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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 2004)
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid Vernonia, OR 97064 Permit No. 37 Vol. 19, No. 3 “Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley” Christopher Richardson of Vernonia worked hard to pin Rainier’s Matt Gibson in a wrestling match February 4 at Vernonia High School. Richardson won this match, but the meet continued too late for results before press time. Downtown Zone approved by council Ec-Dev Town Hall, Phase Three The third in a series of meetings on economic devel- opment will be held Monday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the Scout Cabin. During the first meeting, participants identified the strengths, weaknesses, oppor- tunities and threats that affect businesses in Vernonia. The second meeting concentrated on brainstorming approaches that could be beneficial to the local business climate. At the next meeting, partici- pants will select programs and/or projects based on the prior brainstorming session, determine timelines and how to approach the selected pro- jects, and set measurable goals. Local business owners, and others interested in economic development at the local level, are encouraged to attend. Your participation is needed. City Council, February 2. Some properties were removed from the proposed zone when the council acceded to presenta- tions from property owners, and an exception to one element of the downtown design guidelines will be includ- ed in the final version. The design exception will allow the owners of Vernonia Hardware to enlarge their business by constructing an addition where they now have a covered outdoor shelter. Three of the four properties removed from the zone are located on Shady Lane. The fourth is on Park Drive. The ordinance will be reviewed at the March 1 council meeting. Candidates filing for county seats Candidate filings are popping up as the close of filing draws near. Republican Colleen DeShaz- er, Scappoose, has filed for Columbia County Commission- er, Position 1, which is current- ly held by Joe Corsiglia. Corsiglia, of St. Helens, has filed for re-election and will have opposition on the Democ- ratic ticket from Gary Heide, also of St. Helens. Vernonia Republican Tony Hyde, who holds Position 3, has no opposition at this time. He will also seek re-election. Other Columbia County openings include County Surveyor, Treasurer and February 5, 2004 Hwy. 47 paving is topic for Town Hall meeting Get that shoulder down! After more than two years of of study, a “Downtown Zone” was approved by the Vernonia FREE Sheriff. Sheriff Phil Derby is seeking re-election. Surveyor Phil Dewey had not filed as of noon Tuesday. County Accountant Ruth Baker, who was appointed to complete the term left by the resignation of Treasurer Paul- ette Kuiper, has filed to retain the position. In the past, the Board of Commissioners, which sets salaries for several of the elected officials, has considered leaving the treasur- er’s position unpaid. In effect, this would result in the posi- tions of county accountant and treasurer being combined. Filing closes March 9, 2004, for the May primary election. Officials from the City of Vernonia and the Oregon Department of Transportation invite the public to a Town Hall meeting Tuesday, February 17, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Scout Cabin in Hawkins Park, to discuss details of a pavement preservation and culvert replacement project along the Nehalem Highway (Oregon 47) from the Sunset Highway (U.S. 26) to the north end of the city of Vernonia. All Washington and Columbia County residents along the construction project are encouraged to attend. Information presented at this meeting will include the design of the project, the contractors schedule and traffic plan for the proposed project. If you are a business owner in the Vernonia downtown corridor, it is vitally important for you to attend this meeting. The Nehalem Highway is badly worn in the project area and work on the $4.1 million project is already underway. Culvert replacement and bridge work have started and regular users of the highway are aware that they can expect delays of up to 20 minutes in the construction zones or use alter- nate routes to avoid the delays. The contractor will repave almost 17 miles of the highway, replace about 20 culverts, replace some deteriorated highway base and rebuild a bicycle/pedestrian path in the city. Construction of the 4” asphalt overlay will cause less disturbance than the construc- tion of a new road through the County Assessor Tom Linhares resigns. ...............See page 4 “Brother, can you spare a dime?” ..............See page 9 downtown area. In April, the contractor will begin digging up the old concrete highway from Rose Avenue to the Rock Creek bridge. The project is scheduled for completion by October 2004. County 9-1-1 head again recognized by industry peers Sally Jones, Administrator for Columbia 9-1-1 Communi- cations District, was presented the 2002-2003 Oregon State 9- 1-1 Impact Award at the December meeting of the Oregon Chapter of Associated Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and National Emergency Number Associa- tion (NENA) in Newport. “Sally Jones was chosen by the membership for this award because of her unwavering devotion to the advancement of 9-1-1 services in the State of Oregon and the furtherance of federal, state and local partner- ships,” said Awards Committee Chairman Eric Swanson. Jones is the only 9-1-1 Manager in Oregon to have received this award twice in her career. She first received it in 1994, following her work in the formation of the legislative advocacy program for Oregon APCO-NENA. Please see page 4