Clark County awarded $2.72
million for energy conservation efforts
Clark County home- and business-owners could receive free energy
audits, heating duct inspections and incentives for energy
conservation work under a $2.29 million federal grant Clark County
received late last month.
The grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, one of two
energy-related awards the county received recently, will improve
energy efficiency and conservation in the community and create jobs
to boost the local economy. The money comes from the federal
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
About half of the two-year grant will go for energy audits and
heating duct inspections in homes and businesses. Eligible property
owners who schedule an appointment will receive conservation tips,
referrals to area heating and cooling contractors able to seal
ducts, and a coupon for a building permit and inspection. Details
about how to sign up for the program will be announced early in
2010.
The grant also will pay for "smart" computer power strips in the
county’s Information Services Department, LED bulbs for county
traffic signals, a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning
system at Washington State University’s Clark County Extension
Research Station at 1919 N.E. 78th St., biomass power at county
facilities, and energy improvements for moderate-income families and
small businesses in the Hazel Dell area.
Also, the county this week received the last portion of a $435,000
incentive payment from Clark Public Utilities. It will help pay for
nearly $7.78 million in energy improvements made to county buildings
this year. The incentive money, which was about $79,000 more than
originally estimated, recognizes the county’s contribution to
keeping overall energy consumption down.
The money will help pay for solar panels, solar water heaters,
software for heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, and
other improvements.
Northwest Classical Ballet
performs
The Nutcracker
at Brush Prairie High
In the first two photos Briley
Jazwaik, and in the last photo is the Snow Corp.
Northwest Classical Ballets presents its world premiere of
Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker,
with all new choreography, and directed by
Maricar Drilon, 7:30 p.m.
tonight and Friday, Dec. 3-4, and 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday,
Dec. 5, Prairie High School, 11500 NE 117th Avenue. Tickets cost $11
and can be purchased at The Aurora Gallery, 1004 Main Street,
696-0449, or NW Classical
Ballet, 14511 NE 10th Avenue, during class hours, and at the door.
Community food drives
deliver for those in need
More than 24,000 pounds of food have been donated to Share in the
past two months, which will benefit the 650 children participating
in Share's Backpack Program, as well as Share's Hot Meals Program.
Additionally, the community answered Share's call for Thanksgiving
food boxes, which were provided to 300 local families, in addition
to providing 650 supplemental food packs for participants of Share's
Backpack Program.
Most recently, a food drive was organized by
Rip Ramsey with Bulldogs
Baseball Academy, a premier league for youth ages nine to 14. On the
weekend of Nov. 21-22, 60 participants of the Academy went
door-to-door in their "Striking Out Hunger in Clark County" food
drive and collected more than 4,500 lbs. of non-perishable food
items. This is the fourth year the Academy had held a food drive for
Share.
The
Downtown Vancouver Rotary collected 5,000 lbs. of food, as well as
raising $33,000 on Saturday, Nov. 28, at Festival of Trees.
Additional food drives included "Stuff the Bus, " organized by the
Classified Staff of Evergreen Public Schools in October, which
brought in 8,325 lbs., a food drive competition between Evergreen
and Union High Schools in early Nov., which generated more than
6,000 lbs., and an Amtrak food drive that brought in 550 lbs.
Numerous businesses, organizations and individuals helped Share to
fill Thanksgiving food boxes and supplemental food packs for the
Backpack Program. These include the following:Resers, which donated
supplemental food for 1,000 food packs;
Michael Brusseau and Bank of
America, which donated 25 turkeys;
Gary and Cindy Stecher,
who donated 35 completed food boxes; and, also, Biggs
Insurance, Tim Lannigan,
Tony Bernatovicz, River Rock
Church, East Woods Presbyterian Church, Community of Christ Church,
Marvin Schwarz,
Steve Wold, Janice Shipley,
Kuni Automotive,
Tami Thompson, and
Tiana and
Dan Meckel.
Community need for food assistance continues to increase in Clark
County. For help in organizing a food drive or to arrange a drop-off
of collected food, contact Tarinn
Smith, hunger response director, at
695-7658 ext.
3304 or
hungerresponse@sharevancouver.org.
News Briefs
Throughout 2009, over 1500 students
and adults have explored the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic
Monument through the Mount St. Helens Institute's field classes,
guided climbs, guest presentations and lecture series. Help support
science education with a donation by visiting
http://www.mshinstitute.org/donate. Those who prefer to
mail a check may send it to Mount St Helens Institute, 42218 NE Yale
Bridge Road, Amboy, WA 98601.
<> Join The
Compassionate Friends, an organization that assists families in
their grief following the death of a child of any age by providing
information and support, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 426 East
Fourth Plain Blvd. Gathering time is Sunday, Dec. 13, 6:30 to 6:54
p.m., candle lighting at 7 p.m., and reading of children’s names and
music at 7:10 p.m. There will be a reception immediately following.
For more information or to have your child’s name read, contact
Kathy Deschner at
573-3206, email
kathy_deschner@yahoo.com,
or Lorna Bradford at
213-9587, email
lorna979@hotmail.com.
Calendar
The 9th Annual Festival of
Nativities exhibit begins today, Dec. 3, running through Sunday,
Dec. 6, noon to 9 p.m. each day, The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, 10509 SE 5th Street. Admission is free. The
display consists of over 600 nativity scenes from around the world.
There will be original artwork, live musical performances, and
children's activities. Children and families can also dress up in
costume and get a photo taken in a nativity scene. For more
information on performances and directions, visit
http://www.festivalofnativities.org/.
<>
Ridgefield City Council meets at 6:30 p.m. tonight in the Ridgefield
Community Center, 210 N Main Avenue.
<>
Magenta Theater presents Every
Christmas Story Ever Told, a performance whose three
characters decide to perform every Christmas story ever told and
every carol ever sung, as well as present Christmas traditions from
around the world and seasonal icons from ancient times to today’s
pop culture. Performances are 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 3-5, in
the Magenta Theater, 606 Main Street. Tickets cost $10-$15. To
purchase tickets, call 635-4358
or email
tickets@magentatheater.com.
<>
The 2009 annual poinsettia sale benefiting Hospice Southwest is now
at Memorial Health Center, 3400 Main Street, today and tomorrow,
Dec. 3-4. Poinsettias can also be purchased online by
clicking here.
For questions, call 696-5056.
Thursday on the air
Clark Homeless Engagement Collaboration - Report to the Community
(10-30)--3:15 p.m. CVTV
Accomplished and Under 40 (11-12)--4:59 p.m. CVTV
Clark County Focus (11-19)--6:09 p.m. CVTV
Vancouver Land Use Hearings (live)--6:55 p.m. CVTV
Community Calendar Links
Thursday,
December 3, 2009 Headlines
Links to news of
local & national significance
Clark County homebuilding shows slight improvement--Columbian, AP
Food store to move into vacant Joe's site--Columbian, Cami Joner
Poll: Narrow majority support Obama's Afghan strategy--USA Today,
Susan Page
A rosy scenario in Pasadena awaits winner of Civil War clash--USA
Today, David Leon Moore
GM, Chrysler may reverse decision to close some dealerships--USA
Today, AP
Obama's jobs summit: Focus turns to putting people back to
work--Huffington Post, Tom Raum
