The INDEPENDENT, October 5, 2011
Page 5
CCRider announces fare increases and changes to zonal system
CCRider fares increased ef-
fective October 1, after ap-
proval of new rates by the Co-
lumbia County Board of Com-
missioners, on September 14.
The rate increase was deemed
necessary after other funding
streams decreased this year. In
addition to the rate increase, a
zone-based fare structure was
established.
Dial-A-Ride rates from Ver-
nonia will now be:
• to St. Helens, Clatskanie –
$11.00
• to Scappoose, Rainier –
$11.00
• to Portland – $13.00
• anywhere within Vernonia
– $2.20.
There is no regular CCRider
bus service to the above areas.
Vernonia Dial-a-ride oper-
ates on Mondays, Wednes-
days, and Fridays from 8:30
a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and can be
scheduled by calling 503-366-
0159.
Fixed Routes from Vernonia
to Tri-Met’s Willow Creek Sta-
tion (with stops at Stub Stewart
State Park, and Staley’s Junc-
tion) will continue leaving Ver-
nonia at 6:15 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
and 4:30 p.m. The fare for
Fixed Route rides is $5.00 for
the general public, $4.00 for
seniors, disabled, students and
children (SDS&C). In addition,
each zone crossed requires an
additional $1.00.
Zone 1 is the North County
and includes Clatskanie, Alston
Corner and Rainier. Zone 2 is
the South County, covering
Scappoose, St. Helens and
Vernonia. Zone 3 includes
downtown Portland, Willow
Creek Station, Rock Creek and
Longview.
Monthly passes now cost:
• Zone 1 – $75.00 ($60.00
for SDS&C).
• Zone 2 – $130.00 ($110.00
SDS&C)
• or All Zones (excluding De-
mand Response Service) –
$150.00 ($130.00 SDS&C).
For more information call
503-366-0159 or see www.
columbiacountyrider.com .
Council works on FEMA compliance
Mayor Josette Mitchell de-
clared October 9-15 as Fire
Prevention Week, in a procla-
mation that initiated the Octo-
ber 3 meeting of the Vernonia
City Council.
Council discussed handling
of six properties that were
flooded and substantially dam-
aged, but whose owners have
not been cooperating with
FEMA requirements that the
houses need to be elevated,
moved, or bought out and torn
down. A letter was reviewed
and approved that will be sent
to these property owners with a
deadline to contact the city
about their properties before le-
gal measures are started, if
needed.
Council then held an execu-
tive session (closed to the pub-
lic) to discuss issues regarding
legal counsel, real property
transactions and labor negotia-
tions. When they came out of
that session, they unanimously
approved the collective bar-
gaining agreement with AF-
SCME members of city staff.
Additionally, by consensus,
council gave City Administrator
Bill Haack permission to nego-
tiate with West Oregon Electric
Co-op on the purchase of the
Soderback property, though no
further particulars were made
public.
In other business, council:
• Approved a contract with
Triangle GIS LLC for limited
work on the city’s GIS mapping
system through June 2012;
• approved a contract with
KLS Surveying for surveying at
the wastewater lagoons as part
of the ongoing wastewater
treatment improvement project;
• approved a contract with
Shannon & Wilson Inc. for ge-
otechnical engineering at the
wastewater lagoons.
The next time the council will
meet will be at a joint work ses-
sion with the Public Works
Committee at 7:00 p.m. tonight,
Oct. 5, at city hall. The next
regular council meeting will be
October 17 at 7:00 p.m. in city
hall.
Fire season ends with recent rains, backyard burning now open
Fire Season was terminated
within the Northwest Oregon
Fire Protection district, effec-
tive October 3. Now that fire
season has ended, forest oper-
ators are no longer required to
have fire suppression equip-
ment and fire watch services as
part of their forest operations.
The Columbia County Fire De-
fense Board has lifted the ban
on open burning of yard debris.
Burning will be regulated on a
day-to-day basis by local fire
districts and the Oregon De-
partment of Forestry. Burning
of yard debris requires a valid
permit from your local fire dis-
trict. If outside a rural fire dis-
trict, the Department of Forest-
ry issues this permit.
Always check to see if burn-
ing is allowed before burning.
Residents and commercial op-
erators should also be aware of
the following Department of
Environmental Quality (DEQ)
prohibitions:
• Open burning that creates
a nuisance or a hazard to pub-
lic safety is prohibited.
• Regulations prohibit burn-
ing the following materials any-
where in Oregon: rubber prod-
ucts, tires, plastic, wet
garbage, petroleum and petro-
leum-treated materials, as-
bestos, wire insulation, auto-
mobile parts, animal or veg-
etable food waste, animal re-
mains, asphalt or industrial
waste, or any other material
that creates dense smoke or
noxious odors.
Wauna holds fundraiser for school
All seven branches of Wau-
na Federal Credit Union will
help raise money for construc-
tion of the new Vernonia
School by selling tickets for a
prize drawing of $500 in cash.
The tickets will be sold for
$1.00 each, at all Wauna
branches, through October.
The prize drawing will be held
November 7, when one lucky
winner will win $500 cash. Tick-
et buyers must be 18 years or
older.
Wauna’s 2011 fundraising
goal is to raise $15,000 to-
wards the Vernonia School
project.
A great time to buy your tick-
ets for the $500 cash drawing
would be on October 20, when
Wauna will celebrate Interna-
tional Credit Union Day. Credit
Unions Build a Better World is
the motto for 2011. All mem-
bers are invited to come in and
enjoy cake, and enter their
names for prizes on October
20.
• Burning materials that
have been removed from the
property of origin, unless the
person has a DEQ permit, is
prohibited.
• Construction and demoli-
tion debris and commercial
burning is prohibited, in most
cases. Burning of land clearing
material is prohibited within
three miles of Vernonia, St. He-
lens, Scappoose, Rainier, and
Clatskanie.
Longview Timberlands LLC
property in Oregon, except for
Hood River and Wasco Coun-
ties has been re-opened to
public-recreational entry due to
reduced risk of forest fire dan-
ger.
For more information on
burning in Vernonia, call the fire
district at 503-429-8252. Out-
side of Vernonia, call the Ore-
gon Department of Forestry at
503-397-2636. For commer-
cial, construction, or demolition
burning, call DEQ at 503-229-
5545.