MIELKE, STUART AGREE TO DEBATE; DISAGREE ON HOW MANY TIMES

Former state representative Tom Mielke (R-Vancouver) has accepted an invitation from Clark County commissioner Steve Stuart (D-Vancouver) to a series of public debates in their race for Clark County commissioner.

But the two candidates disagree on how the debates should take place.

Stuart made the debate suggestion in a July letter to Mielke. The two squared off last week at a meeting of the Greater Clark County Chamber of Commerce in Vancouver.

Mielke said he foresees two more debates--one on CVTV access cable, and a third organized by the League of Women Voters.

Stuart suggested three more "real" debates, not forums or joint appearances, such as would be the case with a CVTV appearance.

"The idea is to give people an opportunity (to witness a debate) when they don't have to pay," said Stuart, noting that the Aug. 4 Chamber of Commerce event had a $25 price tag.

"Our home is facing a lot of complex challenges," said Stuart in his letter. "As candidates for county commissioner, I think we have a great opportunity--and obligation--to each share with the voters our ideas for how to solve those issues."

"We can give voters a clear and honest view of which candidate best suits their needs," added Stuart. "I want to get the community engaged in the process of shaping our future. That process begins when citizens choose their leaders. Let's have a dignified, open discussion about what it means to live in Clark County."

Mielke said voters would be able to discern how he and Stuart differ. "We differ on crime," said Mielke, who said criminals should not be let out of jail early.

Mielke said he and Stuart also differ on the new 9 cent state gas tax. Mielke said he opposes the tax. Transportation reform measures could save taxpayers nearly as much as the new tax will raise, he said.

Stuart said the 9 cent gas tax should not be repealed because it will fund the widening of NE 219th St. from I-5 to Battle Ground, and improvements to SR-14.

Both candidates said the September-October period would be preferable for future debates.

"Our idea of what a debate is would give regular people a chance to ask questions," said Stuart.

The Stuart campaign can be reached at 635-5490, and Mielke at 608-6201.

CURTIS NAMED TO SECURITY CAUCUS

State Rep. Richard Curtis (R-La Center) has been appointed to represent the state House of Representatives in a newly-created national caucus to support homeland security and emergency response.

State Assemblies for Emergency Response (SAFE) was created earlier this year to serve as a collective voice for homeland security and first responder issues.

"Before 9-11, legislators, fire department and police departments were all operating independently," said Curtis. "I think we now recognize the importance of working together and getting everyone on the same page to keep our nation, our states and our communities safe."

Curtis is a fire captain and paramedic with the Vancouver Fire Department, and has 18 years of experience in emergency services.

SAFE will hold its first meeting in New York City in September.

Curtis said that more than $3 billion in homeland security grants were issued to states by the federal government in the past two years. Expenditures were complicated by procurement requirements and approval processes, he said.

"The members of SAFE will work to refine this process so that federal money can be used effectively and efficiently," said Curtis.

The September meeting will focus on specialized training for first responders, said Curtis. Information, John Stattgast, (360) 786-7257, or Curtis, 263-6952.

NEW BG LIBRARY GAINING SUPPORT

Fundraising has begun for construction of a new Battle Ground library, with about $50,000 pledged so far toward the $2.1 million goal.

Don and Jane Higgins of Battle Ground are heading the fundraising effort.

As of last week, 24 people, businesses or organizations have joined the "Cornerstone Society" with donations of $1,000 each.

Corporate members of the Cornerstone Society are Wilco and manager Mike Williams, Mallard Landing Assisted Living Facility and manager Annette Hunt, Wal-Mart, Irby's Fine Wine and Bistro and owner Steve Irby, Miller Insurance Agency and owner Dave Miller, The Reflector and owners Marvin and Anne Case, The Management Group and Carmen Villarma, and The Gold Medal Group and owner Dennis Pavlina.

Civic organizations donating $1,000 are the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce, and the Battle Ground Art Alliance.

Citizens donating $1,000 and joining the Cornerstone Society are John and Lynda Idsinga, Mary Jo Lewis, Richard and Jann Leeuwenburg, Anna Cross, Alex Mintz and Judy Zeider, Mike and Jackie Spurlock, Mac and Nancy McNatt, Timothy and Ute Gensler, John and Dorothy Coutsoubos, Doris Gressit, Sharon Hammer, Bill and Wanda Milwee, Sharon Hruby, and Don and Jane Higgins.

The campaign has also received a $2,500 gift from the Jan and Steve Oliva Charitable Fund through the Community Foundation.

The campaign has received the endorsement of numerous elected officials, business leaders, library officials and community members, including an endorsement from First Lady Laura Bush.

Plans call for the construction of a 13,000 square foot library building in the Commerce Center development near Rasmussen Blvd., replacing the 3,869 square foot library that has served Battle Ground and the north county area since 1959.

Membership in the Cornerstone Society with donations of $1,000, or donations of any other amount can be made by calling Don and Jane Higgins, 666-1480.

LEGACY HOSPITAL OPENS FOR EMERGENCIES

The new Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital in Vancouver will open for emergency services only on Mon., Aug. 22. Full services will be available starting Thurs., Sept. 1.

The opening was previously announced for Aug. 15, but delayed due to the late arrival of certain supplies.

Hospital administrator Jonathan Avery describes the new hospital as a state-of-the-art facility, perhaps the most up-to-date hospital in the state. It is the first new hospital constructed in Washington in decades.

Avery said every aspect of the hospital is equipped with advanced technology, with emphasis on neonatal intensive care for premature babies.

Located at 2211 NE 139th St., Vancouver, near the intersection of I-5 and I-205, the hospital boasts 151 beds in 460,000 square feet. Construction cost was about $285 million.

The main lobby of the hospital is on the first floor, along with the emergency department which is divided into four pods with eight beds in each pod for pediatric, critical care, ambulatory care and general care.

The second floor has operating rooms, short stay beds, and post anesthesia care. Operating rooms are high tech and designed for minimally invasive surgery as well as conventional surgery.

The fourth floor is dedicated to women's services, including delivery rooms, neonatal intensive care and post partum unit, plus a well-baby nursery. Facilities allow for the birth of 14 babies at once, expandable to more with the use of other rooms.

General surgery rooms are located on the fifth floor.

All patient rooms are single-occupancy, with day-beds for family members.

The hospital also offers hotel-type rooms for family members, complete with kitchens.

The sixth floor of the hospital is a shell for future expansion up to the permitted 220 beds.

Avery said building a hospital from the ground up allows for improved organization for patient care and work flow. For example, the lab, diagnostic, imaging and blood work areas are located together on the first floor, not far from the emergency department.

Diagnostic facilities include Positron Emission Tomography for assessing the stage development of cancer. The new hospital has the only such equipment in the county.

The hospital will obtain blood from the Puget Sound Blood Center, not the Red Cross, which is the same source used by the Southwest Washington Medical Center.

Legacy built the hospital with reserve funds; no public money was used.

Employment

Legacy president and CEO Bob Pallari said the new hospital will employ about 680 people with an average salary of $28 per hour. Some 475 employees will be full time.

Pallari said 460 employees of the new hospital are residents of southwest Washington, from Vancouver to Longview. Some 33 newly-hired nurses were employees at Southwest Washington Medical Center.

Pallari said about half of the hospital staff were previously employed with Legacy in Oregon.

Pallari said 15 nursing positions remain to be filled in intensive care and surgery, and on various shifts.

The hospital received applications from some 7,000 people for its 680 positions.

Avery said he moved to the Felida area in recent months.

The hospital employs a team of "hospitalists"--physicians who work full-time in the hospital seeing hospitalized patients. Hospitalists work in adult medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics.

Intensive training

In preparation for opening, Legacy employees underwent two weeks of drills with various people acting as patients.

Each test patient was traced through the system from admission to treatment. Group discussions followed each test to evaluate procedures and staff performance.

An occasional "code pink" was called during the drill period. "Code pink" means an infant has been abducted. The call of a "code pink" alerts staff to take positions at all exit doors.

Nurses played roles as patients and were evaluated by various pieces of equipment.

Paperless hospital

Avery said patient records will be maintained electronically, not on paper. Gone are the days of walls of color-coded file folders with data about patients.

Avery noted that incoming patients will be moved quickly to treatment rooms and will be admitted to the hospital from their beds, rather than waiting at a customary admissions desk while paperwork is filled out.

Patients will be asked to sign various forms, but those forms and signatures will be scanned and filed electronically, not kept as paper, he said.

Diagnostic imaging will be stored digitally, not on film.

Chapel

The new hospital features an etched-glass chapel in its own building located in the courtyard off the third floor.

Art work

Artists from the Pacific Northwest were commissioned to create art for the new hospital.

Loowit is the name given to a 16-foot tall statue at the hospital entrance, created by Lee Kelly. The bright orange feature is meant to draw people in, and to symbolize the hospital's vitality and vibrancy.

Ann Gardner created glass tile sculptures for the elevator lobbies on three floors.

Judith Poxon Fox designed two tapestries for the main lobby.

Michihiro Kosuge sculpted a granite piece for a third floor niche.

Lutz Hauffchild from Canada created a work of glass for the chapel.

Other services include valet parking available 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. weekdays, a helipad for the Legacy Life-Flight helicopter, cafe, rooftop garden and coffee and espresso shop.

Sky bridges connect the hospital to the nearby medical office buildings and parking structure.

The hospital can be reached at 487-1000.

SCULPTOR CREATES ENTRY ARTWORK

A striking red-orange piece of art marks the entrance to the new Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital in Vancouver.

Lee Kelly of Oregon City, OR, created the artwork and gave it the name Loowit, a Native American word for Mount St. Helens.

The artwork measures 16-feet tall and about 21-feet wide and deep, and rises from the hospital's grassy lawn.

Hospital officials say the art symbolizes the same kind of vitality and vibrancy as the hospital's architecture. Its size and color are meant to draw people into the campus.

Kelly said the bright color was selected because the hospital itself is painted in neutral colors.

"I wanted it to appear to be solid," said Kelly, when in fact the piece has five individual elements that don't quite touch.

Kelly said the five elements symbolize both the stages of life and the departments of the hospital.

"It's a system of play on small things," said Kelly.

Kelly works primarily in steel, stainless and mild. The Legacy artwork is mild steel painted with automotive paints.

MAUL HAY MECHANIZES GRASS HAY PRODUCTION

Gene Maul, his son, and three part-time employees can cut, rake, bale, truck, and store about 2,000 tons of hay a season due in part to mechanization.

Gene Maul, owner of Maul Hay Company in Battle Ground, cuts hay with a standard 11 1/2 foot Kuhn mower, and rakes with a newly-designed Kuhn rake.

When baling hay, Maul uses a bale accumulator which is a trailer that uses hydraulics to neatly line up 10 bales and deposit the bales together on the ground.

The device turns two bales one way, then eight the other, with hydraulic arms and sensing switches.

A pressure switch understands when the trailer is full and moves the bales to the ground.

Maul then uses a grapple on the front of a Bobcat to lift 10 bales at a time and stack them on a truck.

The equipment reduces the need for summer employees to haul hay.

"Kids today don't know how to work," said Maul.

Maul said parents interfere with the work of their children, and state laws have made it difficult to hire younger workers. Maul fears lawsuits if a young worker should get hurt.

Maul said wet weather complicated this year's haying season. Some fields could not be accessed until mid July, he said.

Maul brings in hay from eastern Washington, and also operates a hay brokerage business.

The Maul Hay Company can be reached at 687-3120.

CHAMBER WILL ACT ON AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS

Officials of the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce say they will implement several recommendations made in a recent financial audit conducted by two of its members.

The report said that the financial condition of the Chamber has improved in the last two years. Some new procedures are needed, said the report, to safeguard the financial integrity of the organization.

The audit focused on documentation expenses, compensation of its president, and controls over income.

The audit found no wrong-doing or missing money.

Chamber officials have not yet made decisions on accepting certain recommendations contained in the audit.

The audit was conducted jointly by volunteers MaryBeth Lynn, a former state auditor, and by accountant Sandra Barnes.

Findings, recommendations

The audit concluded that the Chamber should develop new policies on expenditures for meals, mileage, training and travel, recommending that limits be put on the frequency of such expenses and their cost. Mileage reimbursement should be in accordance with IRS guidelines at 41.5 cents per mile, the audit said.

The audit recommended improvements in handling cash, such as receipts during the Harvest Days celebration.

Cash should be counted by two people, labeled, and placed in a dual-lock drop box. No one person should have both keys, the audit said.

Checkbooks should be secured in the Chamber safe due to the number of people who have access to the office, stated the audit.

Much of the four-page audit report dealt with compensation to the Chamber president. Terri Tweedell has been executive director and now president of the Chamber since June 1999.

The audit noted that some of Tweedell's compensation was not properly reported as income on W-2 statements which she prepares. Tweedell's income was understated by $8,060 in 2004, said the audit, due in part to failure to include bonuses. Earnings were understated in prior years as well, said the audit.

The report recommended Tweedell gain advice on how many years to examine W-2 statements for understated earnings.

The audit found that Tweedell had been overpaid in 2002 by about $1,123, and recommended the overpayment be repaid.

The audit recounted a loan made to the Chamber by the president's mother, which was repaid to the president in 2004.

Tweedell said she has at times purchased supplies for the Chamber when the Chamber could not afford them, and then was repaid later.

The report also described a loan of $1,000 made by the Chamber to the president. The auditors found no contract for the loan and no reference to the loan in board minutes. Tweedell said the Chamber board has defined a new policy that will not allow loans between the Chamber and its president.

The audit report said that 2005 monthly payroll documentation does not have an adequate audit trail. Draws by the president in January and February 2005 exceeded net payroll. The president repaid $400 of the overpayment in January.

The auditors recommended that W-2 reports and other documentation be reviewed by someone other than the president to assure accurate reporting.

The report recommended better documentation on credit card purchases and petty cash, and a six year record retention period.

Recommendation being considered

One recommendation in the report is still being considered by the Chamber board of directors, said Kevin Morse, a board member and member of the Chamber financial oversight committee.

The report recommended that the president not receive bonuses during years when the Chamber loses money.

At present, Tweedell receives a salary of $34,500, plus bonuses based on the financial success of Harvest Days and Casino Night fundraisers. These bonuses are due to be paid even if the Chamber loses money overall.

Tweedell also receives $2,000 for retirement, and 80 percent of her medical insurance cost.

Morse said Chamber members can expect an increase in dues to help stabilize the organization. While dues have gone up about 3 percent annually in recent years, the board will consider a larger boost, said Morse.

At present, dues range from $102 to about $815 annually depending on business size. Total income from dues is about $40,000, or about half of the Chamber's annual budget.

Chamber membership has risen from 220 to 256 in recent months.

The Chamber owes about $32,500 in long-term debt, and about $8,700 in current debt.

After losing about $24,300 in 2002, the Chamber has shown a profit of about $2,500 in 2003, and $7,500 in 2004.

BURN BANS IN EFFECT FOR CLARK AND COWLITZ

As of Aug. 8, the state Department of Natural Resources has banned all outdoor burning in Clark and Cowlitz counties due to hot, dry weather.

All land clearing, and residential and forestry burning are restricted until further notice.

Fire marshals have rescinded all burn permits that were issued prior to the ban.

When the ban is lifted, permits will be reissued or extended.

In Cowlitz County, the ban includes campfires. The ban does not extend into federally- managed land.

Recreational campfires in Clark County are allowed if built in improved fire pits in designated campgrounds, such as those found in county and state parks and in commercial campgrounds.

On private land, campfires are permitted with the landowner's permission if built in an approved manner.

Acceptable fire pits are:

** Metal, stone or masonry lined.

** May not exceed 3-feet in diameter.

** Have an area at least 10-feet around them cleared of all flammable material, and at least 20-feet of clearance from overhead fuels, such as tree branches.

** Campfires must be attended at all times by a responsible person at least 16 years old, with the ability and tools to extinguish a fire, such as a shovel and with 5 gallons of water or a connected and charged water hose.

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