CITIZENS GEAR UP FOR ELECTION SEASON

Heidi Wallenborn, news director

From Woodland to Washougal, citizens are lining up to serve in city, school, fire district and cemetery district offices.

Those interested in the various positions filed for office July 25-29 in Clark and Cowlitz counties.

Eight offices in Clark County attracted no candidates, resulting in a special 3-day filing period set for Mon.-Wed., Aug. 1-3, at the elections office, 1408 Franklin St., Vancouver.

Vacancies without candidates are: three positions on the Yacolt town council, three commissioner positions with Cemetery District No. 5, one commissioner position with Cemetery District 6, and a school board position in Washougal.

One office became vacant prior to the filing period but was not on the county auditor's filing list. Candidates are invited to file for position No. 5 on the Green Mountain School Board during the special filing period.

Here's the line up so far:

Clark County commissioner:

Incumbent Clark County commissioner Steve Stuart (D-Vancouver) will face challenger Tom Mielke )R-Vancouver) for the District 3 position.

City of Battle Ground:

All four incumbents will run again. Three are unopposed while council member Alex Reinhold will face challenger David E. Agar.

City of La Center:

Mike Nolan will challenge Bill Birdwell Jr. for council position 1. Bob Smith will tackle position 2 unopposed, as incumbent Russ Marshall did not file. Troy Van Dinter, who was appointed to his seat earlier this year, will keep position 3 without opposition.

City of Ridgefield:

Incumbent Scott Hanson will face challenger Michael Hefflin, while Chad Sessions will take the seat vacated by Gary Holmberg.

Town of Yacolt:

Mayor Jim Weldon did not seek re-election. Newcomers Pilar "Kit" Raanes, Joe Warren and Thom Holyk will face off for the position. Council incumbents did not file, nor did anyone else, leaving three open council positions.

Battle Ground School District:

Fred Striker will run unopposed for his seat on position 1. John Karvonen and Richard Kent will face off for David Sonntag's vacated position 3. Cecil Schlecht will challenge incumbent Mark Pelletier.

La Center School District:

Melissa Miller and Bob Taylor will return to the La Center school board without opposition.

Ridgefield School District:

VaNessa Duplessie will face off with Matthew Swindell for position 1, vacated by Joe Leadingham. Julie Olson will challenge Kathy Koller for posiion 4.

Green Mountain School District:

Garren Elmer and Sandra Ferneding will return to the Green Mountain school board without opposition. No one filed for position 5.

Hockinson School District:

Tim Podhora will challenge Erik Mattson for position 1 on the school board, while Deborah Stavig will return to position 2 without opposition.

Fire District 3:

Commissioner Dick Deleissegues will face challenger Tom Armstrong in position 3.

Fire District 5:

Mike Lyons will return as commissioner without opposition.

Fire District 10

Danny Walling and Beth Goble will vie for commissioner position 3.

Fire District 11:

Jerry Kolke will remain commissioner in position 3.

Fire District 12:

Jon Babcock will take commissioner position 3 unchallenged.

Fire District 13:

Louis Ferreira will remain commissioner in position 3 unchallenged.

Ridgefield Port District:

Commissioner Bruce Wiseman is unchallenged in position 1.

Cemetery District 4: (Amboy)

Garvis Elmer, Steve Everett, and Heidi Zimmerman and Patti Frasier will vie for position 2. Bob McClellan will challenge incumbent Dennis Frasier for position 3.

Cemetery District 6: (La Center)

Murray Falk will take position 1 unchallenged. No one filed for position 3.

For more information about candidates or elections in Clark County, visit www.clark.wa.gov/elections

FOUR COUNCIL POSTS AT STAKE IN ELECTION

Candidates file for November face offs

Bill Myers, staff reporter

With key issues at stake, Woodland voters will decide who will fill four city council positions.

Two citizens known for unvarnished candor--incumbent council member John "J.J." Burke and former city council member Barbara Karnis--will compete for the position 1 council position.

Burke opposes building a pool at Horseshoe Lake. He said a pool at the park could become a burden on taxpayers.

Karnis, who served for eight years as a council member until she retired in 2002, said she favors the park location as well-located and accessible to the community.

Burke said he will vote against a contract rezone to permit more uses, including training classes, at the Woodland Community Service Center.

A contract rezone, said Burke, could set a precedent that other businesses might force the city to follow.

Burke said neighbors of the Center oppose rezoning. Most people also believe the Center is too close to schools, he said.

Karnis said she supports a rezone at the Center. "The Center serves the poorest among us and is good for our town," she said.

Both candidates favor a consolidation of city and Cowlitz Fire District 1 fire departments. Both say Woodland should have a city manager.

Interviews with other Woodland city council incumbents and candidates will shed light on their positions as the election nears.

Other council candidates are listed below.

Carol Rounds, appointed as position 2 council member, will face challenger Darwin Rounds, her husband.

Incumbent position 3 council member Bruce Summers Jr. will face challengers Al Swindell and Jon Randall.

Erica Rainford, appointed to council position 4, will face challenger Corey Huffine.

Other Woodland races

Tom Wilson, incumbent commissioner of District 3 of the Port of Woodland, will face challenger Charles Farnell.

Incumbent Woodland School District directors Saundra Tone (District 3), Bill Woodard (District 4) and Steve Bosen (District 5), are running unopposed for reelection. Tone and Bosen were appointed to board posts earlier this year.

Woodland Swimming Pool & Recreation District commissioners Sharyn Crosby, Bruce Hulett and Ronald Orr are running unopposed for reelection.

Kalama contests

Kalama mayor Pete Poulsen is unopposed for reelection.

Patti Ohall is running for city council position 1, vacated last month by Christine Fitzpatrick who left the city.

Donald Purvis and Dominic Ciancibelli will take Kalama council seats without opposition.

Three citizens, Brad Hoggatt, H. Randy Sweet and Mike Reynoldson, will compete in a September primary for a chance to run for a vacant Port of Kalama district 1 commissioner post. Fred Swanstrom is unopposed for the district 3 post.

Incumbent Kalama School District 1 director Bruce Rader is unopposed for reelection.

Wesley Eader and Mike Wren will compete for the Kalama School District 3 postion. Shannon Barnett will take a seat on the school board without opposition.

Fire Protection Districts

Cowlitz Fire Protection District 1 commissioner Kirk Northcut is unopposed for reelection. Northcut was appointed last December. Commissioner Jim Kellar faces challenger Bruce Summers Sr.

Cowlitz Fire Protection District 5 position 1 commissioner incumbent Kenneth Dickey will compete in a September primary against challengers Dan Ohall, Kristopher Kleger and Dave Bourdage.

Cowlitz Fire Protection District 7 position 1 commissioner incumbent Paul Kuper will run against challenger Walter Black.

Position 2 commissioner Michael Rietman will face off against challenger Donald Renfro.

YALE CITIZENS RECALL MOUNTAIN'S BLAST

Bill Myers, staff reporter

Three Yale Valley citizens recalled the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens during a July 28 oral history presentation which was part of the Yale Valley Arts Festival.

Leonard Reese, Donnie Kelley and Patricia Joy Stepp talked of Mount St. Helens and moments filled with wonder, joy and terror.

Reese described a boyhood of exploring slopes and caves of a cone-shaped Mount St. Helens in the 1940s and '50s.

Recollections by Reese took listeners on a tour of a placid Spirit Lake, complete with "quite a character" in Harry Truman. She also remembered YMCA, boy and girl scout camps, and giant trees up to 5-feet in diameter.

Someone placed goats on the mountain in the 1940s, said Reese. Northern slopes were dotted with gold mines, one with a steam engine that pulled ore carts.

As a boy, Reese said he explored lava caves, some thousands of feet long.

The blast

"May 18 was a Sunday morning, and we were getting ready to go to church when the mountain blew," said Donnie Kelley.

Kelley, who with her family watched from their home southeast of Cougar, described dark clouds billowing straight up, high into the air, with "lightning flashing and chunks of ice falling."

Reese, with family members, watched the spectacle while sitting on a log in the "red zone" on the northwest shore of Yale Lake.

"We saw chunks of earth as big as houses in the air," said Reese. He said the log under them vibrated.

Stepp said she watched the eruption from on top of a camper near a roadblock at Jack's Restaurant.

There were stories of cars speeding from Cougar two-abreast to escape, said Stepp.

"Everything turned gray and soon there was no light," said Stepp.

She said hot pumice fell on her as she loaded family animals into the back seat of her Volkswagon before driving to Woodland.

BOARD CONTINUES TO STUDY BOND FOR NORTH COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL

Marcus Brotherton, staff reporter

Members of the Battle Ground School Board continues to mull whether to run a bond this fall for a third district high school located in Amboy.

A proposal to build a high school narrowly failed in a March 2005 election. The high school was presented as a second proposition on the ballot.

Continued area growth, a longstanding commitment to seeing a high school built in the north, and patron advocacy have prompted Board members to consider the high school proposal, say school officials.

Board members are also considering placing upgrades to the district's stadium before voters. The stadium is located at Battle Ground High School.

Property across SR-503 from Amboy Middle School was purchased in April for a new high school campus. Some 35 acres of the 51 acre site were deemed buildable in a recent feasibility study, which is considered good for the hilly and wet north county terrain, said representatives for the Vancouver-based land use Group McKenzie, who conducted the study.

New legislative changes have also affected the amount of money the state will contribute to an area bond effort.

State education representative Gordon Beck gave a presentation to Board members at a July 25 meeting.

State match funding is determined by a formula that involves several factors.

Previously, the state would match dollars based on 120 square feet per pupil times $129.81 construction costs per square foot times the District's match ratio--which could go up or down depending on several factors.

New numbers show the state will now match dollars based on 130 square feet per pupil times $154.22 construction costs per square foot times the District's match ratio--which has been set at 71 percent, thanks to the security voters have provided by passing the March bond.

What that means, Beck said, is that more money is now available from the state. This money will affect the bond that just passed as well as any bonds that may pass in the future.

Exact dollar amounts are not known yet, said school officials.

The challenge with a north county high school, according to a presentation given by assistant superintendent Lynn Hicks, is that even though state match funds have increased, construction costs have also risen and outpaced the state's contributions.

Using new state match figures, Hicks showed one scenario that estimated the cost of a new 120,000 square foot north county high school at $38.9 million, with $22.7 million coming from area taxes and $16.2 million from the state.

Figures given in the March bond estimated the cost at $31.1 million, with $19.5 million coming from area taxes and $11.6 million coming from the state.

Hicks used figures in the estimate provided by LSW Architects, the company currently working on projects agreed upon in the March bond.

Schools activist Russ Wadleigh, however, presented another proposal from a different firm--Architectural Cost Consultants--that showed a 110,000 square foot high school could be built for about $25 million.

The estimate was done in November 2004, but based upon projections for 2007 dollars, the estimated start date of construction if a high school bond passed this fall.

Board members agreed to do more research and receive full estimates from several firms.

Survey results mixed

A District-sponsored survey sent to patrons in early July revealed mixed public support for a bond.

Patrons were asked two questions: should the Board run a bond for a third high school, and should a bond include upgrades to District Stadium, which would be used by all three high schools.

Out of 151 responses, almost 62 percent supported a bond for another high school, while more than 60 percent said no to the stadium upgrades.

A school bond measure needs 60 percent approval to pass.

Frequent responses in favor of a new high school said a new high school is needed immediately, the high school has been promised, Battle Ground High School is crowded, property has already been purchased, and driving to Battle Ground High School from the north is dangerous.

Responses against the plan said a large bond has just passed, and patrons can't afford more taxes.

Responses in favor of stadium upgrades said the current stadium is a safety hazard and an upgrade is long overdue.

Responses against said the District can't afford it, and funding a stadium above academics sends the wrong message.

Space was also included on the form for write-in comments where patrons could anonymously say anything about the District they wished. Responses included the following:

"It was so close before, let's run it soon."

"This just failed a few months ago. Give it a rest."

"We need to stay ahead, not behind. No more portables--the voters should be educated about how expensive these are and how Spartan they are compared to a classroom."

"No more school taxes!! Tell the county commissioners not to expand any city limits in Clark County until schools and roads catch up. Limit building permits in all Clark County."

"This stadium is falling apart. There are huge cracks in the cement of the stands. It appears dangerous."

"District stadium is sufficient now."

"I think the Board of Supervisors should be let go and the school run by the parents, students and volunteer school board members. There is a huge waste of our taxes and the schools are always crying for more money. Let them really tighten their belts like the rest of us do, then maybe we would be more receptive to a bond."

"I support any measure that helps kids."

Meanwhile...

Preliminary work on a group of projects approved by voters ast March has begun.

The first project will be construction of a K-8 school campus at 11107 NE 239th St., Battle Ground.

Estimated occupancy is fall 2007

A second K-8 campus is also in the works on a site yet unnamed.

School officials met with city of Battle Ground officials in a closed session July 25 to continue talks about the Remy property on NW 20th Ave., which the city currently owns. Estimated occupancy for the second K-8 campus is fall 2008.

Meanwhile, the District has plans and permits in hand to place two more double portables at Battle Ground High School this fall, six single-portable classrooms on the Glenwood/Laurin campus, and one portable for a cafeteria at Maple Grove Primary, said communications consultant Kelly Keister.

Altogether, Battle Ground will have 128 portable classrooms in the District this fall as well as two cafeterias in portables.

DISTRICT CREATES NEW ADMIN POSITIONS

Marcus Brotherton, staff reporter

Five new administrative positions have been created in the Battle Ground School District.

As the District grows, greater staffing needs have prompted the creation of the positions, said superintendent Shonny Bria.

"I'm confident we have the right people to do the job," Bria said.

Marcia Christian, former human resources director for the District, was hired as an assistant superintendent for human resources.

Christian's position marks the fourth assistant superintendent position--up from three.

Lynn Hicks is assistant superintendent over business and operations. Diana Gilsinger is assistant superintendent for educational services, and Duane Rose is assistant to the superintendent in charge of human resources.

Salaries for assistant superintendents range $94,000-$104,000 depending on experience and education.

Bria received a raise this year from $130,000 to $135,000.

Kent Martin, former principal of Glenwood Heights Primary School, was hired as director of business services and risk management.

Previously, this position was combined with a grants director position.

Directors make $82,000-$90,000, depending on experience and education.

Paul Bardzik, former principal of Laurin Middle School, was hired as communications director.

Bardzik's job will involve internal communications, while current communications consultant Kelly Keister will continue in her role of community relations, crisis management and facilitation.

Troy Oestriech will work as capital projects manager. He will oversee all projects related to the recently-passed bond as well as be a liaison between the District and construction companies.

Josh Joner was hired as facilities manager. He will oversee any projects that relate to impact fees and levies. He will make $25.15 per hour.

BG BUDGET HEARINGS SET

Two hearings have been set to discuss the Battle Ground School District's budget for 2005-2006.

Hearings will be held Tuesdays, Aug. 23 and 30, 7 p.m., at the Center For Agriculture, Science & Environmental Education, 11104 NE 149th St., Brush Prairie.

Anyone is welcome to attend.

Copies of the proposed budget are available in advance for review.

Contact the District's business office at 885-5311 or District communications consultant Kelly Keister, 904-1233.

RESIDENTS QUESTION LA CENTER GROWTH PLAN

Alice Perry Linker, staff reporter

For La Center Mayor Jim Irish, adding land adjacent to I-5 to the city's urban growth area will "reconnect" the city to the "great river of commerce."

Irish opened an information session at La Center High School July 26. He compared I-5 to Pacific Highway and the East Fork of the Lewis River, commerce routes during the 19th and early 20th centuries. He said that the development of I-5 had moved the commerce routes away from the city.

Not all attending the public forum agreed with Irish's vision for an expanded La Center that includes an industrial zone near the I-5 interchange.

The city's proposed urban growth boundary is contiguous with Ridgefield's proposed boundary. About a dozen in the audience of some 45 people indicated that they allied themselves with Ridgefield, and they expressed concerns about the expansion.

Commissioner Betty Sue Morris also spoke of the importance of La Center's developing an industrial zone. She said she has attended meetings in both cities.

She noted that both Ridgefield and La Center have included the I-5 interchange at La Center Road in their urban growth boundaries.

"We must maintain open spaces bewtween our ci