Richard Kroon remembered as hard-working, fastidious person
Family members describe Richard Kroon as a hard-working, patriotic who man served his nation and community.
Kroon died suddenly of an aneurism Aug. 30, 2006, shortly before leaving his Woodland home for his job with the city. He was in mid-sentence of writing a note to his sleeping wife when he collapsed in the kitchen.
Richard Don Kroon was born March 22, 1936, in Mt. Clemens, MI, to Dirk and Frances R. (Gooley) Kroon. Kroon moved with his family to Woodland in 1940 when the family also included Kroon’s two older brothers, Jack and Dave. Dirk Kroon had worked for the United Bulb Company in Michigan and took over management of the company’s operations in Woodland.
At a young age, Kroon began working on the bulb farm where the family lived. He helped steer trucks, and dig and sort bulbs.
Kroon was very athletic in high school. He earned athletic letters in four sports for at least three years. In baseball, Kroon was described in news accounts as an exceptional pitcher. He pitched left-handed but batted right handed. He was capable of playing all positions on the ball diamond.
Kroon was quarterback on the Woodland football team. He was known for his skill in the bootleg play.
Kroon’s brother, David Kroon, described Richard as a “fair” student. “He went to school to eat lunch and play sports,” said David. “Sports was his main interest,” especially baseball. He recorded 10-15 strikeouts per game.
Kroon was one of the first Woodland graduates inducted into the Woodland High School Hall of Fame in 1996.
During high school, Kroon had a black 1947 Chevrolet coupe. He attracted various girl friends.
In 1954, Kroon received a letter from the professional Portland Baseball Club and tried out for the team. He played one summer for the Longview Loggers, a city league baseball team in Longview.
After graduating from Woodland High School in 1954, Kroon joined the U.S. Air Force, entering with friends Merton Brown, Ray Dettloff and Roger Turner. While in the Air Force 1954-58, Kroon was stationed in Montana, Alaska and Georgia. His work involved boiler maintenance.
In 1956, Kroon married high school sweetheart Marilyn Brown. Son Steve arrived in 1956 and daughter Kelly in 1962.
After service in the Air Force, Kroon returned to work at the bulb farm, then worked at the International Paper Mill in Chelatchie Prairie, a job he disliked. He was employed in public works for the city of Woodland for about two years.
When Woodland mayor Hoot McDowell wanted city employees to live in the city, Kroon quit rather than move into the city. He then began a 27-year career with Cowlitz County, working in the road department. He could operate virtually any type of heavy equipment. He was a foreman with the county when he retired in 1994.
Son Kenin was born in 1964 and daughter Renee in 1967.
Kroon joined the Woodland Fire Department as a volunteer in 1974 and served at various times as acting chief and assistant chief before retiring in 2000. While a Fire Department volunteer, Kroon was named fireman of the year in 1981, 1995 and 1998. He was recognized for perfect attendance in 1980, 1982, 1983 and 1989. He received outstanding service awards for 1981 and 1984-1994. He was a trained EMT. In 1999, Kroon responded to 360 calls. In 1997, he received the fire chief’s award for exemplary service and leadership.
During area flooding in 1996, Kroon put in many hours of service. He shook hands with Pres. Clinton who visited the flooded areas that year.
Kroon was known affectionately as “Pappy” and “Pops” by his fellow firemen. He remodeled the old Station 2 and Schurman Corner almost by himself, putting up sheetrock at night.
Kroon was a member of a bowling team in the early years, and he had been a golfer.
Richard and Marilyn were divorced in 1975 and Kroon moved into the city of Woodland into a small house referred to as the “Doll House.” Kroon married Judy Wallace in 1976.
In 1994, Kroon began working again for the city of Woodland. He enjoyed mowing grass on city property. He is remembered for responding to fires or other emergency calls by driving the city’s Kubota tractor to the fire station.
Kroon was a patriotic person who enjoyed flags and eagles. He had learned a strong work ethic from his father, and always arrived 15-30 minutes early for work.
Kroon liked things to be orderly and clean. He was fastidious about cleanliness. He washed his own work clothes almost every day. He showered daily, and sometimes twice a day. He disliked hot weather.
Kroon made his own lunch every day and took it in a small cooler-type lunch pail. “He took care of everything,” said widow Judy. He washed his own car because a mechanical car wash didn’t do a good enough job.
Kroon grew a large vegetable garden each year. He taught Judy how to can vegetables. At one point in his life, he owned a Bryant 18-ft. cabin-type boat, although he was not an avid fisherman.
Widow Judy Kroon said her late husband had a standard morning routine: he would get up early, have coffee and a cigarette, sit in the hot tub for 20 minutes, check his computer for email and the weather forecast, then leave early for work. He went to bed early in the evening at 8-9 p.m. He smoked heavily all his life. He had high blood pressure.
Kroon was not involved in exercise and did not enjoy walking. He had gained weight in his later years and weighed about 260 at the time of his death.
Survivors include widow Judy Kroon, at home in Woodland, sons Kenin Kroon of Woodland and Steve Kroon, location unknown, daughters Kelly Gifford of Battle Ground, Renee Hanoski of California, and Sherrie Wilson and Lorrie Owens, both of Woodland, brothers Dave Kroon of Woodland and Jack Kroon of Oregon, sister Trudy Frye of Toutle, 11 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and four nieces and nephews.
Services were held Sept. 1 at Life Center Church, Woodland, followed by burial at Hayes Cemetery. The casket rested on the back of a 1971 Mac fire truck known as Big John. A fire ladder truck with ladder extended and flying a flag was parked at the entrance to the cemetery. He was buried in his fire department uniform that he had returned when he completed 25 years of volunteer service in 2000.
Judy Kroon said Woodland mayor Doug Monge informed her that a future city park or building would be named after he late husband.

County parks plan staggers under own weight
Costs, shortfalls could slow developments
Bill Myers
staff reporter
Economic realities may retard plans by Greater Clark Parks District officials to build 35 parks, including 41 ball fields and some eight miles of trails by 2014.
“Revenue is trending down and costs of construction have soared,” said Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation capital program manager Mary Anne Cassin. Unexpected costs to mitigate wetlands issues at proposed ballfield sites at Hockinson and Fairgrounds parks are especially burdensome, she said.
Costs of fuel, asphault, cement and steel have all risen sharply and dramatically effect cost estimates for park construction, said Parks department spokesperson Jilayne Jordan.
Cassin said a proposed community park in Hockinson is an example of how cost estimates can change.
Planned at the northeast corner of NE 119th St. and NE 174th Ave., the proposed 240-acre park was targeted for construction in 2007. Cassin said it will take a year just to get a wetlands permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build little league fields for Evergreen Little League at Hockinson Park. She said that adding proposed Highlands and Prairie little league fields to the permitting request would add about six more months to the permitting process.
Cassin said the needs of the Evergreen Little League are considered a priority because fields currently used for play won’t be available to the League in 2008.
Park officials are currently evaluating plans to scale back Hockinson Park. An original plan to build and equip the park included Evergreen and Highland little league fields and Prairie Soccer Club fields and a price tag just over $10 million.
A recent staff proposal, if approved, would provide for wetlands mitigation, install an access road, and build eight Evergreen Little League fields with roughed in lighting for three of them. The plan would set aside as future projects grading and mitigation for Highlands Little League or Prairie Soccer Club fields, construction of dugouts, a small community park facility and open lawn area. If adopted, initial costs at Hockinson Park would be reduced to about $5.5 million.
Future maintenance of parks and fields are also funding issues.
Complex funding picture
Residents in the Evergreen area are within the Vancouver urban growth boundary and pay a 27 cent per $1,000 property tax to pay for park maintenance. This tax, approved by voters within the Vancouver urban growth area (UGA) in 2005, is not paid by county residents outside of the Vancouver UGA. Park officials expect the tax to generate about $4.2 million through 2014.
Residents of unincorporated areas of north Clark County do not pay park impact fees on new construction. Such fees, forecast at $11.7 million through 2014, are paid on new construction within boundaries of 10 park districts in the Vancouver urban growth boundary.
The major source of new park funding are real estate excise taxes (REETS), expected to amount to about $20.5 million through 2014. The taxes are paid at the rate of one-quarter of one percent on real estate sales in the county.
Separate REETs, paid by residents in the city of Vancouver and the Vancouver uban growth area are expected to generate $6.3 million. State grants are forecast at about $1.9 million.
A recent Clark Parks program analysis and update estimated that capital requirements of about $65 million would be needed to fully develop all 35 parks. The range is between $32 and $65 million depending on what project elements are built.
A reduced parks program, with ball fields and trails, but fewer amenities, would cost about $45 million. The analysis said approved revenue projections total $33.9 million and recommended a review of ballfield plans with leagues and Park Commissioners.
Members of the Parks Commission recently recommended staying the course with a goal to develop 35 parks, including 30 neighborhood and five community parks, but with fewer facilities. Neighborhood parks are much smaller than community parks, averaging about five acres. Community parks contain ball fields and parking lots and are usually over 50 acres in size.
Park Commissioners agreed there is a significant need for sports fields in the County. They recently asked the Clark County Commissioners to help identify alternate sites for parks with ball fields where wetlands and costly road-improvement issues can be avoided. Several factors blamed
Several factors were blamed in the analysis for a need to reevaluate the Greater Clark Parks District program. Factors included overly optimistic cost estimates, limited staff resources, inadequate project scoping, complex site conditions, construction cost inflation, and a housing market slowdown.
Cost-cutting proposals, such as preparing construction documents in-house, refining uses of materials and streamlining internal processes could save almost $2 million, said the report.
The analysis said other savings could be possible if County officials loosen review requirements for neighborhood park development and change certain construction procedures.
At a Clark County Commissioners work session Aug. 29, Parks officials asked for Board direction on the park development program and to review additional funding sources, such as indexing park impact fees to keep up with cost increases.
County commissioners at the work session asked Cassin to develop more details about increasing construction costs. They also asked her to determine how much it costs to maintain ball fields. Board members asked Parks officials to determine how they might reduce costs by partnering with stakeholders such as equestrian, little league and other groups.
In a recent interview, County commissioner Marc Boldt said the initial vision for parks proposed by Clark-Vancouver Parks and Recreation appears to be unrealistic. He said taxpayers look to the Board of County Commissioners to oversee plans and provide guidance. “We need to provide more oversight,” he said.
Now a vacant field, this site at the northeast corner of NE 172nd Ave. and NE 119th St., is proposed to be the home of Hockinson Park and numerous ballfields.

Public swimming pool discussion set for Sept. 25
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Woodland area residents will get a chance to voice their opinions about a proposed swimming pool in Horseshoe Lake Park during a public meeting set for Mon., Sept. 25, 7 p.m.
The city council tentatively scheduled the meeting for the park, but Mayor Doug Monge said that in the case of inclement weather, a backup location will be found.
Supporters and opponents of the proposed pool spoke to the council Sept. 5 during the citizen comment portion of the meeting. A number of the speakers live outside the city, but Darlene Johnson, who lives outside the city, said she lives “within the pool and recreation district.” She was one of many to call for a public meeting.
Benno Dobbe, who has agreed to donate land adjacent to the park for a swimming pool, said the city council has a “moral and ethical obligation to discuss the issue in an ethical manner.” He accused the council of violating “ethical standards.”
During the Aug. 21 meeting, council member John J. Burke made the motion to void an agreement between the city and the Woodland Swimming Pool and Recreation District. The agreement, a city resolution, was signed in 2002 and gives the city the authority to “convey” about 1.44 acres of land to the district for an indoor pool. The council deferred action on the motion after Mayor Doug Monge pointed out potential liability should the council rescind the agreement.
“We were caught by surprise,” Dobbe said about the council discussion on Aug. 21. “The agreement (between the district and the city ) was signed into law in 2002.”
He said the council had provided “misleading information” and he asked for an opportunity to present information about the pool during a public meeting.
Saundra Tone, wife of council member Jim Tone, called the council’s action “pretty underhanded.”
“This was not an item on the agenda,” she said. “We need to... give everyone the opportunity to address this issue.”
Laurie Almer of Woodland said that she “put(s) the blame on the self-appointed swimming pool committee. We could have a pool now in another place.”
Almer, and Margaret Colf Hepola who lives between Woodland and La Center, said the park land should be maintained as open space.
“The park is one of the most valuable assets we have,” Hepola said. “I donated money for the pool. I would never have given money if I’d known it would be in the park.”
Although most people spoke during the citizen comment portion of the meeting, some called out comments near the end of the meeting when the council was debating the location of the Sept. 25 meeting. Audience members urged the council to meet in the park, and council member Erica Rainford echoed the request.
“I get tired to asking people to go out and see where the building is,” said Dan Heerman of Northwest Cardai Hill Road. “People, including yourselves, don’t know where the building will be.”

OBITS

ROY FELLOWS
Roy Todd Fellows, 41, died Aug. 28, 2006, of cardiac arrest following a grand mal seizure at his family home in Hockinson.
Fellows was born Oct. 3, 1964, in Vancouver. He suffered from autism and severe epilepsy throughout his life, but enjoyed playing with a variety of bright colored objects. He loved to be outside in the summer. He attended special education schools. He lived at the family home in Hockinson his entire life.
Survivors include parents Robert and Virginia Fellows, at home in Hockinson, brothers Allen Stanley of Camas, John Stanley of Washougal, Bob Fellows and Richard Fellows, both of Hockinson, and Ray Fellows of Alaska, sisters Betty Reed of Olympia, Etta Fellows of Hockinson, and Rita Carlson and Kathy Carr, both of Vancouver, and eight nieces and nephews.
Davies Cremation and Burial Services, Vancouver, was in charge of arrangements.