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Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Public forums discuss CC Rider service cuts
Christine Menges/The Chronicle
Todd Wood, Transit Director for Columbia County, presents service cuts coming to CC Rider in January.
Dec. 10 in St. Helens, and another on Saturday, Dec. 14 in Rainier. It costs $2.84 million to operate CC Rider annually, while the transit service receives about $2.5 million in the form of grants, fares and contributions per year, according to a press release from the county. This leaves a budget deficit of $313, 943 that CC Rider must now counterbalance. “We came up with some ideas of how we could shore up our budget gap by looking through the lines that are available to cut, and some of their inefficiencies to see what we can do,” Wood said at the Dec. 12 forum. CC Rider is looking to cut service from Line 1, which goes to Portland; Line 2, which goes to Portland Community College – Rock Creek; Line 3 “Flex” which goes to Scappoose, Columbia City and St. Helens and their Dial-a-Ride service, which serves the elderly and those with disabilities. CC Rider had previously made major cuts to Line 1 in February of this year, reducing its then-14 trips per day to eight trips. At the Dec. 12 public hearing, Wood said Line 1 is already fairly efficient, but it is likely the line’s Sauvie Island run which could be taken out, saving the transit service about $18,000.
CHRISTINE MENGES chronicle2@countrymedia.net
Columbia County Rider, or CC Rider, the county’s public transit service, will present to the county on Jan. 8 their final recommendations about service cuts after collecting information at three public forums throughout the county last week. The transit service has been running in the red for years, according to Todd Wood, Transit Director for Columbia County. CC Rider, which operates on grant funding, fare revenue, contracted revenue and contributions from the county and others, tried to establish a permanent source of funding by establishing a transit district via ballot measure this past November. The measure failed, with 63 percent of county residents voting against it. Had it passed, the revenue from the property tax would have been approximately $1 million per year, according to a document Wood shared with city councils this past year. CC Rider has also previously made major cuts to service in February of this year. At a public forum held at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 12 at the Scappoose Public Library, eight people gathered to hear a presentation from Wood on service cuts that CC Rider is considering. Wood delivered the same presentation on the night of
See CC RIDER Page A9
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Serving Columbia County since 1881
Custodian at St. Helens High School
retires after 33 years
Christine Menges/The Chronicle
Tim Luttrell, custodian of 33 years, retired to a rousing chorus of applause and high-fives, captured from St. Helens High School students in the hallway on Thursday, Dec. 12. CHRISTINE MENGES chronicle2@countrymedia.net
After 33 years of serving as a custodian at St. Helens High School, Tim Luttrell retired on Thursday, Dec. 12. As a send-off, the school hosted a surprise: At 10 a.m., students, teachers and staff lined the hallways of
the high school and after a brief announcement, they all burst into applause as Tim Luttrell was guided out of the main office where he had been meeting with Principal Dr. Katy Wagner, and around the school to a rousing chorus of applause, giving high-fives and the occasional hug along the way. Luttrell has been work-
ing at the school since 1986, and also grew up in the area and attended SHHS himself, graduating in 1978. If the applause and high fives are any indication, Luttrell will be sorely missed. SHHS Principal Dr. Katy Wagner, who has been principal of SHHS for two years, said even in the short time that she has known him, Luttrell has made an
impact. “He is the most caring, devoted man I think I’ve ever worked with. He has a place in his heart for all of the students and the staff members. He’s committed to his job,” Wagner said. Wagner said she scheduled the surprise for Luttrell See CUSTODIAN Page A9
Port approves fourth amendment for NEXT
File photo
Port Westward, where the NEXT biofuels facility is set to be located.
CHRISTINE MENGES chronicle2@countrymedia.net
Contact The Chronicle Phone: 503-397-0116 Fax: 503-397-4093 thechronicleonline.com chroniclenews@ countrymedia.net Advertising: atrull@countrymedia.net
The Port of Columbia County has approved a fourth amendment to the site development and option agreement for NEXT Renewable fuels. The amendment, approved at a Dec. 11 port meeting, is to extend the use agreement deadline until June 30, 2020. These use agreements will have to be made before the project breaks ground in April 2021. NEXT Renewable Fuels, LLC, which is slated to develop a biofuels plant at Port Westward in Clatskanie, first signed its site development and option agreement for 92 acres at the industrial park in September of 2018. Since then, three other amendments have been added to the option agreement. The NEXT ground lease was approved on Sept. 4 of this year in a vote of 3 to 2 by the port commission.
Vol. 137, No. 51
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