Thursday, April 12, 2012

Port Of Astoria Meeting Notice


www.portofastoria.com
M E E T I N G N O T I C E
PORT OF ASTORIA
EXECUTIVE SESSION
SPECIAL MEETING
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
5:00 P.M. - Executive Session
6:00 P.M. – Special Meeting
On Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. the Port of Astoria Commission will hold an
Executive Session. The Executive Session is held in accordance with ORS 192.660 (2) (e).
At 6:00 p.m. a Special Meeting will be held. The meetings will be held at the Port’s Board
Member Conference Room at 422 Gateway Ave., Suite 100, Astoria, Oregon. A request for
an interpreter for the hearing impaired or for other accommodations for persons with
disabilities should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting by calling the Port of
Astoria at (503) 741-3300. The Executive Session is closed to the public.
The Port Commission reserves the right to add or delete items as needed, to change
the order of the Special Meeting agenda, and to discuss any other business deemed
necessary at the time of that meeting. The Special Meeting is open to the public.
AGENDA
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
5:00 p.m.
1. Call to Order/Roll Call
2. Conduct deliberations with persons designated to negotiate real
property transactions in accordance with ORS 192.660 (2) (e).
3. Adjourn
# # # #
AGENDA
SPECIAL MEETING
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
6:00 P.M.
1. Call to Order/Roll Call
2. Changes/Additions
3. Public Comment
4. Updated Cash Position
5. Projects Update: Budget, “Loose-ends”
6. Line Hauling Vessel Proposals
7. Budget Committee member replacement
8. Commission Direction
9. Public Comment
10. Adjourn at 7:30 p.m. for Employee Appreciation Party

April 11, Clatsop County Board Of Commissioners Meeting Highlights


Highlights
Wednesday, April 11,
2012 regular meeting

Official minutes
available once approved by board

Volunteers
honored
The board recognized
the hundreds of volunteers who donate time to the county each year, and gave out
awards to the top volunteers of 2011.
Honorees
were:
· Individual Volunteer
of the Year – Linda Dygert
· Outstanding Advisory
Board Member – Bruce Francis (Planning Commission)
· Outstanding Volunteer
Group – Amateue Radio Emergency Services (ARES)
· Outstanding
Individuals Within a Group – Tate Dellelo/Adopt-A-Road; Dave Rouse/Reserve
Deputy Sheriff, Clatsop County Search and Rescue and High-Angle Rescue teams;
Mark Seavey/CADY mentoring program

Health initiative
discussed
The board heard a
presentation from County Manager Duane Cole, Public Health Director Margo Lalich
and others on the Coordinated Care Organization (CCO) program now under
development at the direction of the Oregon Legislature.
The CCO initiative is
designed to provide Medicare and Medicaid recipients coordinated care options
designed to reduce costly critical care visits and ultimately improve health and
reduce healthcare costs.
Two entities –
CareOregon and Greater Oregon Health Benefits Inc., have expressed interest in
creating a CCO covering Clatsop County and neighboring counties.
The county is engaged
in the process with local healthcare providers, the commissioners heard, and
were told that in the near future the board may be asked to approve a letter
commenting on the proposed CCO.

Comment letter
sent
The board voted to
direct staff to draft a letter to the Oregon Employment Relations Board (ERB)
regarding a request by represented employees of the Clatsop County Parole and
Probation Division to join a different union.
The six Parole and
Probation staff have sought approval to leave the American Federation of State,
County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and join the Federation of Parole and
Probation Officers (FOPPO). The Parole and Probation personnel are currently
represented by AFSCME Local 2746, which also represents Sheriff’s Office
employees.
The letter will
request that the ERB conduct a hearing on the Parole and Probation staff
request. Increasing the number of bargaining units with whom the county must
bargain would add to the cost and complexity of negotiating labor
contracts.
Unionized county
employees are currently represented by four bargaining units: Sheriff/Parole and
Probation; Courthouse/Roads; District Attorney’s Office; and Nurses. The
Sheriff, Courthouse and District Attorney units are all represented by AFSCME;
the nurses unit is represented by the Oregon Nurses Association.
The county was set to
begin negotiations this month with the sheriff’s office bargaining unit on a new
contract. Those talks will be postponed until the ERB’s decision on the Parole
and Probation request.

Committee
appointment
The board appointed
Linda Eyerman to the Southwest Coastal Citizens Advisory Committee.


Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 325-1000 ext. 1312

Clatsop County Commissioners Honor County Volunteers


PHOTO CAPTION:
Clatsop County Board of Commissioners Chair Peter Huhtala presents Linda Dygert
with the Volunteer of the Year Award at Wednesday’s board meeting.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

The Clatsop County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday honored the many local citizens who donate their time to help make their community a better place to live.

The commissioners recognized the recipients of the 2011 Volunteer of the Year awards and approved a proclamation thanking all county volunteers.

In 2011, 537 volunteers donated a total of 21,653 hours of service to a county – work valued at almost a half-million dollars.

Award winners are:

· Individual Volunteer of the Year – Linda Dygert

· Outstanding Advisory Board Member – Bruce Francis

· Outstanding Individuals Within a Group – Tate Dellelo/Adopt-a-Road; Dave Rouse/Reserve Deputy Sheriff, Clatsop County Search and Rescue and High-Angle Rescue teams; Mark Seavey/CADY

· Outstanding Volunteer Group – Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES)

Linda Dygert won the Individual Volunteer of the Year Award for her work at the Clatsop County Animal Shelter. Dygert has volunteered at the facility for 10 years, up to six days a week, handling a wide variety of tasks from showing animals for adoption, transporting them to veterinary visits and assisting with office work. She is secretary of Clatsop Animal Assistance, the non-profit group that helps care for shelter animals, and also offers her own home as a foster caretaker for animals needing extra time away from the shelter.

Dygert was nominated for the award by Steven Hildreth, Animal Control Supervisor.

“With everything she has done and continues to do for the shelter, we can never say thank you enough for being one of the best people we have ever known,” he said.

Bruce Francis is chairman of the Clatsop County Planning Commission, in which role he facilitates the panel’s meetings and brings members’ viewpoints into a coherent discussion ending in legally supportable and appropriate decisions on a wide variety of land-use questions. The panel most recently completed a thorough review of the county’s newly adopted Strategic Plan.

Tate Dellelo is a volunteer in the county’s Adopt-A-Road program and picks up roadside litter along 19th Street and Ensign Lane in Warrenton. While most Adopt-A-Road participants are in groups, and are only required to clean their assigned roads twice a year, Dellelo cleans 19th and Ensign every day, rain or shine.

Dave Rouse is a reserve deputy with the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office and is a member of the department’s volunteer Search and Rescue Team and High-Angle Rescue Team. A dedicated participant in all three groups, he shares his expertise with other team members.

Mark Seavey is a member of CADY (Caring Adults Developing Youth) mentoring program and was nominated by one of his student mentees, Nicolas Morse, who praised Seavey for not only involving him in activities like hiking Saddle Mountain and a Trailblazers game, but also introducing him to the possibilities of a military career.

Members of the Amateur Radio Emergency Services group provide a critical communications link for local agencies during emergencies. The ARES group, nominated by Clatsop County Emergency Services Coordinator Tom Manning, regularly drills to test its procedures, and strives to ensure members keep up with the growing list of training requirements.

“They put in hundreds of hours to literally save lives,” Manning said.

Blue Ribbon Campaign Focuses On Child Abuse Awareness

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

The Clatsop County Commission on Children and Families, in partnership with other local stakeholders, is promoting awareness of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month with an event Friday, April 13 in Astoria.

Volunteers will install 100 blue ribbons on the small park space at 15th Street between Marine Drive and Commercial Street in downtown Astoria beginning at 12:30 p.m. The event, a kick-off to the commission’s “Keep Kids Safe” campaign, recognizes the more than 100 children in Clatsop County who were victims of maltreatment in the past year, whether emotional abuse, neglect, physical abuse or sexual abuse.

All forms of maltreatment take a tremendous toll on a child’s ability to develop healthy brain pathways, and can lead to serious health issues throughout adult life.

The “Keep Kids Safe” campaign is a project of the Commission on Children and Families, Clatsop County Juvenile Department, CASA, Hope House, Women’s Resource Center and North Coast Parenting. Friday’s ribbon-placing event is made possible by support from the City of Astoria and Home Depot.

Released by: Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

North Coast Parenting Presents Money Smart Workshop In Seaside

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Parents, do you have trouble finding money for those unexpected bills? Could you use some guidance figuring out how to support a family every month on your household income?

Get answers at the Money Smart Workshop, 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19 at Broadway Middle School in Seaside.

Participants will receive help with basic budgeting, saving for emergencies, planning for the future and how to work smarter, not harder. Childcare will be available.

The event is sponsored by North Coast Parenting and the Seaside School District.

For more information and to register, contact North Coast Parenting at (503) 325-8673 ext. 4.

Released by:Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Clatsop County Public Health Urges Vaccination For Pertussis(Whooping Cough)

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

As a result of several recent cases of pertussis locally, the Clatsop County Public Health Department is encouraging everyone in the county ages 2 months and above to be vaccinated against the illness, also known as whooping cough.

The department is reporting a total of six positive reports of pertussis – a 2-year-old child, four school-age children and a 31-year-old adult. On Tuesday the health department sent out a memo to parents of schoolchildren describing the disease’s symptoms and means of spreading, and tips for prevention and treatment.

Based on current data, it is likely there are many more pertussis cases than the six positive reports, as providers frequently do not test for the disease. Additionally, there is likely a large segment of the high school population that is susceptible to pertussis, since school law currently only requires freshman to be vaccinated.

Symptoms of pertussis include coughing “fits” sometimes followed by a “whooping” noise, vomiting, or the inability to catch one’s breath – the illness has been called “the 100-day cough.” People with pertussis are contagious for about three weeks or until after the fifth day of an appropriate antibiotic regime. In spite of antibiotics, severe coughing may last for months.

Pertussis can be life-threatening in infants up to 12 months old. Pregnant women in their third trimester are also considered high-risk because of the potential of passing the infection to their newborns. Adults with severe cases may develop pneumonia and need hospitalization. Adults and teenagers may spread the disease to infants and young children.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends DtaP (diphterhia, tetanus and acellular pertussis) vaccination for children ages 2 months through 6 years of age, TdaP (tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis) vaccination for children between ages 7 and 11 who have not completed the initial DtaP series, and TdaP booster vaccination for all adolescents ages 11 through 18 years of age and all adults.

Clatsop County Public Health is encouraging everyone to review his or her vaccination records and contact their primary care provider or Clatsop County Public Health Department at (503) 325-8500. Pertussis vaccines are available at low or no cost through Clatsop County.

Released by: Tom Bennett
Community Relations Coordinator
(503) 338-3622

April 11, 2012 Updated Clatsop County Board Of Commissioners Meeting Agenda

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Natural Gas Glut Forces Slow-Down In Drilling Boom

By JONATHAN FAHEY - AP Energy Writer - The Associated Press

Sunday, April 8, 2012 8:03 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. natural gas market is bursting at the seams.

So much natural gas is being produced that soon there may be nowhere left to put the country's swelling surplus. After years of explosive growth, natural gas producers are retrenching.

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