsibility working with City staff, however eventually, “the buck stops” at the Council. That body makes the final decisions and, for that rea son, needs good and thoughtful representation. What are the projects? We have talked about these activities many times, but they are certain ly worth repeating, at least in part. There’s the new City Hall-Library construction on the rail road grade. The day after Jamboree you will note activity on the site. The designs are in final modification. Copies are available at City Hall. Although the work didn’t start this year, the water system rehabilitation will start early in 1999. That job will indeed be hard to miss! Downtown will certainly be affected as new change will bring the library system into the graphical world of most computers and open access from home or office through the Inter net’s World Wide Web. The new software was developed by Gaylord Information Systems, and is named Polaris. During the gap time between the old and the new systems, item status and patron check-out information will be unavailable, no holds may be placed, and you will need to bring your library card or barcode number to check out materials. When the conversion is complete, the libraries of the Washington Coun ty Cooperative will be ready to guide users through the new world of information available at your fingertips. Your patience is appreciated dur ing the transition time. The Washington County Libraries’ Summer Reading Program is drawing to a close, kids.read®libraries was exciting, informative and fun. If you participated in the program at Banks it’s time to turn in your completed reading records. The Library will be accepting records during the month of August and there’s a free book waiting for those who’ve met their goal. And, believe it or not, fall is just around the cor ner. Forms for Fall Soccer sign-ups are now available at the Banks Library. Recycle Day is coming up. Save your recy- clables and bring them to the SWATCO service yard located at 15945 NW Sellers Rd. on Satur day, August 8 between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. On the second Saturday of each month the Friends of the Banks Public Library sponsor this convenient service which benefits the Library and the entire community. The Friends of the Library will be participating in the 53rd annual Banks Bar-B-Q, by sponsor ing an entry for the grand Parade. You can see that the Banks Library is an active place. There are loads of new books, old favorites, books for sale, reference materials, flyers and local periodicals (including The INDEPENDENT) a convenient copy machine and much, much more! Stop by soon for some cool entertainment. Banks Library 111 Market Street Hours: Tues. and Tburs., T 'p M te Z p.m.; w < r i:! Phone: .......................................... J.:/-: ...............— _______ pipes are laid. Planning has taken longer than expected, but what’s new when construction is involved? A similar situation prevails in conjunc tion with the Rock Creek bridge for the Linear Trail extension to Vernonia Lake. You try to get the best deal for the City from bids received, however, sometimes events just don’t proceed as planned. There is the whole venture of planning for downtown improvements. A number of funded projects and studies have been rolled together for maximum leverage of dollars available. Being lead by the Planning Committee assisted by additional participants, the idea is to accom plish physical improvements to achieve a more attractive and functional downtown for com merce and services...for all of us! A lot more needs attention. We could talk about efforts to bring educational courses to town, ongoing activities to assist local business es and concerns about mischief and criminal activity. These are all “part and parcel” of a com munity’s life. And all of those issues, tasks, events, crises and (sometimes) boring details need to be managed. Think about a role for yourself or a person you consider to be a great candidate for Mayor or Councilor. Vernonia and its future aren’t going away. Believe it—change will prevail. I can per sonally attest to that. It’s better to direct change than have it manage us. Get involved! Small communities are the best places To the Editor: I am just a w ay-farin’ stranger travel’n thru your land. Reading in The Oregon ian concerning trends of mass-media and big busi ness—the survival of the fittest, largest, wealthiest seems to be avant-garde. Only those who have walked in small community moccasins know the heart and soul of lives intermingling with the pulse of the people they serve. Like so many local citizens who serve day to day, helping to preserve order, safety, uplifting news, fire prevention, health needs, moral instruction and integri ty, schooling and higher edu cation, running the business of the community and its upbuilding, community pride groups know the neighborly living by heart. As one famous writer and world traveler once said, “I don’t know if I might not have been just as well off to have stayed right here in my own back yard.” The key to unlocking life and living is family: where your heart is, who you call neighbor. Disintegration is a taboo word, when it comes to family, and the extended “meaningful others”! Building up, supporting, reinventing, congratulating, developing a kinder, stronger neighbor hood where you are is tanta mount to asking the right questions. Culture and soci ety are good when we look for the beauty that so many times is hidden in recessed corners, even in our own back yards. As I heard recently over a back yard fence, “I think this is one of the best places to live". Now that’s newsworthy! Merle Ferguson Kingsburg, CA Logger supports ban on ciearcutting To the Editor: As a logger, I hope the For est Conservation Measure is voted in this fall. Mature tim ber to log is more scarce all the time. I’d as soon be thinning younger stands and cutting brush for paper and chips if my fam ily could have a steady income from now on. Louis Denison Vernonia Kindness, support typical of Vernonia To the Editor: Recently losing my pet of nearly 12 years was very dif Page 3 ficult. She was a wonderful, intelligent family dog. Grow ing up in the suburbs and moving to the country was a delight to our friend, but it also proved fatal, as we moved across the highway, and she was en route to check out her old stomping grounds when a truck hit her. I need to express much thanks from beginning to end. People en route in their busy days stopped and offered assistance. The truck driver was kind enough to stop and let me know of the tragedy. Others stopped. A bike rider pedaling through gave clear perspective and aid in getting my dog into the Volvo, with genuine kindness for me. Other truck drivers stopped, radioed ahead to assure the vet was in, on the south end of town, and let them know I was coming. The vet and assistant were generous with understanding and helpful information as to what was going on and what to expect for my dog. In my grief I received touches of support and care every step of the way, even with a family scheduled to see the vet, waiting thought fully while my dog and I were settled for a drive to Scap poose. I took Kasha in to learn she had to have euthanasia. It was horrible to say good-bye to Kasha. She had been there with me dur ing my early mothering, and in my kids’ first decade of life. From the beginning she showed herself an enthusias tic family member. She had really long fur that toddlers loved to pet. But they ended up pulling more than petting. Even when Kasha was surrounded by a crew of poking, pulling, petting and squealing toddlers, she soaked it up. She would not retreat but push her way into the middle over and over again. Many of us have stories of pets who offer a quality to life that sometimes seems magi cal. They cannot speak as we do. But theirs is a special relationship that is engaging and delightful. I have lost pets throughout my life, and I could rarely cry. With the loss of Kasha I have been able to cry and my tears were not put down in this community. Supporting me in this way furthers my delight in living in Vernonia. I knew nothing of Vernonia two years ago. I feel , am only beginning to discov er it. When people are of high value and honored as such, as I was in the death of my dog, the life of community is* rich and the work of each day is worthwhile. Warmly, Michele Kunkel Vernonia Enjoy Community Activities for the Whole Family Vernonia Friendship Jamboree — Aug. 7-9 • Banks Bar-B-Q Aug. 13-16
