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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2011)
Page 12 The INDEPENDENT, August 17, 2011 Summit on schools draws good crowd by Debi Wagner Approximately 45 people were greeted by Banks school board members, hot coffee and donuts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, July 30, in the Banks Junior High School Gym. The group had gathered in response to an open invitation to “Community Summit: What’s Next for our School?” “It is our goal to broaden our support base,” Superintendent Jim Foster said, “The purpose of the summit is to bring in a group of people…who can give us insight on getting this bond passed. Fixing aging buildings in the Banks district should be job No. 1 next fall.” Foster started the summit by thanking everyone for attend- ing and asking for input. He stressed the need for reaching more people and connecting in a positive manner with the gen- eral Banks community. “What can we do to get the bond passed this time?” he asked. Safety is the major concern for both the junior and senior high buildings. Stressing that keeping the children of Banks School district safe is an obli- gation, not a luxury, Foster ran down a list of repairs and im- provements that passage of the bond would cover. The Ju- nior high ranked a minus-1 on a seismic standards test based on a scale of 1 to 10. In other words, it is a very high risk building in case of a moderate earthquake. A handout was supplied that listed in detail the many problems the bond would cover, in both buildings. A walk-through of a junior high classroom was conducted next. Scott Rose, of DLR Archi- tecture, pointed out heating and cooling problems caused by the block glass and single Jim Dandy Farm Market F RESH C HERRIES , P EACHES U P ICK F LOWERS Open 7 Days • 9 AM - 6 PM 45770 NW Sunset Hwy, Banks pane windows, the outdated wiring and the lack of proper ventilation. He then took every- one to the portable classrooms, which were never intended to be permanent facilities, and which have all of the same problems as the regular build- ing, plus extremely poor light- ing and acoustics. The portable classrooms were purchased in 1992, have given 30 years of service and are not expected to last much longer. The tour con- tinued with a short visit to the boys’ locker room, and an old bathroom that has been made into a makeshift office. Any- thing and everything that can be reused or repurposed, Rose stressed, would be utilized to keep costs down. Upon returning to the gym, former high school principle Bob Schlegel led an open question and answer forum. Several well-thought-out ques- tions were asked and an- swered. One community mem- ber said she voted no last time, but now feels confident that a “Yes” vote is appropriate to in- sure the safety of the students and the continuing quality of education offered to Banks stu- dents. 503-324-3954 One tool Many uses STIHL KM 55 R KombiMotor $199 95 Attachments starting at $59 95 A member of the STIHL KombiSystem family of multi-task tools, the unique KM 55 R STIHL HomeScaper Series™ KombiMotor lets the occasional user mix and match attachments — so you can move from one project to another quickly and smoothly. Using the optional attachments, this tool is great for edging, pruning, cultivating and more. NOTE: STIHL KombiMotors and STIHL KombiSystem attachments sold separately. PRECISION OUTD OOR POWER EQUIPMENT Banks Hardware 503-324-5221 • 150 N. Main St., Banks • Mon - Fri 8am to 6pm • Saturday 8am to 5pm • Sunday 10am to 4pm School board wonders how to pass bond by Debi Wagner The Banks School Board does not take a summer break. On July 11, the board members were hard at work again dis- cussing the future of the Banks School District. Major topics of discussion were much the same as last month. How to get the bond passed this fall being priority number one. Details of the up- coming Community Summit: What’s Next for our School? were laid out. All of the mem- bers are hoping for a high turn out. Congratulations are in order for board members Kathy Edi- son and Laurie Schlegel as both were re-elected and given the oath of office. 9-1-1 wants to be able to call you We all know to call 9-1-1 when we need help, but now 9- 1-1 wants to call you! Washing- ton County’s central dispatch center, Consolidated Commu- nications Agency, has imple- mented a new emergency noti- fication system, also known as reverse 911. Reverse 911 allows dispatch to send emergency messages to people within a given area or radius of an emergency. The messages will provide informa- tion or instructions to help you know how to react. You can re- ceive the messages via your landline telephone, cellular phone, email, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone. Sign up today at www. wccca.com/wcens . Drunk driving crackdown starting Washington County Sheriff’s Office is joining the National Impaired Driving Crackdown from August 19 to September 5. Thanks to grant funding, deputies will be working over- time through the Labor Day holiday to improve traffic safety by taking impaired drivers off the road throughout Washing- ton County. You can help! If you see a suspected DUII driver, call 9-1- 1 immediately. If you drink or take medications that impair your ability to drive, do not get behind the wheel. Banks BBQ schedule, page 14