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The INDEPENDENT, June 21, 2000
Vernonia successful
in pursuit of funds
“The City of Vernonia and the community of peo
ple both inside and outside the city limits have ac
complished a great deal over the past ten or twelve
years...”
That quote is the beginning of an editorial Opinion in
The INDEPENDENT issue of Feb. 16, 2000. It con
tinued:
“ ...Vernonia will continue to vigorously pursue
funds needed for economic development, safety
and outdoor recreation. Our city government [and]
the people of the community...have no intention of
giving up just because other agencies put up road
blocks.
It won’t be easy, but it can and will be done.”
That was the end of the commentary on Vernonia’s
refusal to give up on the linear trail extension, shortly
after a grant application was submitted for the project.
Now, with an excellent grant from the state Parks
Department, the goal is much closer than it was in
February — but there are still hurdles.
Funding is still needed to pave the trail once the
property has been purchased and the trail prepared.
The City of Vernonia has a very tight budget in the
coming fiscal year and can’t come up with $35-37,000
out of the general fund to complete the job.
This would be an excellent time for the county
Board of Commissioners to be the “good guys” and
support this project with some of the $119,000 in Bi
cycle Path funds they will receive from the state this
year.
Banks council needs to
take a different approach
Banks City Council is facing a serious budget short
fall that won’t go away by pointing fingers. They need
to take a different approach to undertand the problem,
starting, perhaps, with a careful study of the last audit
report.
If that doesn’t help, the arduous task of reviewing
City expenditures month by month and item by item,
making the necessary comparisons, may be the only
way to find out why and how the shortfall occurred.
It is also obvious that the mayor and council mem
bers need to work on better communications, among
themselves and with staff. No one on the council is try
ing to harm the City’s operations s o ...talk to each oth
er before another crises occurs!
Senior News writer leaving
Pat and Eric Olson are leaving Vernonia for Grants
Pass and, while we wish them well, we want to say,
“Don’t go!” We will miss the wonderful job Pat Olson
does in reporting on activities at the Vernonia Senior
Citizens Center. Her warmth, humor and writing skill
are unique and will be greatly missed.
Unforeseen expenses plague Banks
From page 1
cal assistance grants if it relin
quished the plan.
And there have been unfore
seen events, such as the fail
ure of Banks to obtain Commu
nity Development Block Grants
to complete the water and sew
er projects. The city will borrow
$615,000 for this purpose, and
the interest rate is still not
nailed down. Water rates were
increased to service the loan
but another public hearing will
be held to discuss how to pay
for an increase in the loan’s in
terest rate.
Each of these and similar is
sues provokes a need for pro
fessional services such as en
gineering, city planning or at
torney services, with fees rang
ing from $60 to $110 per hour.
The council has not ad
dressed ways to oversee the
hours these professionals bill
to the City.
Banks is in a protracted
state of change, like so many
suburban towns in Oregon and
across America. The popula
tion doubled in a single year,
and the infrastructure - roads,
water, sewer, services, etc. -
has to catch up to that fact.
A few hundred dollars spent
by the mayor without council
approval is regrettable but
hardly the issue when the bud
get is overdrawn by $136,000.
The council voted at the June
13 meeting to have Council
President Bob Orlowsky over
see spending. Perhaps this
should have been done last fall
when the first hints of trouble
came after the City audit.
Both council and mayor
need to get their priorities
straight, keeping pot shots to a
minimum, and communication
and teamwork focused in order
to guide Banks through a diffi
cult period.
Letters to the Editor
Improvement plan is
result of dedication
To the Editor:
The completion of the
School Improvement Plans
(SIP) for Vernonia Elementary
Schools and Vernonia High
School was a formidable task.
It required many hours of in
tense work with lively and often
continuous discussion. It was
accomplished with good humor
and dedication.
I would especially like to
thank Vernonia High School
students Leslie Finamore and
Randee Parker. Their input
kept the rest of us centered on
the students’ interests and
needs and is deeply embedded
in the finished product.
Others who volunteered
their time were Cici Bell, Robin
Cochran, Rebecca Brookins,
and Doreen Buchan. Dedicat
ed teachers and administrators
were Lynn Bergerson, James
Brookins, Byron Brown, Sheri
Burleson, Kim Emura, Bob Ist-
ed, Clint Kelly, Mary Miller, Lar
ry McClellan, Mike Durbin and
Kirk Sherril. We are excited
about watching and participat
ing in the implementation of the
SIP.
The Site Councils at Wash
ington Grade School and VHS
are a good place for parents
and community members to
contribute to instructional im
provement and implementation
of the [state required] Certifi
cate of Initial Mastery (CIM).
There are currently openings
on both Site Councils. I want to
encourage you to become a
part of this process. If you are
interested, please contact the
principal’s office at WGS or
VHS, or me, at 429-8930
Looking forward to an excit
ing school year in 00-01.
Schann W. Nelson
VHS Site Council
The trees are considered to
be landmarks if they have sur
vived as long as the trees at
Bolmeier Park and are not re
placeable. Why are the trees
here in Vernonia considered
replaceable and who decided
what was suitable for park
use? Old growth Douglas Fir
seems very park-like to me.
You also feel it necessary to
not only cut down but remove
the dying white fir from Airport
Park. Why can’t the trees be
cut and left for nature to grow
up around if they need to be cut
at all? They couldn’t be much
of a hazard on the ground. My
family and I want a better rea
son for removing trees.
Sam Potter
Vernonia
Need better reasons A great year, thanks
for cutting old trees to all for everything
To the Editor:
As a taxpayer and a voter, I
would like to know what’s real
ly going on at Ora Bolmeier
Park and Airport Park. I work in
parks where qualified people
are paid to determine the fate
of a tree.
To the Editor:
I want to take the opportuni
ty to thank the Vernonia com
munity for all the support and
warm welcome that I received
throughout my exchange year.
From senior trip fundraising to
Please see page 3