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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2006)
Page 2 The INDEPENDENT, September 21, 2006 The INDEPENDENT Published on the first and third Thursdays of each month by The Independent, LLC, 725 Bridge St., Vernonia, OR 97064. Phone/Fax: 503-429-9410. Publisher Clark McGaugh, clark@the-independent.net Editor Rebecca McGaugh, rebecca@the-independent.net Assoc. Editor Noni Andersen, noni@the-independent.net Opinion Planning should precede any mill site development The City of Vernonia is talking about developing the old mill site for various purposes. The only develop- ment certain at this time, is that the Vernonia Senior Center will be built near the lake parking lot. Aside from that, projects under discussion include a skills park, irrigation areas for Level 4 (safe) waste- water, RV park, interpretive center, and occasional oth- er ideas. While there is nothing wrong with considering how the area may be utilized, something important is being bypassed. There is no Master Plan for the site. The lake and the primitive camping area are well used, but there is no consideration of how those uses will mesh with future projects. Nor has any considera- tion been given to the wildlife that use the area – deer, rabbits, river otters, water fowl, raptors, song birds and more. Perhaps some “wild space” should be included in planning. One thing is certain: It is vital that all projects be carefully considered, not just what they are, but how they fit together, whether they are appropriate for the area, whether they have community support, and how they can be accomplished. The INDEPENDENT has often asked the city coun- cil to include maintenance of current assets in plan- ning. Without a master plan for the mill site, it will be very easy to ruin what we now have, while calling it “progress.” Help, ideas needed for activities Putting on a community event such as the Salmon Festival, Jamboree or River Fest involves a lot of plan- ning and organizing, work that is done behind the scenes, rarely recognized by people at the event. The same is true for projects sponsored by Vernonia Pride, Vernonia Cares and others. If you have ideas about any of these community events, whether you think there was too little of some- thing or too much of something, or something that was missing, etc., you could be a valuable asset to that ef- fort. When enough people are involved in putting to- gether an event, less time is required of just a few vol- unteers. If you’re not already involved, why not give it a try? Where to Find Them Here is a handy list you can use to contact the elected officials for your district. US Sen. Ron Wyden (Dem-OR) 700 NE Multnomah St, Suite 450 Portland OR 97232 Phone: 503-326-7525 516 Hart Senate Ofc. Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-5244 Website: http://wyden.senate.gov Sen. Betsy Johnson (Dem-16) PO Box R Scappoose, OR 97056 Phone: 503-543-4046 Fax: 503-543-5296 900 Court St. NE, S-314 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1716 Fax: 503-986-1940 E-mail: sen.betsyjohnson@state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or.us/johnson US Sen. Gordon Smith (Rep-OR) One World Trade Center 121 SW Salmon St., Suite 1250 Portland, OR 97204 Phone: 503-326-3386 Fax: 503-326-2900 404 Russell Senate Ofc. Bldg. Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: 202-224-3753 Website: http://gsmith.senate.gov Rep. Brad Witt (Dem-31) 21740 Lindberg Road Clatskanie, OR 97016 Phone: 503-728-4664 900 Court St. NE, H-373 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1431 E-mail: rep.bradwitt@state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or.us/witt US Rep. David Wu (Dem-01) 620 SW Main, Suite 606 Portland OR 97205 Phone: 503-326-2901 Fax: 503-326-5066 1023 Longworth Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202-225-0855 Fax: 202-225-9497 Website: http://house.gov/wu Rep Deborah Boone (Dem-32) PO Box 637 Cannon Beach, OR 97110 Phone: 503-717-9182 900 Court St. NE, H-375 Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 503-986-1432 E-mail: rep.deborahboone@state.or.us Website: http//www.leg.state.or.us/boone
