The City Council will review and accept public testimony about a Transportation System Development Charges (SDCs) Methodology Update Report and Rate Study prepared by Don Ganer & Associates, Inc., on Thursday, February 20, 2003, at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the City Hall. The City implemented SDCs for transportation facilities in October 1991, based on the expected cost for future street improvements at that time. The City subsequently completed a 20-year Transportation System Plan (TSP) which identifies roadway, pedestrian, bicycle, and other transportation needs through the year 2016. The new Update Report and Rate Study is based on the transportation facility needs identified in the City's TSP.

During the same Council Meeting, the City Council will consider adopting a new Transportation SDC based upon the Update Report and Rate Study. SDCs are charged when building permits are issued for development. Transportation SDC revenues can only be used to pay for the growth-related portion of the transportation system projects listed in the City's TSP. A copy of the Update Report and Rate Study is available for public inspection at the City Hall.

Reserve Police Officer, Jeff Mansheim, was recently successful in obtaining a $500.00 grant under the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant program. These funds will be used to purchase two new portable radios and shoulder microphones for the Police Department. This is the fourth consecutive year the City will receive these grant funds as a result of an application submitted by Officer Mansheim. Prior grant awards were also used to purchase equipment for the Police Department, including a digital camera, a road spike system, a 12-gauge shotgun, a hand-held intoxilyzer, and mirror strobe lights.

Thanks to a generous donation by the Columbia County Chapter of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, the Columbia City Police Department has bicycle helmets available to young riders in need of a helmet. The helmets are free of charge to those that cannot afford to purchase their own helmet, and donations are always appreciated. To qualify for a free helmet, children must reside within Columbia City. Contact a Police Officer by calling (503) 397-4010 to obtain additional information. The Columbia City Police Department would like to remind young riders that State law requires persons under the age of 16 to wear protective headgear when operating or riding a bicycle.

Boise Cascade donated a fax machine to our Public Works Office.

Bernadette Albertine, Alice Barchus, Laura Flynn, Phyllis Moss and Amy West helped with the January bills and newsletter.

Richard "Ziggy" Ziglinski continues to donate his time to complete a variety of tasks for the City.

The Columbia City Grade School is asking for help from dog owners. Please, be considerate of the health and safety of the children in our grade school and keep your dogs away from their play areas. School officials have asked that no dogs be permitted on the school grounds, even after hours and on weekends. The children play in the large fenced playground area and in the play equipment area, and the remains of dog deposits leads to a very unsanitary situation for them.

The City's Sign Ordinance, No. 409, provides regulations for the placement of all signs within the City limits. Signs advertising the sale or rental of properties must be placed upon the premises subject to rental or sale. Please note that signs cannot be placed within any unimproved right-of-way - they must be placed upon private property.

At no time may signs be placed upon power poles within the City. Signs placed upon power poles will be subject to immediate removal by members of the Public Works Department or Police Department.

The Sign Ordinance prohibits the illumination of signs in residential zones, and it regulates the size of signs. For additional information about the City's sign regulations, please contact City Hall by calling (503) 397-4010, or visit the City's website at www.columbia-center.org/colcity to review the sign ordinance.

SCOOP AFTER YOUR POOCH -

Please be considerate of others and pick up after your dog. If your dog makes a deposit on property other than your own, you are required by law to clean up after it. Violators could be subject to a fine of up to $500.00 for each separate offense. Please report violators to the City Hall by calling (503) 397-4010.

City Ordinance No. 387 states, "It shall be unlawful for a person owning or keeping an animal to intentionally permit or negligently permit or recklessly engage in conduct which enables the animal to deposit solid waste matter on any property other than that of the person owning or keeping said animal, but it shall be a defense to this section if such owner or keeper immediately removes the solid waste deposited by the animal on such property."

In other words, you must scoop after your pooch if it makes a deposit on someone else's property!

Tax forms are here! We have general IRS and state tax filing forms plus access to hundreds of publications and any other necessary forms you may need via the Internet. We’re happy to help you use any of our computers and the Internet.

If finances are on your mind, check out The Road To Wealth: A Comprehensive Guide to Your Money by Suze Orman. In this latest book, she provides practical answers and valuable insight for today’s economic climate.

Perhaps one of your new year’s resolutions was to be more creative. Our new book Easy Watercolor by Marcia Moses will have you creating masterpieces with her step-by-step instructions that help you learn necessary basic techniques.

If winter weather has you stuck indoors, take a trip with one of our books. Try High Tide In Tucson, a collection of essays from Barbara Kingsolver or Dancing Alone In Mexico by Ron Butler, a description of his travels from the border to Baja and beyond.

With Valentine’s Day coming up and romance in the air we’re spotlighting best-selling author Nora Roberts. We have some of her newest novels Chesapeake Blue, Going Home, Summer Pleasures, Table for Two and Three Fates plus many more.

What to do if your power goes out:

• Check your fuse or breaker box for blown fuses or tripped circuits. If they are okay, check to see if neighbors are without power.

• Call the Columbia River Public Utilities District.

• Turn off all electrical equipment including your water heater, electric furnace or heaters, stove, washer and dryer, stereo and TV, to help prevent overloading the system when power is restored. Turn on a porch light and one inside light so repair crews will know your power has been restored.

• Listen to the radio (battery-powered) for updates on major storm outages.

Most power outages last only about an hour, but it pays to be prepared for a longer period of time. Make an emergency kit now and keep it in a convenient spot:

• flashlight

• battery-powered radio

• battery or wind-up alarm clock

• extra batteries

• candles and holders

• matches

• paper plates and plastic utensils

• manual can opener

Never use charcoal briquettes indoors. They produce carbon monoxide.

Your freezer will keep food frozen during an outage for about two days if it’s full, one day if it’s less than half full. Don’t open the door. Also, it helps to cover the freezer with blankets.

Cordless phones won’t work during an outage. Have a standard or cellular phone as a backup.

Protect your pipes if the power is out and the weather is freezing; leave faucets dripping and wrap pipes to prevent damage.

Automatic garage door openers won’t work. Check to see if you have a manual override.

Plan ahead for home computers. With an automatic backup program, you’re less likely to lose any work. Install a good surge protector (not just a power strip) to protect the computer from surges that follow any sort of power disturbance.

If you use a generator, never plug it into a wall outlet. It can ruin your electrical system and start a fire. It can also feed electricity back into the utility system and energize a line thought to be dead.

Keep fire-fighting materials handy: a fire extinguisher, salt, baking soda and heavy blankets.

Be alert for signs of hypothermia (a drop in core body temperature), especially in infants and the elderly. If someone has a temperature below 95 degrees, call for medical help.

Save body heat. Wear a hat, even when sleeping. Wear loose layers of clothing to trap body heat. Keep moving; exercise generates body heat. Use plenty of blankets and a hot water bottle if you’re able to heat water.

Lock in home heat. Pick one room – on the sunny side of the house – and close it off to keep the heat in. Use blankets to insulate windows and doors.

Never use kerosene heaters unless you have proper ventilation.

Have a backup plan. Stay with friends or relatives in another area of town.

Water Reservoir Project: The construction drawings and specifications for the water reservoir project are 90 percent complete at this time, and the project is expected to go to bid in March 2003.

Well Development Project: Drilling at the Harvard Park well site is complete. The well was drilled to a depth of 410 feet, and it produced 75 to 100 gallons per minute. However, water quality tests show a high level of total dissolved solids, and the well has been capped due to poor water quality. The construction fencing and equipment will be removed from the site shortly, and the park landscaping will be restored this spring. Further investigations of the Ninth Street wells are currently underway.

12/14/02 Agency assist - St. Helens PD.

12/19/02 Citizen complaint - sinking boat.

12/19/02 Citizen complaint - abandoned vehicle near Fifth and "I" Streets.

12/19/02 Citizen complaint - loose cattle at mile post 37.

12/20/02 Citizen complaint - suspicious mail.

12/20/02 Dog complaint in the 1500 block of Second Street.

12/20/02 Motorist assist near Highway 30 and "L" Street.

12/20/02 Citizen complaint - Hit and run of City truck.

12/20/02 Motorist assist near Highway 30 and "L" Street.

12/21/02 Suspicious vehicle near Second Street and Spinnaker Way.

12/27/02 Criminal mischief in 1600 block of Sixth Street. Eggs thrown at residence.

12/27/02 Lost black lab reported.

12/28/02 Missing person report taken.

01/02/03 Burglary report taken in 2900 block of Sixth Street.

01/02/03 Burglary reported in the 2900 block of Sixth Street.

01/02/03 Officers assisted property owner in a civil situation.

01/02/03 Garbage complaint in the 200 block of "I" Street. Warning given.

01/02/03 City ordinance violation reported relating to parking near Seventh and "B" Streets.

01/02/03 Report of speed racing on Highway 30. Area checked.

01/04/03 Burglary reported. No other information available.

01/04/03 Assisted Sheriff’s Office on a report of a fight in progress.

01/05/03 Vandalism reported in the 1600 block of Sixth Street.

01/05/03 Report taken for another agency on an ID theft involving a Columbia City resident as the victim.

01/06/03 Motorist Assist on Highway 30 near Chimes Crest.

01/06/03 Suspicious person, checked okay.

01/06/03 Suspicious person reported near Sixth and Franklin Streets. Solicitor in a blue truck.

01/06/03 Assisted a citizen locked out of their vehicle at the grade school.

01/07/03 Citizen assisted on a fraud case.

01/07/03 Citizen assisted in the 1700 block of Sixth Street.

01/08/03 Vandalism report taken. No other information available.

01/09/03 Citizen assisted with a vehicle blocking driveway in 2000 block of Second Street.

01/10/03 Traffic hazard – trash in the roadway on Highway 30 near mile post 30.

01/11/03 Report of attempt to steal a vehicle in 2600 block of Sixth Street.

01/15/03 Traffic complaint. Green van passing school buses while lights going at the Grade School.

01/16/03 Animal complaint in the 1500 block of Second Street.

01/17/03 Assisted St. Helens Police on a warrant service with a caution indicator.

01/18/03 Noise complaint. Area of Sixth and "E" Streets.

01/18/03 Vandalism reported in the 300 block of Spinnaker Way.

01/19/03 Traffic complaint. Vehicle making illegal passes on Highway 30 north of City.

01/19/03 Assisted St. Helens Police on report of a fight in progress with a knife.

01/21/03 Report of kids shooting paint balls at residence near Fifth and "E" Streets.

01/21/03 Attempted forged check given to Domino’s Pizza driver in the 700 block of James Street.

01/21/03 Animal complaint. Resident reports neighbors dogs are getting into their garbage in the 200 block of "I" Street. Warning given.

01/21/03 Assist St. Helens Police on a pursuit of a vehicle. Officers deploy stop sticks and are able to stop suspect vehicle without incident.

01/21/03 Motorist assist near Highway 30 and "E" Street.

01/22/03 Open door to a residence checked in the 1800 block of Second Street.

01/22/03 Animal complaint reported in the 2300 block of Sixth Street. Wrong address given by reporting party.

01/22/03 Assist St. Helens Police on report of possible wanted person.

01/22/03 Forged check passed to delivery driver from Sunshine Pizza.

01/24/03 Traffic complaint. Kids racing and driving fast on Fifth Street between "A" and Pacific Streets.

01/25/03 Motorist assist near Highway 30 and "L" Street.

February 6 - 7:30 p.m. - City Council regular session

February 11 - 7:00 p.m. - Planning Commission regular session

February 13 - 7:30 p.m. - Municipal Court

February 17 - CLOSED - City Hall will be closed on Presidents' Day

February 20 - 7:30 p.m. - City Council regular session

February 27 - 7:30 p.m. - Municipal Court

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