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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 2008)
Page 22 The INDEPENDENT, August 21, 2008 From the City Letters From page 4 This fall the City intends to bring in Westside Trail Federa- tion, a group of volunteer trail- builders with experience work- ing in the Tillamook State for- est, who are excited to help move this project forward. Alta Planning and Design was hired to create a detailed plan for the Dirt Jump Park area of the project, a plan that was accepted by the Parks Committee on July 16th and by the City Council on August 4th. The Dirt Jump Park is expected to be built by Westside Trail Federation volunteers and in- terested locals. As was ex- plained to the Parks Commit- tee, the $931 quoted in The In- dependent is actually being used to oversee construction of stunt features, so they are built to safe standards. By the way, the features will be secured with stakes and chains to pre- vent them from moving again in the case of more flooding. The Parks Committee wasn’t told this. As I understand it, the Lion’s Club still intends to pour a concrete slab in the area for the long awaited Skateboard Park. Even though this project is sponsored by the City, the proj- ect must still go through a reg- ular permit process – the same permit process required of a private development. In my experience, projects being spearheaded by volun- teer efforts can take years to plan, and often just as long to implement. This project has been funded almost exclusively with grant funds that have been secured through the hard work of local volunteers. About $36,000 has been received to date, with an additional $247,000 pledged from Oregon State Parks. The Master Plan Mariolino’s Save Two Dollars Off Large Combo Pizza With this Coupon! Coupon 9-4-08 Coupon expires 6-19-08 721 Madison Ave.,Vernonia • 503-429-5018 "A Trusted Name in Funeral Service" Fuiten, Rose & Hoyt Funeral Home Third Generation Family Owned & Operated Jeffrey Hoyt, Gregory Hoyt, Christopher Hoyt, Ross Mathews, Jane Schneider, Dan Raney, Yvonne La Mont, Jose Lopez. Stephanie Kachmarek Attendant: Ray Pelster process completed at the be- ginning of the project helped secure the grants. The Mayor mentioned to me that the community is in need of economic stimulus and that youth and adults in this com- munity need healthy outdoor activities and places to recre- ate. This past spring the Ver- nonia community identified “places and activities for youth” as a main priority during the “Vision 2020” process. The Bicycle Skills Park is un- der way and has the potential to draw visitors and meet the needs of this community. The City’s hope is that the commu- nity will continue to see the val- ue of this project and support it. While the Skills Park will not, by itself, solve all of our economic problems, it will very likely at- tract more people to Vernonia who will spend money in area businesses. From page 3 have the sheriff and his staff fo- cusing their attention on…not chasing after reports of alleged illegal workers filed anony- mously by some disgruntled competitor. Twice, in the short time I’ve lived here, this county has voted down levies to in- crease the number of deputies here, so I can’t imagine there are a bunch of ‘em sitting around, waiting for something to do. When your resources are limited, you’ve got to prioritize where you use them…and sud- denly adding tasks that already belong to OTHER agencies just doesn’t seem very smart to me. Enforcement. This is the one that gets me itchiest. Fact is, no matter what Mayo’s supporters tell you, there is no foolproof method in this country to verify if someone is a legal worker. Hell, the Social Security Admin- istration just screwed up my re- placement card…and they’ve State Farm ® Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710 been taking money out of my paychecks for over thirty years. So, if these bills are put into ef- fect, there’s a very real chance that your law-abiding hair- dresser, doctor, or local grocer could be shut down and fined because they hired someone – in good faith – based on false documents they were given. Or because a perfectly valid SS card, for any of a number of reasons, fails to check out (I’ve known a couple of people who have had that happen, I’ll bet it’s pretty common). For these and a bunch of other reasons, I think these measures are a bad idea…not to mention dangerous. There’s no question that the immigra- tion system in this country is flawed, and needs to be fixed – soon. But these measures are definitely not part of the solu- tion. I’ll have to accept that I’ll be written into Mayo’s Bad American book, because I’m definitely voting against these unaffordable, unenforceable laws. Jeff Fullerton Deer Island Bunny Girt, Agent 1229 N. Adair PO Box 543 Cornelius, OR 97113-0543 Bus 503-357-3131 Fax 503-357-9667 bunny.girt.b71g@statefarm.com Obituary WENDELL F. JAMES Wendell F. James, 85, Portland, died August 1, 2008. A gathering and interment will take place later. Mr. James was born November 8, 1922, in Banks, to Forrest and Elva Coffee James. He graduated from Jef- ferson High School in Portland. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. In 1948, he married Lucille P. Sawyer. They made their home in Port- land, Denver, Colorado and Forest Grove. He worked for Bell Telephone, Northwest Natural Gas, and later in shipping for Southern Pacific until he retired. He was preceded in death by his wife. Survivors include three daughters, Direct Cremation 550 $ Direct Burial 750 $ Plus Cemetery Costs 2308 Pacific Av. Frst Grv....357-2161 741 Madison Av. Vern.........429-6611 E-mail: Fuitenrosehoyt@aol.com Tualatin Valley Funeral Alternatives To sign the online guestbook or send a condolence to the family, go to: www.fuitenrosehoyt.com 237 West Main St., Hillsboro ~ There are Options ~ www.tualatinvalleyfa.com 503-693-7965 Linda Higginbotham of Aloha, Jackie Syrotchen of Spokane, Washington, and Jill James of Denver, Colorado; four grandchildren and 10 great-grand- children. Tualatin Valley Funeral Alternatives in Hillsboro was in charge of arrange- ments. STEVEN LEE MEYER Steven Lee “Steve” Meyer, 58, Sil- verdale, Washington, died July 21, 2008. A celebration of life was held July 29, with The Reverend C. Eugene Sabin, retired, officiating. Mr. Meyer was born October 4, 1949, in St. Helens, to Otto “Joe” and Hazel (Gouge) Meyer. When he was young the family moved to Forest Grove where he was raised. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam Era. In 1977, he met his life partner, Brenda Jahnsen. They made their home in Garibaldi, Aloha and St. He- lens. He later moved to Silverdale, Wash., to be near his daughter. He worked as a mechanic in the automo- tive repair industry. He was preceded in death by his fa- ther. Survivors include four children, Melinda Lucero of Silverdale, Wash., Danny Hinkle of Portland, Raymond Jahnsen of St. Helens, and Tawyna Wheeler of Gaston; his mother of Cor- nelius; three brothers, Michael of Hills- boro, Roger of Vernonia, and Craig of Hillsboro; several grandchildren; nieces and nephews. Remembrances are suggested to a local V.F.W. or American Legion Post. Fuiten, Rose & Hoyt Funeral Home in Forest Grove was in charge of arrangements. CARD OF THANKS Our families would like to express our sincere thanks for all the support, prayers and sympathy shown to us due to the loss of our beloved one – Brandi Johnston. Your thoughtfulness was greatly appreciated. Jim & Kim (mother) Brown & Casey (brother), Scott Johnston (father) and family members Cathy Howard (grandmother) Kelly Massing (aunt) & family Bill & Dorothy Howard
