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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 2011)
The INDEPENDENT, November 2, 2011 Boaters registration renewals have been sent to owners Boaters with 2011 registra- tion decals on their boat will soon be getting their courtesy registration renewal notice in the mail. The Marine Board mailed approximately 83,000 notices on October 31. “Renewing online is quick and easy and there’s no pro- cessing fee,” said Ashley Massey, Public Affairs Special- ist for the Marine Board. Each renewal notice has the boat owner’s registration number (OR number) and a PIN. “The boat owner simply goes to the Marine Board website at www.boatoregon.com, clicks on the registration decal image or “click here to renew online” link, and enters the information from the renewal notice into designated fields.” The online system is secure and the Ma- rine Board does not retain any credit card data. Boaters who let their registration lapse last season (decals that expired 12/31/10) can still renew on- line. The boat owner just needs to call the Marine Board at 503- 378-8587 to obtain a Personal Identification Number (PIN). “Another advantage to re- newing online is that boaters can print out a temporary per- mit right away, and immediate- ly get out on the water,” said Massey. Decals are mailed within 5-7 business days. “The electronic process provides a great turnaround-time for boaters, and it’s much more cost-effective for the agency.” The notices include the $5 surcharge for the Aquatic Inva- sive Species Prevention Permit fund that was passed by the 2009 legislature. The fee is in addition to the cost of the boat registration, which is un- changed. Registration fees are $3 per foot, rounded up, based on the length of the vessel. Boaters can also renew their registrations at the Marine Board Office in Salem, by mail or through 85 registration agents statewide. The Oregon State Marine Board is funded by user fees and federal grants. The rev- enue generated from the fees goes back to boaters in the form of boating facility improve- ments, marine law enforce- ment services and education and outreach. Power of the People By W. Marc Farmer, General Manager, West Oregon Electric Cooperative Property Purchase Completed In order for West Ore- gon to complete its re- quirements from the City Planning Commission, it is necessary for the Co-op to partner with the City of Vernonia to jointly purchase the property next to us that is currently owned by the Soderbacks. I will lay out in detail the Planning Commission re- quirements, how we will meet them, and the pur- chase agreement we have worked out with the Soderbacks and the City. One of the last projects West Oregon must complete to satisfy all of the Planning Commis- sion requirements for our new facility is the con- dition that WOEC must purchase the remainder of the vacated Cougar Street and then complete half street improvements; which is to build side- walks, curb, planter strip, gutters, and pave the north half of Cougar Street and the section of Rose Avenue from Cougar to Maple Street. Then West Oregon must deed over to the City of Vernonia the completed half street of Cougar. The first step to complete this requirement is obviously to purchase the property next to us. West Oregon EC has entered into negotiations with the Soderbacks to purchase the property and has successfully entered into a sales pur- chase agreement. The sale of the property to WOEC is set to close on October 31. A Memo- randum of Agreement (MOA) has been ap- proved between the City of Vernonia and West Beware of chimney sweep and otherscams Every year, construction fraud complaints are among the most commonly filed with the Oregon Department of Jus- tice. Though always prevalent, construction scams tend to change with the seasons. As the cooler weather approach- es, Attorney General John Kroger warns Oregon con- sumers to be vigilant against chimney cleaning scams. Common chimney sweep and construction fraud com- plaints involve aggressive sales tactics, including unso- licited phone calls and door-to- door solicitations. Sales pitch- es offer services for bargain costs, with alarming claims that the consumers’ chimneys are in very bad condition and are fire hazards that could cause damage that would cost thou- sands of dollars to repair. To avoid common chimney sweep scams, Attorney Gener- al Kroger and the Oregon Con- struction Contractors Board of- fer the following tips: • Check that the contractor has an active license with the Oregon Construction Contrac- tors Board. • Be wary of hiring a chim- ney sweep that arrives at your door uninvited. Many home im- provement scams take advan- tage of unsuspecting home- owners using unscrupulous and high pressure door-to-door sales tactics. • Be aware of low-ball offers to clean your chimney. This could be a tactic to get their foot in your door with an eye to- ward performing more expen- sive repair work. Some scam- mers claim to provide photos from inside or outside your chimney as evidence repair is necessary. Be sure the photos are actually from your house – look for something in the photo or in the background that iden- tifies it as your home. Page 15 • If a company claims your chimney liner is broken or col- lapsed and you need a new system, either get a second opinion or have them show you where it is broken. • Be skeptical of demands for 100% up-front payment. Don’t let scare tactics affect your judgment. If you get the feeling that the person offering the service is using terms like “carbon monoxide poisoning” or “house fire” in a way that feels alarming, get a second opinion. This could be a hard sell tactic. If you think you may have been victimized in a chimney sweep or construction fraud scam, please call the Attorney General’s Consumer Hotline at 877-877-9392, file a Consumer Complaint Form online or con- tact the Construction Contrac- tors Board at 503-378-4621. Oregon Electric Cooperative, Inc. to jointly pur- chase the property. This is a logical step since the property around the Soderback parcel is cur- rently owned by the City so it completes the missing piece in their ownership of the entire Rose Avenue Site next to the new Co-op facility. It also makes sense as the completed Cougar Street will end up being owned and maintained by the City as a city street. West Oregon will pur- chase the property and the City will then reim- burse West Oregon for two-thirds of the pur- chase price over five years, or sooner if and when any grant funds are received by the City for development and improvement of the Rose Avenue site. The Soderbacks will have a signed license agreement with the City to allow them use of some of the city property next to their metal shed to continue to park their trucks and small shed for six months. This will allow them to con- tinue to operate and give them time to relocate and remove their equipment and buildings. The north half of Cougar and Rose Avenue in front of the new building will immediately begin con- struction and installation of storm drains, side- walks, curbs, and gutters, and then be paved once those are completed. Once the paving and final project are completed, West Oregon will then go through the process to deed the north 30 feet of Cougar over to the City of Vernonia. This entire process should be completed by the end of January. This will allow better traffic flow in and out of our new facility and allow the City to develop their property next to us. When they do, they will complete the last remaining section of Cougar Street. We are looking forward to hav- ing the final piece of our relocation project com- pleted.