Page 14
The INDEPENDENT, November 2, 2011
Banks/Vernonia Linear Trail named OR APWA Project of the Year
The Oregon Chapter of the
American Public Works Associ-
ation (OR APWA) has recog-
nized two transportation proj-
ects managed by the Washing-
ton County’s Department of
Land Use and Transportation.
OR APWA selected the
Banks/Vernonia Linear Trail
Extension and Trailhead proj-
ect as its Transportation Pro-
ject of the Year. The award rec-
ognizes quality, innovation and
cooperation among the manag-
ing agency, its partners, con-
sultants and construction con-
tractors. Evaluation criteria in-
cluded public outreach efforts,
environmental design consid-
erations, timely completion,
and overall safety factors.
The project completed the fi-
nal two-thirds of a mile of the
21-mile Banks-Vernonia State
Trail, extending it to the City of
Banks. The trail provides
pedestrians, bicyclists and
equestrians with a pleasant
and safe travel route. In con-
junction with the trail project,
the County also managed con-
struction of the Banks Trail-
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head parking area. These proj-
ects represented a collabora-
tive effort between Washington
County, the Oregon Parks and
Recreation Department, the
Oregon Department of Trans-
portation and the City of Banks.
The $1.4 million trail project
was funded by a Federal
Transportation Enhancement
Grant, the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
administered by the Oregon
Department of Transportation,
the Oregon Parks and Recre-
ation Department, and Wash-
ington County. Carter and
Company was the primary con-
tractor. The project com-
menced construction in May
2010 and was completed in
October 2010.
The Project of the Year
award was presented to Coun-
ty Engineer Gary Stockhoff and
Project Manager Matt Meier on
October 20, during the OR
APWA Fall Conference in Red-
mond. It was presented to the
Board of County Commission-
ers at their regular board meet-
ing on Tuesday, October 25.
Chairman Andy Duyck said
“This project presented a
unique opportunity for several
jurisdictions to pool resources
to successfully deliver a region-
ally-significant
recreational
transportation enhancement.”
The other project, given an
Honorable Mention from OR
APWA, was the Hwy 99W/
Greenburg Road-Main Street/
Hall Blvd. project.
Washington County DAVS seeks input
There is still time for the
community to voice their opin-
ions and have them included in
Washington County Disability,
Aging and Veteran Services’
(DAVS) next strategic plan. The
new strategic plan will be for
three years beginning in 2012
through 2014. DAVS is inter-
ested in the opinions of Wash-
ington County residents about
retirement and what services
and activities they need and
want as they grow older. A sur-
vey is available through De-
cember 31, 2011. To access
the
survey,
go
to:
h t t p : / / w w w. s u r v e y m o n
key.com/s/CVL58YN.
“Our society has never ex-
perienced a time when so
many people are living to ad-
vanced ages. Right now, more
than 25 percent of Washington
County residents are over the
age of 50. Planning for such a
large group of individuals is
challenging for agencies like
DAVS charged with developing
services to meet the needs of
older people as well as veter-
ans and those with disabilities.
We need the community’s help
to make sure we are on the
right track in planning for cur-
rent and future needs,” states
Chris Larson who is serving as
the contract facilitator.
The 3-year plan will address
the needs and the gaps in serv-
ices for seniors, veterans and
people with disabilities.
Anyone interested in taking
the survey is invited to com-
plete it online or, if you would
like a paper copy of the survey,
call Janet Long at 503-846-
3081 or E-mail to: janet_long@
co.washington.or.us.
Property tax statements explained
From page 13
Appeals of value may be
filed from October 26, 2011,
until January 3, 2012. Informa-
tion pertaining to the appeal
process is available on the
back of the tax statement and
the County website.
Taxpayers are also encour-
aged to call the Appraisal Divi-
sion at 503-846-8826 for assis-
tance in determining how their
property was valued.
Taxpayers have several
payment options. Taxes may
be paid in three installments
due November 15, February 15
and May 16. There are also
provisions for full payments
with a 3 percent discount or a
Between the Bookends
S EE US FOR
H EATING O IL
D ECK & S HINGLE O IL
A NTI F REEZE
CALL
(503) 429-6606
WILCOX & FLEGEL
720 Rose Avenue • Vernonia
From page 12
days,” a story about a vampire couple, Cat and Bones, and their
otherworldly friends and family. They are looking forward to a nor-
mal holiday until a stranger shows up and reveals long-buried
family secrets that threaten to take a bite out of their cheer or
worse.
Daylight Savings Time ends
Sunday, November 6. Re-
member to reset your clocks.
two-thirds payment with a 2
percent discount. Payments
must be postmarked by No-
vember 15 to receive a dis-
count. Property owners who do
not receive a tax statement by
November 1st should call the
Tax Collections Office at 503-
846-8801.
Washington County is now
able to accept payments via
the Internet using a credit card,
debit card or a direct transfer
from a customer’s bank ac-
count. This payment method
can be accessed through the
Washington County Website.
Taxpayers also have the op-
tion to pay via telephone by
calling 1-888-510-9274.