OCTOBER 2000 NEWSLETTER

Michael Reedy was appointed as the City’s new Police Chief in September. Chief Reedy was first hired in 1995 as a Police Officer. After three years, he was promoted to Police Sergeant, and he has served as the City's Interim Chief since May of this year. Congratulations, Mike!

Aaron Kunders, long-time Public Works employee, recently accepted a job offer with the City of St. Helens. In 1989 Aaron began working for Columbia City during the summer months when he was just 14 years old. He continued to work part-time for us throughout his high school and college years. When Aaron finished his schooling in 1998, we hired him as a full-time Utility Worker, and he was recently promoted to Utility Worker II. We sure will miss him, and we wish him well with his new job with St. Helens.

Sewer usage fee adjustment: During the October 5th meeting, the City Council will consider the adoption of the first sewer usage fee increase since the construction of the sewer system in 1991. The proposed fees consist of a 5 percent increase to residential sewer usage fees and the creation of a new non-residential sewer usage fee based upon the equivalent dwelling unit value of the connection. If approved, the rate increase will be reflected on your December billing.

Systems development charge update: The City Council is currently reviewing a Systems Development Charge Update for Sanitary Sewer and Water System report prepared by Murray, Smith and Associates, Inc. System development charges (SDC's) apply to all new construction within the City. The amount of an SDC is based upon a methodology that considers the cost of the existing facilities, the prior contributions made by existing users, the value of any unused system capacity, the cost of needed capital improvements, and other relevant factors. SDC revenues are restricted and can only be spent on capital improvements.

For a typical 3/4" water meter connection, the study recommends the adoption of a sewer SDC of $2,166 and a water SDC of $3,272. Currently, sewer and water SDC's are $2,299 and $1,300, respectively.

The study also recommends new water and sanitary sewer SDC's for larger meter sizes based upon the water meter size impact and capacity factors. Fee recommendation details for larger meters can be obtained from City Hall. The System Development Charge Update, including the supporting methodology, is currently available at City Hall for public inspection during regular business hours. The City Council will hold a public hearing to obtain comments about the proposed study and recommended changes to the City's water and sanitary sewer SDC's during the November 2nd City Council meeting.

Changes to the Transportation System Plan (TSP): The City Council will hold a public hearing on November 2nd to obtain comments about the proposed changes to the TSP as recommended by the Planning Commission.

City Council agenda information: City Council meeting agendas are generally available one week before the scheduled Council meeting. The agendas are posted on the City and Post Office bulletin boards and on the City's Web site. They are also e-mailed to interested parties. To be added to our agenda e-mail list, please contact us or visit our Web site.

PLANNING COMMISSION NEWS

An expansion of the Columbia City Sports and Recreation Center was reviewed and approved by the Planning Commission during their August 8^th meeting. The expansion includes the addition of a cardio room, an office, and handicap accessible restrooms.

On September 12th the Planning Commission held a public hearing for the purpose of gathering testimony regarding recommended revisions to the Transportation System Plan (TSP) from the TSP Work Group. The Planning Commission approved the recommended revisions with one modification, and has forwarded the recommended changes to the City Council for consideration.

VISIT OUR WEB SITE!!

The City's Web site is growing, and is kept current on a regular basis. We hope you will visit our Web site at: 

www.columbia-center.org/colcity/

Please take a moment to let us know what you would like to find on our site!

HOW TO READ YOUR OWN WATER METER

Every two months employees in Public Works read all of the City’s water meters. These meter readings are then used for water billing purposes. Public Works personnel usually read the meters around the 18th or 19th of the month preceding the billing. Each meter is usually located near the street in front of each residence under a concrete lid. Under the lid, there is a meter dial similar to a car odometer. The first number is on the right.

The City has approximately 660 meters that need to be read individually, which is no easy job for Public Works staff. Besides the long walk around the City, lots of stooping to open and read the meters, and frequently incremental weather conditions, the Public Works employees have to deal with critters like spiders, snakes or mice living in meter boxes. Moles routinely fill the meter boxes with dirt which must be moved in order to read the meter dial. The moles can re-fill the meter boxes quickly after the meter has been read, making it appear as though the meter may not have been read at all. There cannot be any guesswork with the meter readings, however. When the meter readings are turned into City Hall, the utility clerk checks to see if the reading is in line with previous readings for that meter. If she determines the reading is not, she asks for the meter to be re-read. Sometimes the meter readings are still very high, indicating a possible water leak.

Because the City only reads each meter once every two months, you are strongly encouraged to read your own meter regularly for early leak detection because a two-month old water leak can result in a very costly water bill. To check for a water leak, take a meter reading and do not use any water for at least one hour. Take another meter reading at the end of the hour to see if the numbers have changed. If they have, you have a water leak. Also, if the triangle/star keeps going in a circle after you have stopped using water, you have a water leak.

QWEST "BUSY SIGNAL" FEATURE CAN BE REMOVED

Qwest has a new busy signal message: "The line is busy, for an additional 75 cents, Qwest can keep dialing this number and call you back when the line is no longer busy press...." If you would like this "feature" removed from your telephone line, please call Qwest Residential repair at 1-800-573-1311.

PUBLIC AUCTION - NOVEMBER 18TH

Don't miss the City's upcoming public auction! The City will be auctioning off a wide variety of items, including many bicycles, miscellaneous office furniture, tools, equipment, and more! The City will be disposing of unwanted and abandoned property during this public auction, which will be held on Saturday, November 18th, 2000 at 10:00 a.m. in the Community Hall. Mark your calendars now!

CITY RECIEVES GRANT AWARD

The City recently received a $4,500 grant from the Oregon State University, Transportation Research Institute. The grant will provide technical assistance and engineering redesign work for portions of Fifth, "I" and "J" Streets between Highway 30 and Sixth Street. A $25,000 grant under the Special City Allotment Program will help pay for the construction costs. The engineering redesign work is expected to be completed in November, and construction should begin next spring.

CITIZEN ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The City Council will be appointing a Citizen Advisory Committee to participate in some long-range planning activities. The Committee will be responsible for reviewing and providing feedback relating to several long-range planning tasks, including a Buildable Lands and Land Needs Analysis, a Public Facilities Plan, Zoning Code and Development Ordinance Updates, and more. If you would like to serve on the Citizen Advisory Committee, please contact City Hall.

CAPLES HOUSE MUSEUM

Columbia City has its own museum owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). This museum occupies an entire block. Here Dr. Charles Green Caples built his home in 1870, overlooking the broad Columbia River with a view of Mt. St. Helens. The family lived here until 1959. The house contains a parlor, doctor’s office, old-fashioned kitchen and pantry, and three upstairs bedrooms, all with antique furniture. The square-cut Curtiss piano was shipped around the Horn. The medical instruments belonged to Dr. Caples. The Indian baskets were collected by the family. See pioneer tools in the separate Wash House and Tool Shed, and walk beneath century-old apple trees in the family orchard. The Doll Museum in the old carriage house features two floors of dolls, toys and clothes. A newer building, the Knapp Social Center, is a wonderful place to hold receptions, meetings and parties.

The museum is open Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays from March through October from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The caretakers can be reached at 397-5390.

LOWER COLUMBIA FIREMED

As you probably know, the St. Helens Rural Fire District annual FireMed Campaign is in full swing. They would like to remind Columbia City citizens that the entire annual FireMed membership fee of just $45 goes back into the Emergency Medical Services System in our area.

This helps them to upgrade the system in our community by providing rapid response, the best equipment, and future training for their Paramedics and EMTs.

For instance, a cardiac patient in St. Helens can be analyzed by a newly purchased 12-lead EKG machine that sends information to an emergency room physician at the hospital. This allows intervention 25-30 miles before arriving at the hospital, as well as, informing the emergency room physicians of a patient's condition prior to arrival.

FireMed helps make sure this, plus other equipment and personnel, are in place and ready to care for you and your family in any emergency situation. Call the St. Helens Rural Fire District at 397-2990 or visit them at 270 Columbia Blvd. in St. Helens to receive your membership information. Their open enrollment campaign ends on October 31st.

BASIC RULES FOR PROPER OPEN BURNING

Open burn season will begin soon. Improper burning techniques can cause a great amount of discomfort for your neighbors. It also adds to pollutants in the air, and it could result in the revocation of your open burn permit. Please be respectful of your neighbor's quality of life and the environment and carefully follow these basic open burning rules:

• Must have a current and proper permit.

• Must have an approved burn barrel or pile.
• Must ensure proper and safe distances.
• Must attend to burn barrel or pile (water available).
• Must burn appropriate material.
• Must not adversely affect neighbors (smoke).
• Must burn only on designated burn days.
• Must burn during daylight hours.

The 2000 Celebration was great fun for all! The Celebration began with a community parade, and other events of the day included children's carnival games, a crafts fair, live entertainment, an outdoor market, BINGO games and a public auction. The success of the Celebration was the result of many businesses, organizations and individuals who very generously gave of their time, merchandise and money, combined with lots of hard work on the part of the City staff. All proceeds from the Celebration, totaling $3,290.02, will be used for staffing the Columbia City Community Library. Visit our Web site to view our 2000 Celebration photo album - www.columbia-center.org/colcity/.

George and Jean LeMont served as our Grand Marshals during the Columbia City Celebration on Saturday, September 9, 2000.

Illness prevented us from paying proper tribute to George and Jean when they retired from public service, and we wanted to publicly thank them for their love and dedication to Columbia City and for the profound contributions they made for our city. This also provided a forum whereby residents and citizens-at-large were able to visit with these two remarkable people and reminisce or make new friendships.

Jean Marie Suhrbier was born in Tillamook, Oregon in 1946 to Carl (Walt) and Marie Suhrbier, and resided with an older brother in Garibaldi a short time. Her family then moved to a farm along the Tualatin River in Gaston where she attended school.

After graduating from Oregon State University in 1968 with a B.S. in Business Education, Jean taught business subjects at Knappa High School near Astoria for a few years. She moved to St. Helens in 1971 and stayed at home to care for her children when they were young. She worked part-time as a church secretary and later as a staff person for the Juvenile Services Commission.

Jean returned in 1981 to a full-time position at Owens Corning Fiberglass Plant in St. Helens and was there until March, 1982 when she was hired as City Recorder/Treasurer in Columbia City. Her job was challenging and never boring and included many long hours. Because of a shortage of staff in early years, she also served as City Budget Officer, Court Clerk, Building Department Secretary, and Planning Commission Secretary.

During her years with the City, Jean worked for three Mayors and saw the population go from under 700 to over 1600. Because of Columbia City’s growth and increase in personnel, the City Council promoted her to City Administrator/Recorder on June 16, 1995, a position that more adequately described her duties. Jean resigned from Columbia City in July, 1999 to join her husband, George, in full-time retirement.

Jean’s favorite project was participating in the purchase of the present City Hall building from ODOT during the highway widening project and moving it to its location next to the Community Hall. "It was a huge improvement from the old City Hall, which is now used as the Public Works office, Jean stated. "When I came to work for the City, there were only two full-time employees—the public works superintendent and myself. A bookkeeper and planner were part-time and an attorney and engineer were on retainer." When Jean left the City last summer, staff and consultants included a planner, attorney, engineer, Planning Commission/Building Secretary, Court Clerk, Utility Clerk/Bookkeeper, three full-time and one part-time employees in Public Works, and five part-time and two volunteer police officers. "Way too many to fit in that old City Hall," Jean said.

Jean’s hobbies include cooking, gardening, and home decorating. She also loves antiques and shopping for them, boating, and traveling with her husband in their RV. She is enjoying having more time for her family and volunteer work, primarily connected with her church.

George Warren LeMont was born at the family home of George H. and Alma LeMont in St. Helens, Oregon in October, 1933, a descendant of a St. Helens pioneer family. He was the second of two children of Frank H. and Marian LeMont.

Following graduation from St. Helens High School, George and his mother operated LeMont’s Highway Grocery Store. He joined the Army Oregon National Guard in 1951 and served in an Army Reserve capacity for 23 ½ years, retiring as a Captain.

George worked for Crown Zellerbach scaling logs for a couple of years and then worked until 1964 for several beer distributors as a driver/salesman. His next employment involved two jobs driving for freight companies.

After two years studying Business Management and Accounting at Portland State University, George was hired at Kaiser Gypsum in the Production Office. He later moved to the Customer Service/Invoicing Department, working there 11 years. During that time Kaiser Gypsum was taken over by Owens Corning Fiberglass Company. Following closure of the Owens Corning plant in 1982, he was self-employed for a time.

In 1983, George was hired by the City of Columbia City and served for 16 years as Public Works Superintendent, seeing numerous changes through the years. When he was hired, he was the only employee in the Public Works Department. George served as building official and police and animal control officer, as well as being in charge of water, sewer, buildings, and maintenance. George wore many hats and whenever necessary we added more labels to his position, and he did a terrific job with each and every one.

George became a member of the St. Helens Elks Lodge in September, 1957 and served as Exalted Ruler in 1979-80. He recently completed serving two years as District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler of the Oregon Northwest District for the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

Through the years George was a Boy Scout and later an adult scouter and leader. He also was involved for four years with the Little League Baseball program as a coach and manager.

With the exception of being stationed out-of-state with the military, George has resided in the St. Helens-Columbia City area all his life. His hobbies include hunting, fishing, and boating. He collects guns and military paraphernalia, likes to shop for antiques, and enjoys traveling with his wife in their RV. His retirement plans include traveling and spending more time with family and friends as well as continuing his work with the Elks.

George and Jean were both working for Columbia City when they were married in 1983. Together, they have six children (Valerie, Curtis "Lance", Joanne, George, Jr., Maria, and Jana) and 12 grandchildren. They moved to Third Street in Columbia City several years ago and enjoy a beautiful view of the river and mountains. They also enjoy biking and walking on the streets and bike paths in the "City of Beauty and Livability" and are usually found being led by one of their lesser known children, Clyde, a blue heeler with a kerchief around his neck. Clyde’s partner, Bonnie, a Chihuahua, is buried nearby. George and Jean are members of the First Lutheran Church in St. Helens.

THANK YOU!

• Gary Almer for cleaning the hard drives from the City’s old computers.
• Laura Flynn shared homegrown grapes and tomatoes.
• Jim Gibbs shared his homegrown tomatoes.
• Bruce Oester shared his garden vegetables.
• Johnny Walker for a yummy chocolate bar.
• Ziggy Ziglinski for killing weeds in the City Hall’s front yard and for hauling asphalt.
• Bernadette Albertine, Dorothy Greyell, Jane Munson, Phyllis Rowley and Helen Sandstrom for help with the August utility billings and newsletter.

POLICE LOG

(July 17 through September 15, 2000)

7/17 Animal complaint. Report of loose dog at West Oregon Wood Products. Resolved.

7/25 Elude. Multi-agency stop near Scappoose. Male and female arrested on numerous warrants.

7/27 Complaint regarding debris dumped property.

8/3 Animal complaint. Anonymous caller complains about baking dog. Investigated, unable to confirm.

8/4 Complaint regarding children using a skateboard ramp on Franklin Street. Investigation pending.

8/6 Resident reported stereo stolen from his car when parked near Trestle Breach.

8/9 Resident reported CB radio stolen from his truck at his residence on Third Street.

8/10 Warning given regarding trespassing at Pixie Park after hours.

8/10 Scooter found in brush on "E" Street and The Strand. No visible serial number.

8/11 Report of vehicle window broken - Sixth Street.

8/17 Report of concrete dumped on private property.

8/17 Assisted St. Helens and County on warrant service.

8/17 Alarm at Foursquare Church. Found secure.

8/17 Animal complaint. Resident reports dogs barking continually. Complainant will try to resolve.

8/17 Resident reports four young children ringing doorbells in the early morning. Follow up continuing.

8/19 Warning given to resident on Second Street regarding noise from live band. Resident complied.

8/20 Traffic complaint. Reported speeding on Sundays near Caples House in early morning.

8/24 Tagged abandoned vehicle at Hwy. 30/"L" Street.

8/24 Bicycle found. More information to gather.

8/24 Animal Complaint. Dog barking at all hours in 2300 block of Sixth Street. Attempt to contact owners.

9/1 Resident complains her front door was damaged during an attempted early morning entry.

9/1 Report of shed door left open and several paint cans and a shovel tossed on the beach on Port property.

9/1 Resident reports loud music on Third Street. Problem resolved.

9/4 Noise complaint. Resident contacted.

9/5 Resident complains about children golfing on school property. Principal states golfing is prohibited.

9/5 Animal complaint. Dog running loose. Owner will give the dog away.

9/5 Animal complaint. Dog apprehended by resident and dog taken to pound by CCPD.

9/6 Animal complaint. Animals running loose on Metlako Way. Resolved.

9/8 Resident complains about the noise from compacting the new driveway at the end of Tahoma Street on Highway 30.

9/8 Resident complains about a car parking in front of her residence. Owner of car identified.

9/12 Resident reports boat stolen from River Club Estates. Prints and photos taken.

9/14 Welfare check requested on Spinnaker Way.

9/15 Solicitation violations. Avon representatives advised of City’s requirements for soliciting.

9/15 Resident reported receiving harassing calls.

9/15 Burglary. Rifle stolen from home on Fourth Street. Investigation pending.

We would like to extend a very special thank you to all of our sponsors, supporters and volunteers who made the 2000 Celebration possible for all of us to enjoy. The contributions made by these groups, businesses, individuals and volunteers were enormous!!!

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