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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 17, 2003)
Voi. 18, No. 14_____________________ “Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley” July 17, 2003 Grants will help city, county achieve goals Under the Local G overn ment Grant Program, Oregon Parks and Recreation Depart ment received 43 grant re quests, totalling $6.7 million, for projects greater than $50,000. OPRD has approxim ately $4,040,000 for the program. As a result, fewer than half of the requests were approved. The Vernonia City Council was pleased to hear, at their July 7 meeting, that the city’s request for $194,700 placed third on the list of 20 grants ap proved. The city will use the funds to purchase property ad jacent to Vernonia Lake, build a parking lot, install an additional restroom and, if possible, erect lights on the south side of the lake. Columbia County also did well, placing well up the list in Bus service resumes for 90 day period Oregon Trail Rally saddened by fatal crash A crash that killed two top ProRally drivers last Saturday, just minutes into the first stage of the race, were the first ever fatalities during an Oregon Trail rally event. Professional drivers Mark Lovell, 43, who had just won at Pike's Peak, and his co-driver, Roger Freeman, 51, both of England, were the first team out and crashed less than a quarter-mile into the first stage of the race on a forest road near Timber. Lovell was driving a turbo-charged modified Sub aru Impreza WRX when he ap parently lost control, sliding dri ver’s side first into a three-foot diameter tree, then skidding across the road and landing in a ditch. The first stage of the race was halted, with just a few cars having started, and the teams arrived early in Vernonia to wait until a decision was made to re sume the competition with the second stage, part of which was run on Old Pittsburg Road, part on the Crooked Creek Mainline and other forest roads. The third stage was run in Tillamook County. Many of the spectators en joying the opportunity to look over the many high perform ance cars on the school grounds, were unaware of the accident. Regardless, the rac ing teams and their support personnel - both professional and amateur from many coun tries and many, many states - , were unfailingly gracious in an swering questions. The school grounds had been designated as a service area when arrangements were originally made. It is too soon to know where the next Oregon Trail Rally will take place, but many hope it will return to Vernonia. Metro West Ambulance be gan providing call-up service in Vernonia, Clatskanie and Rainier this week. It started fixed route service from St. He lens to Portland on July 10th. The fare within City limits will remain at $1.00 per ride (each way) on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Out of town trips - Portland, Hillsboro, etc. - will be on Monday and Thursday. The fare will be $15 to the gen eral public and $10 for seniors and disabled. According to Henry Hei- muller, of Metro West, the am bulance company intends to continue the service and, “in certain instances," enhance it. Columbia County has ex pressed the desire to establish a permanent transportation provider by the end of the cur rent 90 day contract. the eleventh spot, with ap proval of a grant request for $160,000. The county will use the funds to advance work on the proposed Scappoose-Ver nonia Linear Trail along the old Crown Zellerbach Mainline from Pittsburg to Scappoose. The City of Vernonia initiated the proposal for a trail from Ver nonia to Scappoose, and has been working with the county in every way possible to support the project. Both projects interweave with the city’s strategy of utiliz ing enhanced outdoor recre ation to further economic devel opment. An additional grant, from a different program, has been re ceived by the Upper Nehalem Watershed Council to be used for rehabilitation of fish-bearing Bear Creek, inside the city, be cause the creek gets too warm in the summer to guarantee survival of juvenile fish. Vernonians take top two spots in senior spell bee Two Vernonia senior spelling cham pions recently decided to try their luck at the annual Oregon state contest in Aurora — and they both came home with trophies. Carol Sawyer, who won in Vernonia last year, took the first place trophy at the state meet, while this year’s Vernonia win ner, Tobie Finzel, placed sec ond in an exciting match which needed a tie-breaker round to establish the winners. Both Sawyer and Finzel are planning to attend the National Spelling Bee for seniors in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in Sep tember. Want some good advice? D on’t bet against either of them!
