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The INDEPENDENT, November 18, 2010
Council adopts new flood map and ordinance; hears update on Rose Avenue Project
The Vernonia City Council
held a public hearing before
their November 15 meeting, re-
garding adoption of the Novem-
ber 26, 2010, FEMA flood map.
Adoption of the new map and
certain mandated language is
required for the City of Vernon-
ia to remain eligible for the Na-
tional Flood Insurance Pro-
gram. Planning Commission
Chairman Dan Brown told
council that the changes were
mostly in terminology and the
new map has…“only very mi-
nor changes over the map we
already adopted.”
No one from the audience
spoke either for or against the
changes. Council voted unani-
mously to adopt the changes,
which form Ordinance No. 870.
The new FEMA map should be
available after November 26 on
the www.msc.fema.gov web-
site.
Council next held a work
session in conjunction with a
update by Interim City Admin-
istrator Bill Haack regarding the
Rose Avenue Project. Jim Tier-
ney, of Community Action Team
(CAT), gave a Powerpoint pres-
entation on the project. Tierney
has been working with the Ver-
nonia Senior Center for a cou-
ple of years on plans to move
the center away from the flood
prone area where it is now lo-
cated.
The Rose Avenue property
being discussed is currently
owned by the State of Oregon,
and is located between the Ver-
nonia welcome sign and where
West Oregon Electric Coop is
currently building new head-
quarters. The state is willing to
donate that land to the city in
exchange for keeping the An-
derson Park property as a park,
for some specific number of
years. The city is proposing to
then lease the land so the sen-
ior center, food bank and health
center can be relocated there.
The city will not be able to sell
the land right away, but can
lease it. Responsibility for infra-
structure (streets, lighting,
parking lots, etc.) is still to be
decided. Haack’s memo sug-
gested that the land transfer
may take place in early 2011.
Representatives from the
senior center (Rosie McCoy),
the food bank (Sandy Welch)
and the health center board
(Heather Lewis) each stated a
desire to relocate to the Rose
Avenue property and asked for
council support to do so. Many
details still need to be worked
out and estimates are that con-
struction would not be done be-
fore sometime in 2013.
Haack told council he had
approved the removal of
hangar number one at the air-
port, saying the hangar was
very dilapidated. He also re-
ported that DADs Recycling
has moved from their location
next to the solid waste transfer
station and is now open on Mist
Drive. DADs still needs to do
more work on their road and
erect a fence and gate by the
end of this year.
Haack told council that he is
working on a possible trade
with West Oregon for their tree
crews to do some maintenance
for the city in exchange for
parking their vehicles at the
lake during the winter. Addition-
ally, he said, four trees at Ora
Bolmeier Park have been iden-
tified as needing to be re-
moved.
In other business, council:
• Approved minor changes to
the Intergovernmental Agree-
ment (IGA) between the city
and the school district regard-
ing the replacement for Spen-
cer Park on the current school
site;
• approved an amendment
making minor changes to an
existing IGA between the coun-
ty and the city for Hazard Miti-
gation Grant Program Adminis-
tration (HMGP);
• approved the contract to
hire Alexandra E. Sosnkowski,
PC as city attorney;
• will decide at the next
meeting whether to hold or can-
cel their meeting scheduled for
December 20.
The next regular council
meeting will be December 6, at
City Hall, starting at 7:00 p.m.
KEEP THE HOLIDAYS HAPPY
DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE!
Community Calendar
VERNONIA
Alcoholics Anonymous
Mondays
6:30 p.m., 410 North Street
Alcoholics Anonymous
Thursdays (Big Book Study) 7:00 p.m., 410 North Street
American Legion Post #119
2nd Thursday
7:00 p.m., 627 Adams Avenue
Booster Club
2nd Wednesday
7:00 p.m., VHS Library
Boy Scout Troop 201
Tuesdays
7:00 p.m., Scout Cabin
Boy Scout Troop 860
Wednesdays
7:00 p.m., LDS Church
Cemetery Beautification Comm.
2nd Thursday
6:30 p.m., Library
CERT
4th Wednesday
For Info Call 503-429-3018
Chamber of Commerce
2nd Wednesday
For Info Call 503-429-6081
Community Coalition
2nd Monday
12:30 p.m. School District Ofc.
Cub Scout Pack 201
Scout Cabin
For Info Call 503-429-4250
Friends of the Library
1st Tuesday
7:00 p.m., Vernonia Library
Girl Scouts, Neighborhood 4-2
For Info Call 503-819-0143
Izaak Walton League
3rd Thursday
For location call 503-429-7193
Kiwanis Club
2nd & 4th Wednesday
6:30 p.m., New Hong Kong
Lions Club
1st & 3rd Tuesdays
6:30 p.m., New Hong Kong
Municipal Airport Committee
1t Wednesday
6:30 p.m., City Hall
Pioneer Museum
For Info Call 503-429-3713
Public Works Committee
4th Tuesday
7:00 p.m., City Hall
Vernonia Cares Directors
For Info call 503-429-1414
Vernonia City Council
1st & 3rd Mondays
7:00 p.m., City Hall
Vernonia Community PTA
2nd Wednesday
7:00 p.m., WGS Library
Vernonia Garden Club
2nd Tuesday
1:30 p.m., Vernonia Library
Vernonia Grange
3rd Monday
7:00 p.m., Grange Hall
Vernonia Health Center
3rd Thursday
6:30 p.m., 510 Bridge St.
Vernonia Learning Center
1st Wednesday
6:00 p.m., VLC
Vernonia Parks Committee
3rd Wednesday
6:30 p.m., City Hall
Vernonia Planning Comm.
1st & 3rd Thursdays
7:00 p.m., City Hall
Vernonia Pride
2nd Thursday
1:00 p.m., City Hall
Vernonia Ridge Riders
Last Thursday
7:00 p.m., Senior Center
Vernonia RFPD Board
2nd Tuesday
6:00 p.m., Fire Station
Vernonia School Board
2nd Thursday
6:00 p.m., District Office
Vernonia Sr. Center Board
2nd Friday
10:00 a.m., Senior Center
Vernonia Transfer Station
2nd & 4th Saturdays, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
Behind VHS
Vern. Volunteer Ambulance Assoc. 1st, 3rd & 4th Tuesday
7:00 p.m., Fire Station
Vernonia Volunteer Firefighters
2nd Monday
7:00 p.m., Fire Station
WOEC Directors
3rd Tuesday
7:00 p.m., WOEC
MIST-BIRKENFELD
M-BRFPD Board Business Mtg.
2nd Tuesday
M-BRFPD Board Workshop
4th Tuesday
M-B Ambulance Drill
1st & 2nd Thursdays
M-B Fire Drill
1st & 2nd Wednesdays
M-B Helping Circle
2nd Monday
M-B SAR Drill
3rd Wednesday
M-B Volunteer Assoc.
1st Tuesday
Natal Grange
2nd Wednesday
T.O.P.S.
Mondays
Upr Nehalem Watershed Council For date call 429-0869
BANKS
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
American Legion Post #90
Banks City Council
Banks Fire District #13
Banks Library Commission
Banks Planning Commission
Banks School Board
Banks Youth Group
Chamber of Commerce
CPO 14
Everybody’s Hometown Band
Friends of the Library
Lions Club
Sunset Park Assoc.
T.O.P.S.
Friday
Wednesday
2nd Tuesday
2nd Tuesday
2nd Wednesday
3rd Tuesday
Last Tuesday
2nd Monday
Sunday, Wednesday
1st Thursday
3rd Monday
Tuesdays
2nd Tuesday
1st & 3rd Mondays
3rd Wednesday
Wednesday
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:30 p.m., Natal Grange Hall
9:00 a.m., Main Fire Station
7:00 p.m., Main Fire Station
7:30 p.m., Methodist Church
7:30 p.m., Methodist Church
7:30 p.m., Main Street Post
7:30 p.m., City Hall
7:00 p.m., Station 13
7:00 p.m., City Library
7:00 p.m., City Hall
7:30 p.m., Jr. High Library
7:00 p.m., UMC Youth Bldg.
12:30 p.m., Fire District Office
7:00 p.m., City Library
7:00 p.m., BHS Music Room
7:00 p.m., City Library
7:00 p.m., Brown Derby
8:00 p.m., Gun Club
7:00 p.m., Administration Bldg.
COLUMBIA COUNTY (All meet in St. Helens unless otherwise noted.)
Board of Commissioners
Wednesday
10:00 a.m., Courthouse
Citizens for Senior Justice
2nd Tuesday
7:00 p.m., Sunset Park Church
Columbia Comm Mental Health
1st Tuesday
5”30 p.m., 58646 McNulty Way
Columbia Soil & Water District
3rd Wednesday
7:30 p.m., NRCS , 2514 Sykes
County Fair Board
2nd Monday
6:00 p.m., Fairgrounds 4-H Bldg.
County Parks Commission
3rd Tuesday
Times vary, 1054 Oregon St.
Mental Health Advisory Comm.
Quarterly
For Info call 503-397-7211
Comm. on Children & Families
3rd Thursday 5:30 p.m. OSU Ext., 505 N. Hwy. 30
Local Alcohol & Drug Plann. Comm.
Quarterly
For Info call 503-397-7211
Organizations and meeting dates not listed may be included by calling 429-9410 or by mail to The INDEPENDENT, 725 Bridge Street, Vernonia, OR 97064.