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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2006)
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid Vernonia, OR 97064 Permit No. 37 “Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley” Vol. 21, No. 18 September 21, 2006 Council, public take tour of Wastewater project Learning Center opens Before the regular Vernonia City Council meeting of Sep- tember 18, the city held a tour of the Wastewater Rehabilita- tion Project for interested par- ties. About 15 people met at the main pump station by the la- goons to hear Preston Van Me- ter and Jennifer Coker of Kennedy/Jenks Engineering talk about the project. Phase I of the project calls for larger pumps at the main pump station, replacement of the dry well at the Mist Dr. pump station with a wet well (dry wells are not being used much anymore, due to OSHA safety issues), a small pump at the lagoon station which is cur- rently gravity fed (and as a re- sult, tends to stop up once or twice a year) and a new head- works to screen paper and oth- er non-biodegradables to go to landfill. Phase I cost is around $4 million and is designed for the estimated 20 year flow rate, though the equipment and, if well maintained, could last up to 40 plus years. This phase should be completed in Febru- ary 2007, and may cause some traffic diversions while they in- stall a forcemain line under a portion of Bridge St. Plans for Phase II of the project, with an estimated cost of $5.6 million, have not been finalized. What is known about Phase II is that it will include storage, either by yard piping, raising lagoon walls, and/or by lining the currently unlined la- goon; plus a chlorine contact chamber for final treatment; a laboratory/operations building for monitoring sites and chemi- cal storage; plus membrane fa- cilities to scrub the liquid and take out metals, and even some viruses, before final dis- charge or irrigation use. The engineers, the city, and the Public Works Committee are looking at three options for Phase II. All the options being reviewed call for the final result to be a level IV effluent, which is clean enough to be used for irrigation. The hope is to bring Please see page 4 Presentation on SDCs tells how they started and how they’re used Photo by Rebecca Jensen State Representative Brad Witt performed the ribbon cutting honors for the official open- ing of the Vernonia Community Learning Center. The September 16 opening continued with refreshments and live entertainment. For more information on Learning Center activ- ities, please see page 12. Rain eliminates water restrictions The water emergency in Vernonia is over. When Ver- nonia city staff read the Rock Creek gauge on Wednesday, September 20, the flow was measured at 17.3 cfs. A water shortage emergency is de- clared when the flow decreas- es to 12 cfs or less. No restrictions on water use are in place at this time. The rains of the past week have brought the flows up and have even brought the first few Salmon up Rock Creek. St. Mary’s 36th Annual Quilt Fair Dogs & Salmon Sept. 21-24, 2006 …a dangerous combination See page 23 960 Missouri Ave. Vernonia The September 18, Vernon- ia City Council meeting started with a presentation on SDC’s (System Development Charges) by Shaun Pigott, an SDC specialist. An SDC is a one-time charge for new users to recover the cost of new con- nections and added capacity to a city’s systems—wastewater, sewer, streets, etc. Pigott spoke specifically about Ver- nonia’s wastewater SDC. Prior to 1987, Pigott ex- plained, many Oregon cities had some form of new develop- ment fees. The 1989 Legisla- ture passed the SDC Act, which set up the current sys- tem of SDC’s used throughout Oregon (which went into effect July 1, 1991). Please see page 4 Cougar attacks mare in Creekview area A cougar attacked an Arabi- an mare near Keasey Road, and Creekview Lane, on Sep- tember 5. Livestock kept in open pastures appear to be safer than those in or near wooded areas. If you see a cougar, or sus- pect a cougar attack, contact Rick Boatner, NW Region As- sistant Director Wildlife Biolo- gist at 503-621-3025, or OSP Wildlife Officer in St. Helens at 503-397-3131.
