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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2002)
Vol. 17, No. 8______ “ Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley” April 18, 2002 Saturday is the day to Make Vernonia Shine Saturday, April 20 is the day to Make Vernonia Shine. Vol unteers will start registering with Vernonia Pride at 9:00 a.m. at Providence Health Center. The day will end with a free lunch for everyone in volved, at 1:00 p.m. in the Scout Cabin. In addition to needing peo ple to pick up trash, remove weeds, and plant shrubs and flowers, others are needed to help senior citizens with yard work, gutter cleaning, outside window washing, etc. Two of the biggest projects involve blackberry removal and hedge trimming. There is also a lot of barkdust that needs to be spread. Tools needed include string trimmers, hedge trimmers, shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows and machetes or anything else that helps remove blackberry vines. Vernonia residents may also take clean yard debris to the city public works yard. Groups that want to work to gether on the same project may make arrangements to do so. For further information, call Donna Webb at 429-5201. Updates fill 47J agenda After a workshop to inter view three candidates - Tom Jones, Darrell Hamblet and Chris Collins - for the empty board position, the Vernonia School District board heard three presentations at their April 11 meeting. The board will fill the vacancy by appointment during a special meeting called for April 18 Snowed out of their original WOEC forms companies to develop new income By Jim Buxton In an effort to broaden the revenue base for West Oregon Electric Cooperative without losing its not-for-profit tax sta tus, WOEC’s board of directors voted to form a subsidiary com pany, West Oregon Services (WOS), at the March board meeting in Vernonia. WOS, a holding company, has been formed to act as a buffer between WOEC and Co lumbia Broadband (CB), a for- profit company formed the same evening, but at a different meeting. Columbia Broadband will be WOEC’s NoaNet participant, conducting business as a telecommunications company that provides high-speed Inter net service using the excess capacity of Bonneville Power Administration’s fiber optic ca ble network. The two compa nies were formed in separate meetings as required by law, with the help of Charles Fade- ley, WOEC’s attorney. The boards of directors of both new companies will be composed of members of the current WOEC board. WOS re ceived an initial funding of $15,000 by selling 50 shares of stock to WOEC. CB received an initial funding of $10,000 from WOS. Motions passed to establish bylaws, corporate seals, stock certificates and bank accounts for the two new companies. WOEC General Manager Russell Green announced that he had offered a position in CB tto a person not named that evening. Eventual profits from the new enterprise are intend ed to offset costs at WOEC, thereby keeping electric rates in line and eventually lowering them. At a subsequent meeting with the Vernonia Area Cham ber of Commerce, Green said that no date can be given for when the broadband capability will reach Vernonia. It is depen dent on several factors, primar ily the route that NoaNet will have to follow in order to main tain enough income to add physical components at greater distances. NoaNet is com posed of several public utilities. Green also explained that any WOEC costs related to the new enterprise, will be paid from the settlement with PGE, and will not be borne by the ratepayers. and Art Show Wednesday, April 24 Library and Gym — —— — ly scheduled time in February, the district’s recently completed training for the Intel “Teach to the Future” program gave a fascinating overview of how this program will impact stu dents. The board was entertained by a glimpse of “The Sixth Grade Play.” Written by teach ers Cathy Ward and Marilyn Pedersen, the play is a melo drama about the dastardly Sindley Whiplash’s attempts to get the heroine’s farm. Present ed as a big screen TV movie with commercials that “come right into your living room” the play promises to be very enter taining. The play will be pre sented April 26 at 7:00 p.m. Ad mission is $3 for adults, $2 for students and $1 for senior citi zens and babies. Proceeds generate funds for sixth grade classes to attend the annual OMSI overnight field trip. The high school equestrian team updated the board on their progress since forming two years ago under the guid ance of volunteer coach Barb Carr. All of nine members of the team compete in individual and Please see page 10
