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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 2012)
Friendship Jamboree Pull-out Guide inside PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. Postage Paid Vernonia, OR 97064 Permit No. 37 Vol. 27, No. 15 THE FREE INDEPENDENT The Voice Voice of of the Upper Nehalem River The River Valley Valley for for Over Over 25 27 years years August 1, 2012 Verdura Family Wellness office in Vernonia has closed Verdura Family Wellness of- fice in Vernonia closed for the last time on July 30. The clinic opened on February 20 of this year and had been open three days a week. Business Manag- er Sara Miller cited a lack of pa- tients as the primary reason for the closure. They had hoped to have 1,000 patients by this time and had only 348 as of this week. At the end of the day on July 30, Miller said, “We hope we’ve helped some patients while we’ve been here.” Patients will receive a letter this week telling them of the closure and their options to This is what the old West Oregon Electric Co-operative building looked like last week as the demolition continued. See article on this page for information on flood recovery projects. Cougar seen in Vernonia neighborhood A cougar was spotted inside city limits of Vernonia on July 20. Ernie Smith and his son, Taylor, saw a cougar, at about midnight, in their backyard be- tween 4th and 5th Avenues, at the north end. The cougar stayed in the yard for a couple of minutes, then moved off into the timber behind the house. “Then we heard it attack some animal,” Smith said, “it was snarling and making a gut- tural growl,” then the noise stopped. They called 9-1-1. When a Vernonia Police Of- ficer arrived they heard sounds that led them to believe the cougar was devouring some- thing. They listened to the sounds for about five minutes. The next day, Ernie Smith went in the woods but saw no sign, though Taylor found large cat prints and a path that looked like the cougar had dragged something into the thick brush. Smith said they had previously seen a deer with two yearlings in the area and, since, have seen only one yearling. The po- lice department contacted Ore- gon State Police and Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW). Information on the ODFW website states that Oregon is home to more than 5,000 cougars, also known as moun- tain lions. Their primary food source is deer, but they will also eat elk, raccoons, and oth- er mammals and birds. Cougars are large animals with a cat-like appearance, tan or tawny color and a nearly three foot long tail. ODFW advises those who live in cougar country to keep See cougar on page 5 How to identify cougar tracks, see page 5 continue care at the Hillsboro or Carlton clinic locations. Ver- dura Family Wellness will pro- vide medication refills for 30 days and will follow up with pa- tients on any labs or tests done recently. Patients with ques- tions or concerns are urged to contact them at the Hillsboro office at 503-648-8210. The Vernonia Health Board met with Verdura on Monday night, to facilitate their closing, and remains committed to pro- viding health care in Vernonia. The board will now begin a search for another provider to operate the clinic. 2007 flood recovery efforts are winding down this year The tear down of the old West Oregon Electric Co-oper- ative building took place start- ing the week of July 23. The building, at the corner of Adams Ave. and Maple St. was built in 1957 for $113,406. It was replaced this year by the new building, out of the flood plain, at Maple St. and Rose Ave. Recovery efforts from the flood on December 3, 2007, are winding down, with the last batch of nine houses to be lift- ed this year. A total of 36 hous- es have been elevated (without money from FEMA), 30 were elevated with FEMA money, nine FEMA elevations still to go, 34 houses in Columbia County were bought by FEMA and torn down. One house was moved to a different part of the property (higher ground) and then lifted. 21 houses were mit- igated by the owners, such as replacing an existing manufac- tured home. There were also three businesses, Vernonia Sentry, West Oregon Electric Co-operative, and the schools that were mitigated (floodwalls for Sentry), or torn down and re-built elsewhere. Two busi- nesses are still in the process of seeking mitigation options. Oregon given No Child Left Behind waiver, see page 12
