The INDEPENDENT, September 7, 2011
Page 5
Business Notes
Unusually good attendance
at this year’s annual meeting,
on August 20, of the West Ore-
gon Electric Cooperative was
generated by members’ inter-
est in their co-op’s new head-
quarters building. Their interest
was rewarded with tours of the
as-yet unfurnished and unoc-
cupied building.
WOEC General Manager
Marc Farmer recounted some
features of the building that re-
inforced the extent of efforts to
use local resources. The efforts
started with the selection of
Five Star Builders of Banks,
which filled many jobs with
people who live in Vernonia
and other parts of the WOEC
service area, and continued
with buying as much equip-
ment and supplies as possible
in Vernonia, including tires.
There was a constant watch
on project costs, as well, with
one particular decision that re-
sulted in making an industrial
building look like a hunting
lodge. When the cost of metal
sky-rocketed, and all con-
cerned started looking for a dif-
ferent material to use instead of
metal siding, good fortune
came along. Cedar logs were
donated, a small sawmill was
brought from eastern Oregon
to Vernonia, and the logs were
milled to order, free, by Clint
Jackson, a co-owner of Five
Star Builders, at his Vernonia
residence.
There are many other inter-
esting elements in and about
the new facility, and an open
house is planned for Friday,
September 30, from 2:00 to
7:00 p.m.
In addition to reports from di-
rectors and staff, election of di-
rectors for Districts 3 and 7
were held. David Hess was re-
elected to District 7, and Marty
Van Dyken was elected to Dis-
trict 3, replacing Randall Ault-
man, who did not seek another
term.
Vernonia city council hires a new
police officer, Brent Thompson
Vernonia’s newest police of-
ficer, Brent Thompson.
At the August 29 meeting,
the newly formed Vernonia City
Council of Mayor Josette
Mitchell and Councilors Bruce
McNair, Randy Parrow, Kim
Tierney and Donna Webb, pro-
moted Brent Thompson to one
of two open full time Vernonia
Police
Officer
openings.
Thompson has put in about
1,000 volunteer hours as a re-
serve officer, and had already
been hired as a part-time code
enforcement officer.
Council also approved the
extension of existing contracts
with Josette Mitchell and Jim
Johnson as Pro Tem City Ad-
ministrators. Both agreements
were extended to September
30.
Council set August 30 as the
date to interview candidates
Bill Haack and Dennis Rhodes
for City Administrator.
In other business, council,
on September 6:
• held the second reading of
Ordinance #877 establishing
the office of City Attorney.
• approved Resolution 25-11
designating all FEMA buy-out
properties as part of an Open
Space System that makes the
properties part of the city park
system. One benefit to this
designation is that, as outdoor
recreational lands, the city has
no liability for them.
Columbia County’s employment
numbers show no change in July
Columbia County’s season-
ally adjusted unemployment
rate was 10.4 percent in July
essentially unchanged from the
previous month (10.3%) but
lower than the year before
(12.2%). The rate was above
the statewide rate (9.5%) and
the national rate (9.1%). Total
employment climbed by 158 to
22,202 and the number of un-
employed people dropped by
54 to 2,636. Total employment
this July was 650 more than
one year before and there were
253 fewer people unemployed
this year.
Presiding over the August 20 dedication of the new WOEC building were, left to right, Clint
Jackson and Greg Henes, co-owners of Five Star Builders, WOEC General Manager Marc
Farmer, WOEC Board President Robert VanNatta, project architect Dennis Beyer, and project
manager Ed Bouma.