PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid Vernonia, OR 97064 Permit No. 37 “Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley” Vol. 24, No. 3 February 5, 2009 Airport zone change gets tentative okay from BOC Giddyup donkeys… The Columbia County Board of Commissioners tentatively approved a zone change re- quest, at their January 28 meeting, for property owned by Tim and Michelle Bero near the Vernonia Airport. The Beros’ request was to rezone 27.8 acres from Prima- ry Forest to Airport Industrial. The Board of Commissioners held the required public hear- ing December 1, 2008, at the Scout Cabin in Vernonia, with 45-50 persons in attendance. Bero told the Board that he barn-like industrial buildings on his property that might employ approximately 20 people per building. Bero has suggested other potential changes that in- clude extending the Vernonia Airport runway onto his proper- ty, adding camping for airport users and turning an existing house on the property into a bed and breakfast. Most of the testimony oppos- ing the zone change came from nearby neighbors, who ad- dressed Bero’s need to use an Please see page 4 Copter crash kills Banks grad Eager riders and sometimes balky donkeys combined for an evening of laughs for those attending the Donkey Basketball games at Vernonia High School on Friday, January 30. Vernonia ordinance targets “dangerous” buildings Vernonia’s City Council una- nimously passed Ordinance No. 855, “An Ordinance Relat- ed to Dangerous Buildings”, at their January 20 meeting. The council has been working on development of this ordinance since a few months after the flood of 2007. Council, and es- pecially Mayor Sally Harrison, expressed concern about the condition of businesses that were flooded on December 3, 2007. The ordinance defines “un- safe buildings” as those which Citizen sues for sewer line damage The City of Vernonia was served with a lawsuit filed Feb- ruary 3 in Columbia County Cir- cuit Court by Vernonia resident Dawn Thompson. Thompson’s suit claims the City of Vernonia has a sewer line under her house that failed, on or about August 9, 2008, causing structural damage, inte- rior floor sagging, foundation collapse, noxious odors and de- posit of sewage on her property. The suit also names City Bank, N.A., who Thompson bought the property from, as a defendant. Thompson is asking $220,0000 plus $2,089 per month for loss of use, and the removal of the sewer line, from the City of Vernonia, and $225,000 plus $2,089 from City Bank, plus costs of the lawsuit and “further equitable relief as the court deems just.” The notice was served on the City’s attorney, Jordan Schrader PC, and will now go to the City’s insurer, CCIS, for review and response. are structurally unsafe or not provided with adequate egress, or which constitute a fire haz- ard, or are otherwise danger- ous to human life. Such build- ings are “hereby declared to be public nuisances and shall be abated by repair, rehabilitation, demolition or removal…” Any building deemed unsafe may be entered and inspected by the city’s building official. If the property owner will not al- low the inspection, the city will be required to obtain a court warrant to enter the premises. At no time during the pro- cess leading up to the adoption of this ordinance have city staff or city council indicated which building or buildings were of concern to them, nor indicated whether they had talked to any property owners about such Please see page 5 Chief Warrant Officer Josh- ua Tillery, a 1995 Banks High School graduate, died when two helicopters crashed on Monday, January 26, in Kirkuk, Iraq. Three other members of his squadron also died in the crash. Tillery started U.S. Army ba- sic training in August 1995 and was in his second tour in Iraq. He had served in the 82nd Air- borne Division and the 2nd In- fantry Division, before becom- ing a helicopter pilot with the 10th Mountain Division, 6th Avi- ation Brigade. He had been awarded two Air Medals, a Pur- ple Heart and a Bronze Star. Tillery was stationed in Ft. Lewis, Washington, when he met Stephanie Charlene, also stationed there. They married in 2001 and have three sons – Alec, Colin and Hayden. Mrs. Tillery is currently expecting the couple’s fourth son. Governor Ted Kulongoski has ordered all flags at public institutions to be flown at half- staff tomorrow, February 6, in memory of Chief Warrant Offi- cer Tillery. A full obituary is on page 21.