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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (June 6, 2002)
The INDEPENDENT, June 6, 2002 Page 3 Letters to tbo Editor Habitat for Humanity is strong in our area To the Editor: I would like to report from your Columbia County Habitat For Humanity that things are looking great! We are excited at the good response to our re cent pledge drive and we thank you for your donation. Remem ber, it is never too late, as this ministry goes on and on. A family has been selected to partner in the next home (re quirements: low income, good credit history, employment sta bility). A buildable lot has been donated in St. Helens and the plans are being reviewed by the City. There is another opportunity that is a once in a lifetime for CCHH. Oregon Housing and Community Services has pro vided $1.2 million dollars at zero percent interest to pur chase 20 single-family home loans made to Habitat for Hu manity families, so the organi zation can immediately recoup the amount of the first mort gage. This money can then be put to work building another home right now, instead of wait ing to receive the zero percent loan payments from the fami lies over a 20 to 30 year period! The catch...the home must be completed by December 31, 2002! How can this be accom plished? Many hands make light work. We continue to need cash to purchase the permits and supplies that aren’t donat ed, donations of building sup plies, labor (skilled and non- skilled) and representatives who are willing to offer the op portunity to others. Presently, there is a very pressing need for Vernonia. A career opportunity will severely limit my ability to participate, so I am resigning from the Board of Directors. This will leave Ver nonia without a representative. It has been the commitment of CCHH since their inception, to fairly serve the entire County. The new project in St. Helens is moving ahead because of the time constraint on the OHCS opportunity and because there have been no other buildable lots offered. Vernonia needs a representative. Is it you? R eflecting on my life, it seems that the successes I claim are not as much of my doing as they are of circum stances, of “breaks.” A Habitat home is an opportunity to give a “break” to a family who works hard, but cannot achieve enough for our ever-increasing housing market. Please consid er participating in this important ministry, for families and for our community, and for the person al satisfaction of giving back. Lani Vandehey Vernonia VHS team thanks all for their support To the Editor: Thanks to all the parents, host parents, grandparents, friends and family for their sup port of the high school equestri an team throughout our sea son. Having you in the stands Between tbe Bookends By Ann Krutsinger, Library Assistant Banks Public Library This is the library’s fifth year in our beautiful building. Please help celebrate our anniversary by attending the programs scheduled Saturday, June 1st. We will host a workshop on bookmak ing, taught by Colleen Cavin from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. In the evening, we invite you to enjoy a free concert performed by the Quartette Bar bette. This saxophone group plays an eclectic variety of music, from jazz and ragtime to folk, classical, popular and klezmer styles. These pro grams are funded by the RACC, NEA, and WC- CLS. The Summ er Reading Program theme is “Don’t Bug Me, I’m Reading.” Sign-ups start June 1st. Schedules for the special programs are available in the library. These programs are geared toward preschool children, and kinder garten to sixth graders. Readers of all ages, in cluding teens and preschoolers, are invited to participate in the reading program. Readers who complete their goals will be able to choose a free paperback book. There will also be weekly draw ings for special prizes. Saturday, June 8th is recycling day sponsored by the Friends of the Banks Library at the Swat- co Service Yard between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. If you miss this date, look for the mixed paper re cycle bins that were near to Main Street in the parking lot of Dayspring Christian Fellowship. They have been moved away from the street onto the City of Banks’ gravel parking lot, next to the paved library parking lot. Proceeds from the bins now benefit the library. The hauler accepts mixed paper (including old paperback books, magazines and newspapers) but not cardboard. Banks Public Library: 111 Market Street. Hours: Tues., Wed., Thurs., 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Preschool Story Time: Wednesdays, 10:15 a.m., when school is in session. Phone: (503 ) 324-1382 Internet: www.WILInet.wccls.lib.or.us. Ike Says^..____________ From page 2 of the clams in your head, count and recount your clams; OSP has zero tolerance for exceed ing your limit. If an officer stops you, be polite, but insist that a witness observe the clams being counted and insist that they be counted slowly and deliberately. Also, do not leave the wet sand to count your clams; this is called leaving the beach, and it will be marked on your citation that you intentionally exceeded your bag limit. The reason for limits on the number of clams you can dig is to protect the resource from over- harvesting. The question needs to be asked though, why an unlimited number of commercial permits are issued? Of course the commercials do pay for a permit, proof again of how ODF&W manages our resources! Izaak Walton League Nehalem Valley Chapter meetings are on the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. The public is welcome. For meeting location, call (503) 429-7193. to cheer us on was great. We could not have achieved the successes we did without you. A special thanks to the Seib ert family for generously allow ing us to use their arena for our practices and to Walter “Verne” Ferguson for his donation of team belt buckles. Thank you to the Vernonia Ridge Riders for their continued support and to all who donated to our team in one form or another. CASAs can prevent “lost” children cases Judy Clifford Sheila Day Norma Stewart Jan Martin Executive Director CASA of Columbia County To the Editor: Five year old Rilya Wilson, under the care of the State of Florida, was missing for 15 months. No one knew about it until a few weeks ago. Rilya must be found. The State of Florida also needs to find out who was responsible and hold them accountable. Above all, we need to prevent future Barb Carr, Volunteer Coach tragedies of this sort. Fortu Vernonia High School nately, we know how. Equestrian Team In Oregon, as in every state, volunteer CASA advocates It’s not yet time for watch out over cases like this. Banks “Centennial” They help assure that child pro tection agencies and the courts properly perform their responsi To the Editor: This letter is to clarify the re bilities to the children. The goal ported “Centennial of Banks.” is a safe, permanent home for The City of Banks is not 100 each child. years old. Banks was incorpo O regon’s CASA volunteer rated in 1921. As is common advocacy system is particularly practice (based on incorpora strong, because CASA volun tion date) the City of Banks will teers are full parties to the juve celebrate its 100th year in nile case. Which means they 2021. The Banks community have the authority to visit the began with the arrival of the child, view all records, and ap Peyton and Anna Wilkes family, pear before the court to speak circa 1840. It was named for up for the child. The weakness the Banks family who arrived of the system in Florida, as well during the 1890s. The com mu as Oregon, is that there are not nity has grown for over 150 enough volunteer CASAs for every Rilya that the state is years. In 1902 the Postmaster Gen supposed to be caring for. In Columbia County, we now eral granted the Banks com mu nity the right to establish a Post have 15 volunteer advocates, Office. This Post Office lasted but unfortunately, it is not two years, then was closed and enough, demand is high, we need more responsible adults moved back to Greenville (south of Banks). After Banks who would like to speak up for began to grow with the new rail our abused and neglected chil road passing alongside, some dren. It may be too late for new businesses began in Rilya, who did not have a Banks. Others moved from CASA volunteer on her case, Greenville to Banks. In April of but it may not be too late for a 1907, the Post Office in Banks little boy or girl in your own was re-opened. The need for neighborhood. New volunteer water in the town prompted a training begins in late Septem vote to incorporate the city. In ber; please mark your calendar April of 1921 the voters ap with our chapter’s phone num ber, 503-366-7644, to become proved incorporation. This year, during the Banks a resource for the little ones in Barbecue (August 17-18) the our community without som e Historical Society will have a one to speak up for them. If you (free) open house at the Log cannot spare the approximately Cabin City Park. Historical in 10 hours a month it takes to formation and artifacts will be manage a case, perhaps you on display. If additional Banks can help support a volunteer fi nancially with your tax-de historical data is desired, please call (503) 324-6191 or ductible donation to CASA of Columbia County, PO Box 209, (503) 324-7955. St. Helens, OR 97051. Banks Historical Society Respectfully,
