Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 2009)
PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid Vernonia, OR 97064 Permit No. 37 Vol. 24, No. 21 “Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley” November 5, 2009 District voters okay bonds to replace flooded schools The Vernonia School Band added music to the air of celebration for passage of a bond meas- ure to replace flood-damaged schools with new construction…high above the flood plain. Wu gets funds for City, County Congressman David Wu has secured $300,000 for waste- water system improvements in the City of Vernonia, and $500,000 to support the con- struction of an emergency op- erations center in St. Helens. The funds for Vernonia will help relocate the current wastewater treatment facility at a new location that is not in the city’s flood plain, a move that is recommended by both the Army Corps of Engineers and the Oregon Department of En- vironmental Quality. “When Vernonia experi- enced severe flooding nearly two years ago, it became clear that numerous pieces of the city’s infrastructure need to be relocated or renovated in order to withstand future storms,” said Wu. “The funds I secured today will help the city take an- other step toward that goal. Current and future generations of Vernonia residents will all benefit from having an im- proved wastewater system in a more secure location.” Construction of an emer- gency operations center will benefit all areas of the county by providing services during emergencies, training critical first responders, and helping mitigate future incidents. “The natural disasters that have struck Columbia County in recent years have exposed a critical need for disaster mitiga- tion and emergency response capabilities,” said Wu. “This shovel-ready project will pro- vide vital services during an emergency, protecting the lives and homes of Columbia Coun- ty residents. In addition to en- hancing public safety, construc- tion of the emergency opera- tions center will create jobs, re- sulting in immediate and long- term economic benefits for the region.” See WU, page 5 Voters in Vernonia School District 47J passed Bond Mea- sure 5-197 by a margin of al- most two to one. Ballots were cast by 1,465 of the 2,165 reg- istered voters, with the meas- ure receiving 893 yes votes and 570 no votes, or 61.04 per- cent voting yes and 38.96 per- cent of voters saying no. Measure 5-197 allows the school district to sell up to $13 million in bonds to construct new schools out of the flood zones. The bonds will be re- paid by property taxes in about 15 years, instead of the origi- nally projected 26 years, due to a federal grant that will pay the interest on the bonds. The in- crease in property taxes is ex- pected to be about $1.90 per $1000 of assessed value. The $13 million bond meas- ure is just the beginning of the fund raising that will be re- quired to complete the project, which is expected to cost $37 million. The district has con- tracted with Metropolitan Group to raise the rest of the funds needed for the building that will house kindergarten through 12th grade students. It will be located on land the dis- trict purchased at and behind the current site of Spencer Park. The original time line calls for construction to begin next spring and for students to start school at the new location in 2011. A gathering of students, staff, and others was held at Spencer Park yesterday, to cel- ebrate the measure’s passage. State denies bid City approves promotion for Kay City Administrator Bob ously made a public informa- for hospital Young announced, at the No- tion request for a copy of Kay’s A proposed order denying a certificate of need for a 12-bed acute care hospital in St. He- lens was issued by the Oregon Department of Human Services Public Health Division on Octo- ber 22. The hospital was to be located at 35311 Millard Road, St. Helens. Oregon’s Certificate of Need Law is a health planning tool to help ensure that new health care facilities and services im- prove access to care at a rea- sonable cost. Under this law, Columbia Health District was required to demonstrate that the project would meet specific criteria in the department’s rules in order to receive ap- proval. “The public told us that pri- mary care is the most important need of the community,” said Grant Higginson, M.D., M.P.H., whose office is responsible for See Hospital on page 5 vember 2 city council meeting, that Sergeant Mike Kay’s pro- motion to Captain has been ap- proved. A scheduled pinning ceremony for this promotion had already been postponed from the October 5 council meeting. Young said that after some accusations about Mike’s back- ground, an investigation found no deceit or untruthfulness dur- ing his employment process. “He’s clear, and I just wanted to say this publicly,” Young said. The Independent had previ- Many activities scheduled for this weekend! To see what’s hap- pening, please turn to page 7. employment application and background check, but has been unable to obtain those public records due to the city setting a prohibitive cost of $423.00 for the records. State law allows the city to waive such fees if the information is for the public good but, as with past requests, the city has chosen not to do so. Young’s comments may have been related to the fact that the employment applica- tion asks the question, “Have you been convicted of a felony?” It was already known that Kay has no felony convic- tions, but has been convicted of Criminal Contempt of Court for disobeying a domestic re- straining order while in uniform as a Newport police officer. Kay’s pinning ceremony may take place at the next council meeting, scheduled for November 16.