Memorial Day more than a hardware
sale in America’s Vancouver

Headlined by City officials, including mayor Royce Pollard and city council member Larry Smith, both former commanders of Vancouver Barracks, and dignitaries from the 104th Division of the Army Reserve, a Memorial Day ceremony will be held to honor and remember veterans and fallen soldiers of this country's wars at 11 a.m. Monday, May 25, at the Clark County War Memorial at the corner of Fort Vancouver Road and McClellan Road at Vancouver Barracks in the Fort Vancouver National Site.

This will be the last Memorial Day observance for the 104th Division in Vancouver as the unit will be re-deployed to Ft. Lewis later this year.

In addition to speeches and a wreath-laying ceremony, the 104th Division Band and the Fort Vancouver Pipe Band will provide music.

Rural Lands Task Force
to begin series of meetings

Clark County's Rural Lands Task Force is holding its first meetings at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 2, and Tuesday, June 16, in the Dollars Corner fire station, 21609 N.E. 72nd Avenue. The meetings begin at 6 p.m. and are open to the public.

Convened by the Board of Clark County Commissioners, the task force is charged with submitting recommendations to the county commissioners as appropriate on the following specific issues: rural center economic development opportunities; maintenance of farming and forestry operations; rural economic development opportunities; rural areas that are next to develop (future urban reserve areas); rural areas where natural landscapes dominate over the built environment.

The task force members are Ginger Burr, Sharon Bussler, Ingrid Dankmeyer, Dan Dupuis, Russ Grattan, Doug Hagedorn, David Halme, Rocque Merritt, Monty Multanen, Mike Posey, Danny Walsh, Byron Woltersdorf, Bill Zimmerman and Robert Zumstein.

For more information, call Gordy Euler in Clark County Community Planning, 397-2280 extension 4968.

Three Creeks council looking
at regional sewer issues

Turning its attention to regional sewer issues, The Three Creeks Advisory Council has asked the Clark Regional Wastewater District to discuss a wastewater services coordination agreement between the wastewater district and the City of Vancouver, and to provide an in-depth overview of the county's Sewer Coalition Planning Study.

Regional sewer issues will discussed when the Three Creeks Advisory Council next meets at 10 a.m. Thursday June 11, in the Clark Regional Wastewater District, office, 8000 N.E. 52nd Court.

Two candidates sought for expanded
Civil Service Commission positions

The Board of Clark County Commissioners is seeking two volunteers to serve as civil service commissioners on the board that was recently expanded from three to five members by the legislature.

The commission's job will be to oversee certain employment and personnel matters for the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and to ensure that pre-employment testing and hiring decisions are conducted in a fair, valid and non-discriminatory manner. The commission may also preside over appeals involving employee discipline.

Candidates must be U.S. citizens and registered Clark County voters who have lived in Clark County for at least two years.

Anyone interested should write to the Board of Clark County Commissioners, P.O. Box 5000, Vancouver, Washington, 98666-5000. The deadline is July 10, 2009.

Columbia River Crossing project
to talk tolling in public meetings

The Columbia River Crossing project, charged with planning a replacement bridge for the I-5 structures between Vancouver and Portland, is holding public hearings on the subject of bridge or highway tolls in meetings at the end of June and the first of July.

"We would like to hear how tolling  scenarios could work for commuters, nearby communities, and people

who use the I-5 and I-205 bridges, says Maurice Hines, spokesperson for the Columbia River Crossing.

Meetings are set for 6 p.m., Tuesday, June 30, in room 102 of the Washington State Department of Transportation, Southwest Region, 11018 NE 51st
Circle and 6 p.m., Wednesday, July 1, community room in the Jantzen Beach Center, 1405 N Jantzen Beach Center.

Additional information is available by going to www.ColumbiaRiverCrossing.org.

People

2009 Teachers of the Year from the Camas and Washougal School Districts are Camas High School band teacher Richard Mancini and Kam Lawrence, a 6th and 7th grade teacher at Canyon Creek Middle School in the Washougal School District. The honorees were chosen by the Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce and Riverview Community Bank. The awards will be presented at a 6:30 p.m. dinner, Tuesday, June 2. For further information, call 834-2472.

Calendar

“Marijuana: Current Policy & Practice—What’s Happening?” is the subject of the Forum at the Library at 7 p.m. this evening in the Clark Public Utilities’ community room, 1200 Fort Vancouver Way. Panelists are Tony Barnes, Clark/Skamania Drug Task Force, Glenn Baldwin, planning and policy specialist, state Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, and Allison Holcomb, drug policy director, American Civil Liberties Union. There is no charge.

Community Calendar Links

• Southwest Washington Center for the Arts

• Greater Vancouver Chamber

• City of Vancouver Calendar