HELP NEEDED TO SEND RELIEF TO THAILAND

Donations are being sought to send a Vancouver couple to Thailand as part of a relief effort.

Battle Ground school board member Mark Pelletier, a professional counselor with crisis incident training, and his wife, Cathy, will leave Feb. 1 for Thailand where they will deal with the impacts of death and devastation of people in the region, including Americans and relief workers.

The relief effort is organized by International Technical Assistance Group, a Seattle-based organization that provides a range of relief services including assistance with orphanages, medical needs, schools, agricultural work and counselors.

Pelletier returned Dec. 8 from relief trip to Turkey and Poland.

"We are all in shock at the loss of nearly 150,000 lives from the Asian earthquake and tsunami," said Pelletier, who has served on the Battle Ground school board for six years. "Many more will die without food, shelter and medical services. Now rescue and relief workers are trying to bring aid to millions of needy."

"The death and devastation is overwhelming many of these workers who are overcome with feelings of helplessness and exhaustion," said Pelletier. "We know that exposure to these horrific conditions will scar the helpers."

Pelletier said he and others will assist relief workers so that they will not become victims themselves.

Pelletier has directed a non-profit youth and family counseling agency for 15 years.

Pelletier said he needs financial help to get to Thailand. He estimated expenses at $2,500, with any other donations going to relief programs.

Donations may be sent to Hi-Venture, Inc. Asia Relief, 6712 NE 162nd St., Vancouver, WA 98686. He can be reached at 574-6214.

WRECK CUTS POWER TO 375 HOMES

A motorist struck a Clark Public Utilities power pole early New Years Day and shut off power for several hours to 375 homes north of Battle Ground.

A Clark County Sheriff's report said Jeffrey B. Wellman, 25, 21704 Lucia Falls Rd., was cited for negligent driving after striking a pole just before 6 a.m. in the 22000 block of Lucia Falls Rd.

Utility spokesman Mick Shutt said power was interrupted at 5:51 a.m. Power was restored at 9:14 a.m. to 340 customers, said Shutt. Power was restored to remaining customers at 1:49 p.m.

Wellman, driving a 1993 Chevrolet Geo, suffered minor injuries. He was treated and released at Southwest Washington Medical Center.

MOUNT ST. HELENS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Enthusiastic people willing to help with day-to-day operations at Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center and Johnston Ridge Observatory at Mount St. Helens are needed by Gifford Pinchot National Forest officials.

Volunteers are especially sought for May-September 2005, marking 25 years since the volcano erupted on May 18, 1980.

Volunteers will help visitors understand geologic and biologic processes that have shaped the National Volcanic Monument.

Some tasks include sharing knowledge at the information desk, speaking with visitors while roving viewpoints and trails, greeting visitors and collecting fees, and conducting book sale transactions and interpretive talks or walks.

Although Forest Service officials expected the coming year to see heavy visitor use, the on-going eruption inside the crater promises an even higher public interest.

"We anticipate a record-setting year for visitation and will need assistance in serving the expected large crowds," said Todd Cullings, visitor center assistant director.

Volunteers should be willing to work one to five days weekly for at least 12 weeks.

In-depth training and a uniform will be provided. A small daily stipend and bunkhouse-style housing may be available for those with long commutes.

For more information, contact Cullings between Thursdays and Mondays at (360) 274-2112 or thcullings@fs.fed.us

Other forest volunteer opportunities can be found on the Volunteers and Partnerships web page: www.fs.fed.us/gpnf

BG CHURCH AIDS TSUNAMI, EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

Heidi Wallenborn, news director

Several people who attend Cherry Grove Friends Church are spearheading a relief effort to provide temporary housing for millions of people left homeless in Asia following last week's earthquake and tsunami.

The Friends group is also working with Northwest Medical Teams International to gather and send first aid and hygiene supplies.

A 9.0 magnitude earthquake occurred about 100 miles west and 6.2 miles deep off the northern tip of Sumatra Dec. 26 about 8 a.m., scientists said. The faultline where the India Plate dives under the Burma Plate slipped about 50 feet along 740 miles.

Scientists said the total amount of energy released in a 9.0 quake can be likened to sustained hurricane winds of 155 miles per hour for a period of 70 days.

As a result, massive tsunamis, or seismic sea-waves, sped through the Indian Ocean at 500 miles per hour and heights of 30 feet and more, officials said.

Waves surged along the coastlines of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldive islands. Several small, tropical islands were literally obliterated. Villages and coastal communities in Somalia, Africa some 2,800 miles from the epicenter, were swept away by waves and rising water, officials said.

The death toll is nearing 100,000, officials said. So far, damage is estimated at about $14 billion.

World Health Organization officials believe the spread of communicable diseases such as cholera, measels, typhoid and malaria could kill as many as the earthquake and tsunamis did because of the lack of sanitation, food, and clean water.

The quake is the largest worldwide in 40 years, and the fourth most powerful since 1899, officials said.

Similar to the Sumatra quake, tsunamis up to 33 feet tall were spawned in the 1964 9.2 magnitude Good Friday earthquake in Prince William Sound, AK.

United Nations officials said the current relief operation would likely be the costliest one ever.

"We are collecting tents of all sizes in good condition to send to Sri Lanka and other countries in need," said Andi Crockford, church spokesperson.

In addition, Medical Teams officials need the following:

Pain relievers are also needed such as aspirin, acetaminophen tablets or capsules, liquid Tylenol for children, any chewable children's pain reliever, ibprofen tablets or liquid, Advil and Motrin tablets or liquid.

Topical ointments sought include Neosporin, triple antibiotic ointment or cream and Bacitracin.

Hygiene items needed are 16 oz. shampoo bottles not in flip-top containers, bar soap, toothpaste and antibacterial hand gel.

Lice treatment kits are needed, including Nix, Rid and Pronto.

Medical teams would also like to procure kits in large ziplock bags.

Health kits can contain one Band-Aid pack, one antiseptic, one lice treatment, one each child and adult Tylenol package, one each child and adult cold medicine, one each child and adult multivitamin package and one anti-fungal ointment.

Hygiene kits may include two large bars of soap, two washcloths, four toothbrushes, one tube of toothpaste and one comb or brush.

For more information call the church at 687-3159. All donations can be taken to 9100 NE 219th St., Battle Ground.

YALE AREA WOMAN'S DEATH "A MYSTERY"

Heidi Wallenborn, news director

A 39-year-old mother of triplet 6-year-old girls died mysteriously at home the day after Christmas while her husband was out fishing.

The Cowlitz County Coroner's office determined Dec. 27 that Deanna G. Patterson, 39, died of natural causes.

Patterson, who lived on the 100 block of Sassy's Creek Rd. near Yale, was found dead in her bed Dec. 26 when her husband, Reggie Patterson, returned home about 5:30 p.m.

Patterson reportedly told Cowlitz County deputies that he'd left the house about 10:30 a.m. to go fishing.

When he returned, one daughter was watching television in the living room, another was asleep on the living room floor, and the third was lying next to her mother on the bed, Patterson reportedly told deputies.

Patterson tried to wake his wife, a report said, but she was unresponsive and cold to the touch. The children reportedly told investigating deputies that she had been like that "for a long time."

Patterson is believed to have been in good health at the time of her death, a Cowlitz County Sheriff report said.

"It's a mystery to us," said chief criminal deputy Charlie Rosenzweig.

PLANS UNDERWAY FOR NEW FIRE STATION

Alice Perry Linker, staff reporter

Firefighters who work out of the Ridgefield main station at 26506 NE 10th Ave. are looking forward to a very good new year--in 2006.

Fire District 12's new $3 million main fire station near the intersection of NW 11th Ave. and NW 279th St. is expected to be completed early that year.

Bids will be taken in February 2006, and construction may begin as soon as April, said division chief Tim Dawdy, who is overseeing the project.

Vancouver architect Eric Lanciault has designed a one-story, 15,445 square-foot building, with nine residential bedrooms, five bays for vehicles and equipment, a day room, kitchen, offices, storage rooms and an open reception area. The building will also contain a community meeting room.

A parking lot will have 41 spaces and an area for drills and training.

Chief Larry Bartel has said that the area's growth, including commercial growth, has brought a need for a larger, modern main station.

District 12 commissioners are expected to give final approval to the plans during a meeting set for Tues., Jan. 11, 7 p.m., at the La Center fire station at 414 E Cedar Ave. The meeting is open to the public.

A number of sources will provide money needed to repay a First Independent Bank loan of $2.8 million to build the station. Interest on the loan is set at 5.03 percent, Bartel said.

In November, voters approved a fire district property tax increase of 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. That revenue will be dedicated to the new building for the next 20 years.

Additional funds will come from revenue generated by new commercial activity, Bartel said.

The District also will sell

three pieces of property, including the existing main station, Bartel said. Total value of real estate to be sold is about $1 million.

TRAFFIC SIGNAL SLATED FOR RIDGEFIELD JUNCTION

Alice Perry Linker, staff reporter

Fear that may grip motorists when they reach the interchange of I-5 and Pioneer St. at the Ridgefield junction will be alleviated during 2005.

The state Department of Transportation will install full traffic signals where north and southbound ramps meet Pioneer St., also known as SR-501, and will widen those ramps to allow two lanes of traffic.

"It's a horrible location," said Steve Vestal, with the Department of Transportation. "It's certainly time to get it fixed."

About 1,300 vehicles pass through the interchange every hour, Vestal said.

Construction on the $1.4 million improvement will begin in early May and take about nine weeks, Vestal said.

Traffic will not be seriously affected, he said, "but at certain times, we'll have two-way flagging for a short duration."

The speed limit near the interchange was recently lowered from 45 mph to 35 mph, and Timm Road was closed where it intersects with Pioneer St. The upcoming project will include a cul-de-sac at the end of Timm Road.

Left turn lanes will be added at the east and west ends of the Pioneer St. overpass where motorists enter I-5.

"That's very important," he said. "We don't want people stopping right there on the bridge to turn left. This will give them a short lane."

A left turn lane will also be added at the intersection of Pioneer St. and NW 56th Place, at the entrance to the industrial park.

Vestal said the Port of Ridgefield donated small parcels of land to the project to allow lanes to be wide enough to accommodate semi-tractor trailers that need a wide turning radius.

"This is a state-funded project, but we've had great coordination with the Port and the city [of Ridgefield]," Vestal said.

Ridgefield public works director Justin Clary said he is optimistic that changes will improve safety and traffic flow.

"I really do think this will help," he said.

Rapid residential and commercial growth in the Ridgefield area has caused the need for safety improvements, Clary said.

Another trouble point is the intersection of Pioneer St. and NW 45th Ave. Clary said the Department of Transportation and city officials will look at ways to improve that intersection, including a possible traffic round-about.

Clary said plans are to meet with state officials to develop an engineering plan and develop a resolution for funding to present to city council members.

Eventually, the plan is to widen Pioneer St. to four lanes, but that has not been scheduled.

Clary said additional improvements along Pioneer St. will be "development driven. The state and the city will monitor the situation as each area develops."

DONATED TRUCK FEEDS FISH ON THE NORTH FORK

Alice Perry Linker, staff reporter

An odd-looking truck sat on the hatchery dock at the edge of the North Fork Lewis River near Woodland recently.

For Gary Loomis, president of Fish First and a Woodland resident, the truck isn't odd at all. It's a Godsend, a vehicle used to deliver "groceries" to young fish.

The GMC truck, new in the mid-1990s, was donated to Fish First by Pacific Detroit Diesel of Ridgefield.

Jerry Tyrell of Pacific Detroit was the instigator of the donation, Loomis said.

"Jerry worked with his company to give us this truck," he said. "We've used it a lot."

Tyrell said his own history on the North Fork is the "main reason" for the donation.

"I've caught a lot of fish out of the North Fork over the last 30 years," he said. "I thought it was time for me to give something back. Gary's crew are doing a good job with the resources they've got."

The truck bed was completely rebuilt to transport thousands of salmon carcasses to the upper creeks and tributaries of the North Fork of the Lewis River.

Volunteers place carcasses along stream beds where young salmon live. The donated truck has been modified to hold a tank of fish, and operators move them down a chute from truck to stream.

Carcasses are necessary to provide food for the youngest silver salmon during their first months upriver, Loomis said.

Fish First, a volunteer organization that works to restore habitat and restock area native fish, began restoring the upstream tributaries with native salmon in 1995.

Loomis said volunteers discovered over time that fish were not surviving long enough to begin their long trip to the ocean.

"They were starving," Loomis said.

Habitat destruction and over-fishing had reduced native silver salmon counts to zero in the upper streams, Loomis said. When Fish First began planting eggs in those streams, they did not realize that historically those fish had eaten the carcasses of their ancestors.

Since the volunteers have been planting carcasses, the return rate of the silver salmon has increased rapidly, he said.

In the 1950s, only about 35 silvers were counted in Cedar Creek, a Lewis River tributary. Recently, about 35,000 returned to their home, Loomis said.

COUNTY OPEN HOUSE SET FOR UPDATING ENVIRONMENTAL REGS

An open house to learn about on-going updates to Clark County environmental ordinances will be held Tues., Jan. 11, 4-7 p.m., at the Dollars Corner Fire Station, 21609 NE 72nd Ave., Battle Ground. Presentations will be given at 4:30 and 6 p.m.

County officials have begun three projects that relate to the update process, said Gordy Euler, spokesperson for the County Community Development Long Range Planning Division.

Projects are:

** The Wetlands Inventory Project. Information about the location and function of wetlands will be updated;

** The Salmon Recovery project. Information addressing threatened salmon species in the County will be updated; and

** The Critical Areas Ordinances Project. A review and update will be conducted of current ordinances related to wetlands, flood hazard area, geological hazard areas, critical habitats, and critical aquifer recharge areas.

County officials are required by the state Growth Management Act to periodically review and update critical areas ordinances.

All three projects are interconnected, Euler said. Results of the Wetlands Inventory Project and the salmon recovery strategy will affect updates of wetlands and habitat ordinances, which are part of the Critical Areas Ordinances Project.

Current ordinances may be found on the County web site, www.clark.wa.gov

To locate the ordinances, click on Clark County Code, Table of Contents, Title 40 Unified Development Code and Title 40 Unified Development Code in the dropdown menu "popular pages." The ordinances are located in chapters 40.410-40.450.

For more information about these projects, contact Euler at 397-2375, ext. 4968 for critical areas. Call Linda Small in the Public Works Department, at 397-6118, ext. 4753 for the Wetlands Inventory. Contact Joel Rupley with the Endangered Species Program, at 397-2022, for fish recovery strategies.

CHANGE MADE TO PUBLIC MEETING FOR STOREDAHL APPEALS

The date has been extended to submit written arguments regarding appeals of the Clark County land use hearings examiner's decision to allow a rezone of property belonging to J.L. Storedahl & Sons gravel and mining company.

Written arguments must be received in the Clark County commissioners office at P.O. Box 5000, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver, WA, 98666 by 5 p.m. on Fri., Jan. 14. This date was extended from Dec. 17.

Clark County commissioners will hear three appeals Thurs., Feb. 3, 10 a.m., at the Public Service Center, sixth floor, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.

At stake is whether Storedahl can expand surface mining operations on the site, which is located north of Daybreak Park on the East Fork of the Lewis River.

Commissioners will not accept oral testimony at the meeting, but will consider written arguments as to whether the examiner made mistakes in deciding the issues under appeal.

For more information, contact the County Planning and Development Review Division, 397-2375, ext. 4898.

Copies of the appeal letters may be obtained from the commissioners office, 397-2232.

ART ARRIVES AT NEW HOCKINSON HIGH

Marcus Brotherton, staff reporter

Nationally-acclaimed sculptor Hai Ying Wu delivered his tribute to Hockinson High School Dec. 29--an 11-foot high bronze statue of a hawk surrounded by three rings.

The piece is titled "The Spirit of the Sky," and speaks to the educational aspirations of the Hockinson area, Hai said.

District workmen used cables and a forklift to heft the 500-pound statue to its base located outside the high school's commons and library entrance.

"I want everyone to see the meaning in the piece," Hai said. "It's a symbol of community spirit and pride."

The three rings represent science, English and technology--hallmarks of Hockinson's tri-fold approach to education, said school spokesperson Julie Backous. "We think the hawk is just magnificent."

The high school mascot is a hawk.

A snake in the hawk's talons was added to show the nature of a hawk and to create visual dynamics, Hai said.

"It looks really good," said Hockinson sophomore Matt Rosu, who snapped pictures of the statue's arrival for the school yearbook. "I think over time the sculpture will become even more significant."

Selection of the artwork began two years ago with a survey of the first class of high school students (the class of 2006). Students offered input on what artwork at the school should look like.

A committee of area patrons, school board members, school district staff, a student and a member of the Washington State Arts Commission used the student surveys to envision the final piece and choose an artist.

Money for the art came from the Commission through its Art in Public Places program. Program money comes from one-half of 1 percent of state-funded construction projects. No school district funds were used.

Hai trucked the sculpture down from his studio in Seattle where he assembled the work after casting and fabricating its pieces in Cheng du, China.

A U.S. citizen, Hai emigrated to the United States in 1989 where he worked construction jobs and as a dishwasher before being admitted to a master's degree program at the University of Washington School of Art.

Today, he divides his time between his home near Seattle and China, where he maintains another studio and has extended family. He founded the Center for International Art Exchange in China.

Hai is crafted the Fallen Firefighter's Memorial in Seattle's Pioneer Square. He has placed other pieces around the state in Renton, Redmond, Mercer Island and Everett as well as in Ohio, Colorado, Arizona and Bend, OR.

Area residents are invited to attend an unveiling ceremony in front of Hockinson High School on Thurs., Jan 20, 6 p.m., 175912 NE 159th St., Brush Prairie.

Parking is available at the high school. Shuttle buses will also be available to the high school from any of Hockinson's schools 6-8 p.m., to ease congestion.

SEWER MESSAGE JOLTS LA CENTER

City seeks independent assessment

Bill Myers, staff reporter

Tidings of good cheer were missing in a message delivered by Clark Public Utilities officials Dec. 22 at a city council meeting in La Center.

The message promised higher sewer rates.

Rick Dyer, utility director of finance, showed charts and graphs and said sewer rates must increase to repay a $5 million debt on a new wastewater treatment plant and prevent a projected 2005 revenue shortfall.

Dyer did not specify new rates or system development (hook-up) charges. He showed alternative changes, some of which would hike monthly rates by more than 30 percent and hook-up charges by more than 20 percent.

Utility water services manager Doug Quinn said the expected shortfall in 2005 should near $150,000.

The amount of shortfall will be affected by a realignment of commercial versus residential rates, Quinn said. Recent studies indicate commercial customers are being undercharged.

Quinn blamed fewer than anticipated hook-up charges for most of the revenue shortfall.

The cost of the new treatment plant was also higher than expected, and the utility received a smaller loan than anticipated from the state's Public Works Trust Fund.

A rush to get permits in late 2003 and early 2004 resulted in builders pre-paying for 44 hook-ups at the old $2,000 charge instead of a $4,320 charge that took effect March 1 of this year.

Quinn said monthly sewer rates set March 1 at $26.89 for non-senior residential customers assumed at least 50 new hook-up charges at the new $4,320 rate. Only 15 hook-ups were purchased in 2004 after March 1.

City leaders react

Council member Richard Curtis said utility officials never discussed a need to offset numbers of hook-ups sold to builders in 2003.

Blaming the utility for "miscalculations," Curtis said the utility was responsible for a moratorium.

Projections by the utility do not anticipate new development, added Curtis.

"The moratorium did not delay income or effect payments to the utility," said utility general manager Wayne Nelson.

Quinn said he told council members early in 2004 that higher monthly user rates were a more dependable source of revenue than hook-up charges that fluctuate with new construction.

Mayor James Irish, with council approval, will ask consulting firm EFA of Vancouver to evaluate utility data, including debt service issues.

EFA was recently hired by the city to participate in a feasibility study of building a wastewater treatment plant near the I-5 junction.

Irish said he will ask utility commissioners to delay a public hearing and rate decisions until council members evaluate EFA findings.

Irish said three residential developments in the city over the next three years should generate about 180 new hook-up charges.

EDITORIAL:

C-TRAN SEEKS COMMENTS ON FARE HIKE

Public comments on proposed fare increases for C-TRAN bus service will be taken until Tues., Jan. 11.

The C-TRAN board of directors will meet Jan. 11 to consider the fare increase proposal. Comments may be submitted in writing on or before that date.

The fare increase plan under consideration would raise fares across the board, eliminate transfers, and create a new premium fare for direct service to downtown Portland.

Increases ranges from 20 percent for senior citizen fares to 91-157 percent for monthly passes.

The price of the daily fare for direct service to downtown Portland would increase by 71 percent, while the monthly pass for direct service to Portland would more than double.

C-TRAN spokesman Scott Patterson said C-TRAN officials hope to increase "farebox recovery," which is presently under 19 percent, to the national average of 21.3 percent, or higher.

Farebox recovery is the amount passenger fares offset the actual cost of service.

Patterson said the fare increase plan remains under consideration and could be altered before being finalized.

While a date has not yet been set for implementation of the fare hike plan, Patterson said new fares would likely be put into effect in early 2005, possibly April 1.

Fare increase details

The current in-county fare of $1 is proposed to increase to $1.25.

Patterson said the $1 fare allows riders to travel in all directions, including round-trips, for one hour on weekdays or two hours on weekends.

The proposed fare schedule would eliminate transfers, including the time allowed for travel.

Thus a rider would pay $1.25 each time he/she boarded the bus for in-county service.

Commuters to downtown Portland now pay $1.75 each way for direct service. A monthly pass for this service is currently $52.

The proposal would increase the fare for direct service to downtown Portland to $3, or a $105 monthly pass.

Alternatively, commuters could pay $2.25 each way ($78 monthly) and connect to Portland's Tri-Met service to complete the ride to downtown Portland.

The proposed fare schedule also includes a new rate for low income people and youths.

Patterson said people with proper low income identification would pay a 60-cent in-county fare, as would people ages 6-18.

The senior citizen fare would increase from 50 cents to 60 cents, and the monthly pass for seniors would go up from $14 to $36.

Fares were studied

Patterson said the fare increases were the topic of a Fare Policy Study begun in mid-2004 and not yet completed. The study assumed a fare increase would take place in 2005 regardless of the outcome of the agency's recent sale tax measure which was rejected by voters on Nov. 2, 2004.

The Fair Policy Study, contracted by C-TRAN to Nelson-Nygaard of California, also included an assessment of the impact of fare increases on ridership and revenues. The study's evaluation of ridership and revenue is due any day, said Patterson.

The Jan. 11 public hearing on the fare hike proposal will take place at the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver, with a regular board meeting at 5:15 p.m., and the hearing at 6:30 p.m.

Written comments may be mailed to C-TRAN Public Testimony, P.O. Box 2529, Vancouver, WA 98668.

Patterson said the C-TRAN board may hold extra meetings to deal with the fare hike issue. Battle Ground city council member Bill Ganley is the newly-selected chair of the C-TRAN board.

Information, 695-0123, or Scott Patterson, 906-7306.

HEARING SET ON C-TRAN STREET MEDIAN

Businesses located near a proposed C-TRAN park and ride facility in Hazel Dell have appealed a county requirement for a median down the middle of NE 7th Ave. south of NE 99th Street.

The appeal will be heard by hearing examiner Richard Forester Thurs., Jan. 13, 7 p.m., at the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin, Vancouver.

The appeal cites the adverse impacts on areas businesses if the median is constructed, and traffic is prevented from making left turns into businesses.

Attorney Michael Simon, representing Columbia Community Credit Union, Applebee's, McDonald's and BP service station, argued that traffic studies and conditions of approval of the park-and-ride lot did not adequately address the impacts of a median on area businesses.

County staff has recommended denial of the appeal, urging the hearing examiner to uphold the planning director's decision.

The median would prevent left turns into businesses from 7th Ave., and prevent northbound exit from the BP station onto 7th Ave.

Park-and-ride access

C-TRAN proposes to build a park and ride facility on 10.6 acres on the west side of NE 7th Ave. beginning one block south of NE 99th Street. The project would include parking for 610 vehicles, a bus platform with 10 bus bays, five passenger shelters, and a 1,060 square foot building for bus operators.

The park and ride would have two access points for cars onto NE 7th Ave., and two access points for buses onto 7th Ave.

The county approved the project on Nov. 3, 2004, and the businesses appealed on Nov. 17.

In the appeal, Simon argued that county staff failed to evaluate the adverse economic impact of the median on businesses.

County staff agreed that the businesses would suffer from the median and that the impact had not been included in a traffic report.

County staff said restricting access near major intersections is needed in developing urban areas.

County planner Alan Boguslawski said cars from the park and ride lot, and future traffic from the Hazel Dell Towne Center, will stack up on 7th Ave. at 99th Street, blocking business accesses.

Without a median, said Boguslawski, cars attempting to turn left into the business would back up to the 99th St. intersection trying to get through the line of cars traveling northbound.

Developers of the Hazel Dell Towne Center, said Boguslawski, will be required to connect to NE 7th Ave. to create neighborhood circulation. It will be then, he said, when the median will be most needed.

Boguslawski did not know why the Towne Center development, approved before the C-TRAN lot, was not required to install the median.

Simon also argued that if the median is constructed, C-TRAN should be required to relocate and reconstruct NE 98th Circle, which serves McDonald's, Columbia Credit Union and Applebee's, and to install a traffic signal at the proposed realignment.

County officials said they have no authority to make such a requirement. Boguslawski said he was not certain whether realignment of the access road would eliminate the need for the median, but he theorized that it would.

Simon also said that a new traffic study should be conducted to determine whether the businesses would be better served by the planned dual left turn lanes from westbound 99th Street, or from no left turns at all from 99th St.

County staff said neither of these actions would solve the economic concerns raised by the businesses.

Failing the suggested alternatives, the appellants said they should be compensated for their economic losses, include reduced property values.

County staff said the problem is largely the businesses fault in the first place.

Staff said the businesses should have foreseen future problems when they decided to locate their access road (NE 98th Circle) so close to NE 99th St.

Boguslawski said the public will be able to comment on the median issue at the Jan. 13 public hearing.

COWLITZ POLICE SEEK MAN FOR QUESTIONING IN LONGVIEW MURDER

Investigators believe suspect is in Clark County

Heidi Wallenborn, news director

A $1,000 reward is being offered to anyone who provides material information leading to arrest of Landen Harvill, 26, of Longview.

Cowlitz County sheriff officials say Harvill could be armed, dangerous, and hiding in Clark County. He is a suspect in the Dec. 20 murder of Jasen Pate, 35, at an apartment complex in Longview.

Pate lived in Battle Ground for a few months earlier this year.

Harvill is described as 5-feet 10-inches tall, 150 lbs., with brown hair and blue eyes. There is a warrant for his arrest for second degree murder and bail was set for $1 million by the Cowlitz County prosecuting attorney's office.

"We are actively working leads on Mr. Harvill's location," said chief criminal deputy Charlie Rosenzweig.

Pate was fatally shot in the chest in the wee morning hours of Dec. 20, reports state. He was reportedly a methamphetamine user and dealer who was trying to clean up his life.

Deputy reports state that Pate and his girlfriend went to an apartment at 2120 42nd Ave. about 1:15 a.m. His girlfriend reportedly waited outside in a car.

Deputies believe Harvill, who is also reportedly addicted to methamphetamine, waited for Pate in the kitchen. Witnesses reported to investigators that they heard men shouting and then a loud "pop."

Reports state there were several people in the apartment when the shooting occurred.

Harvill reportedly fled with another man, Donald Braaten, 23, of Longview, who has since been questioned and will not be charged at this point, investigators said.

A handgun believed to be the murder weapon was found Dec. 26 in a brushy area along 38th Ave., between Wal Mart and Industrial Way, officials said. It will take several weeks of ballistic tests to determine if it is the weapon that was used to kill Pate.

Pate's family members are offering the $1,000 reward through Crimestoppers, where people can leave anonymous tips at (360) 577-1206. Or call Det. Sid Ackler at (360) 577- 3092 ext. 2345.

Rosenzweig advises that people to call 911 immediately if they spot Harvill, rather than try to apprehend or stop him.

"Mr. Harvill will be arrested wherever he is located, even if it is out-of-state," Rosenzweig said. "We continue to hope that Mr. Harvill will turn himself in."

"We want to hear his point of view on what happened the night of the shooting," Rosenzweig added. "All he has to do is call us at (360) 577-3092 or 911. We want this to be safe and as low key as he probably does."

OBITS:

DORIS TESTA

Doris Testa, 85, of Woodland, died Jan. 2, 2005.

Testa was born March 28, 1919, in Tacoma. She grew up in Vancouver and attended schools there.

Testa later moved to Arkansas and California, then Woodland in 1994. She worked as an assembler for Sylvania and Landkirk.

Testa is survived by her husband, Raymond, at home in Woodland, son Gene Testa of Anacortes, daughter Dorine Ramsden of Nevada, brother Gerald McCorkle of Battle Ground, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Viewing will be Wed., Jan. 5, 1-4 p.m., at Woodland Funeral Home. Graveside services will be Thurs., Jan. 6, 1 p.m., at Willamette National Cemetery, with Woodland Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

ERNIE CORNELIUS