Dana Kelley named marketing manager
for the Clark County Event Center

Dana Kelley has been hired by the Clark County Event Center as marketing manager. The Event Center is managed by the Clark County Fairground Site Management Group.

Kelley’s duties will include marketing the Clark County Fair, sponsorship creation and fulfillment, advertising and marketing plans, public relations oversight and community relations.

For the past eight years Kelley served as senior marketing specialist for Riverview Community Bank. Kelley is a graduate of Concordia University, holds a Certified Financial Marketing Person Certificate, and is a graduate of the School of Bank Marketing and Management. She is a member of the advisory board for Hough Pool.

Clark Public Utilities
invests in wind energy

Clark Public Utilities will buy renewable wind-generated electric energy from Eurus Combine Hills II LLC, an independent power producer, utility commissioners decided this morning.

Over a 20-year period beginning in 2010, Clark will take the entire output from Eurus's 63-megawatt wind farm, which is being completed southwest of Walla Walla near Milton-Freewater.

The $288 million investment will provide the utility with about 3.5 percent of its power from wind generation. The wind-generated power is expected to begin flowing through Bonneville Power Administration transmission lines in April 2010.

Commission president Carol Curtis said that entering into this power purchase agreement the utility will meet the initial requirements of Initiative 937, which was approved by Washington voters in 2006. “We expect the project to generate an average of about 20 megawatts based on the wind resource, which is a typical ratio of production to installed capacity for most wind energy projects in the Pacific Northwest.” Backup power needed when the wind energy isn't available will be purchased.

Initiative 937 requires larger utilities in Washington to use renewable resources to generate at least 3 percent of their power supply beginning in 2012. The amount increases to 9 percent in 2016 and 15 percent by 2020.

Under the initiative, the region's hydroelectric power supplies are not considered renewable. Curtis says that's in contrast to similar requirements in many other states that acknowledge the renewable nature of hydroelectric generation.

Curtis noted that although the total cost of power from the project, including transmission and related services needed to integrate the power into Clark's system, will initially be in excess of Clark's current residential rate of 7.65 cents per kilowatt-hour, it is important to enter into power purchase agreements and fix the future costs of power for the long term because the cost of renewable energy is predicted to go up over the next few years.

Curtis said that the cost of renewable power, combined with an expected October double-digit increase in the cost of power the utility purchases from the Bonneville Power Administration, will put pressure on retail electric rates.

The cost of wind power will be 85.79 mills per kilowatt hour. During February this year the cost of power from Clark’s gas-fired Lower River Road plant was 97.93 mills per kilowatt hour. Bonneville Power Administration power was 33.71 mills per kilowatt hour.

$2 Million Summer Youth
Employment Program in the works

The Southwest Washington Development Council is soliciting proposals for three types of services for a $2 million Summer Youth Employment Program that is aimed at creating 800 summer jobs for low-income 14-24-year-olds in southwest Washington.

The funding comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  Proposals are due Friday, April 10. Bidders may be public, private, or non-profit organizations.

Requests for proposals can be found by going to www.swwdc.org.

A bidders' conference will be at 8:30 a.m., Friday, March 27, in the Oak Tree Restaurant, 1020 Atlantic Avenue, Woodland.

State’s chief economist
is CREDC speaker Friday

Arun Raba, executive director and chief economist of the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, will provide members of the Columbia River Economic Development Council an update on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act at an 11:30 a.m., Friday, March 27, meeting in the Heathman Lodge.

Early registration, through today, is $35 a person. Late registration is $45. For further information, call Pat Mobley, 254-3100.

Calendar

The Vancouver Police Department is holding a West Precinct, District 2, community forum in the commons area of Fort Vancouver High School, 5700 E 18th Street. <> The North Salmon Creek Neighborhood Association meets at 7 p.m. this evening in the community room in the Three Creeks Library, 800 NE Tenney Rd. <> The Clark County Board of Health meets in regular session at 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 25. <> Janet Harte, certified business advisor for the Washington Small Business Development Center at Washington State University Vancouver, will discuss small businesses and the federal economic stimulus package at a Business Success Association meeting at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 25, in the Hometown Buffet, 7809-B NE Vancouver Plaza Drive. For further information, call BSA executive director Donna Owen, 635-2933. <> Clark County commissioners meet in an informal session at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 25. <> The Washougal State of the City Address will be presented at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, in Washougal High School, 1201 39th Street. <> The Battle Ground State of the City Address is at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, in the Battle Ground Community Center, 912 E Main Street. <> The Urban Livestock Task Force meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, in the sixth floor training room in the Public Service Center.

 

Community Calendar Links

• Southwest Washington Center for the Arts

• Greater Vancouver Chamber Community 

• City of Vancouver Calendar