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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 19, 2007)
Page 12 The INDEPENDENT, July 19, 2007 Banks City Council gets update on City Manager hiring process Council President Pete Edi- son presided over the Banks City Council meeting on July 10, in the absence of Mayor Teri Branstitre. Raymond Deeth reported on the successful turnout for the grand opening celebration at L.L. “Stub” Stewart State Park. He estimated that 500 people toured the park during the day and he counted 50 more cars driving through while sitting in his campsite after dusk. Deeth commented that Councilor Bri- an Biehl was present for the grand opening and “worked his tail off,” while Jim’s Thriftway provided fruit trays and Ele- ments Café donated pastries, adding a nice touch to the fes- tivities. Deeth also noted that the City has a kiosk in the park but that it doesn't have anything formal in it at this time. The Banks Historical Society has a nice display of artifacts in the visitor's center. City Attorney Jim Lucas commented that the Banks- Vernonia Trail project is moving forward. At this time, the county is working on boundary changes and completing the buyer’s agreement. Councilor Ron Kemper at- tended the Friends of the Li- brary “New Hours” celebration and reported that it was well at- tended. Seventy-three people enjoyed light refreshments and balloon art. Councilor Jason Short was not present at the meeting, but sent an update on the Green- ville Park movie night sched- uled for July 27. The rental agreement has been approved, a flier advertising the event will be sent out in City water bills, and Mayor Branstitre is check- ing the cost of a port-a-potty for the one-night event. If all goes well, the Park Committee hopes to have another movie- in-the-park night in August. The seating is bring your own blan- ket or chairs. Stephen Kiss, president of Banks Youth Soccer Associa- tion requested conditional ap- proval for the association’s rental agreement for quadrants 2 and 3 in Greenville Park for Monday, July 30th, and contin- uing for 15 weeks. The associ- ation is requesting use of the selected areas Mondays– Thursdays from 5:00 p.m. until dusk, and on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. until noon. The asso- ciation had 116 children regis- ter and they do not have enough space. Biehl comment- ed that he thought this was good use of the park. Council gave conditional approval and referred the proposal to the Park Committee for expedited review. June’s police activity report was relayed by Washington County Deputy Scott Bernardi. Deputy Bernardi, who sat in for Deputy Tran, noted that he only occasionally works in the City of Banks and was unable to provide information about the investigation of the vandalism to the gazebo in Greenville Park. He read through the re- port, which indicated that police activity for the City in the month of June was light. Background checks are be- ing run on five applicants for the city manager position, Edi- son told council. Consultants at the League of Oregon Cities said that one background check is complete and the oth- er four will be completed by the July 21 target date, or sooner. All five applicants are from Ore- gon or Washington. Edison hopes to run two interview pan- els and complete the hiring process as soon as possible. Public Works Supervisor Fred Evers told council that parts needed to repair drinking fountains in Greenville Park and Log Cabin Park have been ordered and the fountains will be working soon. He also re- ported that all park benches have been bolted down and that maintenance at the springs and dam has been completed. The dam was completely drained and all leaves and de- bris were removed; it was mucky, he added. Responding to a question from Councilor Brian Biehl on whether the city may run short on water this year, Evers said the water situ- ation is looking good. Edison updated council on the water rights application process. Previously, council ap- proved an expenditure for Golder Associates to compose a letter supporting the City’s pending ground water applica- tions. The City has now re- ceived the Oregon Water Re- sources Department's (OWRD) reimbursement estimate of $1,860, which must be paid in full prior to commencement of work on the the application for an extension of time. If the ap- plication is allowed to expire, the City would need to reapply and the process could take years. Council unanimously ap- proved a motion by Councilor Craig Stewart to approve the expenditure. Council also had to decide how much they will spend to examine the possibility of “proving up” the use from the City’s existing well. The City needs to demonstrate the ben- eficial use of 0.613 cubic feet per second (cfs) from the well. The expenditure is for dropping a better pump into the well for a four-hour period and putting that water to beneficial use. This must be done before OWRD issues a proposed final order on the extension applica- tion, which could be within 30 days of the date they begin pro- cessing the application. Coun- cilor Dan Keller moved to ap- prove up to $3,000 for the pump and a contractor to com- plete the task, adding that council should reconvene if the costs exceed the budgeted amount; all council were in agreement. Please see page 13 Tough tools for tough jobs Tuesday to Saturday 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed Mondays Main Street, Banks PH.503-324-2424 MS170 $ 179 95 Are you Ready? Chainsaw FS 45 $ 129 95 Trimmer Super Quiet Portable Power BG 55 $ 149 95 Blower PRECISION OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT Banks Hardware 503-324-5221 • 150 N. 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