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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 1999)
Wu in brief talk at WOEC office U.S. Rep. David Wu will meet with representatives of West Oregon Electric Coop erative on Thursday, Feb. 18, from 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. The primary topic of the meeting will concern legisla tion regarding energy and deregulation. The meeting will be in the WOEC board room. It is open to the public. Voi. 14, No. 4 Bring suggestions to SOLV meeting INSIDE: If you had $250 to spend on a community improvement pro ject, how would you choose to spend it? Tomorrow night, Vernonia area residents will have the op portunity to explain how they think $2500 should be used for at least ten projects that will re ceive funding of up to $250 each by SOLV. Because Vernonia has been chosen as the pilot city for the SOLV Best of Oregon program, Thursday’s meeting will be to gather project proposals and begin evaluating them. Accept able projects may include cleanup, prevention, restora tion, planting, and develop ment. In other words, almost any project that promotes the livability of the area. Projects that can’t be com pleted for $250 or less, should also be presented at the meet ing for consideration of funding at some time in the future. Thursday’s meeting will be in the Vernonia School District board room, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The public is not only wel come, anyone interested is urged to join in. Once the project plan has been developed, SOLV will provide a free six-hour training course for volunteers. SOLV will also provide staff and tech nical assistance to help local volunteers get the most out of the available funds. “Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley’ Don Tiffney honored....... pg. 5 The Way it Was...............pg. 7 School sports .............. pg. 8 - 1 3 They’re real STARS........pg. 13 February 17, 1999 Time to prepare for water system rehab The bare branches of this alder were so coated with snow and frost that it looked al most like a springtime tree in full bloom. The effect was heightened by the roof of a house, at bottom of photo, which echoed the slate-colored sky beyond thei tree. Transportation System Plan readied i I t ! j] I » * ♦ I ♦ The City of Vernonia, with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), has been working on development of a Transportation System Plan. The purpose of the plan is to outline what rove- ments are necessary > meet the needs of future transporta tion within the city. The planning process start ed in August, 1998, and alter natives are now being devel oped for community review in the near future. The planning process has four basic steps, according to Bob Reitmajer, the consulting project manager. First, assess existing conditions, what is curently in place and how is it functioning? Second, project future con ditions, ie., what kind of traffic will there be in 20 years? Third, ? k A * develop alternatives to enable the system to meet future needs. Fourth, put the informa tion together to make the plan. The Transportation System Plan will act as the City’s guide for making decisions on im provements. Some of the issues were ad dressed in a public meeting last December. Alternatives discussed at that meeting in cluded the following: • How do we reduce reliance on state Hwy. 47 for local traffic circulation? • How do we encourage walking and bicycling? • What are the options for im proving safety, particularly for pedestrians and cross traffic? “It is critical that we plan to day for our transportation fu ture,” said Public Works Direc tor Robyn Bassett, “so we know where improvements are need ed and that public investment decisions are made wisely.’ The draft TSP will be avail able for review at City Hall by February 22nd.For further infor mation, call Bassett at 429- 6921. In spite of seemingly unlimit ed quantities of rain in north west Oregon, water is expen sive. Much of the water distrib ution system in Vernonia is 60- 70 years old and is, not sur prisingly, deteriorating rapidly. This results in a huge loss of treated water, ie., water that has gone through the city’s fil tration plant. Replacement, re pair and upgrading of the old system will start this year. With the reality that Vernon ia’s Water Distribution Rehabil itation Project is scheduled to start in April, property owners need to make some prepara tions. It will be very important to assess your water line from the meter to your house or business, and within your buildings. The rehab project includes upgrading the Corey Hill reser voir, booster pump station and water mains, but also the ser vice laterals from the mains to the meters. Sixty percent of homes on the distribution sys tem have a half-inch diameter service line to their meter; that is the outside measurement and it’s impossible to tell, with out looking, what the inside di ameter is after many years of mineral accumulation. These service lines will be upgraded to one-inch diame ter, which will increase water volume and water pressure, and could create problems for old lines to homes. Property owners are responsible for wa ter lines on their side of the wa ter meter. Because there will be exten sive excavation work, the City of Vernonia is compiling a list of property owners within a 10- mile radius, who may be inter ested in receiving fill materials removed during the project. Property owners needing more than 50 cubic yards of material will need a fill permit, but any fees associated with the permit will be paid for by the city. The city will also do an on-site evaluation of the fill lo cation prior to approval. Inter ested property owners need to call City Hall at 429-5291 to have their names included on the list. “I have been looking forward to this day,” said Public Works Director Robyn Bassett, “but some of you will not. Along with any infrastructure rehab pro ject, come contractors, heavy equipment, dirt, rock, and a great big mess from one end of town to the other. “If you have any questions or concerns,” she added, “please contact me at the Pub lic Works Department, 429- 6921.” Vernonia home hit by armed robbers Two women were the vic tims of an armed robbery in Vernonia at mid-day on Mon day, Feb. 15. A Sixth Avenue resident, and her cousin, were at home when an armed intruder en tered the house shortly after noon. He was followed by two more men. The women were tied up, but not harmed, while the house was ransacked. When the intruders left, the victims managed to loosen their bonds and called for help. All three men were de scribed as being between 17 and 20 years old. One was white, about six feet tall, slen der and brown haired. A sec ond was also white, 5’6” to 5’8", with a medium build and very short, sandy blonde hair. The third man was described as possibly Asian, about 5’6", of medium build, with black hair. Witnesses in the area de scribed the vehicle thought to have been used by the rob bers, as an older 1975-79 Ford pickup, with light, two-toned paint, possibly tan and beige. There was a stripe or logo on at least one door of the pickup. Two other members of the household were not at home during the robbery.
