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