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The INDEPENDENT, August 15, 2002____________________________________________________ ____ _________________
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London will head W OEC directors, VanNatta will lead new board
The 2002 W est O regon
Electric Cooperative (WOEC)
annual meeting was business
as usual, with one exception on
the board of directors.
Randall Aultm an will suc
ceed Joe Riley on the board of
directors as the representative
from District 3. Riley was un
able to run for re-election due
to a change in residence out-
side the district. Aultman ran
unopposed follow ing district
nominating meetings, as did
District 7 director David Hess.
Both were elected to three-year
terms.
“We are sorry to see Joe
leave the board,” said Robert
VanNatta, outgoing board pres
ident, “but we are pleased to
have a candidate of the caliber
Wilcox & Flegel will close for
three days to complete paving
The W ilcox & Flegel cardlock service will be closed August
23, 24 and 25, to com plete the paving needed for their new
station and access roads.
A diesel fuel truck will serve customers from 2:00 to 6:00
p.m. on Friday, Aug. 23, and the cardlock will be open for full
service early Monday, Aug. 26.
“We want to express thanks and appreciation to our cus
tomers for their patience during the construction process,”
said Lori Barber, commercial sales manager for Wilcox &
Flegel. “They’ve been really great.”
More improvements are planned for the Vernonia property,
but they will not interrupt customer service.
ODF budget untouched thus far
The Oregon Department of
Forestry
(ODF)
budget
emerged from the Oregon Leg
islature untouched, according
to an article by Ed Merriman for
the Oregon Small W oodlands
Association (OSWA) newslet
ter. The article reports that
OSWA lobbyist Kristina McNitt
said that, since the ODF budg
et reflected a five percent in
crease over the previous bien
nium, she had concerns that
programs im portant to small
woodland owners might be tar
geted.
However, since most of the
funding for ODF programs is
provided through industry fees
or matching funds, like most
natural resource agencies,
ODF funding was not cut. Small
woodland owners may be af
fected by the shifting of $1 mil
lion previously budgeted, to im
plement a statewide pesticide
reporting system as part of the
backfill of the state’s budget
deficit. According to McNitt, the
program will be deferred until
2003. Woodland owners are re
quired to file pesticide use re
ports, just like farmers, and can
do so electronically on the O re
gon Department of Agriculture
internet site.
The ODF budget has also
been affected by the busy fire
season. Budget adjustm ents in
the last special session includ-
ed $8.3 million in federal grants
and other funding for fire fight
ing costs. Recent announce
ments by Governor John Kit-
shaber have indicated that the
need for additional funds may
be addressed in the upcoming
special session.
of Randy Aultman to take his
place.”
Aultman, a long-time Ver
nonia resident, retired from a
career in education, most re
cently as principal of elemen
tary schools in Vernonia.
“These
are
challenging
times in the power industry,”
said Aultman. “ I look forward to
helping find new ways to serve
the membership and to keep
rates as stable as possible."
In other business, VanNatta
reported on regional power
supply issues, including an ex
pected rate increase from the
Bonneville Power Administra
tion (BPA).
“We don’t know what the
BPA will do, but we don’t expect
it to be as severe as the rate in
crease last fall,” VanNatta said.
“We will keep you informed as
this unfolds.”
WOEC Chief Financial Offi
cer Royce Hagelstein reported
that, despite the sharp increase
in wholesale power costs last
year, the cooperative was able
to maintain a strong financial
position, primarily due to the re
ceipt of funds from a prior set
tlement with Portland General
Electric.
“ If it weren’t for those funds,
we would have seen a small
operating loss due to power
supply costs," reported Hagel-
Vernonia summer water rates in effect
Summer water rates for City
of Vernonia water consumers
went into effect July 1, 2002,
but will not be reflected on wa
ter billings until the end of Au-
gust.
Summer rates, which were
adopted last year in an effort to
promote w ater conservation,
will apply through September.
B A C K -T O -S C IIO O L
Oak Student
Roll Top Desk
slate of officers for the coming
year. Serving as president will
be Dixie London; Robert Van
Natta is vice-president and
Sam H earing is secretary/
treasurer.
The board also selected offi
cers in an organizational meet
ing for the Columbia Broad
band board, the co-op’s tele
communications company. Van
Natta will serve as president,
David Hess as vice-president,
and Randy Aultm an, secre
tary/treasurer.
West Oregon Electric Coop
erative serves more than 4,000
members in portions of Colum
bia, C latsop, Yamhill and
W ashington Counties. Head
quartered in Vernonia, the co
operative has provided electric
service since 1944.
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VERNONIA INN
E x tra v a g a n z a
All D esks O n Sale
stein. “The good news is that,
over the last five years, we
have been able to rebuild mem
ber equity and cash reserves, a
sign the co-op is on the right
track.
“The only costs passed on to
members in the October rate
increase were those related to
power costs,” continued Hagel
stein. “Since that time, the co
op has used cash reserves to
buffer the impacts of additional
power cost increases.”
General M anager Russell
Green commented on the ef
forts of a group called W illa
mette Valley Power and their
attempt to purchase Portland
General Electric from its bank
rupt owner, Enron.
During the question and an
swer session, Green briefed
the membership on the co-op’s
entry into telecommunications
through the NoaNet Project.
“We expect to be ready for
business by O ctober,” said
Green. “Our long-term goal is
to bring telecommunications in
frastructure to the rural com m u
nities of Northwest Oregon.”
At the conclusion of the
meeting, the board selected its
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