Selected design concept for Vancouver Community Connector has been announced

Donald Stastny of StastnyBrun architects and Vancouver Community Connector invitational design competition manager, has announced the selection of the design concept submitted by Gustafson Guthrie Nichol/Allied Works Architecture Team. The team’s design concept was chosen by a Jury made up of professionals from across the United States.

The competition was among four design teams and was initiated to develop a conceptual design for a community connector that seeks to meet federally mandated mitigation requirements. This mitigation is triggered by the planned widening of I-5 in proximity to the West Barracks area of the Fort Vancouver National Site, which will occur in conjunction with the Columbia River Crossing (CRC) project to replace the I-5 bridge over the Columbia River.

The design boards will be on display at the Fort Vancouver National Trust office, inside the General O.O. Howard House, 750 Anderson Street, this week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Oct.23. Call the Fort Vancouver National Trust for more information, at 992-1800. The design boards will also be posted on the Fort Vancouver National Site Web site at www.FortVan.org.

County clears cloud related to 2004 Cowlitz accord, growth management

The Western Washington Growth Management Board has lifted its objections to an agreement between Clark County and the Cowlitz Indian Tribe created in 2004 and rescinded by both parties in April 2009. As a result, the agreement no longer is a barrier to the county’s effort to comply with the state’s Growth Management Act and secure state grants for public works projects.

The agreement spelled out how the tribe would pay for local services and follow county standards if the tribe received federal approval to develop 152 acres next to Interstate 5 near La Center. Prior to the 2004 agreement, the tribe applied to have the federal government remove the property from state and local jurisdiction and place it in federal trust for the economic benefit of the tribe. That request is still awaiting federal action, which is necessary to determine whether the tribe may build a casino complex at that location.

Opponents of a casino sponsored a legal dispute over the 2004 agreement to question the county’s compliance with the state’s Growth Management Act.

In 2007 the tribe adopted an Environment, Public Health, and Safety Protection Ordinance to explain how the tribe intends to address potential financial and environmental impacts of the proposed casino. The ordinance was incorporated into the Cowlitz Tribal Gaming Ordinance, which has received federal approval from the National Indian Gaming Commission.

Millions to volunteer on Make a Difference Day, Oct. 24

Americans across the country are expected to spend Saturday, Oct. 24, doing volunteer projects to improve their communities and to help needy neighbors in honor of the 18th Make A Difference Day. The day is the largest community service effort in the nation, rallying corporations, government leaders, charitable organizations and everyday Americans into action on one day.

Local sponsors MacKay & Sposito, Inc., and Nutter Corp have teamed with the Vancouver Watershed’s Council and Americans Building Communities to bring local community members and volunteers in Clark County the option of choosing between two community projects. Volunteers will spend the day either planting trees in Arnold Park to protect and enhance the natural environment or to work in the Rose Village neighborhood painting and repairing homes, as well as cleaning up alley ways, to revitalize the community.

For more information about Make a Difference Day, call Stephanie Hadley at 823-1322.  For volunteer opportunities, email Gary Bock at Gary.Bock@ci.vancouver.wa.us.

The City of Vancouver honored as a Gold Certificate of Excellence Award recipient

The Association of Government Accountants has honored the City of Vancouver with a national Gold Certificate of Excellence in Service Efforts and Accomplishments (SEA) award. The city is honored with the award, which it is winning for the first time, at yesterday's City Council meeting. Lorinda Limpf, AGA local Portland chapter president, presented it.

The City is now the second governmental entity nationwide to receive the award.

For more information about AGA and the SEA award, visit www.agacgfm.org.

Sync social media with your website for better business

The Digital Technology and Culture program at Washington State University Vancouver and The Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce are co-sponsoring two events on the topic of social media. Both will take place on the WSU Vancouver campus.

The first event will be a seminar on "Strategizing Social Media and Websites" and will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m., Friday, Oct. 23, in the Firstenburg Student Commons. The cost is $15.

The second event is a two-hour hands-on workshop on social media. This workshop will help participants learn how to use the most popular social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for business and personal use. The event will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, in the multimedia classroom building lab. The cost is $25. To register for the seminar and workshop, visit www.vancouverusa.com or call Lori Buntin at The Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, at 567-1093.

News Briefs

First annual YWCA Clark County FUNdaiser will be held from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at Hilton Vancouver . Tickets are $75 per person. To purchase tickets for this event, visit www.ywcaclarkcounty.org/. <> Winners on Wheels, or WOW, is a scouting-type organization which helps kids 4 to 17 years old who use wheelchairs discover and enhance their abilities. WOW is seeking 50 vendors for its holiday shopping event, which will be held on Thursday, Dec. 3, at Red Lion at the Quay in Vancouver. The cost for each vendor table is $40, plus a donation of a raffle prize. WOW is asking all vendors to mark their items down to sale prices. For more information, call Amy Cheng at 907-3080, or email her at amyc60@gmail.com. Visit http://www.freewebs.com/woworegon/ to learn more about the WOW nonprofit organization. <> Loves Street Playhouse will host a Reader’s Theatre showcasing playwrights Gregory Zschomler, with his one-act detective spoof “About Right,” and Daniel DiIullo, with his one-act drama, “The Dinner Party,” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at 126 Loves Avenue, Woodland, WA. Both plays will be performed that evening. Following the performances, there will be a small reception with dessert and time to meet the playwrights and ask questions. Admission is $5.00. Doors will open at 7:15 p.m. Visit www.lovestreetplayhouse.com for more information.

Calendar

City of La Center is holding an open house at 6 p.m. tonight, Oct. 20, at La Center City Hall, 214 E 4th Street. <> A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the grand reopening of Wal-Mart will take place from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, 221 NE 104th Ave. Visit www.vancouverusa.com to register for this event. <> Vancouver Lake Watershed Partnership meets at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Port of Vancouver Administrative Offices, 3103 N.W. Lower River Road.

 

Tuesday on the air

 

Council for the Homeless 10th Annual Recognition Awards Luncheon (9-25)—5:30 p.m. CVTV

Take It Away! The Many Travels of Your Trash and Recycling (10-6)—6:40 p.m. CVTV

Together We Can: Vancouver Branch NAACP Annual Awards Banquet (9-26)—8:15 p.m. CVTV

The Clark County Latino Leaders Summit-Morning Session (10-3)—10 p.m. CVTV

 

Community Calendar Links

• Southwest Washington Center for the Arts

• Greater Vancouver Chamber

• City of Vancouver Calendar

 

Tuesday, October 20, 2009 Headlines

 

Links to news of local & national significance

Vancouver approves waterfront deal--Columbian, Andrea Damewood

Steam train to pass through city today--Columbian, AP

BPA's reservoir of cash pays off--Columbian, Julia Anderson

Wall Street bonuses vs. normal wages: a disturbing trend--Huffington Post, Marcus Baram

Pope sets plan for disaffected Anglicans to join Catholics--New York Times, Laurie Goodstein

Sun cutting 3,000 jobs as awaits Oracle deal--Washington Post, Jordan Robertson