The INDEPENDENT, November 20, 2008
Page 5
Columbia County update of transit plan includes Vernonia meeting
Columbia County is currently
undertaking an update of the
Community-Wide Transit Plan
that was previously completed
in 2002, and is also completing
an additional planning effort to
improve public transit access
along U.S. Highway 30. These
efforts began in August and, as
a result of the work completed
by Kittelson & Associates, Inc.,
three Community Open Houses
will be held to share information
and ask for public input regard-
ing these projects. The meet-
ings are scheduled as follows:
• Thursday, December 4, at
Columbia County Courthouse,
230 Strand Street, St. Helens,
from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.
• Monday, December 8, at
Vernonia City Hall, 1001 Bridge
Street, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, December 9, at
Clatskanie River Inn, 600 East
Columbia River Highway, from
5:30 to 8:00 p.m.
County Transit Division staff
and consultants working on this
project want to hear people’s
opinions about a wide range of
public transit-related issues
and services, including transit
fares; improvements to fixed-
route, demand-response bus
and intercity bus service; the
design and location of potential
facilities improvements, includ-
ing vanpool, carpool, park and
ride facilities and other transit
stops; and coordination be-
tween the County, state and lo-
cal communities and other
transportation providers.
The planning projects will
take a comprehensive look at
how to provide better access to
public transportation within the
county. Columbia County Rider,
a service of Columbia County
Transit Division, provides gen-
eral public transportation within
Columbia County, with services
to surrounding counties. Two
related projects – the Columbia
County Community-wide Tran-
sit Plan Update and the U.S. 30
Transit Access Plan – are cur-
rently underway and will as-
sess the effectiveness of cur-
rent transit services and facili-
ties. The two projects will result
in recommendations for im-
provements to the public transit
system that serves Columbia
County and the cities of
Clatskanie, Columbia City,
Prescott, Rainier, St. Helens,
Scappoose and Vernonia and
improve coordination with other
service providers, i.e., TriMet,
CUBS in Longview, and Sunset
Empire Transportation in Clat-
sop County.
The Transit Plan Update
builds on the Columbia County
Community-wide Transit Plan,
adopted in 2002, and the Coor-
dinated Transit Services Plan,
completed in 2007. The updat-
County will seek judicial ruling on
implementation of Measure 5-190
Ballot Measure 5-190 was
put on the November 4, 2008,
Columbia County ballot via the
initiative process and requires
the County to prohibit employ-
ment of unauthorized aliens.
The measure makes it illegal
for any employer in the county
to knowingly or intentionally
hire unauthorized aliens and
sets a system of penalties and
procedures for enforcement.
The measure was approved by
57 percent of those voting.
Due to the complexity of the
issues that this Measure rais-
es, the County obtained a legal
opinion, which is posted on the
County’s website at www.co.co
lumbia.or.us The opinion states
that it may not be legal to im-
plement one or more of the pro-
visions of the Employment of
Unauthorized Aliens Ordi-
nance. However, the County
will comply with voter intent to
the extent possible and intends
to submit an implementing ordi-
nance to the Circuit Court at
the earliest possible date and
ask the court for a determina-
tion of whether the ordinance is
legally valid under ORS 33.710
to ORS 33.720.
The notice of the legal pro-
ceedings will be published for
three weeks, and within 10
days after the date of the final
publication. Any interested per-
son may appear before the
court and participate in the pro-
ceedings.
The Board of County Com-
missioners appreciates your
patience as the County sorts
through the legal issues arising
from this measure.
ed Transit Plan will provide fur-
ther direction for the planning
and implementation of transit
services, operations, facilities,
funding, and promotion/infor-
mation efforts for the next 10
years.
In concert with the Transit
Plan update, Columbia County
is developing a Transit Access
Management Plan for U.S. 30.
This related project will identify
improvements for pedestrian
and bicycle access to transit on
the U.S. 30 corridor, develop
designs for urban and rural bus
stops/pullouts, and create a
program for park-and-ride or
park-and-pool lots. Recom-
mended improvements within
the corridor will build on, and be
consistent with, the existing
and recommended future tran-
sit system that is identified in
Transit Plan.
Results of these projects, to
date, will be presented at the
meetings along with a variety of
opportunities to comment on
potential changes in transit
fares and service and the loca-
tion and design of new or im-
proved facilities.