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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.