A1
Little League playoffs see showdown between St. Helens and Scappoose, Page A12 Project2:Layout 1
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
2/21/12
3:24 PM
TODAY’S WEATHER Mostly sunny Highs to 80 Page A11 Lows to 54
Page 1
The Chronicle
$1.00 Vol. 131, No. 29 12 Pages
www.thechronicleonline.com
House bills could impact county law enforcement
Columbia County Fair and Rodeo ready for 98th season
BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
More than a year ago, Gov. John Kitzhaber re-established a public safety commission to review anticipated public safety budget shortfalls in the 2013Jeff Dickerson 15 state budget and to avoid building a costly new state prison. Oregon sheriffs have been at the table with district attorneys, police chiefs, the governor’s office and legislators to tackle the difficult task of creating an affordable public safety budget. Now, there is not one but two bills currently moving through the Oregon Legislature that could have an impact of local county law enforcement. Legislators passed House Bill 3453, which allows for the declaration of a fiscal emergency in counties struggling to fund law enforcement and other basic services. Several Oregon counties, including Columbia County, had traditionally been funded in part by timber receipts under the mandates of the 1937 O&C Act. But logging restrictions implemented in the 1990s limited access to federal lands and drove down timber receipts. While subsequent legislation provided federal payments to counties to make up for the loss of these timber revenues, that funding source has now run dry. HB 3453 would allow the governor to proclaim a public safety fiscal emergency for counties where conditions compromise the ability to provide a minimally adequate level of public safety services. “Although this is largely a federal issue, the inactivity at that level has prompted state officials to try and seek a solution that is workable for all involved,” said Rep. Wally Hicks (R-Grants Pass). “Through the legislative process, we have brought together various stake See BILL, Page A4
INSIDE Classified Ads . . . . A9-10 Legal Notices . . . . . . . A10 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . A6 Opinions . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 Out & About . . . . . . . . A7 Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . A12 TV Guide . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Weather . . . . . . . . . . . A11
Kick up your heels at the county fair File photo
The Columbia County Fair and Rodeo – undoubtedly one of the largest events of the year in the county – is ready for another season of 4-H exhibits and competitions, bronc riding, carnival rides and much more. This year marks the 98th year for the fair and rodeo, which typically brings in around 20,000 visitors each year. In celebration of the heritage of both the county See FAIR, Page A2
Bonamici backs seniors on capital hill BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
ST. HELENS ‑ U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) had a lunch time meeting with senior citizens at the St. Helens Senior Center on July 15 to talk about the impact federal cuts could have on the Meals on Wheels program, a service many elderly residents are dependent upon. “When I joined the U.S. Congress, there was something called sequestration that was put into law and that was designed to be so bad it would never happen. These are across the board cuts to programs. Sadly, what has happened is that Congress hasn’t been able to work out a compromise… these cuts have been put into place and they are affecting programs
like Meals on Wheels, they are affecting programs that impact seniors,” said Bonamici. According to Community Action Team, which administers the homedelivery meals program in Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook counties, automatic cuts due to sequestration will result in approximately 7,000 fewer meals being served in the tri-county area. Bonamici is now working to pass legislation to repeal the cuts. “I think this is a bad way to make policy. I think we need to make targeted cuts where it makes sense,” said Bonamici. “…Some of the big tax breaks for example, some of the subsidies, we shouldn’t be subsidizing successful companies.” Meals on Wheels provides meals See BONAMICI, Page A4
SHARI PHIEL / The Chronicle
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici talks to seniors at the St. Helens Senior Center about the impacts sequestration could have on programs for the elderly.
Cornelius Pass to close for four days BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
SHARI PHIEL / The Chronicle
A proposed development project between 10th and 12th streets in St. Helens has some neighbors seeing red. The project would call for the removal of 500,000 cubic yards of rock by using blasting, heavy equipment and trucks.
Neighbors petition to halt proposed development BY SHARI PHIEL The Chronicle
ST. HELENS — A proposed development in the very early stages of planning already has some neighbors raising objections. The 5.3acre site is located between 10th and 12th streets to the east and west and Wyeth and Willamette streets to the north and south. A memo sent to City of St. Helens Planner Jacob Graichen from Project Delivery Group and landowner Karl Birky outlines the proposed development. “Most of the site is rock outcrop approximately 40 feet above the adjacent streets and properties. To develop the site, the developer will remove the rock below finish grade and fill the site with appropriate material for home construction, lawns and trees” reads the memo. It’s how that rock will be removed – and how long the project will take to remove all of it – that has neighbors worried. It’s estimated that nearly 500,000 cubic yards of rock would have to be
removed, along with some 200,000 cubic yards of fill to be brought in for grading. To achieve this, the developer would have to blast the rock and haul it out in large trucks. “There are a lot of different aspects. Right now, the only thing the city has started to review is a sensitive lands permit with respect to impact to an adjacent wetlands,” said Graichen. “That is a planning office decision.” Graichen said the project would ultimately require the input and approval of various city, county and state agencies. “There are 80-foot public rights of way in there and the rock within that right of way is public rock. It’s possible the [city council] will need to have some say on the use of those rights of way,” added Graichen. Area residents Steve Palmer, Bill Holder and Don Parrett aren’t waiting for the project to begin moving the bureaucratic channels. The trio submitted a petition See PETITION, Page A4
Commuters and others headed to the Beaverton and Hillsboro areas will have a few days of extra driving headaches to deal with. A four-day planned closure of Cornelius Pass Road at U.S. 30 begins July 19. The road will be closed beginning at 10 p.m. on Friday, July 19 and will reopen to all traffic by 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 24. U.S. Highway 30 will remain open during the construction period and drivers will be detoured around the closure to alternate routes such as Newberry and Rocky Point roads to and from Skyline Boulevard. Riders headed to Portland Community College’s Rock Creek Campus and the Willow Creek transit station should be prepared for the detours and allow extra time for getting to their destination. Go to ColumbiaCountyRider.com for more on upcoming schedule changes. According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, the closure is necessary to replace a culvert beneath the road and to fill in a dip in the roadway. Drivers can take detours around the closure by using Newberry or Rocky Point roads to and from Skyline Boulevard. Also, Multnomah County will take advantage of ODOT’s closing to perform maintenance on Cornelius Pass Road. The four-day closure is part of a larger construction project that began in May 2013 and is expected to be completed this fall. The intersection of Highway 30 and Cornelius Pass Road has been identified as one of the top locations in need of safety improvements in Oregon. The relatively
high number of crashes at the intersection tend to be rear-end collisions, most of which involve vehicles traveling east on U.S. 30 or south on Cornelius Pass Road. The Oregon Legislature allocated $9.5 million to Multnomah County for the improvements. The Cornelius Pass Road Safety Evaluation JTA Final Report was provided by ODOT to the Legislature early in 2011. This report identifies seven specific project areas that are considered to have the greatest potential to improve safety. Six of the identified project areas are anticipated to fall within the current funding allocation
and are being analyzed to determine which to include in the package that will be designed in 2013-14 and constructed in 2014-15. Input may be provided by e-mail to corneliuspass@ multco.us. The U.S. 30–Cornelius Pass Road intersection project will improve the right turn from U.S. 30 east to Cornelius Pass Road south by adding a standard rightturn lane. The approach of Cornelius Pass Road north will be widened at U.S. 30 to include separate left- and right-turn pockets. A bike should and pedestrian island will be added to the intersec See PASS, Page A2