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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 2010)
The INDEPENDENT, November 4, 2010 Time to prepare for winter driving Oregon state law allows mo- torists to use studded tires from November 1 through March 31. Driving with studded tires be- fore November 1 or after March 31 is a Class C violation and carries a $190 fine. Because studded tires damage Oregon highways, ODOT encourages drivers to consider using chains or non-studded traction tires. Studless traction tires that meet Rubber Manufacturers Association standards for use in severe snow conditions carry a special symbol on the tire sidewall: a three-peaked mountain and snowflake. Re- search shows these tires pro- vide better traction than stud- ded tires on bare pavement. Research shows that stud- ded tires are more effective than all-weather tires on icy roads, but are less effective in most other conditions because they may reduce traction be- tween the road and the tire. When it rains, water collects in the pavement ruts caused by studded tires and creates dan- gerous driving conditions. In cold weather, that water can freeze and cause extra-slip- pery roads. Alternatives to studded tires include: • Chains and chain-like de- vices – Chains are more effec- tive than studded tires and are becoming easier to use. Link chains may not be recom- mended for use on some types of vehicles; check your owner’s manual. • Other traction tires – Trac- tion tires, other than studded tires, provide increased traction in winter conditions. The performance of traction tires on ice is about the same as studded tires, but they are somewhat better than studded tires or regular tires in most other winter conditions. These other traction tires cause no more damage to road surfaces than regular tires. All of these winter tire op- tions are available at Vernonia True Value, which helped pro- vide these winter tire tips. Fish Task Force members sought The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking three members to represent water users, fishing and con- servation interests and the public-at-large on the state’s Fish Passage Task Force. The Task Force advises the Director and the Department on fish passage matters in Ore- gon, including cost sharing and priority setting. The nine volun- teer members of the Fish Pas- sage Task Force are appointed by the ODFW Director and are eligible to serve two four-year consecutive terms. Task Force members represent water users, fisheries and conserva- tion interests, and the general public. “The Task Force is instru- mental in the successful imple- mentation of Oregon’s Fish Passage Statutes,” said Greg Apke, ODFW Statewide Fish Passage Program Coordinator. “Their role in bringing myriad perspectives into the fish pas- sage arena creates a program that is responsive to both na- tive migratory fish and societal needs.” State law requires landown- ers and operators to provide passage for adult and juvenile native migratory fish whenever there is new construction, ma- jor replacement, a permit change or abandonment. Pro- viding fish safe and effective access to historic habitat is one of the best ways to conserve and restore Oregon’s native mi- gratory fish populations. Qualified individuals inter- ested in serving on the Task Force can visit h t t p : / / w w w. d f w. s t a t e . or.us/fish/passage/task_force.a sp or can request additional in- formation or an application from Greg Apke, at 503-947- 6228. He also can be reached by e-mail at greg.d.apke@ state.or. us . Applications will be accept- ed through December 1, 2010. Page 13 Power of the People By W. Marc Farmer, General Manager, West Oregon Electric Cooperative Project Updates With two major projects tracking simultaneously, we are being kept very busy. As you know, we broke ground on the new Headquarters Facility and are very excited to finally have it underway. Five Star Builders is on site and the groundwork is being done to prepare the site for the founda- tions and footings to be poured. We have ob- tained a license from OPRD permitting us to use the Rose Avenue site to the south as a staging area during construction. Cougar Street will start to be opened back up, initially as an ingress and egress for construction vehicles only. It will be paved and reopened to local traffic later in the project as a through street with curbs, sidewalk, planter strip, and gutters on the north side, but paved full width to the Rose Avenue side to the south. Once all of the utilities, drainage lines, and pipes are in place, we can then pave Weed from Maple to Cougar which will have all sidewalks, curbs, planter strips, and gut- ters on both sides and will tie into the newly opened Cougar Street. WOEC will begin the process of putting up new poles on Weed that will carry three phase power for both our site and the future power needs of the Rose Avenue site. This will enable us to then remove the poles along Rose Avenue from Umatilla Street to the north side of Maple. It will help make the initial entrance into Vernonia more aesthetic and appealing to visitors and res- idents alike. The new substation project located at our ex- isting pole yard has been designed and engi- neered, an RFP for construction has been com- pleted, and transformers ordered. We were scheduled to obtain the necessary permits from the City and County when we were notified by the County that there was a mistake on the County maps. The maps indicated that the prop- er zoning was already in effect for us to proceed, but documents indicated that the zoning map was incorrect. We will have to move back the construction date by two months as we will need to go through the process of requesting a zone change for the property to accommodate the new substation to be built out of the flood plain. While unfortunate, the delay will push the start date into the first of next year to begin actual construction. We have submitted the necessary forms for the environmental review of the project to THUD in order to qualify for the federal earmark dollars we obtained due to the efforts of Senators Wyden and Smith and Representative Wu. This will pay for $475,000 of the total costs of the new substation, reducing the amount the Co-op will have to pay. We anticipate the construction, once started, to take only six months to com- plete. Like I said, we are staying plenty busy on both fronts and are looking forward to having both es- sential parts of our system out of the flood plain. I’ll keep you updated as we proceed. CCRider station closed Nov. 1 Columbia County Rider was notified by the property owner that the use of the Chinook Plaza stop in Scappoose will no longer be allowed as a Park-n-Ride stop for public transit starting November 1. The property owner is pursuing development opportunities and continuation of the site as a park-n-ride would not allow de- velopment. Riders can access the tran- sit system at 1st and Columbia, across from Scappoose City Hall. FlexRoute service will continue to serve the Chinook Plaza stop. If you have questions, con- tact Transit Administrator Janet Wright at 503-397-1035, or Henry Heimuller at 503-366- 8503. Veteran’s Day is November 11. Thank a Vet. Meyers ‘ Auto Body,Inc 503-429-0248 493 Bridge St, Vernonia, OR