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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1999)
Tri-City F.D. urgently in need of volunteer firefighters A shortage of volunteer fire fighters in the Tri-City Rural Fire Protection District, espe cially in the Timber area, has resulted in the virtual shut down of the Timber Fire Sta tion. “We won’t actually close the Timber station,” said Fire Chief John Schlegel, “The equipment (fire engine, water tender, res cue vehicle and equipment) will remain in the fire station. Vol unteers from other stations will respond to assist.” The situation is not a reflec tion on the Timber volunteers, Schlegel made clear. It results from the reality that available personnel is unknown at any given time of day, on any day of the week, and that any particu lar incident may require addi tional resources of equipment or manpower. With only one Timber volun teer at present, the operations plan calls for him to respond, Voi. 14, No. 8 when he is available, with the Rescue vehicle, Schlegel ex plained. There will be simulta neous response from the other stations, depending on the per sonnel available. The fire en gine will not respond with only one person. Tri-City has mutual aid agreements with other districts, including the Vernonia Rural Fire Protection District, and has kept them informed of the problem because of the possi “ Voice o f the Upper Nehalem River Valley” The new Vernonia City Hall and Library are gradually taking shape as construction gets underway on the old railroad grade along Weed Avenue between Bridge and Maple Streets. In this view, the library is in the foreground; city hall is in the background. WOEC ponders capital credits The West Oregon Electric Cooperative Board of Direc tors, at their regular meeting on April 20, directed staff to look into retiring $100,000 of capital credits. Capital credits amount to pennies on the dollar that members paid to the COOP for electricity during a particular period of time over and above costs. The percentage repre sents the difference between the amount paid and the actual costs involved. That difference is expressed as membership equity in the COOP. The members currently own about 30 percent of the COOP; lending institutions own the rest. If $100,000 were returned to the membership, some people would receive checks for less than $1.00, most would receive about $15.00, and a few busi nesses would receive approxi mately $500. Questions facing the direc tors are: 1. Should WOEC retire old (1944-1965) capital credits? 2. Should WOEC retire new (1997) capital credits? 3. Should WOEC retire cap ital credits with a combination of the two? 4. Should WOEC keep the money and use to help pay off existing debt? If the old time period (1944- 1965) were chosen, staff esti mates that only about 15 per cent would be cashed, and the remainder would have be set aside for former members who cannot be found. In that case, the COOP would have to put about $85,000 in a special fund for several years, or until it could legally be used by WOEC. If the new time period were chosen, staff estimates are that about 85 percent would be cashed and 15 percent would have to be set aside. Directors would like to have A switch from GTE............... pg. 4 Annual Banks Auction...... pg. 11 New clinic work underway..... pg. 7 High School sports start on.........pg. 8 April 21, 1999 Replacement of water lines will start soon Dream becoming real By Jim Buxton bility that more assistance may be needed than in prior years. The lack of available volun teers is a problem not only in Timber and the Tri-City district, but in many rural districts that must rely on volunteers to aug ment limited budgets. At this time, however, the need for more volunteers in the Tri-City district is acute. For more information on what is re quired of volunteer firefighters, call Schlegel at 324-6262. INSIDE: input from members regarding the four questions posed. Members may call the director from their area, call WOEC, or write to The INDEPENDENT, Letters to the Editor, 725 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR 97064. If you choose to write a letter, it must be signed and have a verifiable address. As soon as all the paper west of Rock Creek. A second crew will be in the work is complete, probably next week according to Ver OA Hill area, working on place nonia Director of Public Works ment of a 10-inch waterline to Robyn Bassett, three crews of the Nehalem River Bridge. A workers will start tearing things third crew will be in the area of apart in various locations Corey Hill. This crew’s task is to replace old 1/2-inch service around Vernonia. laterals with one-inch lines, It’s all for a good reason - the water distribution system in then transferring service from Vernonia is worn out and must the existing two-inch line to an be replaced - but it will some existing six-inch line. The two inch line will be abandoned. times be disruptive. If all goes as planned, side First on the schedule is in stallation of a 12-inch water walk improvements on Bridge line. It will connect to existing Street will completed by mid- line where Mellinger Road and July, as will paving improve Stoney Point Road form a junc ments on Jefferson Avenue. “The entire project is sched tion, go west on Stoney Point uled for completion by the end to State Avenue, then south to Bridge Street. At Bridge it go of October," Bassett said, “With west to Rose Avenue, then over 33,400 linear feet of water south to the city limits. On line installed, 450 water ser Bridge Street, it will move from vices replaced and 54 new fire the north side of the street to hydrants installed.” Property and business own the south side when it crosses ers in the affected areas will be Rock Creek. Preparation for the pipeline given notice in a timely man includes asphalt grinding, ner, Bassett assured. Busi where it will be in the street, nesses are likely to be disrupt and demolition of the side ed for a minimum of 60 days, walks in front of downtown although the contractor will businesses where it will be un make every effort to provide der the sidewalk. Initially, side safe access to all properties in walk demolition will be only on the construction area. the south side of Bridge Street, Anyone for baseball? Let’s look at the old mill site Does Vernonia need more baseball fields and RV park ing? No doubt. Should the old mill site be developed with baseball fields and RV parking? If so, how much would it cost and how could it be fi nanced? Does anyone have alterna tive suggestions for use of the property? Questions and answers about the old mill site will be Put this on your calendar: Vernonia will become part of the Portland telephone Ex tended Area Service on October 2. Before that time, rates will be set by GTE with the concurrence of the Oregon Public Util ities Commission. The proposed rates will be explained in a public hearing to be held in Vernonia on May 13, at 7:00 p.m. in the Washington Grade School gym. There will be opportunity to ask questions and to testify. ,*1 the topic on May 10 at a joint meeting of the Vernonia Com munity Development Corpora tion and representatives of the Oregon Downtown Develop ment Association, which has experience in similar develop ments. The meeting will be held at the Head Start Community Building on California Avenue (just east of Washington Grade School) at 7:00 p.m. The public is invited to attend. The Vernonia Community Development Corporation is a nonprofit corporation of local citizens interested in economic
