VDA
advocates for business pre-lease program
(Pictured above is Leah Jackson) Vancouver Downtown Association
member Leah Jackson, owner of Angst Gallery, and landlord Bill Leigh
are the first potential businesses owners to test drive the program.
Leah’s gallery is next to a vacant space that is perfect for
expansion. Her idea is to add a new wine bar that interfaces with
her art gallery, broadening both her customer base and the vibrant
mix of businesses along Main Street.
Through a collaborative effort between the City of Vancouver and
Vancouver’s Downtown Association (VDA), entrepreneurs will find the
process to launch a new business made simpler.
Rather than having to schedule individual meetings with various
City, County and State staff, the City’s Pre-Lease Team brings
representatives of the planning, building, fire and permitting
departments on site for a complimentary walk-through. If the
potential new business is a restaurant or bar, representatives of
the Health Department and Liquor Control will join in. With this
collaborative approach, questions can be more readily answered,
problems can be more quickly solved, and time is saved.
“This team-like approach directly answers a need that was raised
repeatedly during the campaign,” says Mayor
Tim Leavitt. “Those who are
anxious to start new businesses were asking me why the process
couldn’t be simplified. The short and satisfying answer is ‘yes, it
can [be simplified] and it has [been simplified].”
Those who are interested in starting a new business and would like
up-front permitting consultation, contact
Alisa Pyszka, City of
Vancouver business development manager, at
487-8617.
“Enrich
a Life, Provide an Opportunity” benefit dinner raises $5,000.00
The Northwest Association for Blind Athletes (NWABA) announces that
its benefit dinner and auction on March 5 at the Firstenburg
Community Center raised over $5,000.00 to benefit its sports
programs for the visually impaired.
“This event raised much needed funds that will enable us to make a
difference in the lives of more people who are blind and visually
impaired,” said Programs Director
Billy Henry. “We are very grateful to the community for
helping us accomplish our mission and making this event such a
success!”
The event was sponsored by iQ Credit Union, Shamrock 51 Productions,
Vancouver Business Journal,
and Biggs Beer Wine and Tobacco. Catering was provided by Beaches
Restaurant and Bar. Piano music was provided by
Yvonne Payne. Volunteer
support was provided by the Delta Gamma Sorority at Willamette
University.
Free concert will feature
Grammy-nominated singer and Vancouver students
Singer and songwriter Steve Seskin
will perform a free concert at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 15,
at the Royal Durst Theatre, Vancouver School of Arts and Academics.
Special guest singers will include students from VSAA and Chinook,
Marshall, Walnut Grove, and Harney Elementary Schools. They will
perform original songs written by Vancouver Public Schools’
students. The free family concert is open to the public. VSAA is
located at 3101 Main Street, Vancouver 98663.
The concert is part of a weeklong workshop during which students
work with Seskin on songwriting and singing. Seskin’s workshop is
sponsored by the Vancouver School District Foundation and the
Chinook PTSA.
Operation Fairy Godmother
is underway
Volunteers from nineteen SW Washington high schools began
transforming a 30,000 sq. foot-space donated by the Westfield
Shopping Center last Saturday, March 6, in preparation for the
seventh annual Operation Fairy Godmother shopping extravaganza.
This ambitious project started by the Vancouver School District
Foundation in 2004, pairs SW Washington area high school girls with
a prom dress of for a fraction of the cost.
Any current SW Washington high school girl may attend the March 20
event and purchase a gown for $10.
Over the past six years, more than 5,000 girls throughout the area
have found formal and semiformal gowns at the Operation Fairy
Godmother event.
Open house March 16 to
look at land-use planning near Fairgrounds
Clark County will hold an open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March
16, for residents to review and make comments on the initial
recommendations to guide land use, zoning and development in the
Fairgrounds/ Discovery subarea.
The area is bounded by Northeast 164th Street on the south,
Northeast 209th Street on the north, Northeast 29th Avenue on the
east, and Northwest 11th Avenue on the west.
The open house will be held at Pleasant View Church of the Nazarene,
801 N.E. 194th St., Ridgefield.
Participants can see the initial recommendations from a community
advisory group. County planners will use public input to prepare a
more formal proposal to the Planning Commission and Board of Clark
County Commissioners. Public hearings will follow the formal
proposal.
Once approved by the Board, the subarea plan will be part of the
county’s Comprehensive Growth Management Plan and will add detail to
the general plan adopted in 2007. For more information, visit
http://www.clark.wa.gov/discovery/index.html.
News Briefs
The Vancouver Dance Theatre presents its performance of
The Wizard of Oz Ballet at 7
p.m. Friday, March 19, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, March 20, and 2 p.m.
Sunday, March 21, at Fort Vancouver High School Auditorium (enter
west side, near the tennis courts), 5700 E 18th street. Tickets cost
$12 for adults, and $10 for children under 18 and seniors 65 and
older. Tickets are available at Beacock Music Fishers Landing and
Music World in Hazel Dell. A large group discount is available when
a group from the community purchases 15 or more tickets for any of
the four performances. Discount coupons are available on the VDT
website,
www.vancouverdancetheatre.com. Groups must register in
advance with Barbara Goold,
who can be contacted by emailing her at
bggoold@yahoo.com, so that groups will receive VIP
check-in.
Calendar
Battle Ground Parks Advisory board
meets at 6:30 p.m. tonight, March 9, in the Battle Ground Community
Center, 912 East Main Street. For more information, call
342-5385.
<>
La Center Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m.
tonight.
<> Washougal Planning Commission meets for
a work session at 5:30 p.m. today, March 9.
<>
Port of Camas-Washougal will meet for a special meeting at 6 p.m.
tonight, March 9, in the Community Room, 89 C Street, Washougal.
<>
Join the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce for an informal look
at Microsoft® Windows® 7, from 4 to 6 p.m. today, March 9, at the
GVCC office, 1101 Broadway, Suite 100. Industry experts from
Creative Computer Solutions, Inc., will walk attendees through some
of the program features. All Southwest Washington chamber and
business association members are invited. There is no cost for this
event. Call 694-2588 or visit
www.vancouverusa.com
for more information.
Tuesday
on the air
Clark County Focus (2-18)--4:05 p.m. CVTV
City Minutes (2-28)--4:45 p.m. CVTV
Columbia River Channel Deepening Update with U.S. Senator Patty
Murray (2-19)--5:30 p.m. CVTV
VPD All Access: Neighborhood Police Officers--6:10 p.m. CVTV
2010 State of the City (3-4)--6:45 p.m. CVTV
4th Annual Clark County Tourism Awards (2-18)--7:35 p.m. CVTV
Vancouver Housing Authority: Housing Matters (3-7)--8:15 p.m. CVTV
A Short Course on Local Planning (2-16)--8:45 p.m. CVTV
Clark County Animal Control Hearings (2-10)--11:45 p.m. CVTV
Community
Calendar Links
Tuesday,
March 9, 2010 Headlines
Links to news of
local & national significance
Light-rail alignments divide community--Columbian, Andrea
Damewood
Columbia Credit Unions new COO returns to Wash.--Columbian, Libby
Tucker
B.G. investigation findings released--Columbian, Marissa Harshman
Grants aimed at groups that spay, neuter pets--Columbian, Columbian
Staff
At War: Soldier throws back Taliban hand grenade--Huffington Post,
Faiz Lalani
As Biden visits, Israel unveils plan for new settlements--New York
Times, Ethan Bronner
Class-action lawsuits could cost Toyota $3Billion-plus--USA Today,
Curt Anderson and Greg Bluestein
