DECEMBER 2004

DEE LOYD RETIRES - A MESSAGE AND INVITATION FROM

One of the most difficult parts of being Mayor is having an employee (and friend) who has performed so admirably in her position retire. Dee Loyd is one such individual.

As Planning Commission Secretary/Administrative Assistant, Dee has performed her duties faithfully and without reproach. Her knowledge, expertise, and ability to communicate with individuals, groups, and professionals in various fields will be missed. Dee has been dedicated in her efforts to help Columbia City remain a City of Beauty and Livability. This is often not an easy task with so many government restrictions, rule changes, and land-use challenges. She has attended Planning Commission Meetings, prepared detailed minutes, and been a valuable resource not only for planning issues, but for City-related issues in general.

Dee has also coordinated our annual Columbia City Celebration for the past few years … a service I am extremely grateful for. She has performed above and beyond her job description and set an example for others to follow.

We will miss her and know that all those who have met and worked with her will miss her also. To honor Dee for her years of service (January, 1995 to present), we will be having a Retirement Party at the Knapp Social Center, 1925 First Street, on Tuesday, December 28, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. We invite you to join us in wishing Dee a fond farewell and thanks for her service to Columbia City and its residents. Refreshments will be served.

The City would like to extend a very special "thank you" to Hudson Garbage Service for providing the yard debris bins and delivering the yard debris to Beaver Bark during the month of November. The yard debris drop off site was very popular this year, with citizens disposing of approximately 34.2 tons of yard debris!

Because there were only a few burn days during our designated open burn period, the City Council extended the burn period through Sunday, December 5th.

• Burning will be confined to daylight hours on days when open burning is permitted by air quality and fire District regulatory authorities. Call first for Burn Day Information - (503) 397-4800.

• One person must be in attendance at all times until the fire is out.

• A garden hose, or a shovel and 5-gallon bucket of water, shall be present.

• There shall be a minimum of at least 10 feet clearance around the burn site of all combustible materials that could cause your fire to escape.

• A firebreak shall be constructed around the burn site to prevent the fire from creeping to adjoining fuels.

• Yard and garden trimmings shall be cut and piled into piles no larger than six feet wide by four feet high.

• All combustible material to be burned shall be dried to the extent practical to prevent emission of excessive smoke.

• For piles larger than three feet in diameter, there shall be a minimum of 50 feet clearance. For piles smaller than three feet, a minimum of 25 feet clearance is required. Clearances are from structures, trees, vehicles, or property lines.

Roger Barbour’s term as a Planning Commissioner will end December 31^st. Roger has served on the Planning Commission since April 21, 1998. He has decided his time is needed in other areas. The City would like to thank Roger for his hours of service on Planning Commission. We are sorry to see him leave, and we wish him well in all his new ventures.

The City is currently accepting applications to serve on the Planning Commission. Members must reside within the City or the City's Urban Growth Boundary. The term is for a period of four years, and the Commission usually meets on the second Tuesday of each month if there is an application. The Planning Commission deals with the City's current and long-range planning and development issues.

The Library will be open during Christmas break!

Bedtime Story and Christmas Craft

Monday, December 6 at 7:00 p.m.

The Friends of the Library will not meet in December.

The City Council adopted Ordinance No. 04-600, which allows portable storage structure on private property except in the front 20-foot setback. These structures are defined as "a commercially manufactured structure for the purpose of storage that is no greater than 200 square feet in area, no greater than 12 feet in height, supported by poles, covered by a vinyl or canvas roof, and not attached to a permanent foundation." Buildings and portable storage structures shall not occupy more than 35% of a lot or parcel in the R-1 and R-2 zones, and 50% in the R-3 zone. Those properties that are corner lots must still maintain the 10-foot side setback and the vision clearance triangle, which is a 30-foot triangle, measured along the two property lines abutting each street. The ordinance also allows parking in the front 20-foot setback only on a paved driveway that is no more than 720 square feet in area.

(Traffic Safety Connection)

ODOT offers travel information via the Internet, by phone, and on cable TV. Visit www.TripCheck.com, ODOT’s travel information website. In addition to text-based reports, the site offers camera images from urban areas, mountain passes, and other key locations throughout the state. Maps detail road conditions and trouble spots and include information about weather, road construction, maintenance work and traffic incidents.

In the Portland area, a speed map provides average travel times for local commuters and other highway users. You can also develop a custom camera page to check specific routes at a glance. The QuickCheck page brings camera and incident information together in a text-based format for easy access.

TripCheck.com has links to bus, airport, train, bicycle and trucking information. A mileage calculator allows you to estimate distance and choose the most direct route. Other features include detailed information on scenic byways, safety rest areas, and SnoParks. Motorists can access winter driving information at http:/egov.oregon.gov/ODOT/COMM/winter.shtml. Topics include studded tires, chains, driving in adverse weather, winter cycling, snow signs and winter road maintenance.

Travelers in Oregon can dial 511 to access TripCheck road and weather information by phone. You can select updated reports about driving conditions by highway, mountain pass, or major city from easy-to-use menus. The 511 system responds to voice as well as touch-tone commands. Calls to 511 are local calls when dialed from a pay or wire line phone. Wireless phone users are responsible for airtime and roaming charges according to their service contracts. If you cannot use 511, call toll-free 800-977-6368 for road and weather information. Outside Oregon, call 503-588-2941.

Comcast subscribers in the Portland area can view full-motion video from 18 freeway cameras from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday on Channel 14 (CNW14). For more information on ODOT’s travel information resources, contact Glen Hammer at 503-986-3977.

10/18/04 Assisted semi truck driver with directions.

10/19/04 Vehicle impounded after driver cited for driving while suspended.

10/19/04 911 hang up call at the Community Hall. No one found on arrival.

10/19/04 Motorist issued citation as an assist and at the request of the Sheriff’s Office.

10/21/04 Suspicious vehicle checked okay at Trestle Beach.

10/22/04 Agency assist. Attempted to locate burglary suspects on Highway 30. Unable to locate.

10/22/04 Suspicious footprints found in 500 block of "A" Street.

10/28/04 Welfare check in the 300 block of Spinnaker Way. Checked okay.

10/28/04 Assisted Sheriff’s Office on a traffic stop on Highway 30 near "E" Street.

10/28/04 Traffic hazard removed on Highway 30 near milepost 30.

10/30/04 Person arrested on an outstanding warrant near Highway 30 and Chimes Crest.

10/30/04 Assisted Oregon State Police and Sheriff’s Office on a traffic accident on Highway 30 near Tide Creek Road.

10/31/04 Anonymous call of a barking dog complaint in the 1800 block of Eighth Street.

11/01/04 Suspicious activity checked in the 1600 block of Sixth Street. Someone ringing doorbell.

11/01/04 School reports student with knife.

11/01/04 Vehicle blocking street near Fifth Street and Weown Court. Vehicle moved by owner.

11/01/04 Traffic hazard removed near Highway 30 and "G" Street.

11/01/04 Welfare check of a 5 year old in the 600 block of "H" Street.

We'd like to extend a very special thank you to:

• Bernadette Albertine, Jo Detloff, Sheila Jackson, Barbara Jones, Phyllis Rowley, Helen Sandstrom and Amy West for helping with newsletters and utility bills in October.

• Kay Lockwood for donating plants for a flowerbed at Bundy Park.

• Marian Calnon, Nell Harrison, Trish Reynolds and Kay Lockwood for planting the flowerbeds at Bundy Park.

Columbia City had two City Council seats to fill during the General Election held on November 2nd. Two candidates ran for the two positions, and the following votes were tallied and certified by the Columbia County Clerk:

William Guy 675

Tyra Schroeder 488

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Tyra Schroeder, who will join us in January to begin a four-year term on the City Council. We also look forward to continuing to work with Councilor Guy who will serve his fourth four-year term on the City Council starting in January. Lastly, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Councilor Calnon for her past four years of dedicated service on the City Council.

December 2 - 7:30 p.m. - Regular City Council Meeting at City Hall

December 9 - 7:30 p.m. - Municipal Court at City Hall

meeting canceled

December 14 - 7:00 p.m. - Parks Committee Meeting at City Hall

meeting canceled

December 20 - 7:30 p.m. - Municipal Court at City Hall

December 23 - CLOSED - City Hall is closed the day before Christmas Eve

December 24 - CLOSED - City Hall is closed Christmas Eve

December 28 - CLOSED - 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. City Hall is closed during Dee Loyd's retirement party

December 31 - CLOSED - City Hall is closed New Year's Eve

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR DRINKING WATER

In March 2004, the Drinking Water Section of the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) determined that the City of Columbia City's water system is out of compliance with a regulatory drinking water standard. Our water quality has not deteriorated or changed in recent years. Where we once met all standards, more stringent requirements have been adopted over the years by the regulatory agencies. As a result, it is now necessary to provide a higher level of treatment to our primary well source.

It is not necessary for you to take any immediate action. You would have been notified immediately if there had ever been any water quality emergency. You do not need to boil your water. You do need to understand the short-term implications of this water quality issue.

On March 11, 2004, ODHS issued an order requiring the City to filter its water in addition to our current disinfection process. This order came after water sampling led to our primary well source being placed in a category where there is an increased possibility of untreated surface water mixing with the groundwater in the vicinity of the well. The only feasible method of dealing with this possibility and meeting the ODHS drinking water standards is to filter the water.

Accordingly, the City of St. Helens is building a state-of-the-art facility using a system of microfiber membrane filters that will insure removal of all potential contaminants. Since the last public notification, the City of St. Helens has selected Contractors Incorporated (CI) from Tualatin, Oregon to construct the new filtration facility. CI has started preliminary work at the site and will be working throughout the 2004/05 construction season. Until completion of the new facility, the City of St. Helens is working closely with the ODHS regulators to monitor and manage this situation.

In the event that surface water were to mix with the groundwater source, the water supply could possibly carry disease-causing organisms. To date, testing has not detected any of these organisms in the water. Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses and parasites that can cause symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches. These symptoms, however, are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. A home filter system will not necessarily increase protection because not all home filter systems protect against parasites. Infants, some elderly and persons with severely compromised immune systems would be at some increased risk in the event any contamination were to take place, and these people may seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.

The City of will send out these re-notification notices every three months, including our progress towards ultimate regulatory compliance. We will also post notices on the City's website at www.columbia-center.org/colcity. For more information, you may contact Leahnette Rivers at (503) 397-4010 or write to P.O. Box 198, Columbia City, OR 97018.

Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly (such as people in apartments, businesses and schools). You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail.

State Water System ID #4100203 Distributed December 1, 2004

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