Page 8
The INDEPENDENT, January 6, 2011
CASA program
helps children
Before and after pictures above show a flood buyout property on Mist Dr., Vernonia. Photos courtesy of Jamie Jones.
Some flooded properties become new green space
by Jamie Jones, Housing Rehabili-
tation and Demolitions Specialist,
CAT, Inc.
(One in a series of occasional articles
to explain the process involved in the
demolition of severely flood-damaged
properties.)
What begins as the acquisi-
tion of a severely flooded
home, ends in the demolition of
the home, and the property be-
comes green space, forever.
Community Action Team, Inc.
(CAT) is working with the dem-
olition contractor as their liaison
with city, county and federal
agencies in completing this
process.
In their Requests for Qualifi-
cations, the City of Vernonia
and Columbia County required
demolition contractors to show
that they were able to recycle
as much of the materials as
possible. Custom Excavating
by Dean Larson,Inc., won the
bid for these homes, with its
sister company Trails End Re-
covery. This team out of War-
renton is known for its commit-
ment to reducing waste in the
landfill. They have projected
that they will be able to recycle,
on average, 90 percent of the
materials coming from these
homes.
The staging area at the Mill
site that was pictured in the De-
cember 2 issue of The Inde-
pendent showed a pile of wood
from three of the homes being
demolished. That pile of wood
only covers about one-sixth of
the cemented area it sits on.
This staging area is where ALL
of the recycled materials are
being sorted, so EVERYTHING
on that cement pad will be
reused or recycled in some
way. When you see how much
material is being stored there,
you can appreciate the amount
of materials coming out of
these homes that is NOT going
to a landfill.
It’s important to note here
that the big transfer bins out-
side of the homes being demol-
ished, or at the mill site, are
NOT garbage bins for everyone
to dump their stuff. Custom Ex-
cavating and Trails End Recov-
ery (CE-TER) sort the materials
as they go and, while some
things do go to the landfill, most
do not. Simply put, dumping
garbage in these bins is illegal;
it is called “theft of services.”
This additional material adds to
the cost of labor and time to
sort it and dispose of it proper-
ly. So CAT, CE-TER and the
City of Vernonia are asking that
people do not dump their
garbage in the transfer bins,
and that neighbors keep an eye
out for such behavior.
CAT and CE-TER have re-
ceived inquiries and requests
as to what was going to happen
to specific items on some of the
properties, so CE-TER has ini-
tiated a process to allow local
citizens to take items that do
not have a particular market
value attached to them. If they
do have a value attached, CE-
TER is willing to work with local
residents to come to some sort
of agreement. Either way, CE is
doing their best to give back to
the community and they intend
to do so until the project is fin-
ished.
CE-TER is also interested in
recycling as many materials lo-
cally as possible, and in using
local labor, resources and
stores as needed. In order to
preview any items available,
CE-TER requires you to sign a
Letter of Indemnity, which basi-
cally translates to “enter at your
own risk”. Additionally, before
picking up any items, you will
need an approved, itemized
list, and you will need to
arrange with the Field Manager
for a designated time to pre-
view or pick up any approved
items at either the properties or
the collection sites, as it is a li-
ability issue to be on the site
when they are working.
State Farm ®
Providing Insurance and Financial Services
Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710
Bunny Girt, Agent
503-901-1705
1229 N. Adair
PO Box 543
Cornelius, OR 97113-0543
Bus 503-357-3131 Fax 503-357-9667
bunny.girt.b71g@statefarm.com
There have also been nu-
merous instances of vandalism
on these properties so, if
stopped by the local police, you
will need to prove you belong
on the premises by having the
documents CE-TER provides.
For additional information on
how to preview or request
items from the contracted prop-
erties, please contact the CE-
TER Field Manager at 503-
741-6867 and leave a voice-
mail. You may also leave a
message at the main office,
503-861-6030.
We want to thank the citi-
zens of Vernonia for all the as-
sistance and patience you have
shown in making this a smooth
and successful process. Look
for the next article “Deconstruc-
tion and Demolition” explaining
the methodology of the decon-
struction and demolition pro-
cess.
Columbia County
Mental Health
800-294-5211
-----------------
Suicide Hotline
1-800-
784-2433
or
1-800-273-
TALK(8255)
From page 7
and also can call witnesses of
their own or question other par-
ties’ witnesses.
Under state law, the CASA’s
role is to:
• Investigate all relevant in-
formation about the case;
• Advocate for the child, en-
suring that all relevant facts are
brought before the court;
• Facilitate and negotiate to
ensure that the court, Depart-
ment of Human Services, and
the child’s attorney fulfill their
obligations to the child in a
timely manner;
• Monitor all court orders to
ensure compliance and to
bring to the court’s attention
any change in circumstances
that may require a modification
of the court’s order.
CASAs make a 1-1/2 to two-
year commitment so that they
advocate for the child or sib-
lings until the end of the case.
“Often, a CASA is the one con-
sistent presence in the child’s
life during that time period,”
said Bourn. Caseworkers, ther-
apists, and even foster families
often change during that time-
frame.
To learn more about volun-
teering, people can visit the
CASA for Kids website at
www.casaforkidsinc.org
or
contact CASA for Kids at 503-
366-4133
or
info@casaforkidsinc. org.
Domestic Abuse
Hotline
503-397-6161
or
866-397-6161
-----------------
Military Helpline
888-HLP-4-VET
(888-457-4838)