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The INDEPENDENT, January 19, 2000
Concern, not apathy,
displayed at hearing
It’s easy to point out that democracy doesn’t work
well when citizens are apathetic. That certainly wasn’t
the case at a public hearing in Vernonia on January
10. Participation included people ranging in age from
teens to senior citizens, and the testimony, whether for
and against continuing a ban of bicycles on downtown
Bridge Street sidewalks, was mostly well thought-out
and presented without rancor at a hearing last week
before the Vernonia City Council.
Mayor Art Parrow, who proposed lifting the ban, is
genuinely concerned about the safety of children who
ride their bikes in the traffic on Bridge Street. There is
good reason to be concerned, but, as most of the peo
ple at the hearing said, the solution is not to put others
at risk of being knocked down by a bike rider.
Aside from consensus that it’s necessary to develop
a good alternate route for bicyles, several people
mentioned the need for more education about the re
sponsibilities of bicycling. They spoke not only to the
need for parents to work more seriously on teaching
their children to be responsible bike riders, but to the
police department.
Vernonia Police Chief Jim Walters, who agreed with
the majority on retaining the ban, also heard com
ments that a contributing factor in people riding bikes
on the sidewalk is the police department’s failure to
enforce the ordinance. Those comments were under
scored by Walters’ expressed lack of familiarity with
the existing ordinance, although he has been in the
department for 14 years, and has been chief about
five years.
The city needs to follow through, too, making the
necessary amendations to the ordinance, but also pur
chasing and installing signs to direct bicycle riders to
the preferred route, and to make it clear that bikes,
skateboards and rollerblades are not allowed on side
walks in the four block section of Bridge Street from
Rose Avenue to Adams Avenue.
The success of the program will depend on the co
operative efforts of parents, city administration, police
department and bike riders. It can be done, but it re
quires effort.
Incidentally, if you assume the teens who testified
opposed the ban, you’re wrong. They also supported
keeping sidewalks downtown free of bicycles.
Time to complete linear
trail to Vernonia Lake
From page 1
struct a bikeway/pedestrian
bridge across Rock Creek..."
With the increasing traffic on
Hwy. 47, there is increasing
danger for bike riders who
must use the narrow, curving
road to travel the section be
tween the museum and Wash
ington Grade School. Even
walking on the single-file, un
even path, with only a guard
rail between pedestrians and
vehicles, can be “interesting” in
a negative sort of way.
There is no other way
around that section of Hwy. 47.
Vernonia needs to seek oth
er funding, also, but the board
of commissioners and ODOT
should stop acting like this is
something new. It is an ongo
ing enhancement and safety
project, and it could be com
pleted during the summer of
2000.
$
letters to the Editor:
Annexations
will
cause more traffic
To the Editor:
I have heard a proposition:
Let’s double the amount of traf
fic on Highway 47.
According to ODOT, there
are an average of 3000 trips
per day on 47. That’s only half
of what Highway 26 carries to
the coast each day. Instead of
a fifteen minute drive from Ver
nonia to Hwy 26, it can take
twice that long, and traffic
moves like a big kiddie choo-
choo train putting along. The
worst part is the road rage,
caused both by reckless dri
vers and those who refuse to
pull over and let the cars fol
lowing them go on by.
Why would anyone want to
double the amount of traffic we
already have to deal with? Did
we enjoy the road construction
we had to fight last year? If traf
fic doubles, we’ll see a lot more
of that. Highway 47 wasn’t built
to carry the amount of traffic it
does now, and it's literally
falling apart.
Yet the city’s plans for mas
sive annexations will double
traffic or worse. If you think I’m
exaggerating, do the math. Ask
the city planner. We aren’t talk
ing about 100 or so people
building homes that will blend
in with the existing neighbor
hood, we’re talking about hun
dreds of lots being annexed by
various “property owners,"
which I take to mean “develop
ers.” (Look at the January 5 is
sue of this paper, page 14.)
Case in point: a Beavertop
developer wants to put a 1 50
unit mobile home park in on
Mellinger Road. This would
mean hundreds of cars driving
past my home. Hundreds of
cars driving through town and
up State Avenue. This would
mean a massive group of
homes in one small area - next
to people who thought they
were living in the country. They
will expect me to pay for road
improvements made necessary
by their development! And I
don't even get a vote.
There is only one way in and
out of this burg, and that’s 47.
Can we handle seeing traffic
doubled? It’s a miserable
thought. Have you tried to pull
out onto Bridge Street lately in
the mornings or afternoons?
It’s worse than downtown Port
land.
And does that Sewer Pond
smell like it needs another hun
dred toilets?
We saved for ten years to
buy a home in an area that was
peaceful, private, and isolated.
We bought what we could af
ford; a home in a low density
housing area, which means
that we can possibly throw a
rock as far as our nearest
neighbors.
The city plans on putting my
home into an area that might as
well be downtown Hillsboro. My
home is worth nothing to me if
this happens. If I wanted to live
in Hillsboro, I’d move there and
save myself all the driving.
There have been a lot of im
provements made to our town,
and I admire the city planners
for all their hard work. I don’t
mean to make the city sound
evil. However, the only people
whose opinions are being
heard on these issues are the
out-of-town developers who
see only dollar signs and do not
have to live in and commute
from this town.
I don’t want overcrowding to
drive me out of Vernonia. Am I
the only one who feels this
way? If I’m not, then please, let
the city council know how you
feel.
One last thing: Give our kids
on bikes and skateboards a
break! I’m tired of hearing how
they aren’t welcome down
town. These kids are out there
getting fresh air and exercise
instead of sitting around getting
stoned. Treat them with consid
eration! They are not a liability;
they are an asset to our town.
Until we can offer these kids
some kind of indoor recreation,
I think we’d better show some
tolerance.
Sincerely,
April Kinney
Vernonia
(Ed. note: The properties being
annexed are already partly devel
oped and all of them have been on
the City’s plat map for several
decades. They have nothing to do
with the 150 home development
referred to above.)
C o m m is s io n e r s ’
support appreciated
To the Editor:
This letter is to express our
sincere gratitude to the Com
missioners of Columbia County
for their substantial ongoing
support for the senior and dis
abled programs we administer.
Through their support for our
programs, the County Commis
sioners have shown their dedi
cation to the quality of life for
this county’s elderly. With the
county’s support, we are able
to meet a great majority of the
needs of seniors and disabled
in this community; with only the
support of federal and state
monies, we would have to
make deep cuts in our pro
grams. The programs that draw
substantial support from the
county include:
• Meals on Wheels
• Congregate meals
• Outreach and case
management
• Information and Assis
tance
• Administration
Frequently, letters to the ed
itor are written to complain
about the actions of elected of-
Please see page 3