Vernonia web page could use cooperative efforts
By Noni Andersen
Several people are working
on development of a Vernonia
home page on the World Wide
Web. They all have the same
intent — they want to provide
an interesting and informative
resource for others — but they
have different approaches and
view available data, both cur
rent and historical, in different
ways.
The odd element is that
each one seems to feel that he
or she is the only person work
ing on this project.
Would it be possible to bring
together everyone interested
and attempt a collaborative ef
fort in order to pull together the
best parts of each approach?
This would require not only
people with technical skills, but
those who see something
unique or beautiful or commu
nity-oriented about Vernonia
(and the Nehalem Valley?) and
want to have that component
included on the web page.
The staff of The INDEPEN
DENT can serve as a “clearing
house” or information center, if
enough people are interested
in the idea.
Think about it — nearly
everything good that happens
in any small town, happens as
the result of people working to
gether for the good of the com
munity. There’s no reason this
concept shouldn’t apply in the
development of a Venonia web
page.
“Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley”
Remembering those who served...
The memorial to Vernonia Police Chief Raymond Garcia, who was killed in the line of
duty in 1971, is now installed outside police headquarters at the new City Hall. It was
previously at Shay Park. Randall Linke, left, and Vincent Baker, who are both indepen
dent building contractors, donated their time and skills for the installation; repainting
of the flag pole was donated by Meyer’s Auto Body.
— NOTICE —
The INDEPENDENT is
published on the first and
third Wednesdays of each
month. Four months of
each, there are five Wed
nesdays, but the publishing
schedule is not changed.
There are five Wednes
days in this month, so there
will three weeks between
this May 17 issue and the is
sue of June 7, 2000, which
will also contain the special
graduation section.
Deadlines for the June 7,
2000, issue will be June 2
for both news items and dis
play advertising, and June 5
for classified ads.
Students go to
the dogs... pg. 4
Paper or
Plastic?.... pg. 5
WGS track
team........ pg. 8
Fulbright in
Banks..... pg. 11
BULK RATE
U.S. Postage Paid
Permit No. 37
Vemonia. OR 97064
Attn. Leslie Larson
UO Library-OMP
Voi. 15, No 10
INSIDE:
FREE
May 17, 2000
Corsiglia, Burge win
if vote is unchanged
The ballots are counted and
the unofficial returns are in but,
at this time, it is still possible
that absentee voters will deter
mine which Republican and
which Democrat will be vying
for Columbia County Commis
sioner, Position 1, in the No
vember general election.
Shortly after 6:00 a.m., with
all of the ballots counted, but
some cleanup remaining, Re
publican Scott Burge led Col
leen DeShazer by 34 votes,
1,644 to 1,610.
Democratic ballots were
split almost as closely.
After trading the lead with
Mike Avent throughout the
night, Joe Corsiglia pulled
ahead this morning with 1,664
ballots to Avent’s 1,607. Carole
Smith received 1,555 votes
and Susan Easley 971.
Other contested races had
Charles Starr easily leading Al
ice Schlenker in Columbia
County for U.S. Representa
tive, Dist. 1, on the Republican
ballot. The winner of this race
will try to unseat first term Con
gressman David Wu, a Port
land Democrat.
In another hotly contested
race on the Republican ticket,
Lynn Snodgrass received the
nod from 1,837 voters in Co
lumbia County for Secretary of
State and Lynn Lundquist gar
nered 1,402. Another 383 votes
went to Paul Damien Wells.
Voters in the county didn’t
decline politely, they yelled a
resounding “NO” to two ballot
measures.
Ballot Measure 81, which
would have allowed the state
legislature to set limits on dam
ages in civil law suits, was de
feated by approximately four-
to-one, with 8,633 No votes
and 2,361 Yes votes.
The margin was even bigger
for Ballot Measure 82, which
would have increased the gas
tax and changed the weight/
mile formula method used to
determine how much trucks
pay. State legislators who ap
proved sending this referen
dum to the voters may be look
ing over their shoulders now;
voters in Columbia County said
“no” by a margin of ten-to-one.
City will face tight budget for 2000-2001
After completing a $2.7 mil
lion water distribution upgrade,
replacing many of the down
town sidewalks and street-
scaping the business area dur
ing the 1999-2000 fiscal year,
plus completing a new, $1-mil
lion City Hall and Library, Ver
nonia looks quite different —
and so does its budget.
Because many of last year’s
projects were very expensive,
both resources and reserves
were pretty well depleted in or
der to complete them.
In the coming year, the city’s
budget is aimed primarily at
maintaining and protecting the
work already done.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t
mean the city will sit on its lau
rels. In spite of the financial
drain of the past year, addition
al goals have been identified.
The following projects are
targeted for completion in
2000-01 :
- Construction of two fishing
docks at Vernonia Lake.
- Completion of the linear
trail extension from Anderson
Park to Vernonia Lake.
- Construction of new RV
hookups and new restroom fa
cilities at Anderson Park.
- Installation of two informa
tional kiosks.
- Installation of a “Welcome
to Vernonia" sign at the south
entrance to town.
- Continued repair and
resurfacing of City streets.
Initial budget requests by
department heads and staff ex
ceeded available funds by
$115,000, resulting in elimina
tion of expenditures for a new
police car, the sixth police offi
cer, and the Bear Creek Bridge
project. Also cut were new
blinds for city hall, landscaping
and completion of the holding
cells.
The General Fund will be
particularly tight, approximately
$200,000 less than last year,
but annexations during the
past year will help, as will the
proposed sale of the city’s 20-
acre parcel on Corey Hill.
Funds needed for the im
provements at Anderson Park,
street paving and extension of
the linear trail will not come
from the General Fund, but
from grants and revenues such
as water fees or System Devel
opment Charges. The city has
budgeted potential resources
for community development at
slightly more than $550,000. If
the money doesn’t materialize,
the projects won’t be undertak
en.
Copies of the City budget
are available at City Hall.