PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. Postage Paid
Vernonia, OR 97064
Permit No. 37
Vol. 25, No. 22
THE
INDEPENDENT
The Voice of the Upper Nehalem River Valley for Over 25 years
November 18, 2010
Schools awarded $1 million
grant from Ford Foundation
They had just finished working on a power outage and were driving back to headquarters af-
ter dark, but Kim Oblack-Morrison is grateful that they stopped to investigate some taillights
in an odd place. Now Ryan Delemos, Terry Pike and Jamie Mullins are rightly being called “he-
roes”. For the full story, see Power of the People on page 15. PHOTO COURTESY OF WOEC.
Winds trigger reminders for safety in emergencies
Strong winds walloped the
west coast Monday night,
felling trees, blocking highways
and causing sporadic power
failures. As utility crews work to
restore power, emergency
managers urge residents af-
fected by outages to exercise
caution and common sense.
“Power outages raise a num-
ber of safety concerns as resi-
dents seek to light, heat and
power their homes from alter-
native sources,” said FEMA Re-
gional Administrator Ken Mur-
phy. “Emergency power needs
can rank right up there with
food, water, first aid kits and
shelter, but we need to be care-
FREE
ful!”
When the power fails, resist
the temptation to call 9-1-1 for
information – that’s what your
battery-powered radio is for.
Keep refrigerator and freezer
doors closed as much as possi-
ble to prevent food spoilage.
Turn off electric appliances to
protect against power surges
when power is restored. Turn
off all lights but one (to alert you
when power resumes). Plan on
cell phones or corded phones
for emergency calls – cordless
phones require electricity. Keep
your car fuel tank at least half-
full (gas stations rely on elec-
tricity to power their pumps).
Candles can be dangerous fire
hazards. Flashlights and elec-
tric lanterns are safer by far.
Battery operated radios and
See Winds on page 16
The Ford Family Foundation
announced Tuesday that it will
contribute a $1 million chal-
lenge grant to help rebuild
schools and a community cen-
ter in Vernonia.
The grant provides a
$500,000 one-to-one match for
gifts of $100,000 or more, and
a $500,000 one-to-one match
for gifts of $25,000 and more.
The extraordinary grant (an
exception to the foundation’s
published guidelines) and chal-
lenge is meant to encourage
other foundations, businesses
and people from across the re-
gion to help Vernonia rebuild
and create a stronger commu-
nity after being hit with two 500-
year floods within 11 years.
“The Vernonia community
has created a plan to both re-
place their schools and to revi-
talize the community. We are
impressed by this compelling
project that will serve as the
catalyst to rebuild a strong rural
community that was damaged
by two historic floods in such a
short time,” said Foundation
president Norm Smith. “This vi-
sionary project will…also cre-
ate connections to colleges and
universities and demonstrate
renewable biomass energy and
other sustainable economic op-
portunities with its center for ru-
ral sustainability.”
“Catalyst: the campaign for
Vernonia’s schools” will have
until the end of 2011 to meet
Join Gov. Ted Kulongoski
Students, School Staff and others for the
Vernonia School Groundbreaking Ceremony
Thursday, December 2, 1010 @ 10:00 AM
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
You are also invited to an
Appreciation Reception at 11:30 AM
at the Vernonia High School Gym
the challenge grant.
“We are deeply appreciative
of The Ford Family Foundation
for providing such exceptional
support and such a significant
leadership gift,” said Tom Kelly,
co-chair of the campaign.
“Their grant reminds us all that
Vernonia is our Katrina. It is a
community that has stepped up
in a big way to rebuild itself,
and it is a community that
needs and deserves all of our
support.”
The new school and commu-
nity center will be built in a safe,
central location high above the
redrawn floodplain and will pro-
vide for at least 30 years of
population growth. The design
and educational programs will
be aligned with sustainable
practices to create long-term
economic opportunities.
The LEED-certified state-of-
the-art facilities will feature a
unique-to-Oregon integrated K-
12 design, as well as a rural
sustainability center that will
combine science labs and
classrooms for the schools with
space for Oregon’s colleges
and universities to conduct sus-
tainable forestry and clean en-
ergy research, and to provide
job skills training.
“Together, with the communi-
ty’s input, we have designed
schools that will serve Vernonia
into the next century and a
campus that will provide much-
needed facilities for cultural,
civic and community events,”
said Dr. Kenneth Cox, Superin-
tendent of the Vernonia School
District.
“The district greatly appreci-
ates the generosity of the Ford
Family Foundation. This chal-
lenge grant is an indicator of
their confidence in the Vernonia
Community and the impact that
new schools will have on our fu-
ture. We are excited by the fact
that this grant will help generate
See Grant on page 11