The INDEPENDENT, February 20, 2002
Page 13
Letters to the Editor
From page 3
end up u tilizin g all o f o u r re
sou rce s, a nd th e n ha ve to rely
on M e d ica id fo r help, o u r ca re
w ill c o st th e sta te m ore m o n e y
than it w ill e v e r have sa ve d by
reducing O PI.
A g ing in p lace is w h a t p e o
ple w ant. I urge yo u to co n ta c t
the g o v e rn o r a nd y o u r e le cte d
p ub lic o fficia ls to re in sta te full
fu n d in g fo r O re g o n P ro je ct In
d e p e n d e n ce .
Merri A. Reamer
Executive Director
Columbia County Council
of Senior Citizens
Grass is growing at
“ new” Spencer Park
To th e E ditor:
T h e re ce n t F e b ru a ry w e e k of
con & FAX SERVICE
The INDEPENDENT
725 Bridge St., Vernonia
su n s h in e has bee n a rem inder,
o r p e rh a p s ju s t a tease, that
s p rin g and b e tte r w e a th e r are
ju s t a ro u n d the corner. W ith
th a t w ill c o m e ba se b a ll, soft-
ball, soccer, fo o tb a ll and all the
o th e r b e tte r w e a th e r sports.
T his y e a r V e rno nia w ill have
a “n e w ” field to p la y on. W hile
S p e n c e r P a rk is by no m eans
new, h a vin g been played on fo r
w e ll o v e r half a century. A b o u t
th re e ye a rs ago, a g roup got to
g e th e r to try a nd im prove the
d ra in a g e , sin ce it w a s know n to
be w e t e ve n th ro u g h June . As
th e d ra in a g e p ro b le m w a s b e
ing a d d re s s e d , a d e cisio n w a s
m ade to e xp a n d the field as
m u c h a s p o s s ib le . T h is in
c re a s e d th e sc o p e of the p ro j
ect c o n s id e ra b ly and involve d
lo g g in g and cle a rin g th e w e st
end, in sta lla tio n of drain pipe,
a nd m o vin g so m e 13,000 cu b ic
y a rd s of m ate rial. Today, th e
fie ld is a lm o s t a th ird larger, re l
a tiv e ly level, a nd gra ss is g ro w
ing. A lth o u g h still w e t, it’s o n ly
m id -F e b ru a ry a n d w e are h o p e
fu l that, co m e sp rin g , o u r c o m
m u n ity w ill have a m u ch b e tte r
fie ld to play on.
Im p ro v e m e n ts to S p e n c e r
P a rk have bee n a hug e u n d e r
ta kin g , in vo lvin g th e e ffo rts of
m a n y in d iv id u a ls , c o m p a n ie s
and th e C ity of V erno nia . I have
been p rivile g e d to w itn e s s firs t
hand th e g e n e ro s ity of p eo ple
...w ith tim e, m oney, e q u ip m e n t
and effort. In a w o rld in c re a s
in g ly d rive n by th e b o tto m line,
it is nice to kn o w w e have so
m any local p e o p le a nd b u s i
n e s s e s (in c lu d in g V e rn o n ia
P u blic W orks) w illin g to stick
th e ir necks out and m ake th is a
b e tte r place fo r all.
W h ile S p e n c e r P ark is ju st
o ne of m a n y im p ro ve m e n ts in
V e rn o n ia o v e r th e la st fe w
years, all have b e n e fite d g re a t
ly fro m th e c o n trib u tio n s of
c o m m u n ity m e m b e rs and b u s i
nesses. In a sm all tow n, the
sa m e p e o p le are o fte n hit a g a in
and again, like th e b u sin e ss
o w n e r w h o to ld m e, “ S o m e
d a ys, if it w e re n ’t fo r p e o p le
c o m in g th ro u g h th e d o o r a skin g
fo r fre e b ie s , n o b o d y w o u ld
c o m e th ro u g h the d o o r at a ll!”
A s o ne w h o has bee n in th e p o
sitio n of a skin g th e s e fo lks fo r
th e ir fa v o rs , I w a n t to s a y
‘T h a n k You” a nd ho p e o u r re s i
d e n ts w ill e x p re s s th e ir a p p re c i
a tio n of y o u r e ffo rts, as w e ll as
v is it you w ith th e ir b u sin e ss.
Finally, th e re is no w a y th a t I
can list all of th e in d iv id u a ls and
b u sin e sse s th a t have h e lp e d
im p ro ve S p e n c e r P a rk o v e r a
th re e y e a r p e rio d w ith o u t e x
clu d in g m a n y w h o h e lped . C o n
s id e r th is a first a tte m p t at re c
o g n iz in g
th e s e
fo lk s ,
and
p le a se call to add a n y m issin g
nam e s o r b u sin e sse s fo r a fu
tu re a rticle. You d e s e rv e to be
re cogn ized!
F o llo w in g are so m e o f th e in
d ivid u a ls and b u s in e s s e s w h o
h a ve c o n trib u te d to th is e ffo rt:
Gwin and Sons Logging Co.,
West Side Rock-Hayden Q uar
ry, Northwest Excavation, Kee-
non Land Services, Bighorn
Logging, Hayes Trucking, Wel
ler & Sons Trucking, Wilcox &
Flegel, City of Vernonia, Co
lumbia County;
Jeff Burch, Matt Chesley,
Roger-Fogel, Jim Gido, Darrell
Gwin, Dick Gwin, Rick Gwin,
Bill Hawkins, Stan Hawkins,
Jerry Keenon, Marilyn Landers,
John Malnervich, Don McLi-
mans, Matt M onnin, Jack
Odom, Glenn Purvee, Scott
Rethwill, Brian Roberts, Deri
Roberts,
Steve
“ C actus”
Roberts, Bill Simmons, Ernie
Sm ith, Taylor Smith, Vance
Swinsen, Eric Taylor, Dean
Threat, Dick Titus, John Trent,
Don Wallace, Dennis Weller,
Steve Weller, Bill W ilcoxen,
John Williams, Vernonia “Clean
-Up-Day” Participants, Vernon
ia Volunteer Firefighters
Matt Chesley, Chairman
Vernonia Parks Committee
Forest Resources Directory
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photo courtesy of Ken Brauner
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Home: 1-360-849-4466
Cellular : 503-860-3698
Fax: 503-324-1782
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