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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (May 21, 2009)
Page 12 The INDEPENDENT, May 21, 2009 “You have pretty good water system,” Banks City Council told Starting the May 12 meeting of the Banks City Council, May- or John Kinsky proclaimed the week of May 17-23 as Emer- gency Medical Services Week, noting the vital public service and the dedication of emer- gency medical services person- nel, who provide lifesaving care to those in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and that access to quality emer- gency care dramatically im- proves survival and recovery rate of those who experience sudden illness or injury. Gordon Munro of Kennedy /Jenks Consultants, submitted the draft Water Master Plan to council, noting that “really you have a pretty good water sys- tem.” According to Munro, the system is set for expansion in all directions; but the biggest is- sue is a 27 percent loss of wa- ter. In 2008, the system served 1,875 customers with a reliable capacity of 340 gpm. The city’s water sources are the large Green Mountain Spring, the small Green Mountain Spring (not used), and Behrman Well no. 1. The sources have ade- quate water to serve the exist- ing population, including during high demand periods. Existing water storage should be ade- quate for up to 15 years, but North Star Reservoir has visi- ble deterioration. For water treatment, the slow sand filter operates adequately, and has adequate capacity for the avail- able sources. Gas chlorine is used at both the North Star Reservoir and Behrman Well, Munro said, which is “okay, but most people are moving away from [it].” Acceptance of the draft plan is contingent on the state of Oregon's review. Consideration of final adoption is scheduled for the June 9, City Council meeting. City Manager Jim Hough re- ported that the city is beginning the next phase of the sidewalk report project. Safe Sidewalks, Inc., conducted a demonstra- tion of a new, inexpensive tech- nology for making minor side- walk repairs using a concrete cutting system, rather than grinding or complete replace- ment, and trimmed the side- walk in front of city hall. The company has been contracted by the city to trim sidewalks near the library and Log Cabin Park. The Washington County Re- serves Coordinating Commit- tee has endorsed scaling down the urban reserves study area from 107,000 acres to 47,000 acres; they have not begun re- viewing specific properties for recommendation to the Metro Reserves Steering Committee. The city is continuing to poll surrounding property owners as to whether or not they want Washington County to desig- nate their property as rural re- serves. The property owners who have been contacted, so far, do not want to have their property taken out of develop- ment potential for the next 50 years. The City has applied for a FEMA grant for roof repairs ne- cessitated by the heavy snow- storm last December. Hough credited Levi Eckhardt of the Banks Fire Department for communicating this grant op- portunity to the city. The City is working on a grant from the 3M Corporation to upgrade and replace all of the traffic and street signs in Banks. If the grant is obtained, reflective material will be given to the city without charge; the city can use state gas tax funds to make and install the signs. Council held a hearing on Banks proposed 2009-10 Fis- cal Year budget. There was no Yard Care Made Easy citizen opposition during the hearing. Council later approved the proposed budget. Hough brought Council an agreement with Comcast of Tu- alatin Valley, Inc., to provide Public Communication Network (PCN) services for the city. The current agreement expires on June 30 and, according to Hough, the longer the lease, the more money the city can save. A Comcast representa- tive pointed out that each time the city renews the agreement, the rate increases, and recom- mended that the agreement in- clude a provision for terminat- ing the services sooner if the MACC small cities grant were to stop. Council approval car- ried unanimously. Mr. and Mrs. Cameron Crop, customers of the Banks Water Utility outside the City, disputed water charges for leakage in their water system. During rou- tine water meter reading, Pub- lic Works Supervisor Fred Evers noticed that the meter in- dicated excessive water use, and notified the Crops, who im- mediately fixed the problem. The Crops’ water bill was $5,589.55 but, under the city’s new policy to encourage water conservation, their amount was cut in half because they promptly remedied the prob- lem. The Crops appealed for a further reduction of charges be- cause of mitigating circum- stances described as: 1) “Our catastrophic and hidden back flow valve failure was obviously not your run-of-the-mill leak. Got Tough Grass? Get a Tough Stihl Trimmer! Prices starting at $149.95 PRECISION OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT Banks Hardware 503-324-5221 • 150 N. Main Street, Banks FS 55 Versatile, straight-shaft trimmer and brushcutter for consumer or light-duy professional use. 5/31/09 Mon - Fri 8am to 6pm Saturday 8am to 5pm Sunday 10am to 4pm 5/31/09 This type of failure could have been identified by the Water Department’s REQUIRED me- ter reading. 2) The City of Banks Water Department made a conscious decision to entirely SKIP our meter reading for the month of December which is normally done on the 25th of every month. Our off-the-chart meter reading was one full month LATE.” Council denied the appeal. Mr. and Mrs. Scott Shellman, who reside outside of the Banks City Limits, requested that the city allow the Banks Fire District to access and draw water from the city reservoir at the end of NW Gould Lane for firefighting purposes, in the event of a house or forest fire in that area. The Shellmans are not customers of the Banks Water Utility. According to the City, it ap- pears that the Shellmans are attempting to comply with county regulations to expand a home of 3,600 square feet in an unincorporated area, which re- quires either an installed sprin- kler system or a holding pond on the property. Council, which previously decided to ban addi- tional service outside the city limits, denied the request. This is “not something the city should be involved with,” Coun- cilor Mark Gregg said, “the [fire] codes are clear.” Council approved an agree- ment for service with GovOf- fice, to provide web-hosting service for the City of Banks. See Council on page 13