Attn: Lesli© Larson
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Voi. 17, No. 23
“ Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley”
December 5, 2002
Big shake-up in city
police department
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IA Christmas tree erected last week on the lawn in front of Vernonia City Hall is now aglow
¡with light as the community prepares for the holidays. Assisting with the job were, from
¡left, Don Tiffney, Don Webb, Scott Rethwill, Duke Gortler and Bob Scroggins. Marvin
Meyer donated the tree from his Christmas tree farm south of Vernonia.
New engineer, same old results on WGS
Gerald Gotchall, of Nishkian
Dean Consulting & Structural
Engineers, told the Vernonia
School Board and an audience
of about twenty people that he
“wished that he could report
that the previous report [by
W alker/D iloretto/Y ounie, Inc.,
May 3, 2001] was wrong,” but
after reviewing that report and
examining building plans and
visible portions of the structure
of Washington Grade School
(WGS) he had reached the
sam e conclusions. Gotchall
gave his presentation following
the board’s business meeting
November 21 in the WGS gym
nasium.
Older buildings, said Gotch
all, “are typically found to be
deficient, particularly in meet
ing code provisions for lateral
forces from earthquakes and
wind” when compared to cur
rent building code require
ments. The current code is
more dem anding, based on
more sophisticated and varied
building m aterials and con
struction techniques, use of
larger open spaces within
buildings, and more knowledge
of earthquake mechanics. Ac
cording to G otchall, ea rth
quakes of increased frequency
and duration can be expected,
based on historical and archeo
logical records.
Seism ic (earthquake) up
grading of public buildings, par
ticularly schools, has been the
subject of public attention.
Gotchall says, in his report that
several groups (in the state)
advocate mandatory upgrading
and that, in his opinion, “these
groups will become successful
and mandatory upgrade will be
come law.” Gotchall went on to
describe in some detail the ren
ovations needed to WGS. The
existing building would essen
tially have to be gutted, with
both exterior and interior walls
reinforced with concrete and
steel. The result would be a
“brand new 70 year-old building
that doesn't fit program needs,"
Gotchall said.
In response to an audience
question, Gotchall said that
Please see page 8
Within the past two weeks,
three members of the five-offi
cer Vernonia Police D epart
ment have retired, resigned or
changed positions.
James Walters, a 20-year
veteran of the Vernonia Police
Department, has resigned as
chief of the department, but will
stay on the job as a sergeant.
Walters has held the position of
chief for the past ten years.
The city was also informed
by PERS that Police Sergeant
Gene Baska, who took a bad
fall in the department’s garage,
will not be able to return to work
because of a back injury. Baska
was also a veteran of the de
partment.
Additionally, the newest
member of the five-officer de
partment, Chris Snyder, has re
signed. There are now just two
officers, Jim Gaskins and Andy
Roy, and Sgt. Walters.
“This has not been an easy
decision,” Walters wrote in his
letter of resignation, “but it is
appropriate at this time.”
He also expressed his desire
to remain with the department
as sergeant. The city concurred
with his desire.
The search for a new chief is
underway and city administra
tor Mike Sykes has told the
council that he hopes to fill the
position before the end of Jan
uary.
Another change at City Hall
is a new recorder. Kate Conley
has been hired to replace
Kate Conley
Janelle Serafin, who has mar
ried and moved away.
Conley, the daughter of Art
and Dorothy Laubach of Mist,
graduated in 1985 from Ver
nonia High School. She and
her husband, Rod, lived in Port
land, but now live in Mist with
their daughter, Kelsey.
Citizens say “Charge us for parks”
There are, undoubtedly, Ver
nonia residents who don’t care
about the city's many parks, but
none of them attended a hear
ing before the city council last
Monday on a fee schedule pro
posed to maintain the parks.
At least ten residents spoke
in favor of the proposal, with
most of them also urging the
city to add a charge of $1.00
per month for parks to the bill
for water and sewer use.
Several speakers noted the
grant-funded improvements in
parks over the last few years
and expressed concern about
the city’s ability to adequately
maintain them without a consis
tent, and sufficient, revenue
source.
Speakers also emphasized
that, if the council approves
that funding mechanism, the
need remains to enforce a fee
schedule for nonresidents.
City staff will research the
the procedure further and brng
their findings back to the coun
cil.