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The INDEPENDENT, December 7, 2011
Public gets look at new park plan
Last night, December 6, the
Vernonia School District held a
town hall to present the com-
munity with the designs for the
New Spencer Park, to be built
on the current school site.
The plan calls for two con-
struction phases. Phase I will
replace the fields, two soccer
and one baseball/softball field.
Phase II plans call for more
fields, another bathroom, a
gazebo or covered picnic area,
paths, additional parking, some
type of historical marker for
Washington Grade School, and
perhaps a skate park. The ex-
isting concession stand, cov-
ered playshed and restrooms
will not be razed.
Phase I will start as soon as
the old schools are torn down,
expected to occur in summer or
fall of 2012, with Phase II fol-
lowing as funding is identified.
The current design includes
community input from previous
town halls, after initial design
ideas from the district’s archi-
tects.
Public Health WIC staff provides
December clinic schedule
The concept drawing for the finished New Spencer Park area was drawn up based on input
from community member surveys and presented to the public at last night’s town hall.
The Vernonia Marching Band was able to march in the 2011 Thanksgiving day Macy’s Parade,
thanks to sponsorship by Wells Fargo Bank. Photo courtesy of Betsy Miller.
Pet of the Month
Find the pet that’s right for you at the Columbia Humane Society
2084 Oregon Street, St. Helens. Phone 503-397-4353
Open Mon - Fri 1 pm to 5 pm & Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm
Lilly
a
boxer
Ausi
mix
Hi! My name is Lilly and I’ve been told I’m
very cute and sweet. I know I want some-
one to go on walks with me. The nice peo-
ple here don’t think I should walk by
myself, they say I should have a fenced-
yard. I like dogs and cats, if they run they
are fun to chase. So these nice people
don’t want me to have a cat. But that’s ok
because I really like people and if I find a
new family that takes me for lots of walks
and rides in the car, I think I will be too
busy to chase cats. Chasing cats is fun
but what I want more than anything is
somebody to love me. I’d love them too!
The Columbia Humane Society is a No-Kill non-profit shelter
dedicated to helping friends find each other since 1985.
This Pet of the Month is Sponsored by:
Senator Betsy Johnson
The Public Health WIC staff
will hold travel clinics in Colum-
bia County December 6-9 –
earlier than usual this month
because of the holidays. All
clinics are from 9:30 a.m. to
1:15 p.m. for recertification of
clients and new applicants for
the Women, Infants and Chil-
dren’s (WIC) Federal food pro-
gram.
The Vernonia clinic will be
on Friday December 9. Those
wishing an appointment can
call the WIC Clerk at 503-397-
4651 ext. 2015.
There will be no after-hours
clinic in December. The Public
Health office at 2370 Gable
Road in St. Helens, will be
closed on Monday, December
26, and Monday, January 2, for
Christmas and New Year’s hol-
idays.
Women who are expecting
babies, or who are nursing in-
fants may receive vouchers for
nutritious foods, if eligible by in-
come, health risks and nutri-
tional needs. Infants who are
not breastfeeding may receive
formula vouchers. Children 5
years old or younger may re-
ceive food vouchers quarterly.
Columbia County Facts is-
sued by the Oregon WIC pro-
gram show that in 2010, Co-
lumbia County WIC served a
total of 2,254 clients, including
infants and children under age
5, and pregnant, breastfeeding
and postpartum women. WIC
served 967 families.
WIC certifiers travel monthly
to five cities in Columbia Coun-
ty to see families, and WIC is-
sues $728,000 in food vouch-
ers to families annually. The
vouchers are redeemable at
eight grocery stores, two farm-
ers’ markets and one farm
stand.
Vernonia students in Macy’s Parade
For the fourth year in a row
the Vernonia Marching Band
participated in the Macy’s Holi-
day Parade in downtown Port-
land, on the day after Thanks-
giving. This year the band was
sponsored by Wells Fargo
Bank. Macy’s and Wells Fargo
provided a banner, which mis-
spelled Vernonia, but gave the
chaperones an opportunity to
explain to onlookers where we
live. And the band’s uniforms
still have BHS on the collar in-
stead of VHS because they
were purchased with donated
funds after the flood and we
have not had the time or mon-
ey to fix them.
Band members do not seem
to mind; they enjoy the parade
and look forward each year to
lunch at Izzy’s buffet afterward.
10% off purchase of $25 or more
Offer valid one per person expires 12/24/2011
Holiday Hours:
Mon- Sat 10am-6pm Sun 10am-6pm
725 Madison Ave. Vernonia, OR
Phone:503-429-5049