[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6229069,"mediaKeyId","3464883-2bede1c4fc265ec554402661553e1abe","parentId",3464883,"title","Multiple public commenters urge transparency on 2-million-gallon reservoir rehabilitation and accuse city officials of withholding information","audioSeconds",254,"startMs",199000,"endMs",453000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3464883-2bede1c4fc265ec554402661553e1abe&start=199&end=453","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3464883-2bede1c4fc265ec554402661553e1abe/thumbnail_199000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6229069/St-Helens/Columbia-County/Oregon/Multiple-public-commenters-urge-transparency-on-2-million-gallon-reservoir-rehabilitation-and-accuse-city-officials-of-withholding-information","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6229069-55d70f9acb0be3f6908aa4eb1c3a249e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771190449&Signature=ClifCfiMPglWg7uHWyPAS7echmVfNDkL8WHj5vgRPcpdQevYOPGGHD9qQGU~Z2HKGoTPmyICYpdIeF4wqJchT7Zw3xBX6nIq997zq1RywDZ9ao1SRJ6yjOSMdjod7UjxY02GiRvZupRtk1hyNek0367TXl8jgpfjGqe4Qt0Ccp9Kl~PS4gbYQHI7XBGsMMq~QW--rRncBTy~nqg~bXDCWjcjAdNFN1M-nNCk5l5BgQS040LNGWpTMZp~kNcRiavxobb31SIBwrmR4t18aju7xZ~DOkBKpw6PrvulmN~sNUWPUqi9~qCnSnda5O2j8Xsbv5KUdwAa7WZM14wKnGsa1w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of St. Helens, OR","date","2025-05-22T11:48:13Z","article","During the public-comment period at the May 21 work session, multiple residents urged the city to provide records and explanations related to a rehabilitated 2,000,000‑gallon reservoir they say failed and to address perceived misconduct by city officials.

Ron Tremblitz opened comments by saying \"trust matters\" and urging transparency. A second speaker (identified in the record as a commenter alleging technical details) asserted the reservoir rehabilitation work that began in October 2016 and continued into early 2017 failed, that inspection oversight was inadequate, and that documentation from a 2017 Bayer investigation and a 2022 mediation should be released; the commenter named Sue Nelson (the city’s engineering director in the transcript) and Tim Underwood (described as a construction inspector) and said an April 22 settlement agreement found certain contractors and consultants had no liability.

A separate commenter criticized the finance director’s prior statement that imageable tourism income was a first for the fiscal year, calling it a lie and implying either error or misconduct, and raised concerns about the waterfront railing, Main Street funding and alleged undeclared conflicts, and a reported public dispute involving the mayor and the police chief.

Council did not respond in detail during the work session to the substantive record requests raised by speakers; staff said they would take notes and follow up where appropriate. The transcript shows residents asked for specific files, including mediation records and inspection certificates, and asked the city to produce them or explain why they are not publicly available.

No formal staff report or action was taken during the work session on the reservoir allegation or the ethics concerns raised by the speakers.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","05/21/2025 City Council Work Session","oneSentenceSummary","Several visitors used the public-comment period to allege a 2,000,000‑gallon reservoir rehabilitation failed in 2017 and to request records and explanations; one commenter also accused city staff of untruthfulness about the tourism fund and raised ethical concerns about the mayor and chief of police.","taxTitle","St. Helens, Columbia County, Oregon","taxId",52788,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6229073,"St. Helens Main Street Alliance reports $1M+ in leveraged development since 2022, seeks renewed city MOU support",1260,1746000,3006000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3464883-2bede1c4fc265ec554402661553e1abe&start=1746&end=3006","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3464883-2bede1c4fc265ec554402661553e1abe/thumbnail_1746000.jpg","/articles/6229073/St-Helens/Columbia-County/Oregon/St-Helens-Main-Street-Alliance-reports-1M-in-leveraged-development-since-2022-seeks-renewed-city-MOU-support","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6229073-a297a8062a78d48e4fbeaf58c2f662fb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771190449&Signature=UD3NZ7xx9Li8UbPX6A~PVlD4bgGKKn-q~qKVrlVHgkFmKSjtAYLXH3GTklPQGcikz-4K0BZfv9wit9xpAutzVt5BawRHFbpgjP3dL1RZV2UYQ3G9H3R2vlmlQoLEMqiPBPeIXbDW6qBBfMtXhqiNMjuEJDS9-vThfJqXQuNmxcCzBPLa6fFcVW-tdWMaNCI~pyEY6-0PUf1yLhWo~b-SiPItQivsdygFzB0JzMmAy9i4P2i03N54O74vgYSK~ZPk3P6JeVj5~qqAz6pk0M1630gqZgsaSBK7sQks9k2K2uWSVshmvTRIzvK7YtAByQM6gihr9UPoQ4vxiw3L2f1Jqg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The St. Helens Main Street Alliance presented its annual partner report at the May 21 work session, describing grant-funded downtown revitalization work, volunteer-run activities, and a request that the city revisit a 2022 memorandum of understanding (MOU) for ongoing support.

The Alliance’s board president (name not stated in the public transcript) said the organization — a 501(c)(3) that operates with volunteers — has helped secure multiple Oregon Main Street revitalization grants and related investments. He told council the organization has documented roughly $900,000 in direct grant awards plus approximately $263,000 in private-property matching funds, and said its tally puts total leveraged investment “north of a million dollars” since 2022.

The presentation highlighted completed projects that received grant funds, including stabilization and roof work at the Klondike building, work on the Crooked Creek (Dockside) building, and stonework and design elements on the Holton Hollow project. The board president explained that Oregon Main Street grants are reimbursable: property owners spend money, submit receipts to the Main Street Alliance, the Alliance verifies scope and submits to Oregon Main Street, and the state reimburses the Alliance which then pays the property owner.

The Alliance asked the council to revisit the 2022 MOU that had provided about $30,000 for an executive director salary, office space support, and a council liaison. The presenter said the group has operated without a paid executive director for about a year and a quarter and that the board intends to pursue more sustainable revenue (sponsorship structure and in-house staff) if the council and city can support a renewed MOU.

Council members and the presenter discussed grant timelines, local application scoring, and how the Alliance chooses projects to submit to Oregon Main Street; the presenter said the Alliance manages the local selection, compiles the application (often 60–75 pages), and then waits for the state review. The presenter also noted the organization had sold the Flying Eagle canoe to a private party for $1 after the city declared it surplus and transferred it to Main Street for that disposition.

No formal city funding decision was made at the work session; the Alliance asked for a renewed conversation about formalizing support and a council liaison presence.","The volunteer-run St. Helens Main Street Alliance told council it has secured and supported more than $1 million in grant and matching investments since 2022, described recent projects and grant processes, and asked the city to revisit a 2022 memorandum of understanding that provided $30,000 for an executive director salary and other support.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6229079,"City says punch-list fixes coming for downtown project; short closure planned to repair incorrectly installed pavers",146,1228000,1374000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3464883-2bede1c4fc265ec554402661553e1abe&start=1228&end=1374","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3464883-2bede1c4fc265ec554402661553e1abe/thumbnail_1228000.jpg","/articles/6229079/St-Helens/Columbia-County/Oregon/City-says-punch-list-fixes-coming-for-downtown-project-short-closure-planned-to-repair-incorrectly-installed-pavers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6229079-60b2ae50c000e72745744f465269be96/orig.mp4?Expires=1771190449&Signature=YEaMmoTorLsHPXsR5xnc2rKiHdwtQe0BY0LHxhuvhhkIOJqVVDq1RfzveL78xuEyVUAdE5mGG1o4XPxZp9Brd87dpurqE6DqsqwgdqNbzhO6R41buSQwm~o5Dm1rxV3S8YnVATjd6eJw6vlwGeZYFOj3xML2oBo6nd8MZD0UswTwTKWbAIjhQlvqvqr~9hlU83Je~v-p1EeKQvxyJNueUw5GtcM4QzXy4IxDnOCRe23lL6vJRdok7ylt5JwbQQyWHdzsaQ52G8MP41XKFpxcHXAw8dYTSOPP-QDsfzKposxQ9q3v7hldxEAzSLbmmpZyazzYSVzlfj9oUc~o4ReHfw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Public Works staff told the City Council May 21 that ongoing downtown improvements are entering the final punch-list phase and that the city will require contractors to fix items that do not meet city standards.

Operations staff described common concrete cracking as part of normal curing but said documented cracks and design issues — specifically where caps and paver bands were installed incorrectly — will be repaired before final acceptance. Staff said the paver bands at the Kawas intersection were not installed to specification (missing the required sand/sealant layer), which caused cracking and will require a planned three-day closure to reseat the pavers correctly.

To reduce business disruption, staff said they will reopen a temporary road through Plymouth with delineation to maintain access for disability services and customers. The city will notify businesses directly and follow up with an official schedule. Staff also noted they will replace pole caps where grout and lack of expansion space caused cracking and that larger design fixes are being addressed with the design firm.

Council members and business owners raised parking configuration concerns at the courthouse turn lane where parallel spots were changed to angled parking, creating tighter clearances for a turning lane. Public commenters asked staff to revisit the lane and consider making one or two compact spaces or removing the turn lane if it creates an unsafe bottleneck; staff agreed to review and report back.

No formal acceptance of the project was made at the work session; staff said the city will withhold final sign-off until all punch-list items are corrected.","Public works staff updated council on remaining punch-list items for the downtown street project, said incorrectly installed paver bands require a brief three-day closure for correct reinstall, and offered traffic and parking mitigations for affected businesses.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6229084,"Council work session advances changes to governing policy, asks staff to develop hiring policies",824,3807000,4631000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3464883-2bede1c4fc265ec554402661553e1abe&start=3807&end=4631","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3464883-2bede1c4fc265ec554402661553e1abe/thumbnail_3807000.jpg","/articles/6229084/St-Helens/Columbia-County/Oregon/Council-work-session-advances-changes-to-governing-policy-asks-staff-to-develop-hiring-policies","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6229084-bcc8bcdc89e139ea009fb3cab2ffdd52/orig.mp4?Expires=1771190449&Signature=FlWJ-zVxwlA2mXufgHDv6-JtAASH6YdtzV4imVrYcyIG4d5OyORZuOuuhp5i4GZKkGumphus-agI~U39s1Ip85CervB~wz3wTXtrQFosHWXx6uIOICNjudUmVfjr~Y2krxnZhy7xqq9NpZxnVNCu-t5prp5qq9kpoat83YjBnnJFDtOFxR7dzdtZcPduw5qphtRWAzkoAPsppvQuirP--jzOUfvbnr8zfYag9yKpaZqoUhWkJn~KuBlllDRRnjE15RFmS2uCaY5D~MVoX80DfsJiHMPwhIDIWUbjdqaA5XGQBaAOZirHmoTGPKuq7~wRw7mmwTyNim3y8NvSTJonYA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City Attorney Ashley Wygott presented proposed revisions to the city’s governing policy during the May 21 St. Helens work session, and councilors discussed how personnel oversight and hiring responsibilities should be structured.

The proposed changes remove a section that the attorney described as restricting and narrow, and reduce council involvement in direct supervision or operational hiring decisions. Wygott said the city currently lacks a standalone written hiring policy and recommended the council adopt the governing policy now and direct the city administrator to develop formal hiring procedures for the personnel manual.

Councilors debated access to department-head performance evaluations. Wygott and others noted that formal personnel evaluations are typically confidential records retained by supervisors; she recommended the council not receive copies of department-head personnel evaluations but suggested the city administrator provide aggregate summaries (for example, number of evaluations completed, how many met expectations) to council on request.

Council consensus in the work session was to adopt the overarching governing policy at the forthcoming council meeting while directing staff to draft and return with explicit hiring policies and clarified procedures for how performance-evaluation summaries would be provided to the council.

No formal vote on the governing policy occurred at the work session; staff said the policy would be on the council meeting agenda that evening for adoption and that hiring-policy development would be scheduled for a future meeting.","City attorney presented proposed governing policy revisions that remove council operational involvement in hiring and clarify performance-evaluation roles; council directed staff to draft written hiring policies for future adoption and agreed department-head evaluations should remain confidential but summarized to council.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6229089,"St. Helens council discusses moving forward on police station site, possible design cuts to fit budget",539,4904000,5443000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3464883-2bede1c4fc265ec554402661553e1abe&start=4904&end=5443","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3464883-2bede1c4fc265ec554402661553e1abe/thumbnail_4904000.jpg","/articles/6229089/St-Helens/Columbia-County/Oregon/St-Helens-council-discusses-moving-forward-on-police-station-site-possible-design-cuts-to-fit-budget","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6229089-9d89b0d5ef645d0205bca0055e245e86/orig.mp4?Expires=1771190449&Signature=HJmsRRZpVcqCfB6Oy3YQkFbbAcSMIpWkLIGJHqsa3~IqZVvGM~zNDxRzIgK8olYRadzto9yPPqZNyINbKa7T0QAJGmbqS2CZr7Zw9~4ks1w-nT1r0EA55XXyBLbPl8I9-6jorxdA8tMAC9vl7w0cJxiGht6Xf6XXLVgqDn8-3yDbFSMqAfB7sXbAV-aSETVA9TXdKA0UCnaSsF-LInA-alq93m4tHADktq7PiDglzAiqCadx60mg6w7-0xgAiBA52C~Ea~Si0tG2UgY-dOu9JuIUlnsRTzN6~-It358Sh0qPyMyi~JBne9q0DsWUwrvGW4nAZ2myvh09uBdRSZHJdg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","St. Helens city staff told the City Council on May 21 that the preferred police station site at 1771 Columbia Boulevard remains the top choice and that the project can likely be built with current funds if some nonessential items are deferred.

City Administrator John Walsh told council members the design team and contractor believe the core building and layout could be delivered on budget by scaling back some appurtenances — for example, reduced landscaping and deferring a nearly $300,000 backup generator — and by postponing sale of the existing station until after the move.

The recommendation to proceed includes executing a purchase-and-sale agreement with a 90-day due-diligence period. Walsh said the agreement and seller review are complete and that staff could begin due diligence while the design team refines value-engineering options. He characterized the trade-offs as largely cosmetic and nonfunctional, saying the facility would be “fully functional” without the deferred items.

Council members asked for additional financial details before formal action. One councilor asked for a clear accounting of when arbitrage penalties on bond or reserve funds would stop; staff agreed to provide a detailed report and timeline. Council also discussed how proceeds from selling the existing police property would be used and noted that they would likely retain the building until the new station is operational.

No motion or vote was taken in the work session. Staff said they could proceed with site due diligence under the proposed contract timeline and return with refined cost figures and options for any deferred items.

The conversation also touched on a proposed utility fee increase tied to public safety: at the budget committee the idea of a roughly 30-cent monthly public-safety fee was discussed to help cover the project. Council members noted selling the current station could reduce the need for the fee but emphasized proceeds and timing remain uncertain.

Next steps outlined by staff: continue value-engineering with the design team, provide a detailed financial/arbitrage timeline to council, and complete due diligence during the 90-day option period if council chooses to proceed to execute the purchase-and-sale agreement at a later public meeting.","Council and staff said the city can likely build a new police station at 1771 Columbia Boulevard within available funds if some nonessential items are deferred; no formal purchase vote was taken but staff recommended moving forward with due diligence and a 90‑day option period.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Multiple public commenters urge transparency on 2-million-gallon reservoir rehabilitation and accuse city officials of withholding information

St. Helens Main Street Alliance reports $1M+ in leveraged development since 2022, seeks renewed city MOU support

City says punch-list fixes coming for downtown project; short closure planned to repair incorrectly installed pavers

Council work session advances changes to governing policy, asks staff to develop hiring policies

St. Helens council discusses moving forward on police station site, possible design cuts to fit budget