Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2010)
The INDEPENDENT, January 7, 2010 Power of the People By W. Marc Farmer, General Manager, West Oregon Electric Cooperative WOEC Headquarters Relocation Project Reconsidered The building of new Headquarters facili- ties had been put on hold by the Board of Directors of West Oregon Electric Coopera- tive, Inc., due to the uncertainty in the pres- ent economy. However, the Board was officially notified at its No- vember Board meeting that, since the Co-op was 80% damaged as a result of the 2007 flood, WOEC would have to relocate its fa- cilities outside the floodplain to be in compliance with the City of Vernonia’s Ordinance #851/Title 9 Land Use & Development. WOEC will not be given the option of flood prevention meas- ures due to being an essential service, being flooded twice within an 11 year span, and the severity (percentage) of the damage to our facilities. It has been proposed in a mitigation grant that West Oregon EC be offered $1,078,063 to relocate, and must do so within three years of accepting the buyout amount. Should WOEC not accept the mitigation funds and be hit with a third occurrence, under proposed changes in federal guidelines for FEMA, we would receive only 25% reimbursement instead of the current 75%. With no other options available, combined with the risk of los- ing available funding that would significantly reduce the costs of a new facility outside the floodplain, the WOEC Board of Directors has reconsidered its position and decided to move forward on the construction of new Headquarter facilities. The selected building site will be within the city limits of Vernonia and well above the 2007 floodplain. The silver lining in the delay of moving forward with the build- ing was the significant reduction in construction costs. The cost of the new facility has dropped from an initial bid of $4.6 million, to $3.8 million, to a current bid of $2.8 million, saving our members a huge amount of funding. While the economy makes it a bad time to build, funding-wise, it also makes it a good time to build cost wise. The building project will also help stimulate the local economy by providing much needed jobs. It is the Co-op’s intent to hire local builders and use as much local products and servic- es as possible to enhance the local economy. We will communi- cate more about the project as we move through the building process. Mini Mart donation helps food bank Vernonia Cares Food Bank received a $1,000 donation from Bridge Street Mini Mart. Pictured is Toni Barton transfer- ring the check to Vernonia Cares Food Bank Treasurer, Josette Mitchell. “The food bank had double duty this month,” Mitchell noted. “We as- sist over 400 people per month with emergency food boxes plus in December we gave away 185 Christmas meal food boxes. This generous check will allow us to continue to feed hungry people in and around Vernonia. Thanks so much!” she concluded. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is February 18 Page 15 Are amphibians and timber connected? Research conducted in the Pacific Northwest provides new insights on the effect of forest management activities on stream-associated amphibians, and a new publication from the Oregon Forest Resources Insti- tute offers a synthesis of recent findings. Wildlife in Managed Forests: Stream-Associated Amphib- ians, is OFRI’s latest publica- tion, and it synthesizes the lat- est science findings to help for- est managers, fish and wildlife experts, conservation organi- zations, regulators and policy- makers to develop more effec- tive practices and plans to pro- tect amphibian habitat on man- aged forestlands. According to the research, protection schemes in place for fish habitat may not, by them- selves, be effective for some amphibian species. Targeted and site-specific measures might be needed to protect them. For instance, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach to forested buffers along streams, land managers might be en- couraged to leave wider buffers in areas amphibians are more likely to inhabit, and leave no buffers elsewhere. Though not yet conclusive, recent studies have expanded scientists’ understanding on how a significant number of Northwest amphibian species rely on perennial and seasonal headwater streams, while oth- ers rely on forested riparian habitat. Studies using refined methodology are also yielding insights into aspects of amphib- ian habitat, population dynam- ics and responses to habitat disruption. Stream-Associated Amphib- ians is the third in OFRI’s “Wildlife in Managed Forests” series, joining Elk and Northern Spotted Owl. These booklets are recommended reading for forest managers but have proven especially popular with owners of small- and medium- size forestlands, who do not have staff biologists to interpret complex science. The publication grew out of a joint symposium held by the Society for Northwestern Verte- brate Biology and the Washing- ton Chapter of the Wildlife Soci- ety in February, 2009, at Ska- One of the amphibians referred to in recent publication on amphibians and forest management activities. mania Lodge in Stevenson, Wash. Publications can be ordered free online or downloaded at OFRI’s Web site at oregon- forests.org.