Catalyst

NEPA/FEMA Progress Update

vernonia — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:34:11 +0000

We continue to have weekly conference calls to monitor progress of our FEMA buy-out application. As of August 20 more than 50% of the field studies and research that needs to be done have been completed or will be completed by the end of the month. We will be having another public comment meeting to share these findings at 7 pm, September 28th in the Vernonia High School Cafeteria.

ODOT, Bridge St, Missouri Ave Update

vernonia — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:28:53 +0000

The City and County have applied, in partnership with ODOT, for over $3M in a grant to pay for the improvements needed on Bridge St. and Missouri Ave. The federal application, which was submitted today, is for funds that are highly competitive, but with ODOT as the lead applicant and with letters of support from Representative Wu, and Senators Wyden and Merkley we feel we have a pretty good chance of getting funded.

Spencer Park Transfer Update

vernonia — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:44:33 +0000

We have met with the Vernonia Parks Committee and will be meeting again to begin preliminary talks on what the current school site will look like when it is converted to a park. We know it must contain two soccer fields and a baseball field (in addition to the existing fields onsite) in order to qualify as a replacement for the existing Spencer Park fields. In addition we have permission from FEMA to keep the concession stand and the stadium (once we have done some flood proofing alterations to them). Once a draft plan is developed it will be shared with all those groups who currently use Spencer Park for their activities and the public for comment.

Vernonia’s Biggest Class Reunion

vernonia — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:57:14 +0000

On Sunday August 15, 2010 Vernonia will be hosting its ‘Biggest Class Reunion’

$5.00 registration beginning at 10:00am at the school cafeteria (green building)

Food and beverages will be available for purchase

Prizes – Live Music – Tours – Presentations – Fun!!
Find out more at www.VernoniaClassmates.com or
the Facebook Group: Alumni & Friends of Vernonia Schools – Vernonia’s BIGGEST reunion

Missouri Avenue Design Update

vernonia — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:30:06 +0000

The district, architects, and a civil engineer met with residents of Missouri Ave and Bridge St to discuss the proposed design for those streets on July 13. Detailed drawings of the impact on each residence were shared and many questions answered. We will have the drawings available at the Town Hall Meeting July 28 (VHS Cafeteria 7pm) and are planning another neighborhood meeting with all residents of OA Hill at 7 pm on August 10th at St. Mary’s Church.

Annexation Approved by Planning Commission

vernonia — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:13:56 +0000

Last night the Vernonia Planning Commission voted to approve the proposed annexation and zone change for the new schools property. There was little discussion because the district’s application and the City Planner’s staff report were thorough and to the point. Approximately 22 acres of land were annexed into Vernonia city limits and it along with an additional 10 already in the city limits were zoned Institutional Public. The final annexation and zoning decision will be considered by the Vernonia City Council on Monday July 19th at 7 pm.

NEPA/FEMA Public Process Overview

vernonia — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 05:50:02 +0000

The FEMA buy-back process is moving forward. We continue to meet or conference call at least weekly in order to make sure we are on track. We will soon post a link to the entire scope of work that will be done as part of this process.
In order to keep you informed of what is going on and the results of the many different studies that are being done we will be holding a Town Hall meeting in the VHS Cafeteria at 7 pm on July 28. We will discuss the wetland mitigation plan, the historical preservation plan (with regards to WGS), the Spencer Park transfer, and provide updates on all other aspects of the various projects that are currently in process. We look forward to seeing you there.

Natural Resource Center Update

vernonia — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:33:30 +0000

Oregon Solutions has made another commitment to the Vernonia Schools project by asking Stephanie Hallock to help facilitate establishing the framework and feasibility of the NRC. She met with District and community leaders on June 30 to gather information about the project. In addition to her efforts, Bob Parker from OSU and a group of graduate students will also be doing an in-depth feasibility study this summer. The next NRC meeting will be at the District Office from 11:00-12:30 pm on July 20th. Feel free to contact the district office for more information.

New Schools Site Annexation Submitted

vernonia — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:30:53 +0000

The District recently submitted an application to the Vernonia Planning Commission to annex the new school site and establish it as an Institution Service Zone. The public process will begin at the July 14 Planning Commission meeting followed by it being presented to the City Council on July 21. If you have questions please contact the district office.

FEMA Application Update

vernonia — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:25:19 +0000

On Wednesday June 16th we had two FEMA representatives from Seattle and two OEM (Oregon Emergency Management) representatives from Salem in Vernonia. At a 10 am meeting we reviewed the documentation that the district had provided to support our buy-out application, making significant progress in determining exactly what needs to be done to solidify and complete our application. At a 1 pm meeting representatives from two consulting firms attended, one firm has been dealing with our wetland application and the other was recently hired to take care of the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) Environmental Assessment study portion of our buy-out application. Once again, this was a productive meeting with many clear objectives and timelines decided upon. We are moving forward with this project, at least on the paperwork side!