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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 2012)
The INDEPENDENT, September 19, 2012 Page 5 Free workshop on bonding is CCRider part of award winning agency The NW Oregon Transit Al- better information systems for non-profit foundation to assist set for small businesses liance, a five-agency rural tran- public use. As a part of that with fundraising and promotion Small businesses often face the daunting task of being “bondable.” When it comes to working on government con- tracts in the transportation in- dustry, being bonded is often a requirement. Now, a free six- week workshop will help small business owners in Oregon and southwest Washington find out just what it takes to become bonded and how to expand their existing bonding capacity. The free, 3-hour evening courses begin October 4 at the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs Center, 4134 N. Vancouver Ave. in Portland. The Oregon Department of Transportation requested the workshop after learning of its successful pilot in Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta in 2010. The Bonding Education Program (BEP), a partnership between the U.S. Department of Trans- portation/Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Uti- lization, the Surety & Fidelity Association of America, and a host of local stakeholders, con- sists of educational workshops and bond readiness sessions. The educational component offers an introductory session and five comprehensive work- shops, each providing informa- tion related to improving a small contractor’s operations – with a goal of making it easier to be bonded or to increase bonding capacity. A final work- shop focuses on networking and next steps. The bond readiness compo- nent consists of one-on-one in- teractions with surety bond pro- ducers, underwriters and other professionals who work with the contractors on a case-by- case basis in assembling the materials necessary for a com- plete bond application and in addressing any omissions and/or deficiencies that might deter the successful underwrit- ing of a bond. The classes qualify for Con- struction Contractors Board li- cense continuing education for Commercial and Residential contractors under the “elective” category. See the Construction Contractors Board Education page for additional information. Businesses with no bonding and those who want to in- crease bonding capacity may be interested in this program. Businesses can apply at the Bonding Education Program event website, http://bep.event brite.com/. For questions, contact Lily Keeffe, U.S. DOT/Northwest Small Business Transportation Resource Center, 425-248- 4222 or lkeefe@snoedc.org. Forestry Department has set new fire precaution levels The State of Oregon Depart- ment of Forestry announced new Fire Precaution Levels on September 17. NW-1 district went to Level 2 Partial Shutdown between the hours of 1:00 and 8:00 p.m. NW-2 and NW-3 districts went to Level 3. Cable yarding systems (motorized) may oper- ate only as permitted and pow- er saws are allowed only at loading sites and on tractor or skidder operations between 8:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. Be- tween 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. there is a partial shutdown. The full information can be found on the Oregon Depart- ment of Forestry website at http://www.oregon.gov/odf/pag es/fire/precautionlevel.aspx . Additionally, Longview Tim- berlands LLC has closed all their property in Oregon to pub- lic-recreational entry as of Sep- tember 13, because of high for- est-fire danger. For up-to-date information on their closures, go to www.longviewtimber. com. Autumn officially arrives on September 22 sit partnership, received the Oregon Public Transit Divi- sion’s System Innovation Award at the Oregon Transit Association Conference in Seaside. Convention atten- dees included over 250 trans- portation professionals from all over Oregon. The award hon- ors a public transit project that has demonstrated innovative concepts or effective problem- solving techniques not previ- ously applied in the public tran- sit industry. The five agencies that make up the NW Oregon Transit Al- liance are Columbia County Rider Transportation, Sunset Empire Transportation District, Tillamook Transit District, Lin- coln County Transit District and Linn/Benton Rural Transit. The project is a collaborative effort of the five transit agen- cies to enhance the livability and economic vitality of the communities they service, while preserving their unique character. This is a landmark project for rural public trans- portation in Oregon, and a model for other communities and transit providers in the rest of the nation. Funded through a $3.5 mil- lion U.S. Department of Energy General Innovation Fund grant (through the American Recov- ery and Reinvestment Act), which is aimed at increasing transit use by commuters and visitors in rural northwest Ore- gon, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by making pub- lic transit options easy to use and relevant to visitors and everyday riders. The goal of the project is to streamline connections be- tween the Oregon Coast and the I-5 corridor; coordinate routes, schedules; and create a fare structure for travel focused on tourism. All of the tasks are crucial aspects of an integrated approach to creating a seam- less regional transit system. The goals of this project are to remove transit barriers be- tween counties, brand and market a regionalized system, and implement innovative part- nerships with coastal business communities and the travel in- dustry for long-term operational sustainability. Additional tasks covered by the project are to improve serv- ice coordination and provide task the alliance has, through its Consultant, David Evans & Associates, developed site- specific branding that en- hances the visibility of the sys- tem while lending itself to local ownership and participation. The final piece is that of de- veloping strategic partnerships, including the creation of a new of regional transit programs. As transportation budgets shrink, we expect this model to suit other regions across the coun- try that will need to use their re- sources in a smarter, greener way. For further information con- tact Janet Wright at 503-366- 8504. Vernonia City Council hears about downtown re-zoning The Vernonia City Council had a light agenda for their September 17 meeting, with no new business, unfinished busi- ness, ordinances or resolutions to handle. The meeting started with council consensus for Mayor Josette Mitchell to appoint Dennis Peters to the Airport Committee. City Planner Carole Connell gave the council information on rezoning issues, including a plan to rezone three blocks of Rose Ave. and two blocks of Weed Ave. from General Resi- dential to Downtown zone. The Planning Commission will hold a hearing on the zone changes tomorrow night, September 20, at 6:00 p.m. in city hall. The council will hold their hearing on the changes on October 1, at 7:00 p.m., also at city hall. Connell also told council that the Planning Commission will meet on November 19 on the proposed parking amendment for the downtown zone. City Administrator Bill Haack told council he will be search- ing for a new year-round park host for Anderson Park and re- viewing whether the city needs a park host at Vernonia Lake. Haack announced the hiring of Dan Kenoyer as a part-time Building and Grounds Mainte- nance employee. Haack also told council that the parks will get very little in the way of groundskeeping through the fall and winter due to budgetary constraints. The next city council meet- ing will start at 7:00 p.m. on Oc- tober 1 at city hall.