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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 2002)
<• d ù. . Æ ' »<■„ Jt* ?3& > PRESORTED STANDARD U S . P o s ta g e P a id V e rn o n ia , O R 9 7 0 6 4 . 1 sette t& rson t , O ^ - Û ^ O » O r e 9on Euaene ° H 'T3 m - Vol. 17, No. 20 Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley’ October 17, 2002 WGS safe from dry rot, not earthquakes There has been very little rain, but salmon have been returning to spawn in the upper Ne halem River and its tributaries. This photo was taken from Anderson Park near the con fluence of the Nehalem River and Rock Creek. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ I _ When the Vernonia School District Board of Directors met at Mist School, October 10, Super intendent Mike Funderburg said that a preliminary analysis of the structural integrity of Washington Grade School (aside from seis mic safety issues) made him more comfortable. Unlike the previous board meeting, when he said he wasn’t sure he would be comfortable with his child at tending WGS, “now I feel safe." Board Chair Carla Strand, in re sponse to a question from the audience about the safety of the building, said that three board members have children at WGS. Maintenance Supervisor John Lewis also said that he would send his children to WGS. According to Funderburg, the preliminary report indicates no structural safety issue related to the dry rot that was exposed by a search for areas of mold growth, Though the building remains at risk during an earthquake be- cause of the unreinforced ma- sonry construction, the engineer told Funderburg that did m a t there m e te u iu not appear to be any change in the roofline or bowing in the walls that would indicate structural problems. Funderburg said the engineer indicated that, while the building is not built to current code, it was “very sound” except in regard to seismic safety. With the conclusion of the en gineering study, Funderburg said, Clayton Group Services (CGS) can complete air quality testing. In response to a question from the audience about the presence of asbestos material, Funderburg explained that the asbestos is a ceiling in a storage room with no air circulation. CGS recommended removal of the ceiling because of water damage and potential for mold growth. Because asbestos can be removed only by certified technicians, the procedure is quite expensive. All supplies will be removed from the area and it will be closed, according to Fun- derburg. Lewis will also begin work to repair areas of dry rot and seal leaks in the roof, Please see see page page i 16 riease Will county law enforcement levy really provide resident deputies? ers, but the amount is inconsistent. Columbia County voters responded positively when its 39 inmate jail had to be replaced. A new jail was built that can Unsigned opinions are written by Editor Noni legally hold 195 inmates. At this time, it av Andersen. erages 150 prisoners per day, many of Columbia County is seeking a them federal prisoners. In the last fiscal $14,046,609 five-year local option levy year, July 2001 through June 2002, near (Measure 5-109) for law enforcement, or ly $600,000 was earned by renting beds about $88 per $100,000 of assessed val for federal prisoners. ue. There is no doubt that additional funds The current staff of 20 licensed officers are needed by the Sheriff’s office. What is and 7.5 civilians is about six people less doubtful is whether it will accomplish what than what was projected as necessary for its supporters want. the new jail. If the levy is approved, Sher First, some background: State law re iff Phil Derby and the Board of Commis quires counties to provide jail space and sioners want to add eight deputies and serve legal papers, it does not require two civilians. counties to provide law enforcement in the That’s the jail component. On the law form of patrol deputies. When voters ap enforcement side, in addition to the sheriff proved mandatory jail terms via Measure and undersheriff, a sergeant and two de 11, counties were also required to take tectives, there are 13 deputies and five more prisoners. Some funds come to the civilians. Eight of the deputies and one counties along with the increase in prison civilian are grant-funded and have specif- ic duties because of the grants, additional ly, three of the grants have or will expire. The wish list here includes 14 deputies (including the expired grant-funded posi tions) and two civilians. The sheriff has re peatedly said that two of the new positions would be resident deputies in Vernonia and Clatskanie. The levy would also be used to hire an additional deputy district attorney. These are good goals and Sheriff Der by and his staff have shown themselves to be thoroughly committed to efficient, fis cally responsible operations. The Board of Commissioners has stated its support of these goals. The resolution adopted by the commis sioners specifies what the funds would be used for - personnel, equipment, addition al operating costs and other law enforce ment purposes. Doubts arise because there is ab solutely nothing in the resolution about resident deputies. Nothing segregates the funds in two parts - Jail operations and Sheriff’s office operations. It specifies po sitions, but there is nothing to guarantee that new hires will be for patrol purposes; several deputies have already been taken out of general law enforcement duties and put into jail operations. These concerns are not intended to question Sheriff Derby’s commitment, but county residents have no guarantees that he will be here next year. Personnel changes are a normal part of government. We don’t know who the next commission ers will be or whether they will have the same view of law enforcement priorities. Remember, county patrol officers and general law enforcement are not required by state law; jail beds are required. If there are insufficient funds to operate the jail, it is conceivable that the law enforcement levy would be nothing more than a large jail levy.
