OFFICER CREDITED WITH SAVING LIFE IN BG FIRE

Officials of Clark County Fire District 11 say Battle Ground Sgt. Jason Arrowsmith likely saved at least one life by acting quickly at the scene of an Oct. 25 fire.

Arrowsmith discovered the 2:30 a.m. fire while patrolling near 112 SW 3rd Ave. He called for the dispatch of fire personnel and began pounding on apartment doors to alert residents.

The fire was accelerated by the explosion of at least one oxygen bottle, officials said.

Fire District 11 Division Chief Mike Ciraulo said Sandy Robertson, 62, the occupant of Unit 6, was taken to the hospital. "We believe he (Arrowsmith) saved her life," said Ciraulo.

Robertson used oxygen from aluminum or steel bottles, and had about 15 bottles on hand. While oxygen does not explode, it does expand and can break the metal containers.

Carla Lippert and Ryan Mitchell were asleep next door in Unit 5. Lippert said she heard "crashing and glass breaking" but thought it was some activity outside. She didn't get up until she heard Arrowsmith knocking on the back door.

Lippert said her two smoke alarms went off later. Most of her possessions remain in the building, she said, damaged by smoke, fire and water. She said she has not been allowed to retrieve her possessions because the building is not stable.

Fire District 11 crews were on the scene in about two minutes of the alarm, said Ciraulo, aided by the close proximity of the fire station to the apartment building.

Fire District 11 controlled the blaze in about 20 minutes, said Ciraulo, with 11 personnel, two engines and a rehabilitation vehicle. Fire District 3 assisted with three personnel and an engine.

Ciraulo estimated damage to two apartment units at $85,000.

Ciraulo said the apartment complex could have burned down had Arrowsmith not acted quickly.

Steve Dill, postal truck driver, said he felt a "thump" while standing on the loading dock behind the Battle Ground post office. That was apparently the explosion of the oxygen canister about two blocks away.

Dill said clerks at the Battle Ground Texaco station heard and felt the tank eruption as well.

PLANE CRASHES AT SWIFT RESERVOIR

Bill Myers, staff reporter

A single-engine private plane crashed Oct. 22 during an attempted landing on a sandbar at Swift Reservoir.

According to undersheriff Dave Cox of Skamania County, pilot Michael Moneyhan, 54, Amboy, tried to land at about 3:10 p.m. on a sandbar when the plane went nose-down and flipped over.

The landing was reportedly not related to an emergency.

Moneyhan, a 10-year-old passenger, the daughter of a friend, and a dog reportedly suffered minor bumps and bruises.

Cox said Moneyhan was licensed as a private pilot. The aircraft, a 1999 Magnum, was a licensed, home-built airplane, said Cox.

The accident is being investigated by Federal Aviation Administration and National Traffic Safety Bureau officials.

RED FIR INN ISSUE DELAYED

Heidi Wallenborn, news director

In an Oct. 29 study session, Battle Ground school board members delayed discussions regarding a liquor license request from the Red Fir Inn in Yacolt to the state Liquor Control Board.

Part of the study session was to discuss whether to hold public hearings, send surveys, take no action and allow the request, or to deny it altogether. A decision was not expected at that time.

The delay was caused by spring ballot levy discussions, bond project ideas, and impact fee talks that ran overtime, said Kelly Keister, District communications consultant.

The Inn, located across the street from Yacolt Primary School, applied to the state in early October for an upgraded license to sell "spirits" rather than just beer and wine as it currently does.

The upgraded license will allow new owner Dave Ayres to open his business as a full-scale family restaurant rather than an "under 21 not allowed" establishment.

At that time, board members asked state officials for an extension to decide because superintendent Shonny Bria was out of town for a family emergency.

The deadline for action is Wed., Nov. 9, unless the board is granted another extension by the state. As of Oct. 31, no new discussion dates were set.

At issue is a state law that requires government officials to be notified if a business applies for a liquor license within 500 feet of a school, government building, or church.

On Sept. 28, school officials unanimously denied allowing Lloyd's Grill, a new family-style restaurant in Battle Ground, a liquor license because it lies 319 feet from Maple Grove Elementary and Middle schools.

By state law, school board members don't have to do anything about the license request. They can allow the license to be issued without taking any action.

With the Lloyd's Grill issue, however, school board members held two public hearings and sent surveys to patrons via this newspaper and home from school with children.

Keister said board members have not indicated their intention on what they will do regarding the Red Fir Inn issue. On Oct. 31, she did not know when board members would discuss it again.

To provide input to school board members and superintendent Shonny Bria, call Keister at 904-1233.

PHIL ARNOLD TO NOTE 90 YEARS

Family and friends of Vancouver map maker Phil Arnold are invited to help celebrate his 90th birthday Sun., Nov. 6, 1:30-4:30 p.m., at The Historic Academy, 400 E Evergreen Blvd., Vancouver.

A former engineer for the city of Vancouver, Arnold published his first map in 1950, and has mapped all of Clark County. He guarantees his maps to be the most up-to-date and accurate.

Arnold Map Service also sells maps made by others, including the U.S. Geological Survey, nautical charts, trail maps, and hunting maps.

Arnold's wife, Helen Arnold, assists in the business, along with their son and daughter-in-law, Phil Arnold Jr. and Kathy Arnold.

Arnold Map Service is located at 119 W 24th St., Vancouver. Information, 695-7897, or Janice Arnold, 402-3112.

MOST SCHOOL MAKE ADEQUATE PROGRESS ON TESTS

Most area school districts made "adequate yearly progress" in student achievement (AYP) based on testing conducted earlier this year.

Only the Vancouver and Evergreen districts failed to achieve AYP. Evergreen did not meet the standards for AYP last year.

The Hockinson and Ridgefield school districts again led the way in the number of students meeting the standards of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), an examination administered in April and May 2005.

Preliminary test results were released in August. The resolution of appeals led to the release of revised test data on Oct. 13.

Hockinson assistant superintendent Maggie Bates credited the Hockinson community and parents with much of the high-level of student achievement.

"In general, this is a community that is really interested and dedicated to having their students be well-educated," said Bates, noting that parents are involved in student educational matters and expect the district to do the best possible job.

"Students come to us with those values," said Bates. "I want to give the community its due."

Bates said the district sets high standards and then gives students the support needed to meet those standards. The emphasis is on core areas, she said.

Bates said the district has emphasized reading in all grades K-12. She said a new reading curriculum, introduced last year for grades K-8, has made an important difference with its emphasis on both literary and non-fiction materials.

"We have really emphasized reading non-fiction text," said Bates.

Hockinson tenth graders scored from 11 to 33 percentage points higher in math than any other district in the area.

Bates credited this achievement on a collaborative, team teaching approach, and on a team-taught program for students who need extra help.

"I'm very pleased by the hard work of our students," said Bates.

Teachers credited in Ridgefield

"I'm very proud of our teachers and principals and the work of our curriculum department in supporting the needs of our classrooms," said Ridgefield superintendent Mary Vagner in explaining her district's good showing in the WASL test.

Vagner said the skills of Ridgefield teachers have been fine-tuned to work with the needs of students in areas measured by the WASL.

"We have a very skilled staff," said Vagner.

Vagner said special emphasis is placed on non-fiction reading and comprehension, an area where, she said, the district has not scored well. "We are working on targeting instruction to improve the abilities of our students in these areas," she said.

Work is also done with students who need special help, said Vagner.

Some specially-trained teachers coach other teachers, added Vagner. And a literacy specialist serves as a reading coach in the secondary level.

Vagner said the district has placed an emphasis on science instruction. "The skill level of our teachers has increased across the curriculum," she said.

Teachers have become more specialized at their grade level, said Vagner. In fact, newly-trained teachers are asked to work three years at a grade level before the district will pay for training at a different grade level.

Ridgefield is now in the second year of a new math curriculum, said Vagner.

Vagner also said that seventh and eighth grade curriculum has been integrated so that, for example, written social studies work embodies language arts curriculum. "Students can no longer turn in a paper in social studies that doesn't meet the standards in language arts," she said.

In addition, the district now requires two periods of language arts for a full year at the seventh and eighth grade level.

AYP calculation complicated

Kim Schmanke of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction said the calculation of "adequate yearly progress" begins with WASL test scores, altered by the elimination of scores from students not in the district all year. A factor for "margin of error" is then added to reach the final value, she said.

In the August preliminary scores, Hockinson was shown as not making AYP based on graduation rates. That mistake was corrected when Hockinson officials advised the state that they had not yet graduated a senior class from their new high school.

Ridgefield was shown as not making AYP until corrections were made in unexcused absence rates at the elementary level, said Vagner.

The Battle Ground district did not meet AYP in the result of special education student testing, but filed a successful appeal.

The Vancouver School District did not make AYP in five categories involving low income students in grades four, seven and ten, and special education students in grade four.

The Evergreen School District did not make adequate yearly progress in three categories involving special education students and seventh grade attendance.

Across the state, 87 of 296 school districts did not make "adequate yearly progress," compared 69 districts in the year prior.

Adjustments made in scoring

Pete Bylsma of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction said several adjustments were made to convert the WASL scores to a measure of "adequate yearly progress." Several of the adjustments were new this year.

In addition to the elimination of scores for students not attending the district from fall through the date of testing, a "margin of error factor" was added to scores.

The "margin of error" factor provides a statistical assurance that repeated test scores would be in that range 99 percent of the time. The "margin of error" factor added up to 36 percentage points to the calculation. For example, among Battle Ground primary schools, the "margin of error" added 5.7 to 9.2 percentage points in each subject, grade and student category. It added 10.8 percentage points in one Pleasant Valley category, said Bylsma.

The "margin of error" has increased by about 40 percent, said Bylsma, by increasing the statistical confidence level from 95 to 99 percent.

Other changes:

** Districts could qualify for AYP even if their adjusted scores did not meet standards if they showed a 10 percent reduction in the number of students not meeting the standard.

** Districts could qualify for AYP event if their adjusted reading scores did not meet standards by averaging reading and writing scores together.

** Districts could qualify for AYP even if, for example, seventh grade adjusted math scores did meet standards by averaging math scores of all grade levels.

** Districts could qualify for AYP even if adjusted special education student scores did not meet standards by appeal and the automatic addition of 17 percentage points to the score.

** New upward rounding rules have been implemented.

** "On time graduation" now includes students who graduate in more than four years.

** Scores of non-English speaking students will not be counted for three years.

Bylsma predicted more changes in the future in the way AYP is calculated. "I don't know that it's ever going to be static," said Bylsma.

AMNESTY PROGRAM AVAILABLE

An amnesty program is available Nov. 1-17 through Clark County Superior Court.

The aim is to reduce the number of outstanding Bench Warrants for individuals who owe legal financial obligations to victims and the court, said program coordinator Blaine Wilson.

Under the program, individuals with active Bench Warrants for failing to make payments toward restitution and court fines may avoid jail and have their warrants canceled.

Individuals pay $100 which is applied to their restitution or court fines, and the court cancels the warrant and places the individual on payment review to monitor continued compliance.

For those who are unable to make the required payment, other arrangements can be made with the court.

The program was approved by County Superior Court presiding judge Robert Harris.

For program details, report to the Clark County Courthouse Hearing Room 1, 500 W 8th St., suite 50, Vancouver.

If unsure of active warrant status, contact the Court Collection Unit, 397-6085.

NEW RULE WON'T AFFECT POLICE RESPONSE: CHIEF

A new Woodland regulation that allows police officers to live 30 minutes from town will not affect response times, said Chief Rob Stephenson.

The City Council voted 4-1 Oct. 17 to allow officers to live as far as a half-hour drive from the police station. The old regulation required officers to live no further than 15 minutes from the station.

Stephenson said the new regulation will have "zero" affect on the response time to citizens' calls.

"It has nothing to do with the response for officers to come to a house," he said.

Stephenson explained that Washington law prohibits a city police department from requiring officers to live within the city limits.

The city has the authority, however, to require that officers be able to reach headquarters within a certain amount of time.

Council member Bruce Summers Jr. opposed the regulation change.

"If this city is good enough to work in, it should be good enough to live in," he said.

Stephenson said he thinks the new requirement will enhance the department's ability to recruit experienced officers.

"I've heard through the grapevine of some officers from other departments who would have been interested in applying, but they lived further away than 15 minutes," he said.

The city's police calls are increasing as the city grows, and Stephenson said he is requesting an additional officer for 2006, bringing the staff to nine.

"My last check the end of September showed we're running over 400 calls ahead of last year," he said. "Every month it's increasing."

WOODLAND BUILDING DEPT SEEKS MORE MONEY

The importance of well-constructed buildings struck Woodland's Bob Jones hard when he saw the destruction wreaked by Hurricane Katrina in southern Mississippi.

Jones, the city's building department director, said he's long believed in thorough inspections and effective building codes. The devastation in communities near the Gulf of Mexico reinforced that belief.

"Government should make sure everything is done to code," Jones said.

During an assessment tour of Ocean Springs, MS, Jones found older buildings more likely to be destroyed than structures built to modern codes.

"Even some newer homes were not built to code," he said. "They would have fared better if they had been."

An insufficient number of inspectors is probably one reason homes aren't built to withstand natural disasters, he said, and he's asked the City of Woodland to add employees to the building department.

Additional staff is needed "to do the job that should be done," he said.

Jones has asked the City Council to increase the department's budget to pay for a second full-time inspector and a permits clerk.

He took his request for funds to a City Council budget work session on Oct. 24.

"We're going to take in nearly $500,000 in building permits this year," Jones said. "Those are fees for service and should be used by the building department."

The 2005 budget is $130,000, he said.

Jones, the city's only full-time inspector, is assisted by a half-time inspector.

The department's revenues are "way over our expenses," he said.

The City Council has made no decisions on additional employees for any departments, said city clerk Mari Rupp.

Other departments, such as police and fire, are also asking for funds to add at least one employee.

"The Council is considering all requests," Rupp said.

A discussion on the proposed budget is set for Mon., Nov. 7, during the regular council meeting at 7 p.m..

The public hearing on the budget will be held Mon., Dec. 5.

CITIES' UGAS DON'T MEET COUNTY GOALS

Alice Perry Linker, staff reporter

Two Clark County cities "didn't take us seriously" when the County Commissioners told them to reduce their urban growth requests.

Commissioner Betty Sue Morris mildly criticized La Center and Ridgefield for failing to scale back their urban areas at the request of the county. When the two presented their boundary requests Oct. 25, both had added to the county's recommendations.

"I thought the commissioners set a fairly clear goal," said Commissioner Betty Sue Morris after the meeting. "It's clear on the dotted-line map. If the cities want to adjust, that's fine, but we don't need to add more land."

In its proposal to the county, La Center asked to expand its southern border and Ridgefield increased its northern border, leaving no open space between the two municipalities.

The state Growth Management Act requires separation between city boundaries.

"I don't mind if Ridgefield expands to the south, but it needs to take out the land to the north," Morris said.

"Some of that land is being farmed now," said Commissioner Steve Stuart. "They (Ridgefield) literally came in with more land when we said less."

La Center's planner Eric Eisemann told the commissioners that much of the land inside that city's proposed urban area cannot be developed because of wetlands or steep slopes.

"The land is broken up by stream corridors," he said.

La Center has not been able to "resolve the south boundary," Eisemann said.

Both Eisemann and the commissioners said the cities need to plan beyond 20 years.

Morris said that some land requested for urban growth boundaries could be put into urban reserve.