TOLL RISES IN E. COLI CASES
Heidi Wallenborn
news director
Numbers keep rising as health officials continue to investigate E. coli sicknesses associated with consuming raw milk from an unlicensed Woodland dairy.
As of Dec. 17, 17 individuals, including 11 children between the ages of 1 and 13, have been sickened. Clark County health officials are checking out another three people who consumed milk and may have been ill.
Of five children who have been hospitalized, three were released and two remain in critical condition.
To date, nine cases are reported in Clark County, five in Cowlitz County, and three in Clatsop County, OR.
Facing cooperation or jail, a Woodland couple chose to comply Dec. 16 with a Cowlitz County Superior Court order to provide the names of customers who receive raw milk from the farm.
Grinnell said Dee Creek Farm owners Mike and Anita Puckett have been “very cooperative” once they understood the law and what is expected of them.
Their reluctance to let state and county health officials on their property and wariness about releasing customers’ names stemmed from a desire to protect clients’ privacy, Grinnell said.
In Washington, selling raw (unpasteurized) milk is legal with certain guidelines. One is that the farm needs to be licensed and monitored monthly.
State Department of Agriculture officials found last August that the Pucketts sold raw milk, said Claudia Coles, food safety officer. The couple was told to stop selling milk and to get a license.
However, the Pucketts denied that they were selling milk. What they “sold” was a portion of the five Jersey cows they own in what is known as “cowsharing.”
The Pucketts have 45 customers who have purchased a “share” in a bovine, and in return, the co-owner receives milk from the cow, Coles said. Of those, eight are from Oregon, four from Cowlitz County, and 33 are in Clark County.
Although the Pucketts aren’t selling raw milk by retail, they still need to be licensed, Coles said. In order for a cow share agreement to be legal, the dairy farm needs to have a license and health warning labels put on containers.
The Pucketts did not return phone calls from The Reflector.
Health officials are contacting the 45 co-owners on the list, said Marnie Storey, nursing director for prevention of infectious diseases with Clark County.
Using the list, health officials began calling customers on Dec. 16 and found five new cases.
“We have several investigators calling each name and interviewing them about signs and symptoms, and advising them to not drink any more” of the raw milk, Storey said. If needed, those clients will be given access to medical care and laboratory testing.
Health officials are also looking for anyone who may have consumed raw milk from shareholders within the last four weeks and has experienced bloody and/or cramping diarrhea.
State officials have been allowed on the property to begin testing samples of milk and observe the milking process and bottling room to make sure all is correct, Grinnell said.
Dee Creek is a 21-acre, self- sustaining, family operated farm at 2402 Little Kalama River Rd. On two websites the Pucketts’ daughter Summer Steenbarger wrote that their goal is to build an ecologically-responsible farm using natural methods and humane practices.
Products from the farm include free-range broiler chickens and turkeys, pork, lamb, vegetables, natural soaps, and farm-fresh eggs in addition to dairy shares.
“We are pleased to offer our quality products and services to those who desire an alternative for a more healthy lifestyle,” Steenbarger wrote.
Lorrie Conway, co-owner of Conway Family Farms in Camas, is a licensed raw milk producer.
She sells raw goat milk rather than cow milk, however, the cleanliness and licensing requirements don’t change according to state law.
Conway has had goats 12 years. When the law changed last year that required her to be licensed, she was first in line, and first to receive it. Her farm is one of only six dairies in the state to be licensed.
Being licensed and monitored sends a message to her customers that she is serious about health and safety, she said.
The Conways have a herd of six does. She does not “goat share.” Rather she sells half-gallon containers of raw goat milk at $3.50 apiece from her farm of five acres.
The farm also offers one- pound packages of USDA goat meat and lamb, or the full animal, she said. The family raises sheep, and the wool is used to make blankets and yarn. A lavender garden is frequented by honeybees, and candles, soaps, fragrances and a variety of other farm products are offered.
“We are a sustainable unit,” Conway said. She runs the farm with her husband and two daughters.
About E. coli
The E. coli O157:H7 bacteria lives in intestines and is found in fecal matter. Contamination can occur when it comes in contact with food or drink, often caused by poor handwashing and uncleanliness, health officials said.
Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and severe stomach cramps with a very mild or non-existent temperature. The illness usually lasts two to 10 days.
Some recover without treatment. But those most at risk, such as the very young, the elderly, and pregnant women, are more susceptible. Left untreated, the toxin, which destroys the intestines from the inside out, can cause kidney failure and death.
The pasteurizing process uses heat to kill a variety of bacteria that live in raw milk, including salmonella.
Illnesses and death are associated with drinking raw milk every year, officials said. Common causes of E. coli infection are undercooked meat, poor handwashing, drinking unpasteurized juice and cider, eating uncooked sprouts such as alfalfa and clover, and ingesting water from rivers, lakes and swimming pools.
E. coli can also be passed from person to person if one is infected with the bacteria.
Family members and friends of the recent E. coli cases in southwest Washington and Oregon have been advised of precautions to take, Storey said, especially handwashing and drinking any more raw milk.
Anyone who has consumed milk from Dee Creek Farm and/or has experienced cramping diarrhea is asked to call 397- 8182 in Clark County, or (360) 414-5590 in Cowlitz County.
HUNDREDS SICK AT BG HIGH
Over 500 students were affected by a nausea and vomiting at Battle Ground High School Dec. 16, resulting in cancellation of evening events, including two basketball games.
Battle Ground School District spokesperson Kelly Keister said 222 students called in sick that day and another 60-70 left school early.
About 576 students missed at least one class period, said Keister.
Some students were sick Wednesday and Thursday, said Keister, but the viral symptoms did not cause alarm until Friday.
The Clark County Health Department interviewed 23 students and families Dec. 16, and re-interviewed 19 of the 23 on Dec. 17. Officials said all students were improving and concluded the illnesses were viral gastroenteritis which is a self- limiting infection.
Symptoms included vomiting, diarrhea and nausea, but not bloody diarrhea.
Officials sent stool samples from some infected students to a laboratory.
The school has an enrollment of about 2,100 students.
Symptoms can emerge up to 48 hours after exposure, said health officials. Those affected remain contagious for several days.
School officials disinfected all surfaces and planned to steam- clean carpets during the Christmas break.
Keister said the school’s health room, with a capacity of 20 students, was full by 9 a.m. Students were vomiting in trash cans and outside. Keister said 3-4 teachers were also affected.
The illness rate was also above average at nearby Captain Strong and Chief Umtuch schools, said Keister.
As precautions against viral gastroenteritis, officials recommend frequent hand washing, washing contaminated clothing or linens, disposing of vomit in a toilet, cleaning countertops, doorknobs and telephones with bleach, and discarding food handled by an infected person.
Information, Keister, 904- 1233.
COUNTY HEALTH AGENCIES TO WRITE PANDEMIC PLAN
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Clark County is taking steps to prepare emergency services and health care workers for an influenza pandemic.
Officials will begin work this week to write a countywide plan to fight a pandemic.
John Wiesman, director of the Clark County Health Department, said representatives from emergency services agencies, hospitals and clinics will be involved in creating the plan.
“We know this is necessary,” Wiesman said. “At some point we’ll have a pandemic.”
Should a major disease outbreak occur before the plan is finished, “we’d be stretched, but we’re not unique,” he said.
Committee members will look at developing triage—deciding who gets what kind of treatment, who goes to hospitals or other health care facilities, and who is told to recover at home, he said.
Setting up centers for vaccinations or medicine distribution will also be planned, and ways to train helpers established.
“It’s important that our officials understand that our readiness is not at a place we want it to be,” Wiesman said. “In a pandemic, all communities will be overwhelmed.”
The committee will prepare the plan by the end of summer, Wiesman said, and have a table- top exercise with all agencies before presenting the plan to the county commissioners.
A pandemic differs from an epidemic in that pandemics are global, affecting many people in all areas of the world, Weisman said.
“The AIDS pandemic is an example of a pandemic that crosses the entire globe,” he said. “An epidemic is more local.”
The 1968 Hong Kong influenza pandemic that killed 34,000 people in the United States and one million worldwide is the most recent example of a flu pandemic, Wiesman said.
Seasonal influenza epidemics can cause 36,000 deaths in the U.S., he said. Epidemics and pandemics involve diseases that are transmitted from person to person.
Recent cases of avian flu in China and other Asian countries have brought the need for preparation to the attention of federal officials.
“It’s fair to say the avian flu has been the motivating factor for the federal government to get something done,” Wiesman said. “We’ve been concerned for some time.”
Wiesman said the plan will follow a plan developed by the federal government, although there probably will be some modifications.
He said the Health Department is concerned that a vaccine be developed to fight an avian flu outbreak.
BROTHER, SISTER SHARE CHRISTMAS WITH OTHERS
A Woodland brother and sister team have been giving toys to underprivileged children since they were toddlers.
“They don’t remember exactly how they started because they started when they were 3 1/2,” said Teresa Wentworth about her son and daughter.
Austin, 13, and his sister Goose, 10, sold Christmas cards this year to raise money to buy the gifts. They have earned $175 and bought a number of games and educational toys.
“We haven’t finished shopping,” Goose said. “Maybe we’ll buy some books.”
The brother-sister team sold the cards in front of Save-On- Foods in Woodland.
Austin, a student at Woodland High School, began the tradition, Teresa said. His sister, a student at Woodland Intermediate School, joined the effort when she was 3.
“When I was a child, my mother asked me to earn Christmas money,” she said. “When Austin was 3 1/2 he raised money to buy Christmas presents and he raised $35; so I asked him if he’d like to share and he said yes.”
In past years, the children have made tree ornaments from light bulbs and candy canes from beads.
One year the Wentworths filled 72 stockings and took them to homeless shelters for children, Teresa said.
This year, the team has not decided how to give the gifts. Teresa said they like to meet the other children and sometimes go to their homes.
“We’ve talked to the food bank to see if we can adopt a family,” Teresa said.
WOODLAND SCHOOL LEVY PROJECTS NO INCREASE IN TAX RATE
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Property owners in the Woodland School District will see no change in the tax rate under a four-year levy proposal.
The rate which will remain at $2.13 per $1,000 of real property value is expected to generate $2.25 million for 2007 if approved by school district voters.
The levy election, set for March 14, will be an all-mail ballot.
Woodland Superintendent Bill Hundley said property taxes make up nearly 13 percent of the district’s budget, which this year is about $15 million.
Without 60 percent voter approval, the district will not be able to collect any property taxes except for existing bonded debt, Hundley said.
Hundley said he is “realistic” about the chances for levy approval. In 2003, the last levy election, about 64 percent of the voters approved.
The current levy expires at the end of 2006.
“I’m not pessimistic,” he said. “I’m realistic.”
School District voters passed a $3.75 million, 20-year bond in September with about 62 percent approval.
“I was a little taken aback by that narrow margin,” he said.
Property taxes go into the school district’s general fund, the fund that supports personnel, supplies, maintenance, equipment, and other operating expenses.
As property valuation increases, Hundley has projected that the $2.13 per $1,000 will generate a total of $2.8 million by 2010, the fourth year of the levy.
A major need is improved classroom technology, Hundley said. To bring computer technology up to state standards, each classroom needs a document camera, a projector and a laptop computer. Some classrooms are already outfitted, Hundley said. The cost to bring the schools up to state standards will exceed $300,000, he said.
“This is a new generation of overhead projectors,” Hundley said. “It’s quite a deal.”
As school enrollment grows, there will be a need for more portable classrooms, which begin at $120,000. While some of these costs may be covered by impact fees, Hundley said he does not know how much the district will collect and how soon.
The city recently approved impact fees of $2,750 per single- family house and $650 per multi- family unit. The fees are collected for new construction and are earmarked for capital improvement projects generated by population growth.
The district is proposing an extension of library hours to include access for community residents who have no public library. Hundley has estimated that cost at $10,000.
About the levy request, Hundley said, “This is a realistic vision of what it will take to get kids to pass WASL (state- mandated testing program).”
ELECTRIC RATES WON’T INCREASE ANY TIME SOON
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Customers of Clark Public Utilities will not see a rate increase for most—if not all—of next year.
Utility spokesman Mick Shutt said that if any increase comes, it will not be until fall.
“We don’t expect a significant change, but if there is, it won’t be effective until October,” he said.
The cost of natural gas is driving up the cost of power, but the utility is buying the maximum amount of hydropower allowed from the Bonneville Power Authority.
Shutt said the cost to operate the gas-powered River Road Generating Plant is budgeted at $154 million, compared to $69.5 million for hydropower.
The total cost of power, 74 percent of the budget, is $251 million. Transmission and service expenses as well as small power purchases make up the balance, Shutt said.
“Our goal is not to raise rates,” Shutt said. “The commissioners have said they won’t raise rates unless they have to.”
Future increases depend on the Bnneville Power Administration and the cost of natural gas.
“Natural gas is ridiculously high, and we don’t believe there is any good reason for it to be this high,” Shutt said. “It’s been bid up by speculators, and by all accounts, it should come down.”
The 2006 budget carries a $24 million expense for electric system construction. The greatest single expense will be a $2.5 million substation in the east Vancouver region between Fisher’s Landing and Lacamas Lake.
A number of projects to upgrade the system, including several in the north county area, are budgeted.
“Outage problems are not unique to north county,” Shutt said. “We’ve been working on those, trying to reduce the number and the length of outages.”
He said the 2006 budget has funds for such projects.
The cost to participate in the utility’s hot water program will go up in 2006. Under the program, homeowners who heat water with electricity can elect to pay a monthly amount and the utility will repair or replace the hot water heater if it fails.
The current fee is $2.40 monthly, which will increase to $2.95 beginning Feb. 1, Shutt said.
The utility expects to turn over the management of its wastewater treatment plant to the City of La Center some time this year.
Shutt said the utility has budgeted $692,000 to operate the plant for the entire year. When the city will actually take over management of the plant has not been decided.
AMBOY MAN DIES IN ACCIDENT
James D. Beatty, 45, of Amboy, died about 1:30 a.m. Dec. 13 after his 2004 Ford F350 truck went off the roadway and hit a tree.
Beatty was following his wife home and failed to arrive at their house, officials said.
His wife retraced her route and found his truck in the ditch on the south side of the road at the 168000 block of Hooper Wollam Rd., said Clark County sheriff’s Sgt. Craig Hogman.
Weather may have been a factor, Hogman said, as the roads were icy.
Beatty was pronounced dead at the scene. The Sheriff’s Office traffic unit is investigating the crash.
WIND TAKES TRAMPOLINE FOR RIDE
When Vivian Allen of Battle Ground went to church about 7 a.m. Dec. 18, wind had moved her backyard trampoline about 12 feet from its normal location.
“I figured I’d just have to pull it back,” said Allen.
But when she returned about 2 p.m., “it wasn’t even out there.”
Instead, the trampoline was in her front yard.
Allen, who lives at 24305 NE 139th Ave., Battle Ground, said wind apparently picked the trampoline off the ground, carried it 100 feet over a swimming pool, fence and rose garden, and deposited it in her front yard.
No trees were blown down at her home, said Allen, and no damage was done. Trash cans had blown away, she said.
The 15-foot trampoline with its mesh cage was deposited in an upright position at its new location.
POSTAL RATES GOING UP IN JANUARY
The price of a first-class stamp will increase from 37 cents to 39 cents starting Jan. 8, 2006.
The new rate was adopted by the U.S. Postal Service board of governors.
After the first once at 39 cents, each additional ounce will cost 24 cents.
Also in January, a postcard stamp will go up one cent to 24 cents, one pound priority mail will go to $4.05, and a half-pound express mail item will go to $14.40.
Postal officials say the increases are needed so that the Postal Service can establish a $3.1 billion escrow account as required by law.
The Battle Ground post office can be reached at 687-6197.
NEW C-TRAN SCHEDULES NEAR COMPLETION
The schedules for C-TRAN bus service to Ridgefield, Yacolt, La Center and Battle Ground are nearly ready, according to C- TRAN spokesman Scott Patterson.
Service to Ridgefield, Yacolt and La Center is to begin Mon., Jan. 30, following presentations of service plans to city councils.
Service to Battle Ground will be modified beginning that date as well.
The new service plans are a result of passage of a new C- TRAN sales tax in the September primary election.
Ridgefield
Patterson said service to Ridgefield will likely consist of three trips in the morning and two in the afternoon. The bus will make a stop near city hall, said Patterson, following a 30- minute period of “demand service”—picking up people near their homes. Residents must contact C-TRAN 24 hours in advance for such service.
Patterson said the bus will then travel to the Ridgefield Junction area to a park-and-ride area leased by the state Department of Transportation, and then travel to the Salmon Creek Park-and-Ride.
La Center
Service to La Center, said Patterson, will likely be offered twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon, transporting passengers to the Salmon Creek Park-and-Ride. The stop in La Center may be either at the high school parking lot near the ball fields, or at Pacific and Fourth, said Patterson. Door-to-door demand service will also be available.
Yacolt
Service once in the morning and once in the afternoon is planned for Yacolt, said Patterson, with the bus traveling to Battle Ground and from there to the Vancouver Mall area.
Service to all three of these cities will be via “connector van,” a 15-17 passenger vehicle designed to transport passengers to buses located elsewhere.
Battle Ground
Service in Battle Ground, which will also be via connector van starting Jan. 30, will be offered weekdays 6:50 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Saturdays, 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sundays, 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
Buses will leave Battle Ground about every hour, said Patterson, sometimes every 1 1/2 hours.
As in other cities, passengers may call C-TRAN 24-hours in advance for service to their door.
The Battle Ground Park-and- Ride is located at Fairgrounds Parks. The bus will also stop at Albertson’s at W Main St. and 20th Ave.
The connector van from Battle Ground will take passengers to the Westfield Shoppingtown Vancouver transit center.
Patterson said a new Salmon Creek shuttle will provide service from the Salmon Creek Park- and-Ride to Washington State University Vancouver, Kaiser medical facility and the Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital.
Buses leave the Park-and-Ride every 7-15 minutes, said Patterson, for various locations, including Portland.
Patterson said firm time schedules may be available in late December.
When the new service begins, those wishing the dial-a-ride service may call 695-8918. General C-TRAN information is available by calling 695-0123.
Mall center doomed
Patterson said the C-TRAN transit center at Westfield Shoppingtown Vancouver (Vancouver Mall) will be relocated to a nearby site on 65th Ave.
Negotiations with the shopping center for continuation of the transit center have not been successful, he said.
Construction of the new center, to be located near by C- TRAN office building, 2425 NE 65th Ave., will cost about $3 million, funding primarily with a federal grant of $2.57 million.
Light bus stops planned
Patterson said C-TRAN has used a federal grant to purchase 90 solar-powered bus stops, called i-Stop.
The i-Stops, about the size of a shoe box, provide a flashing light to signal approaching buses that someone is waiting.
Forty of the i-Stops also provide light to the area where passengers are waiting.
Patterson said 31 i-Stop units will be installed along Fourth Plain as part of the Fourth Plain Traffic Safety Project. Another 16 will be installed in the Evergreen/Andresen area.
Patterson was not certain if any of the i-Stops would be located in the smaller cities.
Patterson said the flashing light from an i-Stop can be seen a mile away by an approaching bus.
The i-Stops are equipped with Braille activation buttons for the visually impaired and require little or no maintenance over five years, said Patterson.
The 90 i-Stops cost a total of $50,450, and will be installed by existing C-TRAN staff.
TRAIN ENJOYS BUMPER SEASON
More than 2,000 people rode Christmas tree trains in December, offered by the Battle Ground, Yacolt and Chelatchie Prairie (BYCX).
Bryan Baker, who heads the all-volunteers BYCX organization, said demand through both reservations and walk-ons was so heavy that a third train was added on four days.
The Christmas tree trains went from Yacolt to Moulton Falls, where pre-cut trees were available, along with Santa Claus.
Christmas tree trains were scheduled twice on both Saturday and Sundays during the first three weekends in December. A third run was added both days on the first two weekends.
Baker said the only complaints he received during the runs were about delayed runs.
The train waited while every child “had a quality visit with Santa,” said Baker. At times, the train ran 25-30 minutes behind schedule.
Baker estimated that Santa visited with more than 600 children in the first two weekends, or about 50 children per run.
Inspection shows good rail
A rail inspection conducted by the Federal Railroad Administration found little wrong with the track between Yacolt and Moulton Falls.
The voluntary inspection was requested by Will Pickering of the BYCX. Pickering accompanied inspector Harvey Armes on the Dec. 1 inspection.
Armes found loose rail joints at two locations which were repaired before the Christmas tree runs were taken. Pickering said loose joint bolts are a common problem in railroad maintenance.
Armes also noted cut tree branches that had been piled too close to the tracks and could scrape against trains. The pile was removed.
Armes also noted a rock near the north end of the tunnel that was close to the track. Pickering said the rock is in the upside ditch and could be removed with jackhammers if it shifts or becomes necessary. It poses no immediate danger, he said.
Inmate crews had previously removed a beaver dam that was resting against a small trestle near Yacolt. Armes pointed out another beaver dam upstream at that location which may be off railroad right-of-way.
Pickering said beaver dams can give way and send water against a trestle which could weaken it. The upstream dam will be monitored, said Pickering.
Pickering said Clark County requires the track to be maintained to Class I standards even though the BYCX operation is outside the general jurisdiction of the Federal Railroad Administration.
Pickering said Class I standards require just two bolts on rail joints—one on each rail. The BYCX has four bolts at each joint. With even one loose or missing bolt, joints still meet Class I standards, he said.
CLARK COUNTY TO HIRE MORE DEPUTIES
Following the Dec. 6 adoption of budget revisions, Clark County officials plan to hire nine more sheriff’s deputies, 13 custody officers in the jail, three building inspectors, an indigent defense coordinator and three other administrative staff members.
The budget action boosted the biennial budget from $841 million to $884 million, with most of the increase funded by existing revenues and grants.
Jim Dickman of the county’s budget office said additional staff was made possible due to growth, with more homes being constructed than previously planned.
“The county is currently is a solid financial position,” said Clark County commissioner Betty Sue Morris. “We are pleased that our efficiencies and current revenues are allowing us to enhance some of the direct services that the county provides to our citizens.”
Clark County treasurer Doug Lasher said the county had about $57.3 million in cash and investments as of Nov. 30.
The budget revisions will reduce cash reserves at the end of 2006 by about $8.2 million, said Dickman.
The revised budget takes effect Jan. 1, 2006.
UTILITY WILL PROMOTE APPLIANCE REPAIR
Officials of Clark Public Utilities plan to expand their appliance repair program in 2006 in an effort to balance revenues and expenditures in the controversial program.
Spokesman Mick Shutt said the utility will spend about $30,000 in 2006 in an effort to increase revenues from about $800,000 in 2005 to about $1.2 million in 2006—an increase of about 45 percent.
The promotion effort is designed to avoid raising appliance repair rates, said Shutt.
A recent review by the state auditor concluded that the current rate charged by the utility for appliance repair “does not appear to be sufficient to cover the costs of the program.”
State law allows the utility to operate an appliance repair business as long as customers are charged the true cost of the service.
Clark Public Utilities is the only public utility in the state allowed by law to repair appliances.
The state auditor recommended that the utility monitor its plan to promote the appliance repair business, and include indirect costs in its calculation of profit and loss.
Wrote the auditor, “We further recommend that the PUD reevaluate its indirect cost allocation to the program as the current allocation of $888 per month appears too low.
Shutt said the utility actually allocates $1,455 per month of indirect costs to appliance repair, not $888.
In a Dec. 13 budget action, the utility commissioners raised the month fee for its guaranteed hot water program from $2.40 to $2.95, but did not change their hourly charges for other appliance work.
Under the guaranteed hot water program, customers pay a monthly fee to the utility as insurance against water heater problems. If a water heater fails, the utility will repair or replace the water heater at no other charge.
Shutt can be reached at 992- 3238.
PURPLE FINGERS SALUTE IRAQI VOTERS
Bill Myers
staff reporter
Hockinson Primary School students Kira and Adriana Aho waved purple forefingers during the week of Dec. 12 to honor Iraqi voters.