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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2000)
The INDEPENDENT, April 5, 2000 Between the Bookends » z , . . . v Letters to the Editor .... By Cecelia Sadtler, Volunteer Banks Public Library April is already proving to be a busy time for the Banks Public Library. The month began with an event called Wool Day, which has attracted wool lovers in the area for nearly twenty years. This year, local experts were on hand to give demonstrations of weaving and spinning, to offer advice, and to peddle their wares. The Library wishes to thank everyone who helped make this day such a delightful success. On April 4, the Friends of the Library met for a planning session, and on Saturday, April 29, they will hold their Annual Plant and Book Sale. If you are a person who can’t imagine two more satisfying pastimes than reading and gardening, this is the perfect event for you. Plant donations are encouraged! Please contact the Library at 324-1382 if you have plants, vegetable starts, seedlings or books that you’d like to donate. The Library staff will help arrange a convenient time to bring in your goods. Plan to arrive early if you are coming to the sale. This event always draws an enthusiastic crowd, and the best selections go fast. Friends of the Library have also been busy stocking the shelves with new and exciting books. Their most recent donation includes such up-to-date titles as Plainsong, a haunting and el egant story of family, romance, tribulation and tenacity, set on the High Plains east of Denver. Passage to Juneau, by Jonathan Raban, is an other eloquent selection full of ideas, natural his tory and social observations made during Ra- ban’s solo journey through the Inside Passage. And Clive Cussler, author of Flood Tide and Shock Wave, returns with his most audacious novel of all, Atlantis Found. Murder is on the menu in Diane Mott David son’s tantalizing tale of culinary mystery and suspense titled Tough Cookie. Goldy Schultz, the book’s heroine and chef turned sleuth, is in a terrible mess after she finds a crumpled body on the ski slopes, and her own life in jeopardy. Goldy knows that if she is to survive, she must whip up a crucial, crime-solving recipe. Carolina Moon is an utterly spell-binding tale Zone change harms real estate values Page 3 by Nora Roberts, who just keeps getting better and better. This is a story about a woman, Tory Bodeen, battered in body and spirit who returns to her South Carolina home determined to tree herself from haunting visions of the past. Living so close to those unhappy memories proves to be more difficult and frightening than Tory could have ever expected, but she is willing to open her heart, just a little, and try. If April is a time for you to begin planning spe cial vacations or holidays, you’ll want to check out one of Fodor’s most recent exploring guides. Fodor’s 2000 includes useful maps, background information, addresses, phone numbers and anything else you’d like to know in order to sketch out an exciting trip to Cancún, Cozumel, the Yucatan Peninsula or Costa Rica. With these handy guides you’ll learn the basics of getting there and getting around, when to go and what to pack. Don’t leave home without Fodor’s. Remember that new books arrive almost dai ly in Banks, so be sure to come in for a great se lection of bestsellers. While you are at the Banks Library, look around to see the additional bene fits they have to offer. You’ll find a rack with local and community information, including copies of The Independent, lots of brochures, flyers and ads for cultural events. In addition to books, many exciting videos, magazines, and reference materials are indexed into the database. User- friendly, full color, personal computers with Inter net capability are available for your use. Photo copies and computer copies are available for 10 cents per page. Don’t forget Recycle Saturday, sponsored by the Friends of the Library and staffed by loyal volunteers. Just in time for spring cleaning, it wiil be held this month on April 8th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the SWATCO Service Yard on Sell ers Road. city’s problem. I might add though that it does not affect the taxable value, so the city still receives their fare share. To The Editor, I would also like to applaud I would like to be the first to welcome Vernonia into the 21st [City Planner] Julie Coontz on century with the news of our her legal expertise. Last year, first high density, single fami- though she may or may not be ly/multifamily subdivision. On aware of it, the city planning Monday, March 20th, the city commission stopped the same council voted to approve the developer from selling the “planned development overlay” triplex (corner of Rose Ave. for Bear Creek Hollow. The and Maple St.) as individual vote was 3 “yea” and one ab units because he did not get stain due to possible conflict of the proper “zero setback”. It’s interest. I would like to add that my opinion that with or without one of the council members this information, and regard who did vote, was only present less of her efforts, the system for approximately the last five ended up being manipulated. minutes of the hearing. I won No mention was ever made on der, how does a person con the 16th that the triplex would sciously vote on an issue with be grandfather claused and al out hearing all of the public’s lowed “zero setbacks”. I won concerns. But hey, what the der if due to this lack of infor heck, the city government only mation, if the city planners stands to gain from this plan. were aware of the full impact of They get Maple St fully im their recommendation to the proved, and all future roads in city council. Either way, bravo, I this development improved at believe she is a lawyer in the no cost to them. They also true sense. I know I probably sound like stand to receive a large sum of money for “System Develop a sore loser, but that is not the ment Charges” from the con case in point. What I feel is that tractor, and increase their tax we, the neighboring residents, base. The losers in this issue have been failed by our city are the residents neighboring representatives. We stood our the development. We get the ground in opposition on the le pleasure of automatic depreci gal ground that it would nega ation of the real market value tively effect our quality of life. of our property because of the That obviously was not a major multifamily dwellings. But that’s issue. I would encourage all of not a legal issue according to the readers of this letter to fa the state, therefore it is not the miliarize yourselves with the zoning ordinances around you. These issues could be you fac ing you next. As for my family and I, we are taking our loss in stride. We have learned new and valuable lessons, and will be able to apply these in the fu ture. We plan to sell our home and move away from this de velopment, possibly outside the city limits. Mike Orth Vernonia A little taste of wry Dear Editor: Oh, it is great to be an Amer ican, and is there a place more so than Vernonia? There you can walk the great Linear Trail and view our majestic clear-cuts, surely this is a wonderful attraction that should draw tourist dollars for photography, bird watching and riding horses to drink herbicide laden water. What could be more fun to than catch and re lease fish in our streams? If shooting is your mark, there’s plenty of ammo. Don’t aim for the choppers with ma chine guns though, they’re mil itary protecting our freedoms, not the others either. So much poisonous herbicide in one spot would surely cause a dis aster. Enjoy the beauty. Only the worst possible forestry prac tices can bring an economy of miles of stumps removed with the topsoil. When evening comes, birds will no longer sing and you can enjoy the company of your 100 friends who would turn on you when you need them most, or you speak a taboo thought. Thank you, L.W. Denison Vernonia Citizens have every right to complain To the Editor: The citizens of Vernonia should be outraged and embar rassed by the letter written by Mayor Parrow and Councilors Leonetti and Ball concerning citizens complaints at a city council meeting. The Mayor and Councilors should be thankful that com plaints were filed and outraged that they had to be filed. But rather than express their out rage about the inappropriate actions of a city employee who may cost this city big bucks in litigation, they choose to casti gate the citizens of Vernonia and local businesses. These three individuals sound more like city employees than elected representatives of the citizens of Vernonia. They rightly point out that they have the authority to establish policy and the power to hire and fire city employees and that they are an existing police review board. But let them not forget that they have that authority because we, the citizens, give it to them. Any citizen who is unhappy with the established policy should have every right to try and change it, by informing the council of his desires, by peti tioning the council, by the ini- tive process or at the ballot box. Frank Schrier Vernonia help and encouragement in his short life. A lot of you keep an eye on Don when he is in town and at the games. Thanks so much for your kindness. It puts my mind at rest in letting him on his own. Steve gives such glowing re ports of his years in Vernonia; how much help you were in his school years. Thanks again to a small town with a big heart. Bernice Frey Vernonia (Ed. Note: To those of you unfamil iar with this remarkable family, the Freys raised several foster chil dren with the same loving care they provided for their own chil dren.) Victim of theft offers substantial reward To The Editor: How would you feel, coming home to find that someone had entered into your private space and had taken what you had worked for? It doesn't feel good, not at all! On Tuesday, March 14, a person, most likely persons unknown to us entered our pole barn and carried off our Honda generator and a brand new Pioneer CD car stereo. It had to have been more than one person, as the generator weighed well over 400 lbs. This happened in the middle of the day, while we were away. They entered and scavenged through our camper, leaving muddy foot prints all over the floor and car peting, not caring at all what they were doing to the people who lived there. We moved to Vernonia al most four years ago and have always felt safe and secure here. Now that feeling has been replaced with suspicion and UN-trust. I can’t sleep well at night. I’m afraid to let my kids walk to the bus stop down the road. I Vernonia is a great, dread coming home from work, afraid of what else might be supportive town gone. I have this feeling of be To a small town with a large ing violated. My security is heart: gone and will take a long time My husband and I moved to to return. I now am suspicious Vernonia twenty-three years of every vehicle that drives ago with four children with very down our road. Are they the special needs. We were total ones who took our things? Are strangers, the town welcomed • they back for more? I don’t us and our special little ones want to feel this way, and es into their hearts. pecially don’t want anyone else The school district was very in our town to feel this way. supportive and met their spe What I want to do is fight cial needs. The teachers and back. Fight back by offering a bus drivers were very helpful in reward of $500 cash for infor seeing that our three boys mation leading to the arrest were accepted and loved. They and conviction of the person or did much to help their self-es persons who took it upon them teem and all, allowing them to selves to take our things. We grow into fine young men. have a good town here, and we Our little girl was adopted should all want to make sure when she was four and one- that all of us feel safe and that half years, and left our home. our belonging s are safe. Have I just want to thank all you you seen a Honda ES6500 dear people for your accep generator appear at someone’s tance and encouragement of house that didn’t have one be my boys. fore? Or perhaps a new Pio I especially want to thank neer CD car stereo? Have the 9-1-1 people for their many these things been offered to trips out to help Eric during his you for sale? Your information last years. Eric went to be with and help could get you $500 the Lord on March 20, leaving cash. many fond memories of all your Please see page 20
