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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2005)
Page 4 The INDEPENDENT, July 21, 2005 Library district, nuisance notices occupy city council The Vernonia City Council and a nearly full house of inter ested citizens heard a presen tation July 18 by Ruth Metz, of Ruth Metz Associates, on a feasibility study regarding a two county library district. Metz explained that, of the 88,000 people in Clatsop and Columbia Counties, 31,000 (al m ost 35 percent) are not served by a library. The study started with a focus group look ing at three ideas: a two-county district, tw o one-county d is tricts, or multiple districts, with the recommendation to study the feasibility of a two-county system. At this time, the results of the feasibility study are being pre sented to city officials through out the two counties to get a feel for the interest in the idea. Councilors and the public voiced concerns ranging from loss of local control, loss of lo cal private collections, loss of general fund tax dollars if a dis trict is set up, concerns over the makeup of the board of such a district, the cost to property owners, and whether Vernonia dollars would end up elsewhere in a community that has not supported a library as has been done here. Metz indicated she has heard many of these same con cerns from other communities. She may recommend a poll of citizens next to find out in more detail what communities feel about the idea. At this point, no decisions have been made and about half the com m unities have heard the presentation. Bill James, president of the Vernonia Senior Center, asked for a three-month update of the Senior Center project. City Ad ministrator Robyn Bassett said the city has stated its intent to purchase land on Rose Avenue for the Senior Center and has met with the state regarding the first phase of documentation for Community Development Block Grand (CDBG) funding. Resident Steve W eller voiced concerns over the C ity’s handling of nuisance vegeta tion notifications, saying he had received a letter about “an aw fully picky issue compared to other places I’ve seen. A phone call would have been better." Bassett said that city staff could not call everyone, due to the number of properties needing to be addressed. Additionally, the vegetation growth was greater this year than normal so problems had to be ad dressed before fire season re ally got going. She also ex plained that, according to city ordinance, it is the responsibili ty of adjacent property owners to keep the right-of-way clear. Council set a Public Hearing on OA Hill Pedestrian Improve ments for August 1 at 7:00 p.m., and approved an applica tion from Steve and Lorna Po- etter to live in a travel trailer for six m onths while their new VERNONIA Mondays Alcoholics Anonymous Saturdays Alcoholics Anonymous 2nd Thursday American Legion Post #119 2nd Thursday Arts & Crafts Society 2nd Wednesday Booster Club Tuesdays Boy Scout Troop 201 Wednesdays Boy Scout Troop 860 2nd Thursday Cemetery Beautification Comm 4th Wednesday CERT 2nd Wednesday Chamber of Commerce 2nd Monday Community Coalition Scout Cabin Cub Scout Pack 201 4th Tuesday Doll Club 1st Tuesday Friends of the Library 1st & 3rd Thursdays Hands On Art Committee 3rd Thursday Izaak Walton League 1st & 3rd Tuesdays Lions Club Nehalem Valley Car Club Pioneer Museum Mondays Preschool Story Hour 2nd Tuesday Upper Nehalem C.P.A.C. 1st & 3rd Thursdays Venturing Crew 201 3rd Wednesday Vernonia Airport Committee Vernonia Cares Directors 1st & 3rd Mondays Vernonia City Council 3rd Thursday Vernonia Community PTA 4th Saturday Vernonia Grange 2nd Monday Vernonia Health Center 1st & 3rd Thursdays Vernonia Planning Comm. 3rd Thursday Vernonia Pride Last Thursday Vernonia Ridge Riders 2nd Tuesday Vernonia RFPD Board 2nd Thursday Vernonia School Board 3rd Friday Vernonia Sr. Center Board Vem. Volunteer Ambulance Assoc. 1st Thursday 2nd Monday Vernonia Volunteer Firefighters 3rd Tuesday WOEC Directors 6:30 p.m., Head Start Bldg. 7:00 p.m., Head Start Bldg. 627 Adams Avenue 2:00 p.m., City Library 7:00 p.m., VHS Library 7:00 p.m., Scout Cabin 7:00 p.m., LDS Church 7:00 p.m., Leonetti’s Grill For Info Call 503-429-6033 For Info Call 503-429-6081 12:30 p.m. School District Ofc. For Info Call 503-429-8133 . 1:00 p.m., Senior Center 7:00 p.m., Vernonia Library 7:00 p.m., Head Start Bldg. For location call 503-429-7193 6:30 p.m., Buckhorn Restaurant For Info Call 503-429-4074 For Info Call 503-429-3713 10:30 a.m., City Library 7:00 p.m., City Hall 5:30 p.m., Buckhorn Restaurant 7:00 p.m., City Hall For Info call 503-429-1414 7:00 p.m., City Hall 6:30 p.m., WGS Library 10:30 a.m., Grange Hall 6:00 p.m., 510 Bridge St. 7:00 p.m., City Hall 1:00 p.m., City Hall 7:00 p.m., Senior Center 7:00 p.m., Fire Station 6:00 p.m., District Office 1:00 p.m., Senior Center 7:00 p.m., Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Fire Station 7:00 p.m., WOEC house is being built. Bassett received council ap proval to contract with Jordan Schrader PC, Attorneys at Law, for the city’s legal needs. The city will opt to pay the hourly rate of $175, instead of using a retainer fee of $2,700 per month. Bassett told the council that there are sufficient funds allocated in the city budget for the legal services anticipated. Jordan Schrader has municipal experience and currently works with the Cities of Forest Grove and Scappoose . Bassett also reported that she had attended a transporta tion meeting on the impact of Stub Stewart State Park on the City of Vernonia. She was told that Phase I of the park will add an additional 1,600 cars per day by 2007 and 2,200 addi tional vehicles per day by 2010. The city will be involved in a feasibility study to look at need ed road improvements result ing from the park. Public Hearing set to present bicycle, pedestrian project on East Bridge St. Pedestrian and bicycle im provements on the north and south sides of East Bridge Street will be presented at a Public Hearing before the Ver nonia City Council on August 1. The 7:00 p.m. hearing will be in the Council Chamber Room in city hall. The agenda will include a discussion of both the con struction and design of the project, from Texas Avenue to Riverside Drive. Public com ments and written testimony are welcomed. Funding for the im provem ents is from a grant from the Oregon De partment of T ra n s - portation. MIST-BIRKENFELP 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station M-BRFPD Board Business Mtg. 2nd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 4th Tuesday M-BRFPD Board Workshop 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 1st & 2nd Thursdays M-B Ambulance Drill 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 1st & 2nd Wednesdays M-B Fire Drill 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 2nd Monday M-B Helping Circle 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 3rd Wednesday M-B SAR Drill 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 1st Tuesday M-B Volunteer Assoc. 7:30 p.m., Natal Grange Hall 2nd Wednesday Natal Grange 6:00 p.m., Main Fire Station Mondays T.O.P.S. Upr Nehalem Watershed Council For date call 429-2401 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station BANKS Alcoholics Anonymous American Legion Post #90 Banks City Council Banks Fire District #13 Banks Planning Commission Banks School Board Banks Youth Group Chamber of Commerce CPO14 Friends of the Library Lions Club Sunset Park Assoc. T.O.P.S. Women’s Aglow 8:00 p.m., Methodist Church Fridays 7:30 p.m., Main Street Post 2nd Tuesdays 7:30 p.m., City Hall 2nd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Station 13 2nd Wednesday 7:00 p.m., City Hall Last Tuesday 7:30 p.m., Jr. High Library 2nd Monday 7:00 p.m., UMC Youth Bldg. Sundays, Wednesdays 12:30 p.m., Fire District Office 1 st Thursday 7:00 p.m., City Library 3rd Monday 7:00 p.m., City Library 2nd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Schlegel Hall 1 st & 3rd Mondays 8:00 p.m., Gun Club 3rd Wednesday 7:00 p.m., Administration Bldg. Wednesdays 7:00 p.m., City Library 2nd Thursday COLUMBIA COUNTY (All meet in St. Helens unless otherwise noted.) 10 a.m., Courthouse Wednesdays Board of Commissioners 7:00 p.m., Sunset Park Church 2nd Tuesday Citizens for Senior Justice 7:30 p.m., NRCS , 2514 Sykes 3rd Wednesday Columbia Soil & Water District 7:00 p.m., Fairgrounds 4-H Bldg. 2nd Monday County Fair Board 6:00 p.m., 1054 Oregon St. 3rd Monday County Parks Commission 10 a.m., 2nd Floor, Courthouse 3rd Tuesday Mental Health Advisory Comm. 3rd Thursday 530 p.m. OSU Ext., 550 N. Hwy. 30 Comm, on Children & Families 3:00 p.m., 2nd Floor, Courthouse Local Alcohol & Drug Plann. Comm. 2nd Tuesday Organizations and meeting dates not listed may be included by calling 429-9410 or by mail to The INDEPENDENT, 725 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR 97064.
