PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. Postage Paid
Vernonia, OR 97064
Permit No. 37
Vol. 24, No. 24
“Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley”
December 17, 2009
City refuses to review bill,
cuts off water to citizen
Many waterbirds clustered together on a small area of open water on the mostly frozen Ver-
nonia Lake during last week’s cold spell.
Don Waters has lived in Ver-
nonia for 12 years. His wife al-
ways paid the water bill. The
trouble started after she died in
March of 2008, just two weeks
after they were able to move
back into their home following
repairs for the December 2007
flood damage. At 81 years of
age, Waters is “still fiercely in-
dependent,” according to his
son, Sam, who was already liv-
ing in Vernonia when his par-
ents moved here.
The first Sam Waters knew
about a problem with the water
bill was when the water was
when a city staff person called
Sam and said his parents had
used 157,000 gallons. The next
day the city called back to say
they had read the wrong meter
and took $300 off the bill, only
to turn around and bill Don Wa-
ters for 33,000 gallons the next
month. Normal water con-
sumption for a family of two
would be 3-4,000 gallons.
At one point, the family re-
ceived a shut-off notice, talked
to city staff and thought they
got it resolved. The next thing
Sam knew, the bill was over
$1,200 and the city was going
to cut off his father’s water on
December 1. November 30,
Don Waters took in a payment
of $107.00, and was told he
must immediately pay $102.00
more, or his water would be
shut off. According to Sam Wa-
ters, when he contacted the
city, they were not just unhelp-
ful; when he asked Recorder
Joann Glass to let him speak to
City Administrator Bob Young,
Glass said, “Goodbye,” and
hung up on him.
The water was turned off
November 30, a day before the
December 1 deadline. Waters
See CITY, page 4
Wu secures funds for 47J, County Cub Scouts will
On December 10, Con-
gressman David Wu obtained
nearly $113 million for Oregon
projects ranging from school
equipment for Vernonia stu-
dents to a 24-hour crisis line for
Oregon soldiers. Transporta-
tion projects that received
funds include the Newberg-
Dundee Bypass, a multi-modal
transit facility for Columbia
County, and the quiet zone that
Tualatin hopes to establish to
mitigate commuter train horn
noise.
“The projects I secured fund-
ing for today will benefit people
across the 1st District, from
community college students
who want to train for new green
jobs to the many commuters
who use our roads and rails
every day,” said Congressman
Wu. “We must continue to in-
vest in our communities during
this economic downturn in or-
der to provide new jobs and the
foundation for sustained eco-
nomic growth. In addition to
helping strengthen our econo-
my, these funds will be used to
educate our future workforce,
protect our environment, and
care for those in need.”
The Columbia County proj-
ects include:
• $150,000 for Vernonia
School Equipment
Supports efforts to obtain
necessary supplies and equip-
ment for Vernonia School Dis-
trict, which must replace Ver-
nonia’s elementary, middle,
and high schools at a location
outside the community’s flood
plain, due to damage caused
by flooding in December 2007.
• $800,000 for the Columbia
County Multi-Modal Transit Fa-
cility. Supports the improve-
ment of low-cost, efficient
transportation options for Co-
lumbia County, which currently
See WU, page 5
Free community
pick up your old Laptops have Christmas dinner
been recovered Everyone is invited to the
Christmas trees
This year, it’s easy to get rid
of your old Christmas tree and
help Vernonia Cub Scout Pack
201. On January 2 and Janu-
ary 9, the scouts will be out in
the community collecting trees.
Put your tree out in the drive-
way or on the porch, put a do-
nation for the pickup in the bag
provided and tie it to the tree.
That’s it.
If the scouts did not leave a
bag and tie at your house, use
any bag and tie to mark your
tree. If your tree doesn’t get
picked up, call Eric or Nicole
Larke at 503-429-5109, or Don
Schulte at 503-429-3412.
Cub Scout Pack 201 invites
the community to their bonfire
on Saturday, December 9, at
6:00 p.m. on the school
grounds. Refreshments will be
served.
after burglary
One of the portable class-
rooms used by Vernonia Mid-
dle School, was broken into
last week and 16 laptops, a
DVD player and $400 were
taken. Some reports of the
break-in indicated there were
no signs of forced entry.
The laptops have been re-
covered, according to Vernonia
School Superintendent Dr. Ken
Cox, but have not yet been re-
turned to the district.
Vernonia Chief of Police
Frank Grace, contacted on De-
cember 15, would say only that
there is an ongoing investiga-
tion and that no other informa-
tion was available. He would
not discuss possible or actual
arrests or whether other items
have been recovered.
fourth annual Christmas din-
ner, hosted by the Friends of
Vernonia, on December 25, at
the Vernonia Senior Center.
Starting at 1:00 p.m. and
continuing until 4:00 p.m. or
until the food is gone, the din-
ner includes turkey, ham, all
the trimmings, dessert, and
beverage.
Dinner is served free of
charge and gratuities will not
be accepted.
Let go of that cell
phone while driving!
Effective January 1, 2010,
driving while using a mobile
communication device may
cost you $142, unless you are
using a hands-free device. This
is a primary offense, so police
may stop drivers when this is
the only violation observed.