RIDGEFIELD BOND SET FOR $56 M, SEPT. 20

Marcus Brotherton, staff reporter

Plans for a September 20 bond were unanimously approved June 1 by Ridgefield School Board members, despite recent public outcry against District administrators.

Board members acknowledged the debate, but said new schools could not wait.

"There are some differences of opinion," said Board member Ray Warner, "and we need to be open to whatever, whomever. But as far as putting the bond off, we're just going to hurt ourselves, our kids and our families."

Voters are now set to decide the fate of a $56 million bond that would fund construction of a new high school and modify and improve the District's existing four schools.

If the Ridgefield bond passes, state match funds would contribute another $7.9 million to the package. Another $3.6 million would be used from impact fees and interest, and about $66.4 million total would be spent.

The plan would boost Ridgefield property owners' annual tax rate from about 42 cents per $1,000 assessed value to about $2.24--or from least expensive to about mid-level compared with other school districts in Clark County.

Cash would be used to build a new 1,200 student high school with 23 classrooms, labs, workshops, a 400-seat performing arts center, five fields and six tennis courts.

Modifications would be made to the existing high school to convert it to middle school use.

South Ridge Elementary would receive a new bus drop off, more parking, reconstructed play fields and new storm collection system.

The campus containing Union Ridge Elementary and View Ridge Middle schools would receive more parking, better bus access, updated sewer capacity, reconstructed fields and a new storm water collection system.

Conflict brewing

Not everyone thinks that the present school administration should lead the District through the process.

Five people announced at a May 25 Board meeting they would organize a "vote no" campaign unless superintendent Mary Vagner and curriculum director Patricia Boles resigned.

The citizens alleged problems with Vagner's management style, characterizing her and others as "condescending, unaccountable" and "arrogant."

But sentiment ran 5-1 the other way at the June 1 meeting.

This time, citizens rallied around the administrators, characterizing them as responsive to issues, well informed of school trends, and "thorough and professional" in approach.

Several audience members wore buttons that read: "Yes For Bond."

"I pledge my full support to this bond and Mrs. Vagner," said citizen Stephanie Thompson. "Whenever I've had any issues, they've always been taken care of immediately."

Citizen Mark Burton spoke of the need for new schools, now. He urged Board members to educate themselves and develop an "air tight" package of plans to present to voters.

"I support the bond," Burton said. "There is absolutely no way that I'd let personalities or management style interfere with it."

Citizen Brad Boyer was the lone opponent to administrators at the June 1 meeting.

"To say: `Let's get this built and then we'll deal with the problems later,' is not a sound decision," Boyer said.

DIG IS THROUGH, ANALYZING BEGINS AT BG PUBLIC WORKS

Heidi Wallenborn, news director

After much scrutiny and concern, what lies within the historic pile of dirt on the Battle Ground Public Works Operations site has been partly answered.

Although city manager Eric Holmes said, "They didn't find anything," GeoDesign technicians, under the watchful eye of the state Department of Ecology Environmental Crimes Unit, uncovered several items.

Most notable is one 15-foot long, 4 to 6-inch diameter, piece of metal pipe wrapped in "paper wrapping" which tested positive for asbestos. Coated in tar, the metal pipe had 30 percent asbestos fibers. Several, smaller pieces of pipe were found as well as a metal chair and a metal 5-gallon bucket.

Other items, such as broken concrete and asphalt pieces, were re-buried.

Sandy Howard, spokesperson for the Department of Ecology, said "any asbestos is a concern."

"Asbestos needs to be properly disposed of in an approved landfill," she said. "[The public works site] is not an approved landfill."

A final report from GeoDesign with specific results including toxicology tests from soil samples, is to be ready in another month, Holmes said.

Howard said Ecology officials are waiting for the results of that before determining what needs to be done.

GeoDesign staff dug 15 test pits May 26-27 on the 220-foot by 180-foot fill pile in areas they believed showed "hot spots," according to reports they had completed.

One report said a magnetometer showed signs of buried, iron-bearing material "that could be waste drums."

They also found a "large magnetic anomaly...possibly caused by a cache of drums," the report said.

Still to come are test results from a "low resistivity" area in the center of the pile.

An electrical resistivity test, where probes are placed in the ground, was used to detect possible contaminant plumes.

However, the low resistivity area is expected to be ground water moving east.

Test results are also due from hand-augured samples taken from five areas near the dumpster area where petroleum was allegedly drained from upturned oil drums.

A test done in April by state Department of Health officials found diesel and heavy oils in the area.

Allegations of buried asbestos pipe, oil drums and petroleum products surfaced when Paul Haines, former public works director, told a Battle Ground detective about his concerns.

In a taped conversation, Haines is recorded as saying we was concerned that there was hazardous waste buried under "tons and tons" of dirt.

BG POLICE LAUNCH CITIZEN GRADS

Heidi Wallenborn, news director

Fourteen people graduated June 1 from the sixth class of the Battle Ground Police Citizen's Academy.

Classes began April 6 and ended with the ceremony. Students attended three hours weekly, with some Saturday events that lasted longer.

Each department officer as well as other department employees presented an area of expertise, such as patrol procedures, DUI enforcement, crime scene investigation, case management and report writing.

Students received firearms training, a tour of the 911 Center and Clark County jail, and a four-hour ride-along with an on-duty officer.

Clark County commissioner Marc Boldt was guest speaker at the graduation ceremony, and County chaplain Landis Epp also attended.

The Citizen's Academy began in 1999 under the direction of former chief Ron Johnson and former Sgt. Richard Rich.

PACIFICORP LAUDED FOR PLANNING

Bill Myers, staff reporter

PacifiCorp officials won an award May 26 for recreation planning excellence during Utility relicensing negotiations in recent years.

At a reception in the Lewis River Golf Course clubhouse, Jim Eychaner, president of the National Association of Recreational Resource Planners (NARRP), presented an Excellence in Planning award to Utility employees Mark Stenberg and Russ Howison.

Stenberg and Howison spearheaded relicensing settlement negotiations on recreation and met regularly with area citizens during the licensing process.

PacifiCorp spokesman David Kvamme said the Recreation Resource Management Plan developed during settlement negotiations was one of the significant outcomes of the Lewis River Hydroelectric Project licensing settlement announced last November.

PacifiCorp officials involved with recreational planning were professional in their outreach effort, said Eychaner. "They were inclusive and demonstrated a desire to listen," he said.

In the settlement, PacifiCorp officials agreed to maintain and improve day use facilities at Merwin, Yale and Swift reservoirs. The accord earmarked over $20 million over a 50-year new license term to recreation facility or equipment upgrades. The Utility operates 14 parks and day-use facilities along the Lewis River and on the shores of the three reservoirs.

The Lewis River facilities are used by about 500,000 people each year.

Terese Lamb, managing director for the Utility's hydro group, had kudos for citizens who represented the public interest and Lewis River community during relicensing meetings. "It is due to their input and participation that the process was a success," she said.

Eychaner said only two awards for planning excellence have been given by NAARP, a national organization of professional planners founded about 26 years ago. The first award, presented last year, went to the state of Florida, he said.

200 ATTEND AMBOY MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE

Bill Myers, staff reporter

Color, pageantry, a spirit of community and 200 citizens attended a Memorial Day observance in Amboy.

The annual event at Territorial Days Park was sponsored by American Legion Tum Tum Post 168 with support from members of the Veterans of Foreign War, North Clark Lions Club and the Territorial Days Park Association.

A color guard from the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps of Battle Ground High School attended Old Glory as the event got underway near a Veterans Monument in the park.

Ember Eastman, a vocalist with Portland Christian rock group No Need 4 Proof, sang the National Anthem.

Amboy Middle School fifth grader Timothy Escue played taps for the occasion.

Guest speakers included U.S. Army chaplain and Iraq war veteran Bill Cardin, former state representative Tom Mielke and boy scout Kenneth Sutton.

In weeks before the event, Sutton, citizen Gary Kincaide and other volunteers installed bricks, a drinking fountain and lights at the Monument.

American Legion spokesman Richard Langenbach said donations from citizens at the event purchased a much-needed television set for a Veterans Administration Nursing Home in Vancouver.

A family picnic followed the Memorial Day observance. Amboy Market owner Len Williams, who grilled hundreds of hot dogs for fellow citizens, said market suppliers donated many of the food items.

EX-MANAGER PLEADS GUILTY TO NEGLECT OF DUTY

Heidi Wallenborn, news director

Reluctantly, former Ridgefield city manager Randy Bombardier pleaded guilty May 31 for neglect to perform his duty as a public officer.

Superior Court judge Robert Harris sentenced Bombardier to two years probation with 90 days suspended and $5,000 in restitution to the city of Ridgefield.

If Bombardier does not fulfill the terms of his sentence, such as paying the city back for a portion of costs incurred for the environmental clean-up because of his actions, he will serve 90 days in jail.

"I appreciate the job everybody has to do," he told Superior Court judge Robert Harris. "I didn't come to this decision lightly. I feel I need to close this chapter in my life."

Bombardier, 49, was responsible for making sure a paint job on city hall in June 2002 was done correctly because of the presence of lead-based paint, said Tim Crandall, state Assistant Attorney General.

Crandall said Bombardier spent $5,000 out of $20,000 that was allotted by city council for the job to be properly done, and used the remainder to hire an administrative assistant.

The painter allegedly removed the paint improperly, which created a public and environmental emergency two years later. City hall was shut down in May 2004 and encapsulated for clean-up.

Ridgefield officials spent nearly $36,000 to rid city hall of lead dust.

Bombardier originally faced a stiffer charge of official misconduct by the state Attorney General's office, a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.

In January, a jury could not agree on some finer points of the state's charges against him. As a result, Bombardier faced another trial next month unless he plea-bargained.

Bombardier said that he could not afford another trial.

Jon McMullen, Bombardier's defense attorney, told the judge the former manager "feels bad on a number of levels. He certainly didn't mean to hurt anybody, and he even apologized in court during his trial."

McMullen also said Bombardier simply made bad management decisions. His mistake has been "financially, absolutely devastating."

A "big bone of contention," between attorney and client was pleading guilty by using the Alford plea where one does not admit guilt but agrees there is enough evidence for a conviction, McMullen said.

"He didn't want to plead guilty," he added.

Painter faces trial next

The high levels of lead dust found throughout city hall in May 2004 included the ventilation system. Several employees were tested for lead in their blood at the city's expense.

Dozens of paint chips were also found still imbedded in mud at Lake River by investigators.

During the paint removal in 2002, "billows" of sanded lead paint filled the air, and "thousands" of toxic paint chips were pressure-washed down the city storm drain and into Lake River, a Class A state waterway, according to reports.

The painter, Eben Drake, faces a trial July 18 with Superior Court judge Diane Woolard.

Drake is being charged with a violation of the state Water Pollution Control Act, a gross misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of one year in jail and a $10,000 fine.

AT LAST, ODOT FIRMS PLANS FOR I-5 WIDENING

Alice Perry Linker, staff reporter

The bottleneck that Clark County commuters face when they cross the I-5 Bridge into Portland will loosen--in about five years.

The two-lane corridor stretching southbound less than a mile from Delta Park to Lombard Street is scheduled for widening to three lanes beginning in 2008. The work is to be finished in 2010.

The $39 million necessary to complete the project is secure.

"By the time construction begins, we'll have the funds," said Kate Deane, spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Transportation. "This construction is a high priority for ODOT. We've been actively working to secure funds for the project."

The southbound section between Delta Park and Lombard Street is the only section north of the I-5 interchange with I-405 that is less than three lanes wide. The northbound section, which was restiped to accommodate three lanes, will also be widened to include a shoulder area, Deane said.

ODOT has sponsored preliminary public hearings on alternatives regarding an exit to Columbia Boulevard in Portland. A final hearing will take place in the fall, Deane said.

"None of the alternatives will affect the Interstate widening," she said.

The alternatives, part of a required Environmental Assessment to the section crossing the Columbia Slough, are among the many preliminary steps necessary before construction can begin.

National Marine Fisheries, the federal agency that protects salmon, is involved in the discussion involving the slough.

"It seems like a long time (before construction starts), but it takes a couple of years to put it together," Deane said.

Some land acquisition will be necessary and a number of permits will be required, she said.

RIDGEFIELD EYES CASINO LAND

Explosive growth described in 20-year vision

Bill Myers, staff reporter

Ridgefield officials tout a future urban growth boundary that could include a Cowlitz Indian casino.

About 30 citizens attended a June 2 meeting, a joint work session of the city council and planning commission, and heard predictions of explosive growth over the next 20 years.

Community development director Kevin Snyder, with a 32-page handout of outlines and maps, projected a 15 percent average annual growth rate between 2005 and 2025.

Snyder said that by 2025, at least 24,000 people will live in Ridgefield. The city has a current population of about 2,800.

Snyder reviewed plans to add 3,840 acres to the city's urban growth area. Most expansion would be north, south and east of current city limits.

The 20-year forecast for new urban growth area designates 2,400 acres for single-family residential use, 498 acres for multi-family residential use and 942 acres for employment.

"We intend to continue the county's discovery corridor concept," said city manager George Fox.

A northern expansion would track NW 41st Ave. on the west and I-5 on the east, extending beyond 324th St. and embracing 226 acres of Cowlitz tribal land.

Tribal leaders, hoping to build a casino and hotel development at the site, have asked federal officials to designate 157 acres of the land as "initial reservation" and hold it in trust.

The city, the closest urban services provider to the proposed casino site, would be the most natural and appropriate provider, said Fox.

Existing city limits contain 3,524 acres, with 795 acres in the city's urban growth area.

Maps in handouts described preliminary locations for new water and sewer lines.

Fox said he is seeking federal and state approvals for a sewer line extension through the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge and for treatment plant discharges to the Columbia River.

A sewer analysis provided by Snyder said $81.8 million in sewer development revenue collected over the next 20 years will fund capital costs.

A water summary said costs of supplying water for growth will be covered by system development charges of $60.7 million.

Because facilities must be constructed prior to collection of development charges, some improvements may require bond or loan financing, said the utility summaries.

Fox said transportation needs could be jointly funded by state and/or federal grants, and increases in transportation impact fees.

A transportation analysis proposed raising impact fees from $203 per average daily trip to $303 per average daily trip.

Proposed major road projects include an extension of NW 219th St. to NW Hillhurst Rd., construction of S 15th St. from Pioneer St. Extension to S 45th Ave., improvement of the Pioneer St./I-5 interchange, extension of Pioneer St. to the Port of Ridgefield, and upgrades to NW 41st and NW 31st avenues.

Snyder said the plan update will meet a Clark County planning schedule and is due at county offices June 10.

Council members will vote on a resolution to adopt the 20-year plan update at the city council meeting Thurs., June 9, 6:30 p.m., at City Hall, 230 Pioneer St. Information telephone number is 887-3557.

Snyder said the city will work within time frames established by the Board of County Commissioners. He said public involvement will include open houses, public work sessions and public hearings.

Reactions

La Center public works director Jeff Sarvis said silence by La Center officials doesn't mean they endorse the Ridgefield plan.

Sarvis said La Center officials also want to expand to the junction of NW 319th St. and I-5.

Citizen Roy Garrison said high system development fees might cause developers to look elsewhere.

Fox said concern over fees is valid. "But what Ridgefield offers is a valuable commodity...and that costs money," said Fox.

Planner Cyrus Yamin said the city should plan for more density to reduce overall infrastructure costs.

Port commissioner Brent Grening lauded the transportation planning effort. Grening said advance planning can help the city avoid congestion now seen in other parts of the county.

RIDGEFIELD TABLES PROPOSED HIKES

Letters pan tax proposals

Bill Myers, staff reporter

Hikes in utility taxes proposed in Ridgefield last month were tabled after city council discussion, said city manager George Fox.

Fox said utility tax increases will be discussed and considered during city council budget workshops set for June through September.

Several citizens signed letters objecting to utility tax hikes.

A letter to the city council May 8 signed by 16 citizens expressed concerns with "how freely Mr. Fox and his staff are spending our tax dollars," and questioned city services and costs.

Signers asked for a list of new services to citizens and costs of such services and a justification of the city manager's salary, and asked why Fox is not required to live in Ridgefield.

The letter also criticised planning staff members for ignoring citizen concerns and sought documentation that the city gets 100 percent cost recoveries from staff time spent with developers, builders and other non-citizens.

In a May 26 letter, three citizens objected to proposed utility tax increases.

OBITS:

ANN FISHER

Ann C. (McCarty) Fisher, 61, died June 5, 2005, in Battle Ground.

Fisher was born July 17, 1943, in Vancouver, and lived in Clark County for 37 years, the last 34 1/2 in Battle Ground.

Fisher enjoyed making greeting cards on her computer for church missionary work. She had worked as a receptionist in the health care industry.

Survivors include husband of 38 years David Fisher I, at home in Battle Ground, son David Fisher II of Long Beach, daughters Tammy Carlson of Tacoma, Tina England of California, Heather Morala of Nevada and Dawn Kendall of Battle Ground, brother Everett McCarty of Brush Prairie, sisters Ida Lindquist of California and Grace Hare of Ohio, and 12 grandchildren.

Memorial services will be held Sat., June 11, 2 p.m., at Charter Oak Evangelical Free Church, 12212 NE 299th St., Battle Ground, with interment at Willamette National Cemetery, Portland. Layne's Funeral Home, Battle Ground, is in charge of arrangements.