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Morning sun shines
through
Early one morning last week Marge Brown of Vancouver, who
luckily was carrying her camera at she walked the Lacamas Trail, came upon a
turn in the trail just as the sun forced its way through dense fog, getting this
shot
Three new Executive Veeps
at First Indy
Newly named executive vice presidents at First
Independent Bank are Mark Brandon, Jeanne Firstenburg and Brett
Bryant
Three of First Independent Bank’s top executives have
been named executive vice presidents, joining
Bruce Firstenburg at that level.
Executive vice president
Mark Brandon joined the bank in 2002 as a senior vice president and chief
lending officer. Brandon is a graduate of Washington State University and The
Pacific Coast Banking School. He is past chair of the board of directors of the
Columbia River Economic Development Council,, past member of the board of United
Way of Portland and past member of the board of Southwest Washington Independent
Forward Thrust. He is chair-elect of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce
and a member of the board of trustees of the Washington State University
Foundation.
Jeanne Firstenburg,
who holds the title of chief operating officer, also holds the title executive
vice president. Firstenburg is a member of First Independent Investment Group,
secretary to the bank’s board of directors and a member of the executive
committee. She is a magna cum laude graduate of St. Martin’s College.
Firstenburg is a member of the Washington State University Vancouver Advisory
Council and the Southwest Washington Medical Center Foundation.
Brett Bryant, who
joined First Independent in February 2003, is a member of the bank's executive
management team and is director of Private Banking. The new executive vice
president is a graduate of the Oregon Institute of Technology, a Certified
Financial Planner and a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor, and is an honors
graduate of the National Graduate Trust School. Bryant is a past president and
trustee of the Southwest Washington Medical Center Foundation. He is chair of
the New Heights Foundation and a member of the Community Foundation Investment
Committee, the Estate Planning Council of Southwest Washington, and the Portland
Estate Planning Council.
C-TRAN board to make decisions
on reductions in service, fair hikes
The C-TRAN board of directors, meeting at 4:30 p.m. today
in the Rose F. Besserman Room in the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center, is
expected to set a new fare schedule and agree to service cuts, effective
September 25. The service cuts are expected, unless the transit agency tries
again and passes a sales tax increase to make up for revenue shortages created
by the loss of motor vehicle excise tax support.
Proposed fare increases vary, but most are in the 50
percent range. Of some significance is the recommendation to eliminate free
transfers among bus routes.
Fare changes will also have an impact on the operating
agreement between C-TRAN and Tri-Met, but both agencies are working out a new
memorandum of agreement to serve each of their customers seamlessly.
Most fare increases will be effective May 1.
The C-TRAN board will also be considering a notice from
the City of Vancouver that the lease on the downtown transit center will not be
renewed annually when the existing agreement ends this fall. Mayor
Royce Pollard, in a letter to the C-TRAN
board, says the city will offer a month-to-month lease while C-TRAN finds a
suitable replacement location outside the downtown core area.
The city’s preferred location is the former location of
the state Department of Transportation visitor information center east of I-5
near the Veterans Administration Hospital and Fourth Plain Boulevard.
JD White Company expanding
The JD White Company, land use and natural resources
planning and public involvement facilitation firm has added three professionals
to its staff, bringing the total number in the Vancouver and Portland offices to
29.
Dan Cary has been
appointed as a senior scientist for the company. Previously with the Oregon
Department of State Lands, Cary is a member of the Society of Wetland
Scientists.
Chris Zeitner has
been named a GIS specialist with the firm. Zeitner is a graduate of the
University of Oregon.
Peter Markgraf has
joined the company as a research project assistant for master planning. Markgraf
is a recent graduate of Carleton College, Northfield, Minn.
Organization opposing Cowlitz Casino
Resort calls public information meeting
Stand Up For Clark County Citizens, which opposes the
proposed Cowlitz Casino Resort near La Center on I-5, is holding an
informational meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, in the La Center High
School commons. Spokesperson for the organization,
Cindy Goolsby, says: “We get many
questions as far as what the impacts [of the casino] are, what we base our
opposition on, what role individuals or elected officials have in this and
overall why our group believes that this location is inappropriate. We don’t
believe the enormous cost to our communities that would occur as a direct result
of this location can be justified.” For further information, call Goolsby at
263-8752.
News brief
Clark County Commissioner
Betty Sue Morris’s State of the County Address can be found by clicking
on
http://www.clark.wa.gov/bocc/commish
1/05_BSM_SOC.pdf.
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MIRIAM GREEN 
"Working to help you!"
