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The Chronicle & The Chief
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Wednesday, January 27, 2021
thechronicleonline.com
Serving Columbia County since 1881
Renovation to begin for new food bank
Jeremy C. Ruark /The Chronicle
The Columbia Pacific Food Bank expects to start renovation construction at its new location in February. The food bank purchased the old feed and seed building on Columbia Boulevard in 2018 and hopes to be moved in by fall. MONIQUE MERRILL chronicle2@countrymedia.net
Columbia Pacific Food Bank will have a new home by the end of year. The nonprofit anticipates starting renovation construction on its new space in February with the goal of being fully moved in by fall of this year, Executive Director Casey Wheeler said. The food bank currently oper-
ates at 474 Milton Way in St. Helens, a space the organization has outgrown after over 20 years of operation in it. In 2018, the food bank purchased the old Columbia Electric Feed & Seed building on Columbia Boulevard in St. Helens with the aim of renovating the larger space to serve the nonprofit’s growing needs. Columbia Pacific Food Bank was in the midst of a capital campaign to raise money for the costs associated with outfitting the
new facility when the pandemic swept across the state, preventing in-person fundraising efforts. Despite the setback, progress has continued. “The internal timeline had to be extended due to the pandemic, but our public timeline is still on target,” Wheeler said. The food bank is contributing an additional $175,000 from its reserves to the project— which has been largely funded through a $1.5 million Community Devel-
opment Block Grant, as well as fundraising efforts and donations from businesses and individuals. Donations are still welcome, he said. “Additional donations will help reduce the overall cost to the food bank for the project,” Wheeler said. “Additional donations will help us replace these funds that would go to paying for food.” The new facility is approximately five times the size of the
current space, and will feature a shopping-style pantry with produce, nonperishables and both frozen and refrigerated goods. Construction plans also include space for a community room, office spaces, distribution and packing areas, both a walk-in freezer and refrigerator and a bottle return.
See RENOVATION Page A2
Public safety facility funding decision pending MONIQUE MERRILL chronicle2@countrymedia.net
A three-month public engagement period concerning St. Helens plans to build a new public safety facility is underway— A building project that could may raise utility bills. A specific cost for the new public safety facility has not yet been established by the city. The St. Helens City Council voted to accept recommendations from the public safety facility ad hoc advisory committee. The recommendations include carving out time to engage with the community on facility plans, creating a public safety fund, increasing funding for utility assistance programs, selling the current station and continuing to seek grants and outside funding opportunities. The public safety fund has not yet been created—that will happen after the engagement period— but monthly increases to utility payments could range from $6-11 if approved by the council. A public safety fund was recommended as a more equitable option of spreading the cost of the facility, according to the ad hoc committee. A mixture of in-person and
Jeremy C. Ruark /The Chronicle
Courtesy photo from the City of St. Helens
The current St. Helens Police Station (left) is nearly 50 years old. The city is proposing to build a new public safety facility (right) to expand space for the police department, and include rooms for council meetings and courts. Funding for the facility may raise utility bills.
virtual engagement sessions will be held over the next three months, including tours of the current police facility to demonstrate the need of an upgraded facility. Feedback from the public engagement period will be presented to the council at its April 7 meeting and a vote to approve a resolution or ordinance to create a public safety fund will be held at that time. At the council work session Jan. 20, St. Helens Police Chief Greenway said the new facility would impact future generations of the
community. “I will tell you that our police department urges our city council to impose an administration fee to create a public safety fund so we can continue down the road to continue to recruit, attract, develop and retain good employees for our community,” Greenway said. The department has been looking to fill a vacancy for over a month, and will soon have another vacancy, Greenway said. One hope is that a new public safety facility will attract qualified applicants to
the area, he said. “It’s not because we need a fancy police station, it’s because we need to serve our community better and we need to ensure we have the resources to continue to do that on a continual basis,” Greenway said. “Our officers have been there for the community and been there for the city since day one.” The current facility is nearly 50 years old and the needs of the department have outgrown the facility, Greenway said. The building is 2,200 square feet, which Mayor
Rick Scholl pointed out is smaller than some residential homes in the area. “We are absolutely in desperate need of a police station,” Scholl said. The proposed new facility would increase the square footage by 10 times, to 22,000 square feet, and include space for city council meetings, municipal court rooms and police areas.
See FUNDING Page A5
Police investigate suspicious death JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
On Jan.18, Columbia County Sheriff’s (CCSO) deputies were dispatched to a welfare check at 34180 Smith Road in rural St. Helens.
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According to CCSO, a concerned neighbor called to have the resident checked on after they noticed the front door had been open for several hours. When deputies arrived on scene, they searched the home and the surrounding property where they located a body that was later identified as the homeowner, Stacey Marie Erpelding, 43, of St. Helens. Deputies immediately called for medics and began rendering aid. When medics arrived, they advised the female was deceased. The Columbia County Major Crimes Team (MCT) was called to investigate. On Jan. 19, the Oregon State Police Crime Lab responded to assist the MCT with the investigation. As of Monday, Jan. 25, Sheriff Brian Pixley said the medical examiner’s office had not determined an official cause of death. “Since this was an unwitnessed death of a younger woman and there were no obvious signs of trauma, it was determined to warrant additional investigation,” Pixley said. “That is why it was determined to be a suspicious death. In the early stages of the investiga-
Courtesy photo from CCSO
The death investigation began after deputies were dispatched to a welfare check Jan. 18 at a house on Smith Road.
tion, it is treated like a homicide investigation unless and until we can prove otherwise.” Pixley said the deceased was transported to the medical examiner’s office where an autopsy was to be conducted. During the autopsy, the medical examiner assigned to the
case obtains samples, which Pixley said would be tested for drugs and alcohol, as well as other substances present in the blood of the deceased at the time of death. “We will continue to conduct follow up interviews and investigations until we can either call it a homicide
or a natural death based upon the investigation and the result of the medical examiner’s examination,” Pixley said. Follow developments at thechronicleonline.com and in the Wednesday print editions of The Chronicle.