The INDEPENDENT, March 17, 2011
Plan now to help Make Vernonia Shine
What are you doing on Sat-
urday, April 16, from 9:00 a.m.
to 1:00 p.m.?
Vernonia Pride is hoping
you’re planning to participate in
the annual Make Vernonia
Shine Day. Vernonia Pride is
proud to organize this event, in
coordination with SOLV’s SOLV
IT day throughout Oregon.
This year’s event will focus
on Vernonia Pride’s mission:
downtown
beautification.
Weeding, debris pick-up, etc.
The focus will be on the “down-
town core” from the Elk sign to
the Lake. If enough people
show up to volunteer, work will
also be done in our Parks.
Registration will begin at
9:00 a.m. at Providence Clinic.
Snacks and bottled water will
be available for volunteers at
the end of the clean-up (1:00
p.m.).
Volunteers are asked to
please bring your own garden-
ing tools/yard equipment. If
you’d like to volunteer, please
contact Catherine Helmer at
503-914-9525 or email her at
catherine.helmer@yahoo.com
Vernonia Pride thanks you
for your support of this fabulous
activity!
Vernonia seeks committee members
The City of Vernonia has
openings on two city commit-
tees, the Emergency Prepared-
ness Committee (EPC) and two
openings on the Vernonia
Community Learning Commit-
tee (VCLC).
The EPC will meet on the
fourth Wednesday of each
month at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall.
The first meeting will be April
27. The committee recom-
mends changes to the city’s
Emergency Operations Plan to
City Council and City Staff.
The VCLC, with two open
positions, acts as an advisory
committee to the council and
city administrator. They meet
on the first Wednesday of each
month at 5:30 p.m. at the
VCLC.
Applicants for either commit-
tee must be city residents and
commit to approximately four
hours per month.
To apply, complete an Appli-
cation of Appointment by 4:00
p.m. March 29. The form is
available online at vernonia-
or.gov (city information, forms
and documents) or at City Hall,
1001 Bridge St.
County offers free disability information
Social service agencies in
Columbia County are collabo-
rating to host three free infor-
mational panels in Clatskanie,
Vernonia, and St. Helens, for
children and adults with any
type of disability. The purpose
of the panels is to create
awareness for Columbia Coun-
ty residents on the resources
and services available in the lo-
cal community and to provide
assessibility to meet in person
with representatives from local
human services agencies.
These panels will provide the
opportunity for individuals to
ask questions about what serv-
ices may benefit them. Individ-
uals with disabilities including
those with physical disabilities,
veterans, seniors, adults, chil-
dren, parents, teachers, care-
givers, community members,
and professionals are all invited
to attend.
There will be representatives
from several agencies, includ-
Page 9
Bits & Bites
By Jacqueline Ramsay
Hooray!! I’ve found new freedom on
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. No,
I’m still on my dialysis, but I’ve found a way
to hold my arm so I can knit for 3 hours and
15 minutes, instead of Crosswords and/or
reading. Oh, joy of my heart – along that
line my treatments are sailing right along.
March has arrived and so have the rains
– soft, medium, or hard – slow drizzle,
steady drip or medium, hard downpour. It can all happen in less
than five minutes.
I don’t know what’s happenin’ in your town but life is rather dull
here. Weather’s too lousy to go sit in the park and watch the squir-
rels, and gas is too high to just hop in the car and go for a drive,
unless you are out of milk, eggs and soda pop, or you just have
to have Chinese for something different for dinner.
Now there’s something to think on. How old are you? I can re-
member when we had breakfast, noon meal and dinner. Now it’s
coffee and sweets, lunch munch (McDonald’s), coffee break, hi
mom – what’s to eat (frozen fish), coffee, pop, beer, popcorn and
peanuts. Dinner is when you toss on something cozy and go out
to the Red Robin, Red Lobster or Chang’s with your friends.
The washer has quit, the dryer is silent so I guess I’d better
stop here and do some shifting. If the sun shines I may take Shad-
ow for her 20 block walk.
Bye now.
ing Seniors and People with
Disabilities, Vocational Rehabil-
itation Department, Develop-
mental Disabilities Program,
Women’s Resource Center,
Community Action Team, River-
side Training Center, and Co-
lumbia Community Mental
Health. The panel discussions
will include, but will not be limit-
ed to, supports for seniors, em-
ployment services, advocacy,
supports for parents, supports
for children, respite care, en-
suring health and safety in the
home and community, health
care, sheltered housing, trans-
portation, energy assistance,
and other community re-
sources.
The Clatskanie meeting will
be April 5, at 7:00 p.m. in the
Clatskanie School District
Board Room, 555 Bryant
Street.
The Vernonia meeting will be
April 12, at 7:00 p.m. in the Ver-
nonia Middle School cafeteria,
placement for the business
section of Bridge Street came
under discussion.
Among the concerns were
whether enforcement of the
two-hour regulation would be
cost-effective, and whether it
would provide better service to
the merchants. The city decid-
ed to survey the area physical-
ly and talk with the merchants
in order to determine the best
course of action.
Vernonia’s cable television
was again discussed, with city
attorney Tom Kohl reporting
that franchise holder Mike Sea-
ger had complied with the por-
tion of the contract that requires
proof of insurance, but still had
not made his business records
available for review. Kohl
agreed to continue in attempts
to secure Seager’s compliance,
but said he felt there was a
breach of contract and sug-
gested that the city start mak-
ing inquiries of other cable
companies to see if they are in-
terested in providing service to
Vernonia.
The council agreed to pro-
vide copies of city ordinances
and the state developed book
on nuisance abatement to
Kevin Robertson, along with a
14 day extension of time to
comply with the city’s order to
abate a nuisance on Robert-
son’s property at the corner of
Rose Avenue and Nehalem
Street.
249 Bridge Street.
The St. Helens meeting will
be April 19, at 7:00 p.m. in Co-
lumbia Community Mental
Health’s Community Room,
58646 McNulty Way.
This effort has been organ-
ized and sponsored by the
Quality Assurance and Adviso-
ry Committee for the Develop-
mental Disability Program in
Columbia County.
24 Years Ago This Month
The March 26, 1987, issue
of The Independent included
the following news story on the
front page:
After discussion of the use of
city owned vehicles by employ-
ees not on duty, the Vernonia
City Council, at their March 2
meeting, ordered all such vehi-
cles to be parked except when
being used by employees “on
call” for city business. Included
in the order are police and pub-
lic works vehicles. The quick
response vehicle used by O.J.
Zeigler of the fire department is
considered on call at all times.
Linda Davies appeared at
both council meetings in March
in an attempt to open Buckskin-
ner's Trading Post in the old
Penney’s building at the corner
of Bridge and Madison Streets.
She explained that she was
told in City Hall that she didn’t
need anything except the li-
cense, but learned later that
she must apply for a variance
from the off-street parking ordi-
nance. Her concern wasn’t as
much for the $25 nonrefund-
able fee as for the 30 day delay
after being told everything was
in order.
The council approved is-
suance of the business license,
pending approval by the plan-
ning commission of the vari-
ance request, but told Davies
that city ordinances don’t allow
the council to make exceptions.
The city’s two-hour parking
ordinance and loading zone
G OOD F OOD
G OOD F RIENDS
G OOD T IMES
831 Bridge St.
Vernonia, OR
503-429-0214