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CRAG Membership Rejected Ry
Colombia County Commissioners
Oer non i a E agle
VERNONIA. OREGON F70M — Ite Per Copy
VOLUME 52, NUMBER »
THURSDAY, JUNE 27. 1974
Chris Loves Being Royalty
(Editor's note: This is the
second in a series of interviews
with the girls who are vying for
the crown ol 1974 Vernonia
Friendship Jamboree
queen.
Sponsors who provide attire for
the girls are: Sew Simple Shop
and Brunsman Hardware. Dana
Andrus, Cut and Curl Room.
Kimmel's Apparel. Chris Sauer
Chalet Flower and Vernonia
Variety, Sharon Smejkal; West
ern Auto and Lew's Cafe, Ren-
nee Williams )
Chris Sauer at 15, has already
decided she would like to be an
elementary school teacher and
with that goal in mind, has made
her plans for the future which
naturally include college
A junior at VHS, Chris is the
daughter of M r and Mrs Larry
Sauer and has two younger bro
thers and a sister "We moved
here two years ago from Port
land I kike it better,” she said,
The Vernonia Eagle will not be
distributed until Friday due to
the Fourth of July holiday falling
on Thursday.
CHRIS SAUER find» being ■ Jamboree Prince»» 1» fun.
County Planners Hear Rahe
On Solid Waste Problems
Columbia County Sanitarian.
Terry Rahe. gave a presentation
concerning the history and prob
lems of solid waste disposal in
Columbia County before the Co
lumbia County Planning Com
mission at their regular meet
ing. June 17. Members in at
tendance were Fred Marracci.
Fred Bemet. E arl Avis, Don
Coin Walrod. Howard Hopkins
and Charles Fleming Also pres
ent were Commission
Staff
members Ronald Reeves and
Rosaline Mallory.
Rahe noted that, up to 1973.
there had been no steps taken by
local government to organize
solid waste disposal He then
presented the results of a survey
conducted by the Environmental
Health Division
Rahe then noted that there are
presently two proposed alterna
tives to solve the solid waste
problem 11 Having four transfer
stations at Clatskanie. Rainier
Vernonia and St Helens with all
refuse to be hauled to one long
range land fill at Santosh in
Scappoose Santosh is already an
established and approved land
fill and a recent study indicates
that disposal there will be ap
proximately 20 cents per ton
cheaper 2) Establishing two
landfills, one near Beaver in
Clatskanie and Santosh in Scap
poose with transfer stations in
Vernonia, Rainier and St Hel
ens
Other items considered by the
commission were the following:
Hiring of M r Curtis Schneider
of Eugene as County Planner II.
Adoption of the 1973 L’BC
structural code as required bv
Senate Bill 73
And approval of a building
permit by M r Malarkey to en
large a home to seven bedrooms
in a designated flood plain area
Chiefs Vote
OutCRISS
In a meeting of the Columbia
County Chiefs of Police Tues
day. June 25. a vote was taken on
CRISS»—Columbia Regional In
formation Sharing System» and
the group voted unanimously to
withdraw from the organization.
Also attending the meeting were
representatives from the Co
lumbia County District Attorn
ey's office, Columbia County
Sheriff's office and the Oregon
State Police.
Citing unsatisfactory service
and down time (the time it takes
after a two-minute wait to get
needed informations) the group
felt that CR1SS did not give them
the ability to provide the best of
service to the residents of the
county as it was hoped when the
county joined the organization
approximately 18 months ago.
No official action has been
taken on the recommendation of
the chiefs as yet Last week
Washington County law enforce
ment agencies withdrew from
CRISS.
adding, "here you can do more
and get to know everyone You
can just be yourself "
Chris admits she loves being a
princess in the Jamboree. “ We
get to go places and see people
that we wouldn't meet other
wise I t ’s just a lot of fun,” she
said enthusiastically
For summer fun she enjoys
horseback riding, swimming,
tennis and hiking " I try to fit in
everything between my baby
sitting job I have this year,”
Chris said smiling "And of
course, now we ll be going to the
different festivals in the county.
We just appeared at the Scap
poose Pow Wow. both at the
coronation on Friday night and
then we rode on the float during
their big parade Saturday. We—
the float—took first place, too.”
During her freshman
and
sophomore years at VHS Christ
has participated in several clubs
including GAA and Foreign Lan
guage She was also a football
cheerleader.
Her likes are many but her pet
peeves are few " I guess my only
real dislike is gossip,” she
commented, thinking awhile be
fore adding, “ I don't mean the
kind like who wore what at a
dance but the mean king that can
hurt someone. Even if it’s true,
people shouldn’t make things
worse by talking ”
On a happier note she said, “ I
guess the very best thing is just
to try and get along with
everyone and not critize others.
I t ’s their life—let them live it.”
Chris, along with the rest of
the Vernonia Friendship Jam
boree Court, will next appear at
the St. Helens Port-O-Fun which
will be this next weekend, June
29-30
Association Slates
Friendship Hike
The Columbia Youth Assoc
iation for Retarded Citizens in
vites residents of Columbia
County to be a Big Brother of Big
Sister for an afternoon.
“ Join us Sunday, June 30 at
1 30 p m for a hike in the forest,
and bring a sack lunch, sturdy
shoes and friendship", they in
vited
The group will n. v t on V er
nonia Road, four miles up from
Highway 30 For more infor
mation about this event, please
contact Fran Robinson, 543-6672.
"We are not backing out (of
CRAG) because of the recall
drive,” stated Commissioner
Fred Foshaug Wednesday, June
19, during the regular Wednes
day Columbia County Board of
Commissioners meeting.
CRAG — Columbia Regional
Association of Governments - -
has become a nasty word in
Columbia County allegoric to
“ 1984's Big Brother ", a state
which has rift the area with
claims and counterclaims, and
resulted in the circulation of
recall petitions against the three
Columbia County Commission
ers.
Originally billed as advisory
and research assistance on plan
ning information, it now appears
that the ramifications of en
rolling in the five-county CRAG
which includes Multhnomah,
Clackamas. Washington, Colum
bia and Clark in Washington
means metropolitan control of
land use, sewer and water
planning and solid waste control,
according to opponents of the
organization
something
few
seem to care for in the area
Foshaug. speaking for the
County Commissioners, noted
that the Commission was not
withdrawing from CRAG be
cause
"officially” Columbia
County has really never been a
member of CRAG. In his ex
planation he alluded to several
communications between the
CRAG offices and the County
Commissioners offices, June 6,
and May 1.
Citing the May 1, letter Fos
haug attempted to make it clear
that a representative of the com
mission had attended on a non-
Co. Planners
Set Hearings
A July 1, meeting date has
been set for the Columbia County
Planning Commission meeting
to consider two requests by cit
izens as well as other com
mission matters.
The Board of Adjustment will
hear a request by Marion D.
Young for a temporary permit
for a mobile home and a request
for extension of a mobile home
temporary permit by Edward O.
Mark.
The full commission will then
consider other matters relevant
to their work.
The time for the meeting is set
at 8 p.m. in the Employees
Lunchroom in the Old Court
house.
Antique Clock Collection
Links Post And Present
everywhere, hang on the wall»
CLOCKS
of Sherm Ffaher’» »hep. Maay operate on ^ e
invented by the Chinese
•f
many year» ago, replacing the
<b-iven clock.
Tick-tock go the clocks on the
walls, the clocks on the shelves
and the clocks on the floor as
they m errily continue to keep
time long years after they were
first constructed.
The shiny brass pendulums
swing back and forth, some slow,
some more rapidly, and on the
hour—sometimes the half h o u r -
chimes can be heard as some of
the more elucidate ones tell the
time
The clocks belong to Sherman
Fisher, now retired but still
working part-time in his busi
ness of electrical repair. Fisher
also is mayor of Vernonia but his
real life is his clocks which he
has been collecting for several
years
Many of his acquisitions are
far from the homes of their
origin Sturdy ones from Vienna,
West Germany and Japan; more
delicate ones from France and
England
Fisher first came to Vernonia
9 7 U O .Ì
on a visit and liked it so well he
returned in 1948 as a resident,
working as chief electrician at
the Oregon-American mill.
“ It was a nice town and the
people were friendly. It just
looked like a good place to live,”
he said, then commented, “it ’s
still a nice place to live.”
All of the clocks on display
seem to have their own unique
features Some have porcelain
faces, handpainted with roses
while others are handcarved
around the strudy wood cases or
have embosses brass faces that
shine even in the evening light.
“They don't come in here
looking like that usually,” the
clock doctor said. “Sometimes
they ’re all in pieces and general
ly they’re pretty dirty. I take
them apart then clean the brass
parts in a sonic bath filled with a
special cleaning solution. A few
minutes in that and the brass is
as shiny as the day the clock was
made.”
The vast array of old-time
clocks fills the room of the shop
with an air of nostalgia as the
soft ticking fills the air. On
display is a Seth Thompson
clock, over 115 years old; ad
vertising clocks that read Coca
Cola and Calument Baking Pow
der; delicate steeple clocks;
several dainty 100-day anniver
sary clocks, their works encased
in a glass case; and the names
Waterbury, Jeromes, and G il
berts all seem to be echos from
the past.
Fisher, at 68, is serving his
third term as mayor of the city
and had been in business here for
several years until his retire
ment last month. In his fully
equipped shop where he repairs
the clocks, often with tools he
has invented to aid him in the
fine labor, he belongs, as he
gazes fondly at his collection of
antiques
“Sometimes just
rarely—I
sell one of my clocks; then I feel
as if I had parted with someone
that was a friend " He smiled,
blue eyes twinkling, as he added,
“of course, when I get them, a
great deal of the time they have
Deen mistreated and then I have
to rebuild them, clean them, and
put them back together, so I get
attached to them ”
When visitors step in the door
of Fisher’s shop they are first
filled with amazement at the
variety then soothed by the
gentle ticking as the clocks form
a continuation of life, reminding
people of the generations that
came before today and will
continue tom orrow .
ry
ing to the letter from Larry Rice,
Executive Director of CRAG and
agreement for associate m em
bership can be reached only by
concensus An agreement must
be signed between the asso
ciation and the county before full
membership is achieved Fos
haug also rioted that the official
organizational meeting was not
held until June 13, and the of
ficial bylaws and rules of CRAG
were not adopted until that time.
The County Commissioners were
waiting until the official struc
ture of government was estab
lished before making a decision
regarding membership, noted
Foshaug
Following receipt of the by
laws and rules of the organ
ization and the June 13, or-
Recall Meetings To
Continue In County
The Recall committee (organ
ized to Recall the Columbia
County Commissioners) met in
the Chapman Grange on June 17
and in Vernonia on June 18. At
these meetings the committee
attempted to point out to citizens
how the County Commissioners
were responsible for the final
decisions on the oppressive reso
lutions and orders initiated in the
environmental, health and the
planning agencies
Citizens attending the recall
meeting were informed of their
rights, under the constitution by
Mary Ranges and were urged to
uphold their local government
against the dictatorial collective
governments of CRAG (Colum
bia Regional Association of Gov
ernments.)
According to the committee,
the next recall meeting will be
held this Wednesday night June
26 at the old high school gym in
Scappoose at 8 p.m. M ary Ran
ges will again be the featured
speaker and will talk on Region
al Government zoning and plan
ning She will appear again July
2 at 8 p.m. in the 4-H Building at
the Columbia
County
F a ir
grounds in St. Helens, according
to Marge Stafford, Secretary-
Treasurer for the recall commit
tee.
ganizational meeting a decision
was made at the regular Board
meeting June 19, by the three
Columbia County Commission
ers that the county would not at
this time participate in CRAG.
In discussing the pros and cons
of CRAG membership Foshaug
cited several negative aspects
relative to associate member
ship.
sh,P A jurisdictional dispute
regarding authority was cited as
one problem
According to Com
Prob’e
missioner Foshaug, it is unclear
concerning who would have au
thority since the definition of
“ Metro" area and “ Region” are
unclear. He also noted that
Columbia County would be “re
quired" to adopt land use plan
ning. Another problem noted by
Foshaug was that associate
members would be bound re
garding future courses of action
that they might wish to take A
current commission could bind
commissioners three to four
years from now to courses of
action that they might not want
to follow. Finally, Commissioner
Foshaug noted the lack of par
ticipation on the part of del
egates from Clackamas and
Washington counties and cited
this as an inherent weakness in
CRAG
Foshaug also noted one prob
lem that may be encountered by
the county by non-participation
in CRAG. It may create a prob
lem regarding the obtaining of
federal funds Foshaug said,
“ You have a better chance of
review if you are a part of the
organization than if you are
not.” He specified that all re
quests for federal grants must be
reviewed by CRAG. He also
stated that he felt that the county
probably will not be in need of
federal funding in the near fu
ture but that several of the cities
are going to be in need of federal
¡rants and they may have dif-
iculty obtaining these grants.
Concerning CRAG and the
problem of Columbia County Jay
Ahlborn stated, “What disturbs
me most is seeing the county
divided. What we need is a co
operative organization to deal
with these problems. I ’d like to
see a cooperative endeavor.”
Foshaug concluded the com
missioners remarks concerning
CRAG by stating that Columbia
County is not going to be in any
regional form of government.
?
VicJcie Serby Enlists
In Air Force June 19
Airman Basic Vickie L. Serby
is the youngest female in the
United States Air Force as of
2:30 Wednesday, June 19. Vickie
became eligible under a new
criteria change to allow young
ladies to report to active duty,
with parental consent, who are
17 years of age, and is the first in
the nation to take advantage of
this change. Vickie was Dorn
August 24,1956 in Atlantic, Iowa.
She attended Vernonia High
School in Vernonia, and grad
uated in June of this year.
Vickie’s parents are Casper and
Ruby Serby who live at Star
Route, Clatskanie, Oregon.
Vickie will be at basic training
preparing herself for a new Air
Force future tomorrow morning
at Lackland Air Force Base, San
Antonia, Texas. For six weeks
she will find the excitement and
rewards of a young Air Force
basic trainee.
Upon departure from Lack
land Air Force Base, Vickie will
proceed to Chanute Air Force
Base, Illinois for 14 weeks of
training as an Air Fram e Repair
Specialist. She will learn how to
repair all the structural com-
DA Proposes
$29,000 Pay
To Association
Robert
Lucas ,
Columbia
County District Attorney, before
the Oregon District Attorney's
Association, proposed that the
association push for an annual
salary of $29,000 for all full-time
D A ’s.
Lucas said he sees no reason
why the D A ’s should not be paid
as much as Circuit Court judges
He said, " I think we have more
responsibility than they do ”
Lucas’ motion was defeated 12
to 6 Only 18 counties were
represented at the business ses
sion.
According to Lucas, the prob
lem in devising an acceptable
salary schedule for DA's is that
osecutors’ salaries are paid
sically by the state (DA's are
officers of the state), but are
supplemented by the counties.
The amount of the counties’ sup
plement is "negotiable,” and
some counties add nothing to the
state allocation, he noted
One DA at the meeting con
tended that unless higher salar
ies are adopted, prosecutors will
continue to leave public office
within a short time and go into
private practice to make more
money.
Jess Himmelsbach,
Baker
County Dist Atty., stated that he
believes the Association of Ore
gon Counties would support a
proposal that the state take over
complete funding of D A ’s offices
and Circuit Courts
C
VICKI SE R B Y
ponents on A ir Force aircraft to
include framework and skin of
the fuselage, tail section, wings
and landing gear. Her training
will include how to repair,
modity and fabricate material
and basic structural parts. She
will be working with some of the
strongest and most durable ma
terials, such as aluminum, mag
nesium,
corrosive
resistant
steel, titanium, plastics and fib
erglass. The tools she will be
working with include pneumatic
reveters, electric rivet irons,
and rivet bucking tools.
Vickie is looking forward to a
new and exciting challenge for
young women in today’s United
States Air Force. Her Air Force
Recruitors,
Sergeant
Bob
Campbell and Sgt Amy Shake,
located at 321 Salmon Street in
downtown Portland, are elated
to have the first female 17-year-
old in the nation on active duty
under the new criteria
0&C Reduction
Forces Cub
Budget cuts forced by a re
duction in the estimated revenue
from O & C sources were
announced Wednesday evening
by Commission Chairman Fred
Foshaug
Removal of $114,410 from the
budget was necessary because it
was recently learned that earlier
O A C estimates had been pared
some $157,000 from the original
amount
Explanation of the necessity
for the cuts were made in pre
liminary remarks by Chairman
Foshaug at a public hearing on
the budget Wednesday, June 19
According to Budget Officer and
Commission Chairman Foshaug,
reductions were made in both
the general fund and the road
fund
The general fund was reduced
by the budget committee by
$53,647 and the road department
fund by $57,763 One of the re
ductions was removal of dues for
the Columbia Region Associat
ion of Governments, in the
amount of $7,000