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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.