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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 2012)
The INDEPENDENT, March 21, 2012 Page 11 Banks Council told public works building now has solar panels by Jodi Boylan Mayor John Kinsky opened the March 13 meeting of the Banks City Council by pro- claiming April 21 as Banks Ar- bor Day, marking the 140th an- niversary of the the nation’s first Arbor Day. City Manager Jim Hough presented the proclamation to Tree Board Chair, Denise Holmes. At a recent meeting of Ore- gon Association of Water Utili- ties, Banks Public Works Su- pervisor Tom Tuski received the 2011 Rookie of the Year award. Tuski was presented the award at the meeting by Hough. Hough commented that “Tom has really earned this. Tom has brought programs to the City of Banks that we have never had before.” Hough and Tuski unveiled the 2012 aerial photo of the City of Banks. Washington County Deputy Todd Hanlon’s for March in- cluded 93 incidents in Banks, with 23 public requests and five arrests, 30 traffic stops with 11 citations, and 17 reports were generated. After reviewing the incidents with council, Mayor Kinsky commented that the “variety of events is a little bit more bizarre each month.” Ray Deeth reported that there was not a Planning Com- mission meeting because of lack of a quorum. City Manager Hough’s re- port included: • The city’s request for recognition as a Council-Man- ager form of government was granted by the International City/County Management As- sociation (ICMA) as of Febru- ary 2012. • The City plans an open house to present the proposed Banks Readdressing Plan Or- dinance to the citizens of Banks. The open house will be held in Council Chambers, April 5 at 7:00 p.m. • ODOT is making new park signage arrays, which should be installed in about a month. The northbound upgraded school zone signage has been installed. • Solar panels have been in- stalled on the Public Works Building, which is now operat- ing on solar power. If there is not enough solar power, the building automatically receives power from PGE power. If there is a surplus of power, the sur- plus is automatically sent to PGE. PGE will compare the building’s two meters, annually, and if there is a net power transfer to PGE, the city will be credited with that amount at the wholesale rate. • The Budget Committee last week, discussed using Traffic Impact Fees to redesign the Main Street/Oak Way intersec- tion. The city has checked with the planners at Washington County Land Use & Transpor- tation (LUT) regarding use of the funding, and found that the intersection project is on the Base List. The city will be able to request authorization to use our TIF funds for the project. With the assistance of LUT staff, a letter has been drafted requesting the county coordi- nating committee to authorize the expenditure. • The city is in the process of getting all of its transportation projects on the state Major Streets Transportation Im- provement phase 3d project list. Immediate funding is not anticipated, but the proposed projects will be documented with the Washington County Transportation Planning Sec- tion for future reference and potential funding. The next step will be to get the projects onto the Northwest Area Commis- sion on Transportation project list. On behalf of the City, Hough presented the city-owned Otto Galaway York Business Col- lege Diploma to the Banks His- torical Society. Deeth accepted the document for the historical society. The revised Park Manage- ment Agreement with Village Homeowners Association was tabled to next month’s meeting. Council unanimously ap- proved the purchase and in- stallation of a new telephone local exchange system. The contract was awarded to Ma- trix, Inc. at a cost not to exceed $12,690.71. Council approved a City Manager Recruitment Profile prepared by the League of Ore- gon Cities, based on informal discussions by the Council. A motion to adopt an Auto- mated External Defibrillator Program Policy carried unani- mously. Hough expressed his “appreciation to Councilor Mark Gregg for steering us in the right direction with this.” Council also approved a Memorandum of Understand- ing with the Washington Coun- ty Emergency Medical Ser- vices Office for Medical Super- vision & Program Coordination of an Automated External De- fibrillator (AED) program. Kin- sky ended with “thank you very much, council, for bringing this to fruition…it’s taken three years.” During round table discus- sions, Kinsky presented coun- cil with an outline for Banks Joint Emergency Planning and Incident Response. The goal is to develop a coordinated re- sponse to emergencies inside city limits, among local govern- ment agencies, including Banks School District, Banks Fire District #13, City of Banks, and Washington County Sher- iff’s Office. With a designated representative from each agency, Kinsky hopes to identi- fy existing emergencies, gaps, and plans for the future. The next city council meet- ing will be held in Council Chambers, on April 10, at 7:00 p.m. Banks City Manager Jim Hough (left) presented Public Works Supervisor Tom Tuski with the 2011 Rookie of the Year award from the Oregon Association of Water Utilities. Photo by Jodi Boylan Catering Available Call now to schedule your event We will bring Jim’s Famous BBQ to your: Company Picnic, Wedding, Birthday, Anniversary and other events. E v e r y Friday & Saturday S TARTING A PRIL 6 TH & 7 TH 660 So. Main, Banks • 503-324-2171