The INDEPENDENT, June 2, 2005
Don’t be a victim of construction
scam artists this summer or fall
By Karen Miller
M em
orial Day
• Pay in installments. Make
may may
payments in stages as the work
be past,
is completed and has passed
but we
inspections. Don’t pay in cash.
want to
Make checks out to the con
e xp re ss
tractor as the contractor’s
our ap
name appears in the contract.
p r e c ia
tion for
our
' V
iti TT ìTffi' ■**' "*** ***** 1 U 1 1 S ----------- all
senior veterans that have
served this great country and
Benjamin Roy
have been the foundation of
Dennis Powell
the freedoms we enjoy today.
Support our troops past and
present; take time to thank a
vet any day of the year!
THANK YOU to all who
made our plant sale a great
success. Romanna Manusos,
you did it again; thanks for your
fundraising efforts along with
your helpers, Linda Tellef, Pat
Lloyd, and Sharon Gibson. We
appreciated donations from
Iwasaki Nursery, Woodstock
Nursery, and our own Farm-
woman’s Nursery here in Ver
nonia. And, not to forget,
Benjamin Roy Dennis Pow
thanks to Alan Russell for his
ell was born May 27 at Meridi
donations of plants that didn’t
an Park Hospital to Penrhynn
stay long!! Thanks to everyone.
and Jarod Powell of Tualatin.
We had a great time
He weighed 7 pounds, 7 oz.
Wednesday, May 25, with The
and was 20-1/2 inches long.
Grove Assisted Living gals’ ice
Grandparents are Schann
cream sundaes. Congratula
and Dennis Nelson of Vernon
tions to Eleanor Libel from Mist
ia, and Kathy and Mike Powell
in winning our “wearing of the
of Stayton,
most lavender” contest on
Great-grandparents
are
Wednesday, May 18. Our sec
Richard and Marjory Wysong
ond and third place winners
of Vernonia, and Marian and
were Jacqueline Ramsay and
David Andersen.
Elderly and retired people
are prime targets of construc
tion fraud. Construction scam
artists target homes in obvious
need of repair or maintenance.
They know these homes are of
ten owned by trusting, isolated
or lonely homeowners.
Oregon Construction Con
tractors Board (CCB) Chief In
vestigator Bruce Buffington
says, “factor in the low proba
bility of physical resistance, re
duced memory, eyesight, hear
ing or mobility and it’s easy to
see how seniors can be cre
atively separated from their
money.”
“Typically,” says Buffington,
“there is a knock on the door.
The victim opens it and some
one claiming to be repairing
roofs, driveways, or fences in
the neighborhood has some
materials left over.”
The victim is offered repair
services at a 50-60 percent re
duction. If the homeowner
shows an interest, the con
artist will ask for money up front
and promises to begin the job
right away. Often the con artist
will give the victim a legitimate
looking contract, showing the
name of the company and al
leged state contractor's license
number.
“After they get a full or partial
payment, scam artists do little
or no work, leave and never re
turn,” Buffington continues.
Anyone who does repairs,
remodeling or new construction
must be licensed with the CCB.
The CCB recommends Ore
gonians do a little investigating
before hiring a contractor to do
work on their homes or busi
nesses by following these
guidelines.
• Before hiring anyone to do
construction work, verify the
contractor’s license by visiting
the CCB website at <www.cc
b.state.or.us> or by calling 503-
378-4621. Licensing does not
guarantee quality work, but
does provide some financial
and legal protection for the
consumer.
• Get two or three written
bids. The old saying “you get
what you pay for” applies here.
A higher bid may be worth the
price in better materials, work
manship and reliability.
Eleanor Thompson.
Thank you City Administra
tor Robyn Bassett for your help
on preparing our building for
painting. Remember everyone,
we’re not done making Vernon
ia shine...there’s more to
come!!!
What a grand time the
standing room only crowd had
at Faith Reynold’s 90th birth
day party at the Scout Cabin on
May 21. Faith’s love for others
was returned to her on that
special day as her friends and
family joined together in a well
deserved celebration. We love
you, Faith.
Apologies to all of you who
were signed up for Wellness
Clinic on June 11. Due to cir
cumstances beyond my con
trol, mainly lack of funding, this
free clinic cannot continue as of
now. July 1 we will revisit what
we can do. Thank you to all
who participated. Call my office
for further information.
Footcare; $15 per person.
Judy does a great job and is
well worth every penny! She is
here at the center on the sec
ond and last Friday of each
month. Call for an appointment.
COOL CYBER R E
SOURCE: Medicare official
website <www.medicare.gov>
Page 7
provides an official program
profile, plan details, publica
tions, and contacts.
Top 5 Family Activities:
1) Make caramel corn
2) Plant a tree
3) Run through the sprinkler
4) Play Charades
5) Make a stained glass dec
oration.
Have fun!!
REMEMBER:
• Pastries
and bread
Wednesday and Saturday a.m.
• Bingo, Mondays at lunch.
• Music with the Golden
Oldies on Wednesdays.
• Games on Thursdays.
• Willoughby Hearing every
second Friday at 11:00 a.m.
• Jazzercise class at 2:00
p.m. on Tuesdays.
• Free blood pressure
checks the first and third Tues
days, 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.
• Sign language class at
9:00 a.m. on Mondays.
If you know of a senior who
would like a visit from the Se
nior Advocate or has any senior
needs and concerns, call our
office.
INFORMATION NUMBERS
Senior Advocate...429-9112
Senior Center...... 429-3912
Transportation..... 429-4304
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F a m ilß ty lB in n e r s Sun-Thu, 11:30-9:00
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669 N Mist Dr, Vernonia
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