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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2005)
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid Vernonia, OR 97064 Permit No. 37 Vol. 20, No. 8 “Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley” FREE April 21, 2005 Oregon Trail Rally returns to Vernonia School board candidates Rally racing can get pretty wild on unknown logging roads. Tighten your belts and hold on as international competition races on challenging northwest Oregon forestry roads for the Oregon Trail Rally, April 22-24. With 70 competitors registered, this promises to be an action packed weekend. The Oregon Trail Rally is a three-day extreme motorsport event that tests driver’s skill in production-based cars and trucks from manufacturers around the world. They com- pete both for the overall victory and wins within a class struc- ture that groups together vehi- cles with similar performance. Special spectator stages are planned for Friday afternoon at Portland International Raceway to include five competitor stages in the heart of Portland, explained clerk of the course, Mike Nagle. “This includes a 4 mile super special stage, simi- lar to those run at international rally events around the world, where two cars will race each other on a split course at the same time.” Starting side-by- side at the track’s drag start line, the competing pair will complete separate laps of two different loops around the com- plex. As each crew completes their first lap they switch over to the other's loop, and as they Please see page 4 Vernonia River Fest April 23, 2005 See Special Pull-out Section for Details will appear at PTA forum You can meet the candi- dates for Vernonia School Board on Wednesday, May 4 at 7:00 p.m., when the Vernonia Community PTA presents a public forum at Washington Grade School. All candidates will be intro- duced and will answer ques- tions which were constructed and presented in advance by the PTA. There will also be a public question and answer pe- riod near the end of the forum. Five of the seven board po- sitions will be on the ballot. Leslie Barnes and Dick Brunsman are seeking Position 4, currently held by Gienah Ch- eney, who was appointed and did not file for election. Position 6 incumbent James Krahn is being challenged by Kim Wallace. A three-way race has devel- oped for Position 7, held by Philip Doyle, who was appoint- ed. In addition to Doyle, Debo- rah Brown and Ernie Smith are seeking to fill the position. Two additional positions will be on the ballot: Angela Taylor is the sole candidate for Posi- tion 1, now held by Ed Buckner who was appointed and did not seek election. Cari Levenseller is unopposed in seeking re- election to Position 5. The PTA wants the commu- nity to be prepared, informed, and able to make an educated decision for the May 17 elec- tion. The children of Vernonia are the future and schools are the heart of this small town. Everyone is encouraged to at- tend this forum. Leadership trainees apply lessons to aid local projects A group of 27 Vernonia citi- zens will be traveling together at the end of April to Kah-Nee- Ta Resort in Central Oregon to attend a “Conference of the Communities,” as part of the Ford Family Institute Communi- ty Leadership Program. The group from Vernonia, which is made up of a diverse range of citizens, including three high school students, will be joining citizens from the communities of Bandon, Sherman County, Wallowa County and Walla Walla, Washington. The five groups will spend the weekend in leadership training with top- ics that include “advocacy and consensus building,” “Building multi-party agreement in your community,” and “mentoring.” Additionally, each group will have a display table and make a presentation about their com- munity. Each of the participating communities will also make a presentation to the entire gath- ering describing a project cho- sen to work on over the next 12-18 months as part of their training program. The Vernonia group is working on a street- scaping project for the down- town area which has been titled “Archway of the Past – Gate- way to the Future.” This will in- clude the creation and installa- tion of public art which empha- sizes the history of Vernonia. Although still in the planning stages, the focus of the project will be four metal archways at the entrance to four proposed downtown pocket parks. The project is expected to enhance the city-wide goals of creating pedestrian-friendly areas and Please see page 5 Teenagers to senior citizens, these Vernonia residents are enjoying and learning from lead- ership training provided by the Ford Family Foundation.
