The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current, July 20, 2006, Image 13

Historic Oregon Newspapers

The independent., July 20, 2006, Page Page 13, Image 13

Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR

About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 20, 2006)

Prev Page of 24 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (746.9 KB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Prev Page of 24 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page TextThe INDEPENDENT, July 20, 2006 Page 13 Jason Short, Craig Stewart fill Banks City Council vacancies City councilor Teri Branstitre presided over the Banks City Council meeting July 12 as Mayor Mike Lyda was absent due to illness. Councilor Brian Biehl was also absent. Branstitre rearranged the agenda so the two applicants for vacant council seats could be interviewed first. Jason Short and Craig Stewart an- swered the council’s questions. Council voted to appoint them to the vacant seats and they were sworn in and participated in the rest of the meeting. Short has lived in Banks for one year and brings his experi- ences with the Cornelius plan- ning commission and the Banks Parks Committee to the position. Stewart is a life-long resident of Banks with many years of service as a volunteer firefighter. His parents also served on city council and the planning commission. Both ap- plicants expressed interest in helping Banks through council service. Branstitre discussed the schedule for the November election. She pointed out that if the city is to put forth a levy in that election a decision will need to be made at the next council meeting because the deadline for publishing is Au- gust 20. Council discussed putting a levy for police services on the ballot. The levy would be to pay for contracting with Washington County Sheriff’s Department, as was done for the last fiscal year. Due to lack of funding, the contract was terminated June 30. Branstitire pointed out that if the levy were to pass in No- vember, police services could be reinstated in July 2007. “As a councilor and a representa- tive of the safety of the city I feel like I need to do everything possible,” she said. Pete Edi- son said that he feels council needs to look at what is best for the city. Short expressed con- cern that having police services on the ballot for Banks may hurt the chances for the Washington County Sheriff’s levy which will also be on the ballot. The No- vember election will not be sub- ject to the double majority rule. The Mayor’s position, as well as three city council seats, will also be up for election in November. Positions held by Dan Keller, Jason Short and Pete Edison will be on the No- vember ballot. August 29 is the last day to file nominating pa- pers. For more information con- tact Banks City Hall. Council heard a presentation on the Banks/Sellers Road re- alignment project from Wash- ington County Project Manager Barry Hennelly. He said that the project is currently in the stage of acquiring right-of-ways. The project is scheduled to go out to bid in April of next year. Con- struction will start in May and be completed by the end of next summer. Hennelly said that the re- alignment will serve two pur- poses: Increasing vehicular safety at the railway crossing and accommodating the trail- head for the Banks/Vernonia Linear Trail. To accomplish this, Sellers Road will be rerouted to the east and intersect Banks Road at what is now the park- ing lot of the Antiques Building. The building will have to be ei- ther demolished or moved to make way for the road. Representatives of the Banks Historical Society asked how the building could be pre- served. Hennelly said that the building now belongs to the Oregon Parks and Recreation District. He added that the building had been modified too many times to still have histori- cal value. It is possible that the façade of the building could be removed and saved or incorpo- rated into the trailhead parking area. Council also heard from Dave Monson, engineer with LDC Design Group, who re- ported on the progress made toward developing a Park Mas- ter Plan. So far, he has com- pleted the inventory and as- sessment of what park facilities are currently available to Banks residents, and has started an assessment of the community’s future needs. Monson said he will have a completed master plan available by the next coun- cil meeting. Edison, who has been ap- pointed to start the hiring process for the new city man- ager, brought a proposal from the League of Oregon Cities to facilitate the hiring process. For approximately $3000, they would draft and place adver- tisements, work with council to develop a job profile, perform background checks and send out rejection letters to the un- successful finalists. Council would be responsible for screening and interviewing candidates. Council agreed that such assistance would be beneficial to the city. Edison will bring a contract to be approved at a future meeting. The Banks Planning Com- mission wrote a letter to the council regarding traffic block- ages at the railroad crossing on Banks and Sellers Roads. The commission noted that Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs) limit rail car traffic from blocking a public road to no more than ten continuous minutes be- tween the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 10 p.m. and to no more than fifteen continuous minutes between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. The commission was told during a public hearing that overlong blockages are a common occurrence, disrupting school bus traffic as well as regular traffic. Council directed City Attor- ney Jim Lucas to contact the railway companies, and possi- bly include letters from Shafer’s Bus Service and the fire depart- ment, about safety issues in- volved with the blockages. Oak Village Laundromat 4 Jumbo Washers Air-conditioned Easy Access with Ample Parking located next to Jim’s Market at the junction of Hwy 47 & Hwy 6 Main Street, Banks