Did You Know...

On Monday April 25th, the department did a second meth awareness presentation at the Hawkins Park Scout Cabin. Thank you to the over 70 people who attended and have made the conscientious decision to not let the Meth Epidemic get a foot hold on our community! Citizen vigilance and a willingness to be involved are key components to battling this debilitating disease. Along the same citizen participation theme, Governor Kulongoski announced last week an enhancement to the AMBER Alert program. The State of Oregon now has an AMBER Alert Web Portal that empowers citizens to help law enforcement locate and return abducted children. The web portal can send Amber Alert information to cell phones, pagers, email, or other wireless devices. The alert can reach many more people and cuts hours off the original alert system. You can sign up for the Amber Alert Web Portal at <www.oregonamberalert.com>. You can also sign up to receive the alerts from other states as well. The last topic I want to touch on is City Ordinance 756 or more commonly known as "Nuisances". The spring season has brought back the growth of grass, weeds, and tree foliage, all of which need to be maintained. Nuisances are an on-going issue around Vernonia and often the source of much discontentment for many people on both sides of the subject. I often get asked why the police respond to this type of complaint with more serious crime issues around. The easy answer is that the department addresses most all complaints of statute and ordinance violations regardless of seriousness. The deeper answer is that nuisance complaints can affect the "livability" of a community or neighborhood. If our community wants to attract good citizens, visitors, and employers, we need to have attractive and safe neighborhoods. The department and city are committed to working with citizens to correct nuisances is a timely manner but if not corrected there is the possibility of increasing fines. As a quick review, "nuisances" cover; trash, dangerous structures, vermin or fire hazards, stagnant water, junk vehicles, attractive nuisances, right-of-way obstructions, noxious vegetation, trees, illegal dumping, dumping in waterways, maintaining ditches or culverts, nuisance animals, radio interference, barbed or electric fences, and commercial zone violations. For a detailed copy of Ordinance #756 stop by the police station or city hall.