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Wednesday, May 29, 2013
2/21/12
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St. Helens’ Mariah Mulcahy is named NWOC Pitcher of the Year. See all other All-League picks on Page A14.
TODAY’S WEATHER Mostly sunny Highs to 59 Page A11 Lows to 48
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The Chronicle
$1.00 Vol. 131, No. 22 14 Pages
www.thechronicleonline.com
Staffing Election draws low voter turnout cuts draw opposition BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
ST. HELENS — The city’s 2013-14 fiscal year budget has yet to be finalized – that won’t happen until a June 5 public hearing –– but at least one proposed staffing cut isn’t sitting well with some people. The police department’s code enforcement officer position, which is held by Laura Snyder, is being eliminated as of July 1. That decision doesn’t make sense to Columbia Humane Society’s Dean Cox, who believes eliminating the code enforcement position is going to result in an increase in the number of animals coming into the shelter. Of the more than 500 animals brought in to the shelter in 2012, about half came from St. Helens. But Cox believes many animals are returned to their homes by the code enforcement officer without ever making it to the shelter. “The livability of St. Helens will go down. The number of animals coming into the Humane Society is going to go up. The chief doesn’t believe that, I don’t know if the council believes that or not. But I can tell you that half the dogs they get in Laura’s truck go home. They never come to the Humane Society,” said Cox. “In a community where jobs are leaving, you really want livability of an entire city to come down?” Instead of assigning code enforcement calls to one officer, the calls will be routed to officers on patrol to respond to. St. Helens Police Chief Terry Moss said the calls will be essentially triaged, with more urgent calls being given a higher priority and code enforcement calls being answered as time allows. “Because you’re talking about putting those calls in among police officers – you could have an officer who has been dispatched to a burglary or a theft or an assault in progress and at the same time have a dog at large call,” said Moss. It’s that triage method that See CUTS, Page A3
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Turnout for the May 21 election was just under 34 percent – or about 9,738 of the 28,907 registered voters in Columbia County. That’s well below the 37.23 percent total turnout just a year ago and the 46.75 percent total turnout seen during the May 2011 special election and 43.10 total turnout in May 2010. Despite the lower turnout, there were some surprises once the ballots were cast along with some less surprising outcomes.
The Columbia 9-1-1 operating levy was passed by an overwhelming majority of those voting. Nearly 85 percent of voters were in favor of continuing to pay the $.5454 per $1,000 of assessed value on their property taxes to continue operations at the county’s 9-1-1 center. Long-time school board member Alan King was ousted by former school superintendent Gordon Jarman, while Matt Freeman – who was appointed to the board in October of 2011 lost to Kellie Smith. Former St. Helens School District teacher Jeff Howell will replace outgoing board member
Nathan Helwig, who did not run for re-election. One of the more controversial races, the race for two Port of St. Helens commissioner slots went to both incumbents. Chris Iverson and Terry Luttrell both won another term with the Port. Full election results are available online at TheChronicleOnline. com.
5-232 — Columbia 9-1-1 Renewal of Operating Levy Votes Percent Yes 7,892 84.99 No 1,394 15.01 Total votes cast: 9,286
5-233 - Clatskanie RFPD 5-Year Lot Votes Percent Yes 832 59.39 No 569 40.61 Total votes cast: 1,401 Port of St. Helens Position No. 4 Commissioner Votes Percent Terry Luttrell 3,843 53.74 Michael Clarke 3,257 45.55 Write-in 51 .71 Total votes cast: 7,151
See ELECTION, Page A3
SHS scores most points in school history
Courtesy photo
Local artist Steve Johansen captures the spirit of 13 Nights On The River in this phoenix rising from the ashes.
Future looks bright for summer events BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
Don’t let the recent soggy and cool weather fool you, summer is just around the corner. Along with kayaking on Scappoose Bay and fishing on the Columbia, summer in Columbia County also means a return of several festivals and events. Here is a quick look at just some of the happenings to look forward to. Scappoose Farmers Market The Scappoose Farmers Market (sponsored by the Scappoose Community Club) in the parking lot just behind city hall officially kicked off the 2013 season on May 18. The market will now be open each Saturday through Sept. 28 from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Market manager Bill Blank said that in addition to some familiar vendors who returned to the market again this year, some new sellers have been added to the mix. “We have a few more produce vendors this year. We are also more food-on-premise type vendors,” said Blank. Some of those ready-to-eat foods will include fresh pita bread, Greek sandwiches and possibly See SUMMER, Page A3
Photo by Kyle Boggs
Scappoose senior Paul Revis anchored the 4x100 relay team to a third-place finish. He had a hand in 20 of the Indians’ 37 team points at the 2013 4A OSAA Track and Field State Championships May 24-25. For the full story, see Page A12.
City issues annual water report The City of St. Helens has issued its 2012 water quality report detailing the results of contaminant testing. The report also contains information on water conservation tips and essential utility billing information. According to the report, the city’s drinking water meets or surpasses all federal drinking water standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Under Oregon State Health Division standards, the city is required to take 15 routine water samples on a monthly basis from designated areas throughout the city. These samples are tested for microbiological contaminants in the
drinking water, looking for harmful bacteria like fecal coliform and contaminants like arsenic, cyanide, lead and mercury. In the report, the city says it has “been continuing to upgrade and improve our water quality and service by installing new water mains and having a leak detection survey done to help reduce water
loss.” The City of St. Helens water system is fed by two wells on the banks of the Columbia River in Columbia City, and a ground well near Scappoose Bay Marina that operates only during emergencies. The water treatment facility produces over 2 million gallons of water a day during winter months which
climbs to over 4 million gallons of water a day during summer months. The Safe Drinking Water Act requires utility providers to issue an annual “Consumer Confidence” report to their customers. The city will mail the 2012 water quality report to all utility billing account holders within the city’s water system during the
week of May 27. A complete water quality report is also available on the city’s website at ci.st-helens.or.us. Look for the link under resources on the public works page. For further information regarding the water quality report, contact Interim Public Works Co-Director Neal Sheppeard at 503397-3532.