The independent., August 15, 2001, Page 2, Image 2

Page 2
The INDEPENDENT, August 15, 2001
Amount of local tax
is no longer a factor
in education funding
A common misconception about the role of local
property taxes and school funding is raising its head
once again.
There was a time when the Nehalem Valley paid a
large share of property taxes toward both county and
school funding because of timber severance taxes
and property taxes from the Mist gas fields. That is no
longer the case.
Since voters approved Measure 5 about 10 years
ago, all property taxes that will be used to fund edu­
cation - industry based or residential - go directly to
the state and are distributed to school districts through
the state school funding formula. The state formula is
based primarily on the number of students in the
district-not by the amount of taxes contributed by lo­
cal industry or other property owners.
It makes absolutely no difference where the proper­
ty taxes originate...Mist, Maupin, Manzanita, Mt. An­
gel... it is not a factor.
One other caution: Don’t blame “the State” for this
situation. This was a decision by taxpayers to elimi­
nate local control of school funding by making it a re­
sponsibility of the state.
The only property taxes that may be directed by vot­
ers to local schools are those approved by voters for
capital projects such as school repairs or new facili­
ties. In other words, if voters approve a bond issue for
new or improved school facilities, the funds raised by
that approval will be used locally, only for the purpose
approved.
If the loss of local control is a problem, it is a prob­
lem created by local voters, who are mostly local tax­
payers, as well.
— NOTICE —
The IN D EPEN D ENT is published on the first and third
W ednesdays of each month. Four months of each year, there
are five W ednesdays, but the publishing schedule is not
changed.
There are five W ednesdays this month, so there will three
weeks between this Aug. 15 issue and the issue of Sept. 5.
Because of the Labor Day holiday, deadlines for the Sept. 5
issue will be Aug. 31 for news items and display advertising,
and Sept. 1 for classified ads.
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Schools’ mechanical, electrical systems are faulty
Looking at the infrastructure of buildings can
be an unpleasant experience: they don’t age
much better than humans. How many of us are,
or will be willing to closely examine what we
might see in a full length mirror when we reach
the age of seventy, or even fifty? W ashington
Grade School, seventy years old, and Vernonia
High School, a mere fifty, do not fare well on
close examination. The final portion of the long-
range facilities plan report is the study by Inter­
face Engineering which evaluates the condition
of the mechanical and electrical systems of
W GS and VHS. The mechanical system in­
cludes heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
Air quality standards require that buildings re­
ceive adequate quantities of oxygen, and do not
contain excess quantities of contaminates. A c­
cording to Dave Söderström, district architect,
the most common contaminate is carbon dioxide
(CO2). High levels of CO2 contribute to the
“stuffy” atmosphere fam iliar to everyone. Other
contaminates include radon, mold and “out­
gassing” from glues used for flooring, wall cov­
erings and paints.
Problems experienced by students and staff
at W GS can be compared to those at W hitaker
Elementary in Portland. Susan Nielsen, writing
in the Sunday Oregonian, says staff at the
school complained of headaches, asthma, sinus
infections, and fatigue. These complaints are fa­
miliar to parents of WGS students, particularly
junior high students and others who spend sig­
nificant periods of time in the basement. A ccord­
ing to Nielsen, the Environmental Protection
Agency says that failure to prevent or resolve
air-quality problems in schools can increase the
potential for long-term and short-term health
problems: increase absenteeism; reduce pro­
ductivity: reduce efficiency of the heating and
cooling equipment: strain relationships among
school adm inistrators, parents and staff; and
create liability problems. Attem pts to mitigate the
dam pness and mold in the W GS basement were
undertaken after the ‘96 Flood. W hile partially
successful, the results of seventy years of
dam pness have not been eliminated.
Ventilation at W GS is provided by opening
windows, which results in inadequate ventilation
fo r much of the school year. Heating is provided
by a steam boiler. According to the report, the
boiler is in good condition, but the steam piping
is in poor condition, has excessive corrosion and
requires replacement. Similarly, the w ater and
sew er line piping also have excessive corrosion
and need to be replaced.
Ventilation in the classroom s and gym at VHS
was designed to be achieved with various fan
system s with duct-m ounted steam coils serving
classroom s and the gym with both outside and
return-air ducts. The system has failed because
many of the heating coils have been frozen and
the outside air ducts have been closed. As at
W GS, the plumbing is corroded and will have to
be replaced. According to the report, hot water
supply is inadequate for peak show er time.
Descriptions of the lighting system s in both
buildings repeatedly state that the lighting is old,
and inefficient. Also, the report notes, no em er­
gency lighting is provided at either building. The
electrical service at W GS is antique and over­
loaded. The service at VHS was replaced after
the flood. Both buildings have inadequate re­
ceptacles in classrooms.
The report also notes the lack of intercom and
telecom wiring to all classroom s. Inability to
com m unicate directly with the outside world may
pose a safety hazard to students and staff, and
certainly limits educational program opportunities.
Greater danger of fire forces additional fire season regulations
Rapidly drying conditions in
northwest forests have caused
O regon
D epartm ent
of
Forestry officials in northwest
Oregon to impose further pub­
lic restrictions, August 8, to
those already in effect. The ad­
ditional restrictions prohibit the
non-industrial use of c h a in ­
saws and ban all campfires.
Fire officials are urging per­
sons using forested areas to
avoid any activities that could
cause a wildfire. According to
Dan Logan, Protection Super­
v is o r at C olum bia City, the
woods are drying rapidly and
the potential for a large fire ex­
ists. “W ith our recent hot
weather, forest areas are get­
ting very dry. Its time for us to
tighten restrictions to prevent
recreation-related fires."
Fire officials emphasize that,
before people go into the woods,
they must be prepared to take
special precautions to prevent
fires. The following restrictions
apply to all lands in Washington,
Yamhill, Tillamook, Clatsop, Co­
lumbia and parts of Multnomah
County protected by the Oregon
Department of Forestry:
1. Smoking is prohibited while
traveling, except in vehicles on im­
proved roads, in boats on the wa­
ter, and at designated locations.
2. Open fires are prohibited, in­
cluding campfires, charcoal fires,
cooking fires and warming fires,
except at designated locations.
Portable cooking stoves using liq­
uefied or bottled fuels are allowed.
3. Chain saw use is prohibited
between the hours of 1:00 p.m.
and 8:00 p.m.
4. Use of motorized vehicles,
including motorcycles and all ter­
rain vehicles, is prohibited, except
on improved roads.
5. All fireworks are prohibited.
6. Cutting, grinding and welding
of metal is prohibited.
7. Possession of the following
fire fighting equipment is required
while traveling, except on state
and county roads: one shovel and
one gallon of water or one opera­
tional 2-1/2 pound or larger fire ex-
tinguisher.
These restrictions are in ad­
dition to fire season regulations
already in effect on commercial
logging operations. Cable yard­
ing, power saws, hauling and
other spark emitting operations
are restricted under what are
known as Industrial Fire Precau­
tion Levels. Local fire season
regulations or current informa­
tion on Industrial Fire Precaution
Levels is available by calling
503-397-2636.
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