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