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Wednesday, November 29, 2023
Elks give back to children in need
Two kids show off their new mittens. Originally published in The Chronicle Vol. 141 November 22, 2023 WILL LOHRE Country Media, Inc.
As part of the Warm Welcome to the Library program, the St. Helens Elks Lodge #1999 donated over 150 pieces of warm weather gear, including coats, hats, and scarves, to Head Start students and their siblings in an event at the St. Helens Public Library. The three-hour event was held on Nov. 18. The
Courtesy photo from Annette Pixley
goal of Warm Welcome is “to promote literacy and the free services of the library to low-income students and families” while also providing them free warm-weather clothing items, according to Elks Grant Coordinator Annette Pixley. “It was really heartwarming. There were a lot of children who came in, and you could see that there was a need. They were super excited to get to pick a new coat,” Pixley said. The Elks held a similar event in October for Scappoose Head Start students.
Courtesy photo from Annette Pixley
The Elks staff with the gathered assortment of donated warm clothes.
Pixley said there were about 50-60 kids at the St. Helens event and seven in Scappoose. The Warm Welcome program is St. Helens Elks Lodge #1999 through a $3,000 grant received from the Elks National Foundation. Pixley became the Grant Coordinator for the Elks Lodge this year, and she said there are grants “specifically available from the Elks National Foundation that we can use here in Columbia County.” “I went and applied for the grants. This is intended to be a program that we do year
after year after year. This is the first year of the program, and as long as it goes well, we can continue to apply for the grant every year,” Pixley said. Though the program only happened in Scappoose and St. Helens this year, Pixley said that the Elks hope to expand the program to Head Start students in other areas across Columbia County. “Our intention is to reach out to Clatskanie, Vernonia, and Rainier next year and do this for all the cities in Columbia County next year,” Pixley said.
In addition to supplying warm clothes for the winter months, students also got to learn more about what the public library can offer them. Pixley said that before receiving the donations, children sat through a short program at the library that included story time and information about the library. During the event, six kids signed up for their first library card in St. Helens. “We were able to have good conversations with many more families and share the info about our program for kiddos,” Library
Director Suzanne Bishop said. Four Elks volunteers shopped for over 100 coats, and nine Elks staffed the three-hour event in St. Helens, according to Pixley. “I am so thankful for the Elks members who donated time and supplies to ensure Warm Welcome was a success,” Pixley said. “We really appreciated the opportunity to be there and to have that connection with kids. To see their smiling faces and hear them say, ‘Thank you!’ was really heartwarming. Everybody had such a great time.”
Clatskanie receives $81,610 grant for improvements pave over the gravel obstructions. • Install curb bulb-outs
Metro Creative Connection
The funding will support the Clatskanie Downtown Accessibility Project. Originally published in Chamber of Commerce, the leadership. Projects identiThe Chief Vol. 132 Columbia Economic Team, fied include: November 24, 2023 and local business leaders STAFF REPORT Country Media, Inc.
The Clatskanie Chamber of Commerce has received a grant for $81,610 to help with American with Disabilities (ADA) improvements and beautification projects thought out the city. The grant, from Tourism Oregon, comes following efforts by the Clatskanie
and will be used to support the Clatskanie Downtown Accessibility Project. That project is a grassroots initiative led by community volunteers and the Clatskanie Chamber to improve Clatskanie’s navigability and safety for those with mobility and health challenges. The project is in partnership with the City of Clatskanie and has the support of the city council and
• Improve city park restrooms and accessibility Loose gravel pervades between the entrances and roadway, making it difficult for those in wheelchairs or have other mobility restrictions to cross. There are also no wheelchair accessible designated parking spaces in this parking lot. As a solution, this project will create a handicap parking spot and
One of the project goals to add sloped bulb-outs to either side of the N. Nehalem Street intersection at the Lillich Street crosswalk. This enables wheeled devices to descend and ascend the crosswalk safely and shortens the distance to cross the busy street. This is crucial in pedestrian safety, traffic calming, and accessibility, according to city officials. The project will also identify and install two additional crosswalks with slopes to improve downtown accessibility. • Planter box and trash bin replacement Currently, the Clatskanie Chamber of Commerce owns the planter boxes and trash bins in downtown Clatskanie. The hope is to upgrade these large cement structures because they constrict the sidewalk to less than 5-feet in many places. Wheelchairs need at least 5-feet of space to safely turn around, according to the National Association of City Transportation Officials. The
plan is to upgrade the planters and bins with narrower models. • Widen the road through the park Currently, the road is only three-fourths of a two-lane width. Vehicles must move into the gravel area or the bike lane to be able to pass one another, which is unsafe for pedestrians, according to city officials. Widening the road and adding a biking/ walking lane will be safer for pedestrians and those with mobility challenges. • Placemaking and downtown accessibility consultant The Clatskanie Chamber is also hiring a professional downtown consultant as part of this project. The role of this consultant will be to tour Clatskanie’s main street, provide recommendations for additional downtown accessibility improvement projects and other placemaking suggestions, and facilitate community discussions. This will be the collaborative part of the project, where community stakeholders, the city, and other partners will be wel-
come to join the process. There is $10,000 set aside to implement at least one of the projects the consultant and the community identify as an additional, important downtown accessibility project. Mayor Bob Brajcich congratulated the President of the Clatskanie Chamber of Commerce Sarah Johnson and the business leaders who championed the grant. The Clatskanie Farmers Market and Jasmine Lillich were especially instrumental in securing this grant, according to Brajcich. City Manager Greg Hinkelman recognized and thanked what he described as the indispensable work of the Columbia Economic Team under the leadership of Paul Vogel. “Two of his team members, Wela Negelspach, who is vital to Tourism Oregon grants and connections, and Sierra Trass, of Keep it Local Columbia County, did the heavy lifting for this grant and the other tourism grants that Columbia County received,” Hinkelman said. Follow this city improvement project at thechiefnews. com and in the Friday print editions of The Chief.
Below is a list of WHERE to pick up a FREE copy of the print edition of the News-Advertiser. Also available every week at: thechronicleonline.com and at thechiefnews.com CLATSKANIE • CLATSKANIE SAFEWAY • HI SCHOOL PHARMACY IN CLATSKANIE • CLATSKANIE MARKET SCAPPOOSE • ROAD RUNNER GAS & GROCERY
• JACKPOT 76 • ENGSTROM CHEVRON • B&B MARKET • FRED MEYER • SMOKE SHOP • NELSON NEIGHBORHOOD MARKET • ACE • GROCERY OUTLET
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