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Convention Center construction
underway
Footings were
poured today, the beginning of construction of
Vancouver’s $72 million downtown hotel and
convention center.
FaulknerUSA,
the contractor on the project beat the Dec. 31
deadline by 13 days. Otherwise the city would have
lost nearly $2 million annual support from a rebate
of state sales tax, which would have stopped the
project dead.
Although
construction is now underway, agreements between the
city and Hilton Hotels to operate the dual facility
have not been completed.
Hilton
confirmed in September it would operate the
226-room, four-star hotel, by far Vancouver’s
largest, and the onsite convention center, but
operating and financial details have not yet been
agreed on.
The grand
ballroom will seat 933 people for banquets and
provide space for nearly 1,200 people at receptions.
The junior
ballroom, for which footings were being poured
today, will seat nearly 500 people for banquets.
The
seven-story building, which includes over 30,000
square feet of conference center space, is being
built on the Columbia Street between 6th and 4th
streets, south of the southeast corner of Esther
Short Park.
Library
accepting pre-registration
for free computer classes
Pre-registration for free computer classes being
offered by the Vancouver Community Library in
January is currently being accepted.
Classes
include using the library’s on-line catalog,
Internet basics, and personal computer basics. Space
is limited. Call
695-1566 for further information.
People
Vancouver
Fire Department firefighters
Geoff Robbins
and Ben Burtle
have been designated certified paramedics following
their completion of 720 hours of classroom
schooling, 400 hours in clinical rotations in local
hospitals and 400 hours of field internship.
Robbins, during his clinical rotation, helped
deliver two babies, one of whom was his own
daughter, Riley.
News
briefs
Clark County
Public Facilities District meets at 5 p.m. today in
the Public Service Center and likely will ratify an
agreement between the county and Vancouver
Conference Project to provide most of the county’s
share of state refunded sales tax to support the
city’s hotel-convention center.
--- The NE
Hazel Dell Neighborhood Association’s Best Kids
Christmas Party, hosted by the association and the
Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Washington, is at 6
p.m. today in the Hazel Dell Elementary School
gymnasium. |
