The INDEPENDENT, April 5, 2000
Between the
Bookends
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z , . . . v
Letters to the Editor
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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