|
Intergovernmental Task force,
Cowlitz Tribe to meet Saturday
Outlined in red above is the 152-acre site of the proposed
Cowlitz Casino Resort, west of the La Center junction at 1nterstate 5 and NE
319th Street.
A newly formed Intergovernmental Task Force of Elected
Officials is meeting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, in the sixth floor hearing
room in the public Service Building, 1300 Franklin Street, to discuss the
proposed Cowlitz Indian Tribe Casino near La Center.
Representatives of the tribe are expected to attend the
meeting called by the unofficial group headed by
Richard Curtis, a member of the La Center city council and a Republican
state representative from the 18th Legislative District.
The meeting is open to the public and is expected
to draw a large crowd.
The Cowlitz tribe, which gained federal recognition in
2000, owns 152 acres on the west side of Interstate 5 at NE 319th Street, the La
Center junction. Proposed is a casino, which would be the largest in the state
of Washington by half, as well as restaurants, a hotel and convention facilities
and parking for 8,500 cars. When in operation the casino alone, which would
employ about 4,000, would be the largest single employer in southern Washington.
The request for primary reservation status on the
property is before the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. At the tribe’s request, an
environmental impact statement is being prepared, the results of which are
probably a year away.
Further information on the Cowlitz Tribe and the proposed
casino can be found on the tribal website at
www.cowlitzcasino.com.
State of the County Address
to cover big-picture issues
Transportation, the Cowlitz Tribe Casino, the environment
and jobs are the issues most frequently described by residents who answered
Clark County commissioner Betty Sue Morris’s
call to the public to give her big picture issues to discuss at the annual State
of the County Address she will give at 11:45 a.m. Friday, Feb. 4.
Morris, who is chair of the board of county
commissioners, will share her perspectives on the past year and discuss
challenges that lie ahead during the address in the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay.
Spirit of the County Awards will be presented during the luncheon.
The event is co-sponsored by the Greater Vancouver
Chamber of Commerce. Luncheon tickets are $30. Reservations are recommended. For
further information, call 694-2588.
Hockinson school levy will benefit
students, won’t increase tax base
The proposed Hockinson School District three-year special
levy of $6,625,000, which would provide for general fund maintenance and
operations expenses, would not increase the taxes in the district since it
replaces an existing levy that expires at the end of this year.
The school district levy proposition is one of two
measures to be decided at a special election, Tuesday, Feb. 8. Hockinson voters
may vote by absentee ballot or go to the polling places on election day,
according to Clark County auditor Greg Kimsey.
The other measure on the ballot for the special election
is a request to form a Greater Clark Parks District within the Vancouver urban
growth boundary. If the district is formed, revenue provided by the district
would allow the county to develop 35 parks and eight miles of trail, the
property for which is already owned by the county. The maximum tax would be just
over $40 a year on a $150,000 residence. The vote on the park district will be
entirely by mail.
Leadership Clark County
alumni event open to all
Leadership Clark County, which this year will have
graduated over 300 community and civic leaders, is holding its 2nd annual Alumni
Event Friday, Feb. 11, to which everyone interested in the community leadership
program is invited.
Leadership Clark County was founded in 1992 to provide an
opportunity for citizens of all ages to gain community knowledge and leadership
skills to enable them to be more effective in community involvement. Graduates
apply what they have learned to their careers, current community work and new
leadership opportunities, and to further develop the LCC program. Many of those
graduates now serve in elected office and on boards, commissions and community
service organizations throughout the county.
The 5-to-7 p.m. program is in E. B. Hamilton Hall at 600
Barnes Road in Vancouver Barracks. The program includes beverages and
appetizers. Admission is $10 at the door.
News briefs
The Clark County Animal Protection and Control Board meets
in regular session at 6:30 p.m. this evening in the 6th floor training room of
the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin Street.
g The sixth annual Ellsworth
Elementary School Community Pride Night is at 6:30 p.m. this evening in the
gymnasium at 512 SE Ellsworth Road. g
The final meeting in a series being held by Evergreen Schools to gain community
input for the process of creating new school district boundaries is at 7 p.m.
tonight in Mountain View High School, 1500 SE Blairmont Drive.
|
MIRIAM GREEN 
"Working to help you!"
