NOVEMBER 2004

OPEN BURNING PERMIT REGULATIONS

Yard debris may be burned outdoors beginning Saturday, November 6 and ending Sunday, November 21. The City's burning ordinance prohibits burn barrels and outdoor burning of garbage and rubbish. It also prohibits all outdoor burning of yard debris, except during specified biannual burn periods.

YARD DEBRIS ONLY - NO BURN BARRELS

• 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.

The Columbia River Fire & Rescue publishes a guide to burning within the Columbia River Fire & Rescue District. Copies of the guide are available at City Hall.

The City will again provide a temporary yard debris disposal for Columbia City residents. The dumpster is located in the 1700 block of Third Street, behind the Public Works shop buildings. The dumpster will be available November 1 through November 30. Customers are asked to please abide by the following guidelines:

• Drop off yard debris only.

• Place yard debris in the dumpster.

• Yard debris must be from within the City limits of Columbia City.

This site is being provided to our citizens under the honor system. Please, be respectful of the rules to ensure the availability of this site again in the future.

The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on November 9, 2004, at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall to receive comments regarding a request for a massage therapy home business on property located at 1850 Sixth Street.

The Christmas Ship Parade will be celebrating their 50th year this December. The all-volunteer group will visit Columbia City on December 11^th. The ships will assemble at the St. Helens City docks at 5:00 p.m. and motor downriver to Columbia City. The Christmas ships will be out approximately two hours, will stay overnight at the St. Helens City docks and leave Sunday morning via the Multnomah Channel.

• Always use the proper fuel for each heater. Using non-approved fuels can be extremely dangerous.

• Never attempt to accelerate a fire with kerosene or gasoline. They will both "flash back" to the container with serious burn consequences.

• Be sure your space heater, fireplace, or wood stove is in good working condition. Clean your chimney at least once a year to prevent chimney fires.

• Maintain adequate clearance around all heating devices to ensure combustible material is well clear. Also, be sure to use a screen with your fireplace and avoid creating roaring fires which could ignite soot in your chimney.

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

• Bernadette Albertine, Alice Barchus, Marian Calnon, Dolores Heinz, Barbara Jones, Phyllis Rowley and Helen Sandstrom for helping with newsletters and utility bills in October.

• Barbara Jones for working in the flowerbeds at City Hall.

• Norm Jones for mowing Datis Park.

• Marian Calnon, Bernard Carlton, Nell Harrison, Jim Shinkle, and Stan Hopkins for working in Jim Bundy Memorial Park.

• Stan Hopkins for donating and planting a dogwood tree in Jim Bundy Memorial Park.

The Columbia City Police Department offers periodic home security checks for citizens who are away from home. To receive home security checks while you're out of town, please register with the Columbia City Police Department before you leave. Forms are available at City Hall.

VOTE FOR BOOKS! Young Readers’ Choice Award. The annual Young Reader's Choice Award was officially established in 1940 to promote reading for enjoyment. There are many prizes for children's books, which are selected and awarded by adults, including the prestigious Newbery and Caldecott awards. Although these awards establish high standards of quality in children's literature, they may not necessarily reflect popularity among children. Children's choice awards are important because they represent books which are popular with large numbers of children and usually reflect quality children's literature. You can find more information about the YRCA at www.pnla.org/yrca.

We have the 2005 nominees are here at our library waiting for you to check out! In order to participate in the voting, you must read at least two nominees in your age division. Come check them out!

Bedtime Story -- Monday, Nov. 1st -- 7:00 PM Bring your teddy bear and blanket to snuggle with as you listen to a bedtime story. Bedtime story is the first Monday of every month during October to June. Contact the library if you would like to be a guest reader.

Hosting Thanksgiving dinner? We have over 30 cookbooks and magazines for you to discover a new recipe to wow your guest. We have books for every diet need such as diabetic, low carb, low fat, and vegetarian.

Love to decorate for the holidays or give a special homemade gift? The library is a wonderful source for ideas and patterns.

Just in… Bill Clinton’s autobiography, Nora Roberts and Patricia Cornwall’s latest novels, and so much more…

 A listing of our current best sellers is available on the City's website www.columbia-center.org.

Please join Hudson Garbage Service in a simple effort to help feed a complex need in our community. Take part in Hudson's Garbage Haulers' Food Drive, benefiting Columbia Pacific Food Bank pantries, H.E.L.P., Inc. and Turning Point Community Center. These pantries serve the St. Helens and Clatskanie areas by providing emergency food assistance. The Food Drive will take place November 8th - 12th. All you have to do is put out non-perishable food in a plastic bag on top of your garbage can on Wednesday, November 10th. Your neighborhood garbage hauler will gather the goods on the day of your usual garbage pickup. Questions? Call Hudson's Garbage Service at (503) 397-1534. Thanks for your help!

• The driver must be 16 years old or older.

• The driver must be eligible to possess a valid driver's license.

• The driver must be wearing an approved bicycle helmet.

• Cannot be ridden on the sidewalk.

• Cannot be ridden in public parks, other than on designated roadways.

• Can be driven on the side of roadways with speed limits of 25 mph or less.

• Can be operated on a roadway with a speed limit over 25 mph as long as the roadway has a marked bike lane.

• Must be walked across crosswalks.

• Must be licensed and insured.

• The driver must possess a valid driver's license and motorcycle endorsement.

• The driver must be 16 years or older.

• The driver must be wearing an ODOT approved helmet.

• Cannot be ridden on the sidewalk.

• Must be licensed and insured.

• The driver must possess a valid driver's license and motorcycle endorsement.

• The driver must be 16 years or older.

• The driver and passenger must be wearing an ODOT approved helmet.

• Cannot be ridden on the sidewalk.

HOUSING REHABILITATION LOANS AVAILABLE

Is your house in need of repairs? Low-income homeowners may be eligible for no-interest, deferred payment loans! The funds may be used to complete the following housing rehabilitation projects:

• Update electrical, plumbing or sewer

• Replace or update heat source

• Replace roof, doors, windows

• Structural repairs

• Foundation repairs

• Energy saving measures

In order to qualify, you must be a homeowner, meet income and property guidelines, and live in the dwelling to be repaired. Loan funds are limited! Please contact the Community Action Team, Inc., at (503) 397-1675 for additional information and/or loan applications.

The "L" Street Bridge over Portland & Western Railroad (PWRR) is scheduled for replacement starting in the fall of 2005, with an anticipated completion date of April 15, 2006. Columbia City has retained OBEC Consulting Engineers to present a project overview and design summary to the public during the Council Meeting on November 18, 2004, at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall. Interested citizens are encouraged to attend this public meeting to gather specific information and have their questions answered.

The existing bridge has a roadway width of 21'-4" and a 4-foot sidewalk on the south side. The bridge provides the only grade-separated crossing over the PWRR in Columbia City. The existing 110-foot timber bridge is supported on timber trestle piles and has significant decay. It is structurally deficient and functionally obsolete. The bridge has a posted load restriction of 15 tons. The vertical alignment is very poor with grades exceeding 10 percent on the ends and abrupt grade changes across the bridge. The vertical clearance over the railroad is also deficient.

The City has identified this structure for replacement and received $1.2 million in Federal funding from ODOT under the Local Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program (HBRR). Road improvements for this project extend only from Highway 30 to Fourth Street. The City is planning on replacing the bridge with a modern structure having a 34-foot roadway width consisting of two travel lanes with wider shoulders to accommodate bicycles and pedestrians.

It is the intent of the City to replace the existing bridge with a new bridge that will minimize maintenance and provide safe access to area residents and visitors. The proposed bridge is concrete and will be on the same alignment as the existing bridge. The proposed bridge rail will have a concrete baluster rail that may have reveals or other architectural treatment added for aesthetics. Fencing will be installed on both rails for railroad protection per PWRR requirements. Retaining walls will be necessary to maintain the minimum horizontal clearances from the railroad tracks; contain the approach earth embankments; and eliminate any right of way acquisition requirements. The retaining walls are fabricated from precast concrete panels and are proposed to have a stone facing profile for aesthetics and possible reduction of graffiti. Guardrails will be added to the bridge ends in order to protect public traffic.

There are several trees that will need to be removed due to the wider bridge. There are no wetlands, streams, or other aquatic resources within the vicinity of the project construction area. No impacts to environmentally sensitive areas will occur.

"L" Street between Fourth Place and Highway 30 and the right-turn lane from Highway 30 to "L" Street will be closed to traffic throughout the construction of the bridge. Short-term interruptions will occur on "L" Street down to Fourth Street during delivery and placement of bridge slabs and while constructing the new approach roadway.

QUILTS FOR A CAUSE

In Columbia County, Oregon, a talented group of thirty-five quilters found an innovative way to use their gifts and abilities to benefit their neighbors.

The group, members and friends of the Columbia River Piecemakers Quilt Guild, designed and made eight heirloom-quality quilts that were featured in a recently published quilt pattern book. Now those quilts are going on the auction block with 100% of the proceeds to benefit specific non-profits in Columbia County. The quilts were made with 220 yards of fabric donated by Classic Cottons of New York.

Each team of quilters chose an organization that will receive the proceeds from their quilt. They include: Columbia County Women’s Resource Center, Scappoose Senior Center, Columbia County Humane Society, Columbia Pacific Food Bank, Columbia City Community Library, Columbia County 4-H Youth Development Program, and the Columbia County Child Abuse Assessment Center.

The quilt guild has scheduled an online auction through eBay’s Giving Works Program. It will begin on Friday, November 26 (the day after Thanksgiving) and continue through December 5. Check at www.ebay.com to view and bid on the quilts. A signed copy of the book will accompany each quilt sale.

The quilt book, titled Fresh Air in the Attic: Welcome Makeovers for 7 Classic Quilts, was published last spring by WestWinds Press of Portland, Oregon. Edited by Scappoose resident Tricia Brown, it features the photography of Trish Reynolds of Warren, who selected various sites around Columbia County to place the quilts for the book’s beautiful photo illustrations. Fresh Air in the Attic is available at the St. Helens Book Shop, Fibers & Stitches Quilt Shop, and at favorite on-line booksellers.

The quilts traveled the country extensively during the book promotion season, appearing at shows and booksignings from Houston to Pittsburgh to Portland. The book received many positive book reviews, and editor Tricia Brown and the quilts were recently taped for an upcoming segment on the PBS show "Quilt Central TV." More details on the auction are available at www.classiccottons.com.

POLICE REPORT

(September 16^th to October 15^th, 2004)

09/16/04 City ordinance violation. Motor home parked on City property in the 2100 block of Second Street.

09/17/04 Suspicious circumstance. Trucks taking water from fire hydrants on Fifth Street.

09/20/04 Runaway juvenile report from the 3600 block Tahoma Street.

09/22/04 Suspicious activity checked okay near Pixie Park.

09/24/04 Traffic complaint. Trucks running stop sign at Second and "E" Streets.

09/24/04 Assisted citizen with noise ordinance near Fourth and "M" Streets.

09/24/04 Citizen complaint of traffic near "A" Street. Checked okay.

09/24/04 Theft of political signs near 300 block of Lincoln Street.

09/27/04 Abandoned vehicle near 1800 block of Sixth Street.

09/27/04 Apprehended juvenile suspect in theft case.

10/01/04 Child pornography reported. Referred to County.

10/01/04 Internet scam reported. Referred to FBI.

10/01/04 Traffic hazard on Highway 30 near MP 30. Plastic shelving in roadway.

10/02/04 Abandoned bike near Second and "E" Streets.

10/06/04 Warrant arrest near Smith Road and "A" Street.

10/10/04 Barking dog complaint near Fifth and "C" Streets.

10/11/04 Citizen assist. Vehicle in the ditch on Highway 30 at MP 33.

10/13/04 Traffic hazard. Glass on Highway 30.

10/13/04 Complaint of drugs being sold near "A" Street and Highway 30.

10/13/04 Complaint of dirt in the road. Contractor advised not to dump in roadway.

MONTHLY MEETING AND EVENT CALENDAR