The INDEPENDENT, August 15, 2012
Larsen is winner of Storefront Contest
Kathy Larsen, standing in front of her Made In Vernonia
store, holding the certificate she won (along with $100) in the
Vernonia Chamber of Commerce Storefront Contest.
The Vernonia Chamber of
Commerce held a Storefront
Contest before Jamboree. The
storefronts were judged on;
sidewalk cleanliness, window
cleanliness, signage, easy ac-
cess into business, mainte-
nance of flowers and ornamen-
tation (if any), and the window
display. The judging was done
on Thursday, August 2.
The contest was open to all
downtown district businesses,
though only to chamber mem-
bers were eligible for the $100
grand prize. There were three
judges, who had to have no af-
filiation with any of the busi-
nesses. The contest was man-
aged by Lisa Edgar of Vernon-
ia Florist.
The winner was Made in
Vernonia. Owner Kathy Larsen
promptly donated the $100 to
Vernonia Cares. The runnerup
was Black Bear Coffee Compa-
ny and honorable mention went
to Vernonia Florist.
The chamber plans to make
this a semi-annual event, held
before Jamboree and at Christ-
mas time.
Page 9
Bits & Bites
By Jacqueline Ramsay
Bits & Bites is on vacation – not in a
sunny spot, though. Rather I’m in the hos-
pital because my MRSA (Methicillin-re-
sistant Staphylococcus aureus) is back. I
had Stage 1 surgery on August 8 and
Stage 2 surgery on August 9. Plus, I woke
up on August 9 with my knee swollen to
the size of a basketball, well not quite, but
it was bad. So, then they had to do an MRI
on that.
Can you tell I’m enjoying myself? Hehe.
Stamp expert coming to Astoria,
get appointment by calling now
Bob Beal, manager of
Harmer-Schau Philatelic Auc-
tion (www.harmerschau.com),
will answer questions about
stamps and stamp collections,
from 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
on Saturday, August 18, at
Clatsop Coin, 1008 Commer-
cial Street in Astoria.
To make an appointment
with the stamp expert, call
Scott McClaine at Clatsop Coin
at 503-298-3898. Beal will also
hold a general informational
session, open to the public, at
2:00 p.m.
HHW day slated
for August 25
The next Columbia County
Household Hazardous Waste
day is scheduled for Saturday,
August 25, from 8:00 a.m. to
noon, at the Columbia County
Transfer Station in St. Helens.
24 Years Ago This Month
The August 25, 1988, issue
of The Independent included
the following news story on the
front page:
Five more Enterprise Zones
will be designated in the state,
and the City of Vernonia should
continue its efforts to obtain
one of the five, Columbia
County Commissioner Mike
Sykes told the city council at
their August meeting.
Sykes also offered the assis-
tance of George Cress, who
has been hired to fill the posi-
tion of county economic devel-
opment coordinator. The coun-
cil agreed that they want to pur-
sue the matter and are having
Recorder Don Dunaway con-
tinue the process. If the city,
Mariolino’s
which is officially designated an
“economically lagging area,”
can become an Enterprise
Zone it will be able to offer sub-
stantial tax incentives to new or
expanding business, if those
businesses meet the criteria for
developing new jobs.
Twelve counties and four-
teen subcounty areas remain
on the list of economically lag-
ging areas. Columbia County,
except for the Vernonia area,
has been removed from the list
because its two Enterprise
Zones have created enough
jobs to change the designation.
With the permission of the
state Department of Environ-
mental Quality, the Vernonia
landfill will accept fifty to sixty
truckloads of drilling mud from
Good Food and
Air Conditioning
Try our Breakfast, Lunch
or Dinner Specials
in Air Conditioned Comfort
721 Madison Ave., Vernonia • 503-429-5018
Arco Gas & Oil. The mud is
used as a lubricant in the
drilling process and its sludge-
like consistency will make good
fill, said Bob Prohaska, who op-
erates the dump under a con-
tract with the city. Each truck-
load will contain approximately
4,500 gallons of mud. The job
will be finished by October 1.
Police Chief Phil Jacobus
reported that R.S. Hunteman
has repeatedly asked the city
to stop an auto repair operation
across the street from his Rose
Avenue residence.
Investigation shows that it’s
not a commercial repair shop,
Jacobus said, but is being used
by friends who share tools and
space while working on their
own vehicles. The other neigh-
bors say there is no problem
with noise or traffic, he added.
Dunaway read a letter from
Hunteman that said he would
settle for a 5 p.m. closing of the
activity.
The council commended
Public Works Director Mike
Smith and Police Sergeant Jim
Walters for their volunteer work
as coaches of the Vernonia
midget baseball team that
placed third in the state.
Nancy Burch, who was the
unanimous choice of the city Li-
brary Board, was accepted as
the new city librarian.
Open Daily
11 a.m.
Biker Friendly
Aug 18 th Random Access
Aug 25 th Stepchild
Aug 31 st & Sept 1 st Karaoke
All Bands & Karaoke start at 9 P.M.
Ladies Night: Wed. 5 pm - Midnight
Happy Hour: Mon - Fri 4 pm - 7 pm
Open until midnight Sun-Thu & until 2:30 a.m. Fri, Sat.
733 Bridge St., Vernonia
503-429-9999