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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (March 5, 2009)
The INDEPENDENT, March 5, 2009 Page 5 Life Saving Awards top Council Agenda Town Hall on school sites The meritorious efforts of St. Helens Police Officer José Castillia, St. Helens Detective Jere- my Howell, Columbia County Sheriff’s Deputy Troy Caldwell, and Vernonia Police Officers Jeff Dalrymple and Mike Connor were recognized by the City of Vernonia with Life Saving Awards, at a March 2 ceremony. Vernonia Interim Police Chief Mike Kay presented Life Saving Awards at the Vernonia City Council meeting, March 2, to five law enforcement offi- cers, because of an action that started as a welfare check, then turned into a multi-agency law enforcement effort with a good outcome. The Vernonia Police Department received a call from a mother from out of town who was worried because her five-year-old son was with his father in Vernonia and the father had called her, apparent- ly threatening to kill himself and perhaps kill someone else, too. When Officers Mike Connor and Jeff Dalrymple responded, they found that the man had the boy and was armed, so they withdrew and called the county multi-agency team. St. Helens Detective Jeremy How- ell and Officer José Castillia, both trained crisis negotiators, and Columbia County Deputy Sheriff Troy Caldwell respond- ed. While Howell and Castillia talked with the father, who was threatening to shoot, Deputy Caldwell crawled around the house, listening and reporting where the man was. After much effort by Howell and Castillia, the man surrendered without harm and was taken into cus- tody. The child, who wasn’t harmed, was sound asleep when officers entered the house. Many understandably proud family members attended the awards ceremony. During the regular meeting, Council discussed citizens’ concerns about some conse- quences of the state smoking ban in businesses. One con- cern is the need to walk through clouds of smoke gen- erated by smokers who congre- gate on sidewalks because they must now go outside to smoke; others are the accumu- lation of cigarette butts on side- walks and, because of down- town’s many old wooden build- ings, the increased potential for fire from carelessly discarded cigarettes. After considering several approaches, Council agreed with a citizen’s sugges- tion that they send a letter to the owners of businesses that generate the problem, asking for ways to help alleviate the situation. Another citizen sent a re- quest to the Council that the city ban sex offenders from liv- ing within 5,000 feet of schools, homes, or other places where children gather. Chief Kay said that state laws take precedent regarding sex offenders. In other business, Council: • Approved Mayor Sally Har- rison’s appointment of Neil Lloyd to the Library Board. • Reviewed the minutes from meetings of the Vernonia Eco- nomic Development Commit- tee, Planning Commission, Parks Committee, Cemetery Committee and Library Board; • Approved a request from the Parks Committee for a pub- lic meeting to hear from citizens about possible uses of Vernon- ia Lake, as a part of developing a plan for the lake; • Unanimously approved the renewal of liquor licenses for Black Bear Coffee Co., Bridge Street Mini Mart, Cedar Side Inn, Tice Inc (Buckhorn Restau- rant), and the Lyon’s Den. Also approved for renewal were liquor licenses for the Blue House Cafe, with Councilor Brett Costley abstaining, and Vernonia Sentry Market, with Councilor Randy Parrow ab- staining; • Approved a timeline for re- cruiting a new city administra- tor, contingent upon Interim Ad- ministrator Jim Johnson’s an- swer about whether he would continue working with the city as a consultant; • Received an update on the Youth Service Team; • Reviewed forms being used to track police officers’ fre- quency, time and types of activ- ities and responses; • Approved a contract, not to exceed $31,000, for develop- ment of a Storm Drainage Mas- ter Plan. The cost will come from storm water system devel- opment charges. Daylight Savings Time starts at 2:00 a.m. Sun- day, March 8. Move your clocks forward one hour. From page 1 pared with the original concept drawing that would have re- quired 30-40 acres. Superintendent Dr. Ken Cox talked to the crowd about the concept of the school’s being the “greenest” in the nation with help from donors and stimulus dollars. Cox went on to bring up a bond for November. Ever since the flood, in all discus- sions about the schools, it has been clear that the community will need to help fund some part of the new schools. How much that bond may be for is up in the air and depends on many cost factors, including cost of the site, cost of infra- structure, cost of building, cost of equipment. Some of the equipment costs will be taken care of by the $381,000 that was recently announced as part of a government bill spon- sored in part by Representative Wu. The next steps include the board’s siting decision, the se- lection of one of 10 architectur- al firms that recently replied to a request for proposal (RFP) put out by the district, and the procurement of the site so site preparation can begin. In the meantime, community input is still being sought via an online survey at www.vernon- ia.k12.or.us. Additional infor- mation about each site and the decision process is also avail- able on the district’s website. Color photo on Page 24