2000 Vernonia Friendship Jamboree - Page 7
building its future with energy and enthusiasm
—
Volunteers, both adults and youth,
play a major role in City’s successes
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Vernonia Development
Corporation
JUDY H ILL/TH E INDEPENDENT
This view, from the public lib ra ry’s fro n t entrance to the rear
entrance of City Hall, looks across Bear Creek, which was un
covered and released from an underground culvert when the
property was developed. When the funds are available, a
bridge w ill cross the creek between the two light poles
shown in the photo.
entrance. Though not yet open regu
larly, the cham ber is seeking volun
teers to staff the office part tim e to as
sist visitors needing inform ation about
the Vernonia area.
The cham ber and CDC are working
jointly on developm ent of a Business
Assistance Team of local people who
will be trained in sem inars provided by
Rural Developm ent Initiatives, which
directed several m onths of com m unity
m eetings for developm ent of the com
m unity’s long term goals.
The two-year-old Vernonia C om m u
nity D evelopm ent C orporation is a
com m unity-based, not-for-profit organ
ization designed to follow through with
projects the city can’t take on.
The CDC works with private proper
ty owners and public agencies. At this
time, it is working with a private prop
erty owner on a proposal to develop a
sports com plex and RV sites on the
form er site of Oregon Am erican Lum
ber Company.
Vernonia Wheels Park
Other projects include helping nego
Project Committee
tiate a potential three-way property
trade between a state agency and two
The efforts to develop a skate park
private corporations, working with the in Vernonia operate on the energies
Vernonia Area Cham ber of Com m erce and creative thinking of youth in the
on downtown business development, community. The initial idea was an off
and studying the feasibility of co n shoot of a school authorized club,
structing an “incubator” building for Youth in Action, which has successful
fledgling businesses.
ly helped with m any com m unity proj
ects.
Part of that creative thinking engen
Vernonia Area
dered the decision that a skate park is
Chamber of Commerce
too limited and, to do the job right, the
A revitalized and e n th u sia stic facility should be designed to include
Cham ber of Com m erce now has office bikes and other forms of “wheel power.”
space and a location for a Visitor Infor
The youth have developed the de
mation Center. When the C ham ber re sign, with the guidance of a profes
ceived a grant to construct a small sional skate park designer, and are
building, a few years ago, now looking for a location and funding.
the city was still consider At this time, they need adult guidance
ing how to fund a new in fund raising because this project
City Hall. The cham ber goes way beyond bake sales and car
decided to donate its washes.
$37,000 to the m unicipal
Anyone interested in helping advise
project in exchange for the group on fund raising is asked to
space at the b uildin g ’s call YA advisor Michelle Blum at 429-0159.
Municipal airport will get improvements,
Vernonia has had a m unicipal
airport since the early 1930s. It
was built by CCC crews during
the depression, as part of the
n a tio n ’s econom ic recovery.
Since that time, aside from oc
casional grading and hangar
building, little has been done to
im prove the original product.
That will change. A study au
thorized by the C ity has identi
fied and p rio ritiz e d w hat is
needed to properly utilize the
airport. Planning is now under
way on an im provem ent pro
gram to develop the airport.
This u p d a te on V ernonia was b ro u g h t to you by
th e fo llo w in g :
The City of Vernonia
1001 Bridge S tre e t , V e rn o n ia , OR 97064
503-429-5291
Vernonia Area Chamber of Commerce
P. 0 . Box 7, V e rno nia , OR 97064
503-429-6081
The INDEPENDENT
JUDY HILL/TH E INDEPENDENT
The heads of children from Vernonia Head S tart’s summer program can be
seen as they peer over a bridge railing at Rock Creek. This bridge is part of
the Banks-Vernonia tra il extension from Anderson Park to Vernonia Lake.
725 Bridge S tre e t, V e rn o n ia , OR 97064
5 0 3 -4 2 9 -9 4 1 0
For a dd ition al in fo rm a tio n , ca ll any o f th e above.