PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. Postage Paid
Vernonia, OR 97064
Permit No. 37
Vol. 25, No. 21
THE
FREE
INDEPENDENT
The Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley for Over 25 years
November 4, 2010
Final B-V Trail segment now open
The final 1.5 mile section of
the Banks-Vernonia State Trail
was opened, October 29, in
Banks, with much fanfare and a
crowd estimated at around 230.
Mayors from both Vernonia and
Banks were on hand, along
with other dignitaries, to cut the
ribbon and open the final sec-
tion of the 21-mile trail that was
only an idea in the 1970s.
The Trail, known originally
as the Banks-Vernonia Linear
Park, was the first “rail to trail”
conversion in Oregon. The
route began as the railroad car-
rying logs and lumber to and
from the Oregon-American Mill
in Vernonia. The right-of-way
was abandoned in 1973 and
purchased by the state in 1974.
It was about this time that a
group of Vernonia residents
started envisioning the conver-
sion to a trail for walkers, bikers
and horses.
The vibrant colors of Autumn are reflected in Vernonia Lake.
Although the first effort was
unsuccessful, in 1990, the land
was transferred to the Oregon
Parks and Recreation Depart-
ment, triggering a second effort
by residents of both Vernonia
and Banks. The idea started to
become reality.
At the time, there was con-
cern and contention by some
adjacent property owners, but
the first section of trail opened
in Vernonia on February 6,
1991. Sections have been
added and paved as time and
resources allowed. Work start-
ed earlier this fall to pave a few
short stretches that are still
gravel, and completion is ex-
pected (weather permitting) be-
fore the end of this year.
The trail includes 12 bridges
and one 600-foot long trestle,
and can now be accessed in
the City of Vernonia, the City of
See Trail, page 5
New Vernonia council; Banks school bid fails
Vernonia will see changes
on the city council, starting in
January 2011. More than 48
percent of voters chose Josette
Mitchell from the four candi-
dates for mayor. Two new
councilors will also be seated;
Willow Burch and Marilyn Nicks
came out ahead of the other six
candidates.
Banks City Council will re-
main as is, since only incum-
bents ran for office in this elec-
tion and all were returned to of-
fice.
Banks voters denied Banks
School District’s $25.98 million
bond measure request, with
53.04% of voters saying no.
Henry Heimuller was the
choice to replace Rita Bernhard
as Columbia County Commis-
sioner, winning with 45.71% of
the votes cast.
Columbia County voters
thought that Chris Dudley
should be Governor, though by
press time, John Kitzhaber had
been declared the winner and
had already received a congrat-
ulatory call from Chris Dudley.
Incumbents took the day in
most state and federal races
with Ron Wyden being returned
to the U.S. Senate by 56.27%,
David Wu staying as 1st District
Congressional Representative
(with 54.69%). Betsy Johnson
continues as our area’s State
Senator after taking 54.45% of
the vote, while Brad Witt as
31st District State Representa-
tive (57.04%), and Deborah
Boone as State Representative
for the 32nd District (52.29%)
were also returned to office.
Ted Wheeler was re-elected to
serve as Oregon’s State Trea-
surer.
58.76% of Columbia County
voters agreed that the position
of commissioner should be
non-partisan in the future, while
65% of voters denied 5-208
Veterans Services Local Option
Levy.
Statewide, Measure 70
passed, expanding home own-
ership loans for Oregon veter-
ans. Voters also approved
Measure 71, requiring the state
See Voters, page 5
Columbia County furlough day Nov. 12
Due to the county’s budget
situation, the Columbia County
Board of Commissioners ap-
proved the implementation of
four unpaid furlough days for
County employees at the be-
ginning of the current budget
year.
Friday, November 12, is a
scheduled furlough day for all
County employees, with two
exceptions; employees in the
Sheriff’s Office and the Roads/
Parks Department will be open
and operating as usual.
Residents will not be able to
conduct County business on
November 12, however, the
State Court Offices will be open
from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Trick or Treaters enjoy Halloween on Bridge Street.