Westenders discuss junk ordinance

Wahkiakum County Commissioners Blair Brady and Dan Cothren (Commissioner Mike Backman was taking care of another issue on the other side of the county) met with nearly a full house crowd of about 80 residents at the Grays River Valley Center last Wednesday for an informal public hearing and an opportunity for the public to give input on a possible ordinance to regulate the accumulation of junk cars and other items that could be considered a public nuisance.

Brady opened the meeting by stating, “The purpose of this and subsequent meetings will be for information gathering, public input and to find a way of handling this issue amicably.”

Whatever is decided after the public meetings should go to a vote of the people, he said.

Cothren said, “There are a few abusing the system, devaluing the property of others nearby, but we need to use common sense for this issue.”

He believes that some areas of the county have become dumping grounds, and something should be done.

Thea Pyle of Grays River made the poignant statement “It’s not a black and white situation.”

Comments ran the gamut of common-sense solutions, such as take care of your own “junk” and respect the rights of others, build a fence high enough so the mess can’t be seen, close your eyes as you drive by, keep junk out of sight, and take pride in your own property.

Kathy Hamilton of Rosburg made the comment “I don’t care what someone has, just get it out of my sight.” That sentiment was voiced several more times throughout the evening.

The issue of property rights is of great importance to all of us, and that subject was mentioned. Many property owners who live in our county value that benefit (the lack of restrictive ordinances), and don’t want more government restrictions in the form of new laws.

Rosburg resident Poul Toftemark brought up a good point in the fact that the Grays River Grange took it upon themselves to get an adjacent nuisance property cleaned up to the benefit of the community and the former property owner. We should commend those who are willing to work to an amicable solution, as in this example.

Commissioner Brady said that no ordinance would be forthcoming until more meetings are held and a properly worded document could be agreed on, and that he hoped it would go to the vote of the people if it comes to that.

News from Naselle:

The Naselle-Grays River Valley School 2012-13 school year is nearly ended and so the activities heat up in some areas and the sports calendar winds down. The state track meet will take place in Cheney on May 24 and 25. Good luck to all the participants. We are all proud of the accomplishments you have made.

There will be no school on Monday, May 27 in honor of Memorial Day.

On Wednesday, May 28 at 7 p.m. the annual Evening of Excellence will celebrate one of the most important events of the school year. It is time to honor the students who have worked really hard throughout the year and are now being recognized for their efforts.

Westend news:

On Friday, May 24, the community will say a fond farewell to a wonderful old friend, Veryl Chamberlain. He will be laid to rest in the Grays River Grange Cemetery with a graveside service at 11 a.m. Following the service, there will be a potluck at the Rosburg Hall at noon. Bring a dish to share and join his family and friends in remembering a beloved, long time gentleman from our community. Rest in peace, Veryl.

In looking through the events calendar put out by the Chamber of Commerce, I discovered that they had listed two American Legion breakfasts for this coming weekend. I checked it out and the breakfast is planned for Saturday, May 25 from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Deep River Hall. This annual breakfast is not to be missed. You get all-you-can-eat pancakes, with a side of eggs (any way you want them), ham or sausage, milk, juice and coffee. And to top it off, you are benefitting a group that does so much for our community. Proceeds are used for local scholarships, to help local vets and charity. We are so fortunate to be represented by a group like the American Legion that really cares about our men and women in uniform who are serving or have served in our armed forces. We owe our military personnel our deepest gratitude for keeping us free, and this weekend is the perfect opportunity to let them know that we appreciate them. If you see a soldier in uniform, tell him/her thank you. If you know a vet, seek him/her out and tell them thank you. I know firsthand that they always appreciate those two little words: thank you.

The advisory board members of Johnson Park would like to thank everyone for a very successful plant/book/bake sale at the Grays River Valley Center last weekend. Even though there were lots of other activities going on, we were quite busy most of the day. You helped make this another great fundraiser for the park/center. Thanks go out to the volunteers who set up, worked and cleaned up, to the donors of baked goods, plants and books, and to everyone who came to see what was available.

I want to especially thank the two artists for showing some of their artwork at the event. Beverly Wallace is a relative newcomer to Grays River but she feels like it is home just as I do. Having come from another part of the country, it says a lot to finally find another place with so much home feeling to it. She has some beautiful work and home and nature seem to dictate what she paints. In her own words, this is the short bio she provided to display with her work. “I have lived in beautiful, mystic Grays River, the land of rain, mists and rainbows. Being a native of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, I appreciate the beauty of Grays River. As a child I wanted only to be an artist and in a modest way God has given me my dream. I attended Portland State University and majored in Humanities (fine arts). I have also taken art classes at The Museum School of Art in Portland and Southern Nevada University. I have had three one-person art shows in Virginia and have exhibited my work in Las Vegas, Nevada where I lived for eight years. I have also exhibited my work in Washington D.C. where I lived for three years. To me, art is about painting what I see. I am drawn to beauty in all myriad forms. Life is full of beauty if we have eyes to see.”

A different kind of artist is lifelong local resident 16-year-old Samuel Zimmerman who tells me he has been doing his miniature ink drawings for the past three years but remembers using colored pencils and drawing since he was just a toddler. He is a delightful, shy and very talented young man with so much going for him. I think he will be hugely successful in whatever his future holds for him. His biography states, “Samuel is a self-taught artist specializing in miniature landscape ink drawings. Samuel lives on the Zimmerman family farm with his parents, three brothers and two sisters. When he is not occupied with school work or drawing, Samuel enjoys sorting and collecting coins, building model houses and pruning trees on the farm, an activity that gives inspiration to much of his artwork. A few of the miniatures reflect scenes of north central Idaho where Samuel’s maternal grandparents live and where he loves to visit for a week every summer. A point of interest is that 99 percent of the artist’s subject matter is drawn directly from his mind’s eye, based loosely on places he has seen. All the originals on display are drawn on 60-65 lb, acid-free paper using acid-free black ball point pens, sizes 03, 04, 05 and 06.”

It was a pleasure to have these two talented people showing some of their work for our event last weekend. We look forward to seeing more of their work in the future.

The Johnson Park Advisory Board is holding a raffle for a beautiful handmade quilt which was put on display in the Grays River Valley Library. Raffle tickets can be purchased at that location or from board members. The tickets are $1 and the drawing will be held in October at our Second Annual Sauerbraten Dinner. You need not be present to win.

Don’t forget that our sewing room at the Grays River Valley Center is available for “open sew” on Tuesday mornings at 10 a.m. You can contact Arlene Stefan at 465-2919 if you have a special idea or request for a particular sewing project. She is an excellent seamstress and quilter, and is more than willing to teach or help with your personal projects.

If you have an older computer and would like to donate it to our computer center, please do not just drop it off at the center. We are in the process of upgrading the computers we already have and don’t have a storage area for more. You can call Randy Collver if you have computer equipment, and he can let you know if we can use what you have. We appreciate all the donations, but unfortunately have no room to store extra. Please call 465-2597 or the computer center at 465-2310.

The free Friday night movies at the Grays River Valley Center are back on schedule with a family-friendly, animated Disney movie slated for this Friday. Bring the kids and enjoy a fun movie, some popcorn, candy and pop available at the concessions. Next week’s feature is a new Quentin Tarantino film and is rated R, for a more mature audience. For more information on what is playing, please call 465-2310.

Our first storytime for toddlers and pre-school children will take place on May 31 at 10 a.m. Come with your youngsters and listen to age-appropriate stories lasting about 30 minutes. For more information please call Ramona Collver at 465-2597 or the library at 465-2310.

The Rosburg Wednesday Senior Lunch Bunch meets every week at the Rosburg Hall. They are treated to a good wholesome home-cooked meal prepared and served by Pat Potter and her volunteer crew. Lunch is served at noon.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays the Rosburg Senior Community Lunches are also served at the above location and are sponsored by CAP. Menus for the coming week include: May 23-chicken Romesco, pureed hominy, spinach salad and caramel custard; May 28-cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and pickle, potato salad and strawberry shortcake; May 30-pulled pork sandwich, pineapple coleslaw, Oregon bean medley and berry parfait.

Happy Birthday to Carol Penttila, Dan Zimmerman, Robin Kent, Alex Bighill, Elizabeth Dalton, Alexander Stenvall, Debbie Lopez, Marc Gacke, Linda Cary, Cherilyn Phipps, Manuel Lopez, Darian Jacot, Makenna Busse, Darrylin Eastham, Katie Ashe, Clyde Sprague, Joyce Rangila, George Vernon, Adam Jordan, Toni Smith, Doug Wirkkala, Mark Badger, Bryan Penttila, and Kaisa Saari. Here’s hoping your special day is all you hoped it would be.

Happy Anniversary to Billy and Lois Bighill. I wish you many more celebrations together.