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Joint effort to develop poor
farm property suspended
What was billed by Clark County and
Washington State University Vancouver as a joint effort to plan new uses for the
nearly 80-acre poor farm property owned by Washington State University has been
suspended.
The largely undeveloped agricultural
land—except for a cemetery and some WSU Research and Extension Service
facilities—is a piece of prime real estate in Hazel Dell.
The JD White Company was hired earlier
this year to prepare alternative uses for the property for the county and WSU
Vancouver, but the alternatives came under fire from neighborhood organizations
for having been developed with too little citizen input.
The property originally owned by Clark
County was, until the end of World War II, the site of the county “poor farm.”
In 1949 it was deeded to WSU for its agricultural extension services. The deed,
however, required that if WSU stopped using the property it would revert to the
county.
The White study was initiated to
explore the potential for a variety of uses, including some that could help
offset the $5 million cost of relocating the research and extension facilities
to the WSU Vancouver Salmon Creek campus.
“Major road improvements would be
needed to support more intense uses, and the community has a strong desire to
retain much of the 78th Street property for public use,” WSU Vancouver
chancellor Hal Dengerink said today. “We
need to step back and take a closer look at our priorities and options for
operations in Clark County.”
Betty
Sue Morris, chair of the Board of County Commissioners, said today: “We
appreciate the thought and effort that many people have devoted to exploring the
possibilities for this public land to produce greater benefits for the
community. The board has been very impressed with the importance they have
placed on a thorough examination of its future.”
Lisa Szkodyn really surprised
with $25,000 teaching award
Lisa Szkodyn, Evergreen Public Schools Pioneer Elementary School fourth
grade teacher, was the most astonished person in the school auditorium yesterday
when Lowell Milken, announced that
Szkodyn had won a national $25,000 prize for being an exceptional classroom
teacher.
State Superintendent of Public
Instruction Terry Bergeson, who knew in
advance about Szkodyn’s winning this award, said: “Szkodyn’s exceptional skills
and love of her students are the main reasons for her selection for this
national honor. The award recognizes outstanding and dedicated teachers like
Lisa Szkodyn who make a tremendous contribution to the lives of the kids in
their classes. Without fail, Lisa and other educators like her put their heart
and soul into their profession—often without any recognition other than the
smile of accomplishment on their students’ faces.”
Milken is the co-founder and chair
of the Milken Family Foundation, created in 1985, to attract, retain and reward
outstanding K-12 teachers, principals and education professionals who make
important contributions to excellence in education.
Szkodyn and 99 other teachers from
47 states will be given an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., later this
year to receive their 2004 National Educator Award and the unrestricted cash
prize.
Kim Ellett, a Battle Ground teacher, won the award in 2003.
Kristin Hundeby-White, now teaching in
the Evergreen School District, won the award in 1996.
Prior to learning of the award,
Szkodyn thought the assembly had been called to hear a message from state School
Superintendent Bergeson.
People
Jaynie
Roberts has been named artistic director for Ghost Stories on Officers
Row. Roberts, who is co-founder and artistic director for Vancouver’s Magenta
Theater, is a member of the City of Vancouver Cultural Commission and the Slocum
House Theatre Company. The 2004 edition of Ghost Stories on Officers Row is from
5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, on Officers Row in Vancouver Barracks.
Investigation of death on railroad tracks
slows commuter traffic on Highway 14
Commuter traffic slowed to near
standstill Wednesday afternoon as motorists slowed to gawk at emergency vehicles
on the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks east of the Portco entrance to
Highway 14 .Police said the body of an unidentified male was found by railroad
crews doing routine track maintenance. Vancouver police said there was no
indication of foul play.
News briefs
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest
Washington celebrates its new office with an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. today
at 205 E. 11th Street, Suite 102.
g The final
political debate between Democratic State Rep.
Deb Wallace and her Republican challenger,
Roy Rhine,
is at 7 p.m. tonight in Clark Public Utilities Orchards Operations
Center.
g I-205 southbound
traffic will be detoured at the NE 134th Street exit ramp and will rejoin I-205
southbound from the NE 134th Avenue on ramp between 10 p.m. tonight and 5 a.m.
Friday, Oct. 8.
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MIRIAM GREEN 
"Working to help you!"
