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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 2007)
The INDEPENDENT, June 21, 2007 Page 13 “Crime is down in the city,” Sheriff’s Deputy Tan tells council “…you have a good chance of getting water,” Bob Long, as- sociate hydrologist of Golder Associates, told the Banks City Council at their June 12 meet- ing. The city has been working with Schroeder Law Offices to retain/obtain water rights for the city. Attorney Colm Moore, of Schroeder, appeared with Long to make recommenda- tions to the city from the find- ings produced by Golder Asso- ciates. If the permit is issued as requested, the city would be al- lowed to withdraw up to an ad- ditional 450 gallons per minute. In May, the council approved hiring Golder Associates as a last ditch effort to secure the city’s resources. Upon initial re- view, the determination looked unfavorable but, according to Golder Associates, several er- roneous assumptions were made regarding water level trends. Based on Golder’s findings, Long believes that an argument can be made to grant a new permit to the City of Banks. Mayor Branstitre requested council approval for the addi- tional $3,400 for supplementary work, time and materials, and that the city move forward on the permit application. The council supported the request unanimously. Council was also unanimous in the selection of Kennedy/ Jenks Consultants for the con- tract position of city engineer. With NW Natural Gas and Verizon contracts due for re- newal, City Attorney Jim Lucas Just the finest in collision repair urged council to approve three emergency ordinances for legal protections that should be in place prior to negotiating new contracts with vendors who want to use the city’s right of ways. All emergency ordi- nances were adopted. Council also approved, by a 4-1 vote, Ordinance No 130. 05(B), regulating possession of replica firearms in public places. Councilor Craig Stew- art, who opposed the ordi- nance, expressed appreciation that the language in the ordi- nance was amended to allow the fire department to use replica firearms in public places for training and educa- tional activities. Resolution No. 2007-13, which includes the mayor’s vote only when necessary to break a tie vote of council members, and was a heated topic at prior council meet- ings, carried unanimously. Council President Pete Edi- son commented that “looks like everyone’s wishes were incorporated.” Deputy Tran, Washington County Sheriff’s Office reported it “appears that our presence is making a difference, crime is down in the city.” There were four arrests and 16 citations in May. Deputy Tran was informed of upcoming summer events in the city and will request extra patrol for the Independence Day holiday, Sunset Park Raceway events, and some miscellaneous activities. Councilor Jason Short an- nounced that Greenville Park Management Committee is working on showing free movies in the park to increase community feeling. Conces- sions such as popcorn, cotton candy, pop, and candy will be sold as a fundraiser. City Recorder said that she would check into adding a line on the water bill to advertise the event. The park committee may need to apply for a permit for the event, which is tentatively scheduled for Friday, July 27. Council approved a contract for Psalm 1 Landscape for landscape maintenance serv- ice for Greenville Park with a 4- 0 vote. Councilor Stewart did not vote because of potential conflicts. Ray Deeth appeared for Banks Historical Society to re- quest continuation of the orga- nization’s lease on the City of Banks log cabin. Council ap- proved the lease request with some revisions in the lease. Deeth submitted a photo- copy of two Tuff Shed plans to council; the dilapidated shed currently located behind the cabin needs to be replaced. Prior to submitting plans to the Banks Planning Commission, Deeth requested input from the council on which shed to select. He also asked the city to con- sider a contribution to help with costs that will be incurred by the historical society for replac- ing the run-down, city-owned shed. Councilor Dan Keller moved that the city contribute $1,050, almost half of the cost, from the city’s donation fund; council approved the motion. Deeth reported that storage will Please see page 14 Kelly retires from school board The June 11 meeting of the Banks School District Board of Directors marked the last in a long run of meetings for Direc- tor Gene Kelly. Kelly has been on the school board since 1994. He will be replaced by Kathy Edison. All of the board members and Superintendent Marv Ott thanked Kelly for his years of service and dedication to the district and he was pre- sented with a plaque. Kelly said, “I’d like to thank the pa- trons of the district for giving me the opportunity to serve them.” He said that it had been an honor and a challenge to serve on the board. Will Moore updated the board on the progress of the new Facility Planning Commit- tee. He said the committee will meet every two weeks in order to have a final report to the board by October. About 12 people will serve on the com- mittee. Moore feels that the group is a strong, “action ori- ented committee.” The group will first address the collection of adequate community demo- graphics and a questionnaire for the administrators to help assess the district’s needs. The board approved the budget for the 2007-08 school year. The budget was devel- oped in accordance with the budget guiding principles and includes some items that were reduced or eliminated in previ- ous years. Highlights of the budget include adding a teacher at the elementary school, adding a math teacher at the high school, returning the junior high sports program to the district, partially funding outdoor school for next year’s sixth graders and an appropria- tion for the Facility Planning Committee. The board also approved the custodial contract with Sodex- ho for 2007-08. The consent agenda was approved with two resigna- tions, elementary music teach- er Janos Nagy and mainte- nance supervisor Steve Blake- ly; and two hires, teachers Kim Carson for sixth grade and Cindy West for second grade. SUNSET LAUNDRY Wash…$1.25 Dry…25¢ 180 S. Main St. • Banks, Oregon S TRASSEL ’ S A UTO R EPAIR & H YDRAULIC H OSES 2-4-6 S PIRAL W IRE • F LANGE H EAD • S UCTION H OSES A DAPTORS - 3/16” TO 2” • B ULK O IL P RODUCTS 276 S UNSET , B ANKS • 503-324-9808 No Custom Work CHERRY PRODUCTS Auto Body & Paint 1875 E. Baseline Cornelius 5 3 0 - 3 5 9 - 5 9 9 3 Since Since 1976 1976 Duron Duron Roofing Roofing Enjoy a Banks Style 4th of July at 503-615-8426 503-615-8426 1898 E. E. Main Main St. St. 1898 Hillsboro OR OR 97123-4346 97123-4346 CCB # 36084 Hillsboro 660 So. Main, Banks • 503-324-2171
