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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (July 3, 2008)
Page 4 The INDEPENDENT, July 3, 2008 Rail study begins along Hwy 30 in Columbia County Fire Season and fireworks danger Columbia County will begin the U.S. Hwy 30 Lower Colum- bia River Rail Corridor Study on Widening causes Jackson School Road closures Jackson School Road will be closed between Evergreen Road and Meek Road from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily, July 7 through July 21 for road widening. Signs advising of the upcoming daytime closures are posted. The closure will allow Wash- ington County’s contractor, Baker Rock, to widen the road shoulders. After the road has been widened, it will be paved and restriped. All work is ex- pected to be complete by July 28. This schedule may change due to weather, work sched- ules, or availability of materi- als. For a current schedule, check www.wc-roads.com. Tuesday, July 8, at the Colum- bia 911 Center, 58611 McNulty Way, St. Helens. The kickoff meeting will start at 1:00 p.m. The County has hired the consulting firm of HDR, Inc, to work with local communities along the corridor to assess the impacts of roadway/railroad conflicts due to new and in- creased industrial develop- ment, provide an assessment of safety issues that will affect motor traffic on U.S. Hwy 30, and police and emergency is- sues. The study area address- es rail issues from the Colum- bia County line at the south end of Scappoose to Tongue Point in Clatsop County. The purpose of the study is to unite the communities along the rail corridor to support a co- herent vision for improvements to safety and mobility where roadway and railroad routes conflict. The impetus for the study was provided by the opening of the newly construct- ed Cascade Grain Ethanol Plant, at Port Westward. The plant requires 110-car unit trains to bring in corn for the production of ethanol. The planning process will look at existing conditions, in- cluding current operational characteristics of the roadways and highway/rail grade cross- ings and provide a prioritized list of projects for each commu- nity that will improve safety and access across the rail corridor. Funding for this planning ef- fort has been provided by a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Ad- ministration, and matched by $25,000, each, from Columbia County and Clatsop County. The planning process is ex- pected to take approximately six months, ending in Decem- ber of 2008. Anyone interested in participating in this planning effort is welcome to attend the meeting. From page 1 With the July 4th weekend coming up, add the additional risk of fireworks-related fires. “It’s a definite concern this time of year and the message should be clear – use fireworks responsibly, exercising ex- treme caution, and that means no use in areas of dry grass, brush or forest vegetation,” said Simek. Fires resulting from fireworks can result in sig- nificant liabilities, consider the following: • Start a fire with fireworks and you can be held responsi- ble to reimburse the landowner for the value of real property losses and timber damaged or destroyed. • If the fire occurs on private forestlands protected by the Oregon Department of Fores- try, you can be billed for the en- tire cost of putting out the fire. • Parents are legally respon- sible for at least $5,000 of the costs to put out fires caused by their child’s use of fireworks. • Using fireworks on federal forestland can get you arrested and jailed. Fire officials urge everyone to use good fire prevention practices, whether working or playing in the forests or other areas of flammable vegetation. For information regarding current public and industrial regulations in effect in our local forests, contact the Columbia City office, Oregon Department of Forestry at 503-397-2636. Free SBA briefing on small business loans The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Portland district office will hold a briefing on Financing a Small Busi- ness. The session is free and will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 17, at 601 S.W. Second Ave., Suite 2030, Portland. Community Calendar VERNONIA Alcoholics Anonymous Monday 6:30 p.m., 410 North Street American Legion Post #119 2nd Thursday 7:00 p.m., 627 Adams Avenue Arts & Crafts Society 2nd Thursday 2:00 p.m., City Library Booster Club 2nd Wednesday 7:00 p.m., VHS Library Boy Scout Troop 201 Tuesdays 7:00 p.m., Scout Cabin Boy Scout Troop 860 Wednesdays 7:00 p.m., LDS Church Cemetery Beautification Comm. 2nd Thursday 6:30 p.m., City Hall CERT 4th Wednesday For Info Call 503-429-3018 Chamber of Commerce 2nd Wednesday For Info Call 503-429-6081 Community Coalition 2nd Monday 12:30 p.m. School District Ofc. Cub Scout Pack 201 Scout Cabin For Info Call 503-429-4250 Friends of the Library 1st Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Vernonia Library Girl Scouts, Neighborhood 4-2 For Info Call 503-819-0143 Hands On Art Committee 1st & 3rd Thursdays 4:00 p.m., City Hall Izaak Walton League 3rd Thursday For location call 503-429-7193 Lions Club 1st & 3rd Tuesdays 6:30 p.m., Buckhorn Restaurant Municipal Airport Committee 4th Thursday 7:00 p.m., City Hall Narcotics Anonymous Saturdays 7:00 p.m., 410 North Street Pioneer Museum For Info Call 503-429-3713 Public Works Committee 4th Tuesday 7:00 p.m., City Hall Vernonia Cares Directors For Info call 503-429-1414 Vernonia City Council 1st & 3rd Mondays 7:00 p.m., City Hall Vernonia Community PTA 3rd Thursday 7:00 p.m., WGS Library Vernonia Grange 3rd Monday 7:00 p.m., Grange Hall Vernonia Health Center 2nd Monday 6:00 p.m., 510 Bridge St. Vernonia Learning Center 1st Wednesday 6:00 p.m., VLC Vernonia Parks Committee 3rd Wednesday 6:30 p.m., City Hall Vernonia Planning Comm. 1st & 3rd Thursdays 7:00 p.m., City Hall Vernonia Pride 3rd Thursday 1:00 p.m., City Hall Vernonia Ridge Riders Last Thursday 7:00 p.m., Senior Center Vernonia RFPD Board 2nd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Fire Station Vernonia School Board 2nd Thursday 6:00 p.m., District Office Vernonia Sr. Center Board 2nd Friday 1:00 p.m., Senior Center Vernonia Transfer Station 2nd & 4th Saturdays, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Behind VHS Vern. Volunteer Ambulance Assoc. 1st Thursday 7:00 p.m., Fire Station Vernonia Volunteer Firefighters 2nd Monday 7:00 p.m., Fire Station WOEC Directors 3rd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., WOEC MIST-BIRKENFELD M-BRFPD Board Business Mtg. 2nd Tuesday M-BRFPD Board Workshop 4th Tuesday M-B Ambulance Drill 1st & 2nd Thursdays M-B Fire Drill 1st & 2nd Wednesdays M-B Helping Circle 2nd Monday M-B SAR Drill 3rd Wednesday M-B Volunteer Assoc. 1st Tuesday Natal Grange 2nd Wednesday T.O.P.S. Mondays Upr Nehalem Watershed Council For date call 429-2401 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:30 p.m., Natal Grange Hall 6:00 p.m., Main Fire Station 7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station BANKS Alcoholics Anonymous Fridays 7:30 p.m., Methodist Church Alcoholics Anonymous Wednesdays 7:30 p.m., Methodist Church American Legion Post #90 2nd Tuesdays 7:30 p.m., Main Street Post Banks City Council 2nd Tuesday 7:30 p.m., City Hall Banks Fire District #13 2nd Wednesday 7:00 p.m., Station 13 Banks Library Commission 3rd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., City Library Banks Planning Commission Last Tuesday 7:00 p.m., City Hall Banks School Board 2nd Monday 7:30 p.m., Jr. High Library Banks Youth Group Sundays, Wednesdays 7:00 p.m., UMC Youth Bldg. Chamber of Commerce 1st Thursday 12:30 p.m., Fire District Office CPO 14 3rd Monday 7:00 p.m., City Library Friends of the Library 2nd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., City Library Lions Club 1st & 3rd Mondays 7:00 p.m., Brown Derby Sunset Park Assoc. 3rd Wednesday 8:00 p.m., Gun Club T.O.P.S. Wednesdays 7:00 p.m., Administration Bldg. COLUMBIA COUNTY (All meet in St. Helens unless otherwise noted.) Board of Commissioners Wednesdays 10 a.m., Courthouse Citizens for Senior Justice 2nd Tuesday 7:00 p.m., Sunset Park Church Columbia Soil & Water District 3rd Wednesday 7:30 p.m., NRCS , 2514 Sykes County Fair Board 2nd Monday 7:00 p.m., Fairgrounds 4-H Bldg. County Parks Commission 3rd Monday 6:00 p.m., 1054 Oregon St. Mental Health Advisory Comm. Quarterly For Info call 503-397-7211 Comm. on Children & Families 3rd Thursday 5:30 p.m. OSU Ext., 505 N. Hwy. 30 Local Alcohol & Drug Plann. Comm. Quarterly For Info call 503-397-7211 Organizations and meeting dates not listed may be included by calling 429-9410 or by mail to The INDEPENDENT, 725 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR 97064.
