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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 2005)
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid Vernonia, OR 97064 Permit No. 37 Vol. 20, No. 21 “Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley” B-V Trail project is helped by grant $$ Recent visitors Local and state partnerships are paving the way for some exciting improvements to the popular Banks Vernonia Linear Trail in Washington County. An attractive trailhead will be built in the City of Banks, and the nearby intersection of Banks and Sellers Roads will be re- configured for improved safety. Washington County and the State recognition for Sheriff’s office and Marine Deputies Occasional small flocks of Hooded Mergansers visit Vernonia Lake during the winter months. Telephone fiberoptic cable cut – twice! By Noni Andersen In February of 1996, when flood waters inundated the Ne- halem River valley, Vernonia lost all telephone communica- tion, except within town. The loss of phone communications was consistent throughout the valley. Locally, the telephone switching equipment was pro- tected by volunteers, but ham radio was the only way to reach the world outside. Fast forward to October 24, 2005. During work at the en- trance of the (under-construc- tion) Stub Stewart State Park, at Buxton, a contractor for Ore- gon Department of Parks & Recreation (OPRD) severed the Verizon fiberoptic cable that carries phone and internet lines to Vernonia. Although members of this community have been told by Verizon employees that we now have a redundant sys- tem – that is, a backup system November 3, 2005 that would be available if the primary system isn’t working – cell phones and radio were the way to reach the world outside. Phone lines worked locally, but outside calls and internet services were gone. If your business needed the inter- net…tough! According to emails from Project Manager Terry F. Moore, of OPRD’s Engineering and Design Section, in 2004 the state asked Verizon to lo- cate the cable because of work planned at the intersection of the Banks-Vernonia Linear Trail and the entrance to the new park. Verizon’s response, ac- cording to Moore, was that the cable was unlocatable because a metal “trace” was not includ- ed. They “assumed” that the cable was four feet deep in the middle of the trail. Please see page 4 Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and Marine Patrol Deputies Dave Peabody and Dave Fuller were recognized, October 25, by the Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB), with the Marine Program of the Year Award for performing at a high level in all areas including boating safety, boater contact, and patrol hours. Peabody also received an award as Deputy of the Year for 2005. “These awards are given to recognize top performance. To give credit to officers who reach above and beyond the requirements,” said Bill Ryd- blom, Law Enforcement Pro- gram Manager for OSMB. “People’s lives are directly af- fected by the actions of these officers.” Historic logging presentation at Vernonia Library “Historic Logging: Often Pic- tured, Seldom Understood” is the name of a presentation by Merv Johnson at the Vernonia Public Library on Saturday, No- vember 5, at 1:00 p.m. Johnson, an expert on his- toric logging, will use slides and sound to portray the logger’s experience and will recount stories of logging life a century ago. “Many people haven’t con- sidered the technology of mov- ing logs from the stump to the railroads or trucks. The ma- chinery was awesome, but the people complete the story,” said Johnson. Born in Vernonia, Johnson spent his early childhood near logging camps in the Coast Range and worked as a logger after high school. President of the non-profit Camp 18 Logging Museum, Johnson lectures and publish- es articles on logging history. He is the author of the book, In Search of Steam Donkeys, Logging Equipment in Oregon , which will be available for pur- chase and signing. Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) success- fully competed for federal Transportation Enhancement funding for the project. In March 2005, the Oregon Trans- portation Commission ap- proved a grant of $655,000; OPRD will provide the match- ing funds required for this grant. The project will complete the trail, which currently ends ap- proximately 2/3 of a mile north of Banks. The improvement will connect the city of Banks with other destinations along the 26-mile long Linear Trail, in- cluding Buxton, the new L. L. Stub Stewart State Park and Vernonia, and will provide pedestrians, equestrians and bicyclists with a pleasant and safe travel route. The proposed trail extension runs along an abandoned rail bed that is owned by OPRD and parallels the Port of Tillamook Bay rail bed. (It is a Rails to Trails proj- ect.) The completed Banks-Ver- nonia Trail Extension will in- clude the following: • A landscaped trailhead near downtown Banks, at the intersection of Banks and Sell- ers Roads. The trailhead will provide parking and safe ac- cess for trail users. • A ten-foot wide paved path over the abandoned rail bed to match the existing trail to the north, including a parallel four- foot wide unpaved equestrian path north of the Banks city lim- its. • Bridge repairs and modifi- cations to ensure safe crossing of the west fork of Dairy Creek. The existing bridge will be up- dated with pedestrian handrails and bridge decking. Please see page 12
