Fire conditions compared to Yacolt Burn era
Recent rains reduce risk
A fire prevention officer with the state Department of Natural Resources has warned that conditions across the Pacific Northwest today are similar to those of about 104 years ago when the Yacolt Burn destroyed thousands of acres of standing timber and claimed lives and property.
While recent rains may signal the end of the fire season, more rain is needed to lift the current ban on outdoor burning.
Wade Alonzo, who handles fire prevention at the Castle Rock office of the state agency, said that a long drought, dryer than normal fuels, and a larger than average number of fires characterize 2006 in southwest Washington.
Alonzo said “1000-hour fuels” are the barometer of fire danger. He described “1000-hour fuels” as those fuels that take 1,000 hours of drying or wetting to change their fuel moisture content.
Western Washington wildfires can grow large when these moisture levels dip below 20%, said Alonzo. “Right now the 1,000 hour fuel moistures are around 13% across the interior west side of Washington,” he said.
For comparison, newspaper has a fuel moisture content of about 16%, said Alonzo. He said limbs and trees on the forest floors are as dry as kiln-dried lumber. “It takes a long time to change fuel moistures,” said Alonzo referring to recent rains.
In 1902, conditions were similar, said Alonzo. The only difference is the east wind.
Experts estimate that winds were blowing between 30 and 70 miles per hour out of the east on Sept. 11, 1902, when multiple fires grew together to produce the Yacolt burn.
The Yacolt Burn destroyed 230,000 acres of standing timber, claimed a reported 38 adult lives and numerous children, and destroyed dozens of dwellings. The number of Indians who died in the blaze were not counted, said Alonzo.
The 1902 Yacolt Burn started in the Carson-Skamania vicinity, said Alonzo, and was likely several smaller fires that merged. The actual cause or causes have been debated, he said.
At the time of the Yacolt Burn, 110 wildfires were burning in the state, said Alonzo.
The Yacolt Burn moved westward from Carson and came to a halt about a half mile from the town of Yacolt.
Between 1902 and 1952, numerous fires plagued the area, some starting when lightning struck snags, sending embers from the light, punky wood into bracken fern elsewhere. A 1929 fire destroyed 219,000 acres. Alonzo said there are currently nine uncontained, large fires burning in Washington and more burning elsewhere in the northwest. Thousands of people are working on those fires.
Alonzo said that during an average year, firefighters respond to 190 fires in eight southwest Washington counties. As of Sept. 7, crews have responded to 213 fires with four months left in the year.
The Larch and Washougal honor camps have helped reduce the risk of wildfires, said Alonzo, by reforesting the Yacolt burn area. Crews from those camps have also cut snags to reduce the risk of lightning fires, he said.
“One day of drizzle cannot undo three months of drought,” said Alonzo. Showers are usually followed by a rash of wildfires started by escaped debris burning piles.
A burn ban is in effect in southwest Washington. State officials ask residents to refrain from outdoor burning until the ban is lifted.
Alonzo stressed the risk of wildfire “if we don’t get rain this fall and we have sustained east winds.” He noted the existence of hundreds of miles of power lines that could be affected by blown-down trees.
The state Department of Natural Resources has about 1,200 temporary and permanent employees who fight fires on about 12 million acres of private and state-owned forest lands.
Alonzo may be reached at (360) 609-4174.

Some school test scores show improvement
Most area school districts made “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) in student achievement, and the test scores at some districts moved higher, based on the results of standardized tests administered last spring.
Only the Vancouver and Evergreen districts failed to achieve AYP for the tests administered in spring 2006. This is the third year in a row that Evergreen failed to make AYP.
State officials released the results of the latest tests Sept. 8.
Hockinson and Ridgefield school districts again led the way in the percent of students meeting the standards of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL).
Maggie Bates, assistant superintendent of the Hockinson School District, credited community commitment, strong teachers, and hard work by students with the district’s continued high-level performance on the tests.
“There is real community commitment to high standards of student performance,” said Bates.
Bates cited as an example of community commitment two meetings held last spring dealing with strategic planning for the district. About 100 patrons attended each of the meetings. Each meeting lasted all day on a Saturday. That many people giving up a Saturday evidences community involvement in schools, said Bates.
Bates said Hockinson teachers work incredibly hard to help all students meet standards.
Bates noted an “elegant upward trend in math at grade seven,” where the percent of Hockinson students meeting the standard rose from 48.5% last year to 69% this year. She also expressed pleasure in “an uptick at grade 10” in math where 74.1% of students met standard, up from 71.7% last year.
Hockinson bucked the tide in its strong performance in math.
Terry Bergeson, state superintendent of public instruction, cited “persistent problems in math achievement” when she released test scores last week.
Statewide, just over 51 percent of tenth graders scored proficient or better in math, said Bergeson.
“We need to get past the idea that math is not for everyone,” said Bergeson, “and recognize that math and science skills will be required of everyone who wants a decent job in the 21st century.”
Bates said the Hockinson School District does not do WASL-specific preparation. Instead, she said, the District teaches to standards and grade-level expectations. “We are toward the top of scores in this county,” said Bates.
Bates said science scores will soon become a priority as districts become accountable in that subject.
Whereas reading, math and writing have been measured by the WASL for a decade, science was added just 2-3 years ago, said Bates. Students in the class of 2010 will be required to pass the science portion of the WASL in order to graduate from high school.
Bates said Hockinson will do “major work” to align middle school and high school science curriculum.
At present, Hockinson requires three years of science, said Bates.
In Ridgefield, interim superintendent John Simpson cited an emphasis on academics plus cooperative efforts as contributing to high test scores. “I think the school district concentrates on academics,” he said.
Simpson said parents are supportive of education in Ridgefield schools, as evidenced by their involvement in schools and levy passage.
Simpson said teacher training and district curriculum are aligned with the state’s Essential Learning Requirements which results in higher test scores. “We have a teaching staff that can get the job done.”
“It’s a cooperative effort,” said Simpson. “And under my watch, we’re going to do the same kinds of things.”
Simpson said he expects the district to gear up for improvements in math.
Bergeson stressed the importance of aligning curriculum with state academic standards. “The biggest and most consistent gains in student achievement have been in schools and subjects where there has been the most focused work to align state academic standards, curriculum, assessment, instruction and teacher professional development, and to use assessment data to pinpoint where improvements are needed,” said Bergeson. “Ten years of focused effort on improving reading and writing have paid off with steady gains in student skill and knowledge.”
Students in the high school class of 2008 and beyond are required to pass the reading, writing and math sections of the WASL to graduate. Those who fail any section will be able to use an alternative method such as portfolios of work, grades in core classes, and scores on certain college readiness tests.
Last spring, 52 percent of 10th graders statewide passed all three sections of the WASL, but over 10,000 students did not pass even one section of the WASL. Those students have opportunities to retake the test.
AYP calculation complicated
Kim Schmanke of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction said the calculation of “adequate yearly progress” is similar to past years, and involves several adjustments.
Schmanke said the final work on AYP has not been completed for all districts, so she is not able to say how many of the 296 districts in the state made the AYP threshold this time around.
Adjustments to test score data that are part of the AYP calculation, said Schmanke, include a “margin of error” factor that can add points to a district’s AYP score. Last year, the margin of error factor added up to 36 percentage points to some districts. For example, the margin of error factor added 5.7 to 9.2 percentage points in each subject, grade and student category in the Battle Ground School District last year.
Districts are able to qualify for AYP, said Schmanke, even if their adjusted scores did not meet standards if they show a 10 percent reduction in the number of students not meeting the standard.
Math scores may be averaged among grade levels to meet AYP, said Schmanke, if the score did not meet standard in one grade level.
Non-English speaking students are not required to take the reading portion of the WASL, said Schmanke, during the first year they are in the United States.
BG grads of 1956 gather in reunion
Some 65 members of the Battle Ground High School class of 1956 held their 50-year reunion with a Sept. 15 dinner at The Cedars on Salmon Creek, followed by a picnic and campout Sept. 16 at Amboy Territorial Days Park.
Randy Amundson, a member of the reunion organizing committee, said the class had 144 members, of whom 31 are deceased. Another 8-10 could not be located, he said.
Class member traveled from as far away as Arizona and California to attend the gathering.
Amundson said the class held its first reunion at 10 years after graduation, and then every 10 years thereafter. The class also held a 45-year reunion five years ago.
Amundson said some class members married other class members, including Cliff and Lois (Stark) Conner, Darrell and the late Ronnie (Waymire) Johnson, and Gene and Barb (Bray) Sawyer.
Clark Siegel was principal at the school when the class graduated in 1956.
Jim Malinowski, now a candidate for commissioner of Clark Public Utilities, was a member of the class. And class member Gary DeLeo’s wife, Karen DeLeo, is a candidate for the state legislature from the 49th district.
Retired teachers Dave Kooken and Dick Morsman attended the reunion.
Class member Darrell Johnson said the high school facility was fairly new when his class entered in 1952, having been built just a year or two earlier.

Open house set for BG Central Main plans
Heidi Wallenborn
news director
Imagine a central Battle Ground area with enhanced sidewalks, more trees and landscaping, new or improved roads, and miles of bicycle paths.
City planners and consultants with the J.D. White Company of Vancouver will host an open house Wed., Sept. 13, 4-7 p.m., at city hall, to get community input on three draft alternatives for the Central Main Street District.
It is the second of three planned informational open houses before more formal public hearings are held.
In April 2001, city council members approved a 50-year vision for the city. Part of the vision recognizes that the heart of Battle Ground is the downtown area.
The area under review includes Main St. from SR-503 on the west to Parkway Ave. on the east, and bordered on the north by Onsdorff Blvd. and on the south by Scotton Way.
Information provided by the J.D. White Company suggests the area is unattractive and uncomfortable for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
Traffic congestion, narrow sidewalks, and an absence of bike lanes, street trees, and greenery are apparent, the company reported.
As a result, property and business owners in the area were sent surveys with lists of ideas and asked for comments.
The three draft designs to be presented Sept. 13 reflect community input so far, according to city officials.
All three drafts show improved pedestrian crossings on W Main St. and S Parkway Ave., areas to be designated as bikeways, a park plaza idea, and improved and added streets to increase traffic flow.
All three alternatives also show areas for potential commercial development on land already zoned for such use.
One example is the Battle Ground Mobile Estates, which is used as residential but is zoned commercial. The Mobile Estates is designated for potential commercial development if the owner chooses, said city planner Rob Maul.
Portions of Battle Ground School District properties are also zoned commercial, including the brick buildings fronting Main Street. that were once used as bus barns. A former maintenance building nearby could also be converted to commercial use.
“We are looking at future development activity,” Maul said. “The city is not pursuing removing the manufactured home park or taking over school sites. We will work with everyone if they wish to pursue development.”
To date, Maul has had discussions with Kevin Jolma, facilities director for the Battle Ground School District, about what may happen to buildings no longer needed by the District, and the need for better traffic flow from Lewisville Middle and Battle Ground High schools before and after school.
Maul said District officials are cautious about a roadway through campus, but it’s an option they are exploring. Officials understand the need for an alternate route, Maul said, three of which are reflected in the draft maps.
As buildings are constructed and remodeled and service areas shifted, and some property liquidated, options open up for development if District officials choose, Maul said.
The drafts only reflect comments made in the first open house, and consider business and private property owner’s suggestions, said Ron Mah, a J.D. White Company project consultant.
So far, several key affected parties have been contacted, with “good discussions with several,” Maul said.
Charles Hahn, owner of the Mobile Estates, and its manager have been contacted and given survey forms, as have officials of Safeway, Dick’s Tire Factory, Battle Ground Plaza LLC, Walgreens, Wilco, developer Dean Maldonado who is building an office complex in the Central District, and more, Maul said.
“They are all fully aware of this process and design, and have been invited to participate,” Maul said. “There has been some feedback.”
Property owners and business owners don’t necessarily have to fill out forms either, Maul said. Staff is available at city hall in the planning department to converse with anyone, and they are available by phone calls and e-mails.
Maul and Mah said the community needs to remember that these drafts are not hard and fast.
“The drafts are not cast in stone or concrete,” Mah said.
“None of our plans are intended to force anyone’s hand regarding property,” Maul said. “We want everyone to participate and provide input. We are very much about the open and public process.”
Another open house to show refinements will be held before final designs are made.
From there, the plan will go to city planning commissioners in a public hearing where more input is taken. If the planning commission recommends the design, it would go to city council members for two more public hearings before being adopted or rejected, Maul said.
“We want to hear from all facets of the community,” Mah said. “We start with public input, then develop a plan.”

County sets meetings on growth plan
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Clark County has released a 325-page document explaining the alternatives in the update of its growth management plan.
The draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) includes three alternatives and discusses the impacts of each. The county commissioners have said that the urban growth areas will be increased in La Center, Ridgefield and Battle Ground.
The draft EIS examines all facets of the county’s population growth and includes analyses of soils, air quality, water quality and water availability. Soils, wetlands, endangered species and other environmental issues are examined, as are transportation, parks, sewers, law enforcement and fire protection.
Marty Snell, the county’s long range planner, said the county commissioners have determined that about 11,000 net acres are needed countywide to accommodate the 2 percent growth rate over the next 20 years. Because of requirements for roads, schools, parks and sensitive environmental areas, about double that amount will be needed for development.
The commissioners will hold a public hearing on the document Wed., Sept. 20, 2-4 p.m. and 6:30-9 p.m., Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver. From 4-6 p.m., the commissioners will have a public open house to discuss the comprehensive plan. The county will also have a public open house to explain the document Wed., Sept. 13, 5-7 p.m., at the Ridgefield Community Center, 310 N. Main St. County planning officials will be available to answer questions.
Copies of the draft EIS area available at The Reflector, 20 NW 20th Ave., Battle Ground; at Battle Ground, La Center and Ridgefield city halls, Yacolt Town Hall, and the libraries in Battle Ground and Ridgefield. The county will accept written comments until Sept. 25.
The draft EIS includes a no-action alternative that would keep all urban growth areas as they now are. County officials have estimated that in the next 20 years, Clark County will grow at a rate of 2 percent, or 173,000 new residents, giving a total population of 584,310. The EIS concludes that without expanding urban growth areas, the cities would not have sufficient land to accommodate the increasing population. The document also assumes that the county will need another 138,000 jobs to support the growth.
A list of “principals and values” stresses the importance of job growth and requires that the county “equalize land allocation and job/population ratio so that cities have equitable share of jobs--diverse job base.”
The preferred alternative, known as alternative 2, shows the amount of net acreage needed to meet the 2 percent growth expectation and provide adequate land for job growth. Alternative 3 shows the amount of gross acreage needed.
The cities of Ridgefield and La Center have asked to place their southernmost and northernmost boundaries along 299th Street and officials from the cities have been meeting with county planning officials to determine how that may be achieved.
Snell said that the three municipalities have talked about joint pre-planning for the area along 299th Street. The area does not lend itself to a straight-line boundary, he said.
“We could provide a geographic boundary,” he said. “We need to identify the sphere of influence for each, but in the foreseeable future, the area will remain under the jurisdiction of Clark County.”
La Center has applied for a state grant to fund the pre-planning effort. Information about the grant should be available in a few weeks, Snell said.
Battle Ground’s request for increases in its urban growth area are close to the county’s recommendations for net land needed. Under the plan, most of the city’s growth would be to the west, with small additions, primarily for low-density residential and business parks, to the north.
Changes in the cities’ urban growth areas have come as the result of the county’s decision to rewrite its comprehensive plan. A plan adopted in 2004 was scrapped last year after a lawsuit was filed, and the commissioners began another review. The commissioners have said they hope to approve the plan this year.
Snell may be reached at 397-2375, ext. 4112.

Feds end 30-year drug ring
Agents raid upscale northeast Vancouver home
Federal agents with loudspeakers shattered neighborhood silence Sept. 13 just before 7 a.m. around a large, gated home at 13200 NE 77th Ave., Vancouver.
“This is the police. The house is surrounded. Come out with your hands up,” repeated a masculine voice over the loudspeaker.
According to Jean McNeil of the U.S. Attorney’s office in Boise, ID, the wake-up call was directed at homeowner Kent Allen Jones and prompted by an indictment handed down by a Boise, ID grand jury in June. The indictment charged Jones with being one of several organizers of a $20 million drug-trafficking operation.
Other arrests of 11 men, including another Vancouver man, were taking place at various other locations, said McNeil.
Arrested were Jones, 51 and Mark William Pursley, 32, both of Vancouver, Gregory Frank Sperow, 55, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in San Pedro, CA, Mark Daniel Kitzman, 49, of Lake Oswego, OR, Harold Carl Ballenger, 54, of Bend, OR, Dennis Bruce Hammonds, 59, an inmate at the Federal Correctional Facility at Sheridan, OR, Jerod Lee Keyser, 31, of Priest River, ID, Robert David Long, 52, of Eugene, OR, Damon John Marsh, 37, of Portland, OR, Dale Eugene Barker, 55, of Evergreen CO, and Mark M. Alders, 54, of Lakeside, OR. Gerald Francis McDonald, 55, of Costa Mesa, CA, is a fugitive.
According to U.S. Attorney information, those arrested were alleged organizers of a marijuana and cocaine trafficking ring. The ring allegedly operated throughout the U.S., importing drugs from South America and Mexico, and growing large amounts of marijuana in the U.S. both indoors and on public lands.
The indictment seeks forfeiture of more than $24 million in proceeds from drug trafficking, including $20 million in cash, a variety of business interests, airplanes, boats, vehicles and real property.
The ring allegedly started years ago by a group of high school friends in Roseburg, OR. Over the years, the ring is alleged to have sold thousands of tons of drugs to buyers as far away as New York, Ohio, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
In addition to various drug distribution and money laundering charges, six of the men, Jones, Sperow, Kitzman, McDonald, Ballenger and Hammons, are charged with operating a Continuing Criminal Enterprise. A conviction of this charge comes with a mandatory penalty of 20 years in prison.
The indictment seeks forfeiture of properties owned by the alleged traffickers in Idaho, Oregon, Callifornia, Colorado, Hawaii and Vancouver, WA, according to U.S. Attorney information.
Federal authorities say the case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Idaho because it reportedly stemmed from the prosecution of a major drug trafficker in Idaho several years ago who received large quantities of drugs from the Jones organization.
Barb Meggs, a neighbor of the Jones home, said Jones lived at the home for at least five years. She said Jones and other household members were quiet, stayed to themselves, and didn’t mix with neighbors. She didn’t know if Jones lived with family members.

Meetings set on growth plan study
Public comments are invited on a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) dealing with a Clark County plan to update its growth management plan.
The county commissioners will hold public hearings on the document Wed., Sept. 20, 2-4 p.m., and 6:30-9 p.m., at the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.
The commissioners will conduct a public open house 4-6 p.m., between the two public hearing sessions.
County officials will also conduct a public open house Wed., Sept. 13, 5-7 p.m., at the Ridgefield Community Center, 310 N Main Ave., Ridgefield.
The EIS evaluates the impacts of three alternative courses of action, one of which is the “no-action” option. Clark County planner Rich Carson said the county commissioners will examine all three alternative and choose a preferred alternative. After approving an alternative the commissioners will begin another round of public hearings.
County officials plan to increase the urban growth areas for all cities except Yacolt and Woodland to accommodate predicted population and job growth over the next 20 years.
The commissioners adopted an update to the growth plan in 2004. That update was challenged in court and the commissioners opted to reconsider the plan.
The latest proposed revision is based on a population growth estimate of 2% per year, higher than the 1.67% growth rate forecast in the 2004 update. The 2% growth rate would result in 192,635 more people in the county by 2024, and would bring the county population to more than 584,300 people.
The plan foresees the need for about 67,000 new dwelling units and 138,000 new jobs by 2024. Residential densities would be highest in Vancouver at eight units per acre, and lowest in La Center at four units per acre.
Officials predict that 90% of the population growth would occur in urban areas, and 10% in rural areas.
Alternatives 1, 2 and 3
Alternative 1 in the EIS document is the no-action alternative. Officials discount this alternative because it would not provide sufficient land to accommodate predicted growth. If this alternative is selected, states the EIS, upzoning would be required to add more people into the current urban areas.
Alternative 2 is the principal action proposed by the county. It would add 10,850 acres to urban areas, some of which, the EIS states, are currently prime agricultural and forest soils. This alternative would result in more vehicle congestion, the EIS states. I-5 and I-205 would operate at near failure level of service in the morning rush period.
Under the proposed plan, Battle Ground would gain 1,507 acres along the west and south boundaries. La Center would expand to the west and east, adding 1,213 acres. Ridgefield would expand north and south along the I-5 axis for medium and low-density residential and industrial uses with the addition of some 2,144 acres.
Nearly 4,000 acres would be added to the Vancouver urban growth area.
Alternative 2 would convert about 3,000 acres of rural land and about 4,400 acres of resource land to urban land. Most of the rural land would be added to Battle Ground (726 acres) and Ridgefield (647 acres).
Alternative 3 provides options for adjusting the urban growth boundaries in Alternative 2. The “subareas” mapped in Alternative 3 could be added to the urban growth areas in Alternative 2 while same-sized areas are removed.
The main reason for adjusting the boundaries in Alternative 2 would be to avoid or reduce environmental impacts, the plan states. The county commissioners requested Alternative 3 as a decisionmaking tool for modifying the boundaries contained n Alternative 2. The EIS contains maps of the subareas that could supplant growth areas contained in Alternative 2.
A list of “principles and values” in the EIS stresses the importance of job growth and requires that the county “equalize land allocation and job/population ratio so that cities have equitable share of jobs--diverse job base.”
The cities of Ridgefield and La Center have both asked to place their boundaries along NE 299th St., and officials from the cities have been meeting with county planners to determine how that may be achieved.
County planner Marty Snell said that the two cities have discussed joint pre-planning for the area along NE 299th St. The area does not lend itself to a straight line boundary, said Snell.
“We could provide a geographic boundary,” said Snell. “We need to identify the sphere of influence for each, but in the foreseeable future, the area will remain under the jurisdiction of Clark County.”
Jeff Sarvis, public works director for La Center, said the city has applied for a grant that would allow the municipalities to establish open spaces in environmentally critical areas along the proposed boundary.
“We will write a plan that uses natural features and corridors to separate the urban growth areas,” he said.
The state’s Growth Management Act calls for open spaces “within and between urban areas.”
Battle Ground’s request for increases in its urban growth area are similar to the county’s recommendations. Under the plan, most of the city’s growth would be to the west, with additions for residential and business park to the north.
The county commissioners have said they hope to approve the plan this year.
Copies of the draft Environmental Impact Statement are available for review at city halls in Battle Ground, La Center, Ridgefield and Yacolt, at libraries in Battle Ground and Ridgefield, and at The Reflector office, 20 NW 20th Ave., Battle Ground.
Printed copies may be purchased for $40; electronic copies are available for $5.
Comments are due by Sept. 25.
Snell may be reached at 397-2375, ext. 4112.

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.

Officials to consider rural lot size rules
The Clark County planning commission will consider proposals to clarify the way lot sizes are calculated in rural areas during a public hearing set for Thurs., Sept. 21, 6:30 p.m., at the Public Services Building, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.
County planner Pat Lee said a change to 40.200.040(C)(1) would provide for the size of rural lots to include the size of contiguous public rights-of-way (roads).
Lee said existing rules contain the same calculation methodology, but are somewhat unclear. The proposed change would clarify that the size of lots outside urban growth boundaries and rural centers could include public rights-of-way.
The clarified methodology would apply, said Lee, when certain land use rules are being considered.
Planner Travis Goddard said, if the rule change is approved, county staff would decide whether half or all of a road right-of-way should be credited in a lot size calcualation. “The rule of thumb,” said Goddard, is a half width unless the property owner shows that the entire road came from their land.”
This rule of thumb is not included in the proposed rule change, said Goddard.
If a landowner has 20 acres, said Goddard, and dedicates one acre for a right-of-way, the property would still qualify to be subdivided into four 5-acre lots, he said, despite the dedication. Thus, he said, landowners need not be concerned about dedicating land for roads and losing their options for subdivison.
A companion change to the Clark County Code Section 40.260.100(G)(b)(9) would clarify the approach to calculating lot sizes for major home businesses. Specifically, the change would provide that major home businesses can be located on lots of 2.5 acres, and that the lot size can be calculated by including contiguous public rights-of-ways.
Lee said an existing section of county code allows for a 10% variation in lot size calculation when comparing lot size to land use requirements. For example, a lot of 2.3 acres, including contiguous roads, can be considered to meet a 2.5 acre standard with the application of the 10% variance rule. County staff retains the option of disallowing the 10 percent variance rule in specific situations.
Lee said the objective of the proposed rule clarifications is to allow certain land uses on parcels that otherwise would not qualify for uses such as home businesses. Goddard said the purpose of the proposed rule changes is to determine if the use of such rules is in the public interest, and that would be determined by the county commissioners, he said.
Such situations do not often arise in urban areas, said Lee, so therefore the clarified rules apply specifically to rural lands.
Goddard said the inclusion of rights-of-way in urban lot size calculations would make more difference than in rural areas because urban lots are smaller. Roads in urban areas are removed from subdivision calculations before plans are finalized on the number of lots allowed in an urban subdivision.
Public comments will be taken at the Sept. 21 meeting.
Lee can be reached at 397-2375, ext. 4070.

BG resident tells of Mount. Everest climb
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Ron Oliver had a goal for nearly 40 years: To climb a mountain higher than 27,000 feet.
He reached his goal a year-and-a -half ago when he successfully climbed the 27,000-foot Cho Oyu on the border of Nepal and Tibet.
After that, the Battle Ground resident was ready for an even higher peak. In April he attempted to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world at 29,000 feet. He almost made it, but turned back short of the summit when fatigue overtook him.
Oliver presented a video program about his adventure on Mt. Everest Sept. 11, at the Seventh-day Adventist Community Church of Vancouver.
“There are only 14 mountains higher than 8,000 meters (27,000feet),” he said. “My goal was to climb one 8000-meter peak. I did that in 2004. From the summit I could see Mt. Everest, and I thought, ‘Maybe I can do that.’”
Now 62, Oliver started climbing in his 20s. His first successful climb was on Mt. St. Helens before the volcano erupted. He became interested in climbing during a family vacation to Mt. Ranier.
“There was an exhibit of a U.S. expedition to Mt. Everest. I didn’t think about climbing Mt. Everest at the time but I was intrigued with the idea of climbing,” he said.
He joined the Mazamas climbing club in Portland and signed on for the climb to Mt. St. Helens.
“I rented equipment and pulled stuff out of my closet,” he said. “When we got to the summit, it was cold. I had worn garden gloves and a fleece jacket. There was a gap between my sleeves and my gloves. The leader said, ‘You need more clothes,’ and loaned me a down parka.”
That trip was the only time Oliver was unprepared for climbing. His motto is safety first., and he’s never had a major accident during a climb
“I’ve never had a near-miss experience,” he said, “but I’ve been with people who have fallen and died. If you do the wrong thing at the wrong time, you can fall. I take the safest and easiest way to climb.”
Oliver’s group of 12 set out for Mt. Everest from Lukla, Nepal, taking eight days to walk to base camp. Each day they gained more than 1,000 feet of elevation. Altitude above 10,000 feet can make climbers sick if they don’t take proper precautions, he said.
The group lived at base camp, 18,000 feet for six weeks.
“It’s the highest elevation that you can get adjusted to,” he said.
From base camp, they climbed to the higher camps, called Camp 1, Camp 2 and Camp 3. Camp 4 is the summit. They climb to the higher camps, stay a night or two and return to base came for a few days rest.
The group’s climbs above base camp were delayed. Each climber is accompanied by a sherpa, from the mountain area. The sherpas are Buddhists and will not climb higher than base camp until a holy man, the lama, blesses the climb. The lama was delayed.
After the blessing came a snowstorm, dumping 18 inches on the camp, slowing the progress further.
“We were delayed one week,” Oliver said.
During his time in base camp, Oliver became ill with flu. Although he had recovered by the time he began the climb to Camp 3, he became tired and decided to turn around before reaching the higher camp.
“I went to Camp 2 twice, but I never felt very strong,” he said.
Although Oliver did not reach the summit, several members of his party did, and he will show videos from the summit.
Oliver’s party encountered a tragedy. Their path followed an ice fall, a treacherous area. Three sherpas from a work party were killed in a fall on the ice, and the group was forced to wait until the bodies were recovered.
“Everest wears you out,” he said. “It’s so long, so demanding, so high. You can’t push yourself. If you’re tired, you have to turn around so you have enough energy to get back safely.”
Oliver, an accountant with Peterson & Associates, hopes to continue climbing, but he said he has no plans to attempt Mt. Everest again.
“The more time passes, the more you forget the hardship and remember the fun,” he said.
Ron Oliver crosses a crevasse in the Khumbu Icefall during a spring climb on Mt. Everest. Oliver did not reach the summit, although other members of his party did.
Ron Oliver and his sherpa, Pasang. Each climber is assigned a sherpa to help along the way.
submitted photos
Two power outages happen at same time
A car into a power pole and a tree limb into power lines caused near-simultaneous power outages Sept. 8.
Mick Shutt, spokesman for Clark Public Utilities, said a tree limb fell into power lines on Lucia Falls Road near Yacolt about 5:45 p.m., severing power to 422 customers.
Crews restored power to 372 customers by 7:30 p.m., and the remainder had electricity by about 9:48 p.m.
Then about 6:15 p.m., a car hit a pole at NE 219th St. and NE 72nd Ave., Dollars Corner, cutting power to 745 customers.
Shutt said power was restored to 613 customers by 7:40 p.m., and the remaining 132 customers regained power about 11:10 p.m. after a new pole was installed.
Shutt said power can readily be re-routed to serve customers in outage areas during summer months when the demand for power is lower. It is more difficult, said Shutt, to re-route power through switches from other substations during the winter.

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.”

Elsie Sonntag, farm girl memories
Bill Myers
staff reporter
Battle Ground resident Elsie Sonntag knows all about hard work. Her mother showed her.
Sonntag was born Elsie Ost on Oct. 31, 1911 in a log cabin on her parents’ farm north of Battle Ground near Battle Ground Lake. She was six years old when her father, Albert Ost, died of pneumonia in 1918. She said her father was born in Germany, but came to America as a boy “because Germany was too military.”
“My father’s passing was a sad time for my mother, but she didn’t have time to cry,” said Sonntag.
Sonntag’s mother, Meta Ost, with four children ranging in ages from 12 to four, was determined to keep the children together and stay on their farm. She achieved her goal and never remarried.
Sonntag said she remembers that someone offered to take and raise two of the children. “But my mother said she couldn’t decide which two to give up,” she recalled. They stayed together.
A myriad of chores delegated to family members included milking 25 cows by hand. The younger children milked five each in the morning and in the evening. “My older brother milked the rest,” said Sonntag.”
“Our farm didn’t have electricity until I was a junior in high school,” said Sonntag. Family members drew water from a well in their yard by working and “up and down” hand-pump. They also chopped wood to heat their house and cook.
Sonntag said she and her siblings cared for the farm animals, including cattle, pigs and chickens. Feeding the animals was a daily thing. So was gathering eggs early in the mornings, she said.
Another chore on the farm involved raising and selling potatoes.
Inside the farm house, the girls helped their mother with baking and sewing on an old foot-operated treadle machine.
Having animals helped with family income and kept food on the table at the Ost home. “Our family always had good things to eat,” Sonntag said. Mother and her girls baked bread and canned vegetables and meats. Her mother always smoked ham and pork for the family, she said.
After milking and other morning chores, the children walked to the Crawford School House, said Sonntag. The school was about a mile west of the farm, right near what is now the entrance to Battle Ground Lake Park.
“The road was always muddy when it rained, and we would walk on boards to keep from walking in the mud,” said Sonntag. She said her mother was always worried that her children might fall prey to bear or cougar in the area. Cougar shrieks from nearby woods were common, she said.
Sonntag said Battle Ground Lake was a happy place when she was growing up.
“My Aunt Tillie and Uncle Charley Thom lived near the lake,” she said. Highlights at the lake included going fishing with Aunt Tillie to catch crappie and catfish. “We were excited and proud to take a gunny sack of fish home to our mother,” she said.
Sonntag said she and other family members attended many rodeos, wrestling events and dances at Battle Ground Lake. “They always had fireworks there on July 4,” she said.
She and the other children were always excited about going to high school, said Sonntag. “After our chores, my brother and I would grab something to eat from the kitchen and run to catch the school bus,” she said.
Sonntag graduated from Battle Ground High School in 1930, and says she is the only class member still alive.
Following high school, she did house work and took care of two babies for a Camas family for about two years. Then she went to work at the Crown Zellerbach Paper Mill. She soon met and married her first husband, Lavine Thorn. The marriage ended in divorce 25 years later, said Sonntag.
In 1963, Sonntag bought the home in Battle Ground that she still occupies today.
A second marriage to Battle Ground resident Don Quirk lasted nine years until his death. Two years later, Elsie married Herman Sonntag. The marriage ended with his passing 16 years later in 1990.
Enjoying good health and active, Elsie Sonntag is secretary/treasurer of the Lewis River Old Timers, a group of seniors with about 50 members who often meet at the Battle Ground Senior Center for dinners. She was willing to interrupt the canning of applesauce for this interview.
Sonntag cherishes her 17-year-old cat, Tootie. She said she took the cat in about seven years ago when its previous owners decided to have her put to sleep because they were moving and couldn’t take the cat with them.
Tootie went blind earlier this year, and now walks the walls to find her food and cat box, said Sonntag. “But I love her still and will help her get along,” she said.
Sonntag also loves a grown adopted daughter, four grandchildren, two great granddaughters and a great grandson due to arrive in December.
Elsie Sonntag, with great granddaughter, Alivia, is in photo bin..needs to come back to Bill when used.

Wallmart hearing
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Woodlanders Against the Wall will take their concerns about a proposed Wal-Mart to the city hearings officer during a public hearing on Thurs., Sept. 28, 4 p.m., at the Woodland School Commons.
Attorney John Karpinski who represents the organization said Sept. 12 that he had not received any information about the upcoming public hearing until Sept. 12, although city officials had announced the hearing at least a week earlier.
“I thought it (the hearing) was on hold,” he said. “I’ve gotten documents from the city but nothing about the hearing.”
Karpinski said he heard about the hearing during a conversation about another matter.
“They (the city) act like they don’t want the public to be advised,” he said.
Karpinski received the legal notice of public hearing that was submitted to newspapers of record, he said.
Woodlanders Against the Wall was formed after Wal-Mart announced it would build a super-store on Dike Access Rd. near the I-5 interchange. The store is allowed under the city’s current zoning, but the organization is appealing the content of the State Environmental Policy Act report submitted by city staff.
Wal-Mart officials have said that a 163,055 square-foot superstore will be built on 18.5 acres. The store will have 843 parking spaces. Between 1,089 and 1,268 vehicle trips are expected to be generated each day.
Karpinski has also raised the traffic issue, saying that the traffic analysis underestimates the volume of traffic, including the impact of school traffic. A high school is planned for property on Dike Access Rd. near the proposed store.
Karpinski said he will raise issues of flooding, transportation, stormwater removal and wetlands. He will ask the city to have a full environmental impact statement before giving Wal-Mart the go ahead to build a store.
Because the proposed superstore complies with Woodland’s commercial zone, only issues addressed in the environmental assessment document may be addressed at the hearing.

Woodland pool

Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
A proposed Woodland swimming pool has created a barrier between two factions: those who want the pool in Horseshoe Lake Park and those who don’t.
“We want a swimming pool,” said Laurie Almer of Woodland. “We just don’t want it in the park.”
Those opposed to a park pool cite the few number of acres devoted to open park land in the city. They say that property at the corner of Glenwood and Columbia streets, acquired specifically for a swimming pool facility, is a better location. That property is owned by the Woodland Swimming Pool Committee.
Supporters of the park say that the Glenwood location sits in an industrial area and is not suitable for young children.
Benno Dobbe, a supporter of the park site and a member of the swimming pool committee, said the committee could not get sufficient financial support or support from “swimming pool experts” to build on the Glenwood site.
“We got stuck there,” he said. “There was not enough support from the investors. They are much happier with the park location.”
The Glenwood property lies across the street from the Coca Cola Company and across Columbia Street from a truck parts firm, but it is also at the edge of a residential district. Dobbe said the site is not an option for a swimming pool.
Dan Heermann, who unsuccessfully fought the park location in court, said the city needs the open space where the pool would be located in Horseshoe Lake Park.
Heermann, who owns commercial property across Park Road from the lake, said his businesses would not be affected if the pool were located in the park.
“The park is more and more used, and this would destroy park land,” he said.
Almer agrees.
“Putting a big building in the park will ruin it,” she said. “It’s nice and open now. We won’t be able to bring in jazz festivals, carnivals. There’ll be no place for kids to play.”
Dobbe, owner of Holland America Bulb Farm, owns property across Park Road from the boat launch. He has said he will donate the land for the pool. A large design concept of the swimming pool building stands beside Park Road, showing the location of the pool building and the parking lot, and a new location across the lake for the boat launch.
Dobbe said the city and the swimming pool committee have an agreement to locate the pool in the park. The city signed an agreement with the Woodland Pool and Recreation District to donate 1.44 acres of park land to the swimming pool. The agreement was formalized in a resolution passed in 2002.
Heermann challenged the legality of the resolution, but the courts ultimately decided in the city’s favor.
During the Aug. 21 City Council meeting, without putting the issue on the agenda, council member John J. Burke moved to rescind the agreement. Burke’s action came after Woodland-area resident Walter Hansen asked the council to void the agreement.
The council will have a public meeting on Mon., Sept. 25, 7 p.m., at the proposed pool location in Horseshoe Lake Park. Residents on both sides of the issue will be allowed to speak.
Heermann said that people don’t understand the impact a large pool building would have on the park.
“If everybody laid their cards on the table and let people choose, I’d support that,” he said.
Sharyn Crosby, chairwoman of the Woodland Swimming Pool and Recreation District, said she supports placing the pool in Horseshoe Lake Park. She, too, said she’d like for everybody to see where the pool would sit.
“Glenwood is an industrial area,” she said. “The park is a more central, community area.”
Crosby said only a small amount of park acreage would be lost to a pool if the boat launch area is moved to another part of the park, as is planned. She said removing the launch parking lot would add space where a building could stand.
Long-time Woodland-area resident Margaret Colf Hepola said that she donated money to the pool when the Glenwood-Columbia street site was purchased.
“If I had known it was going in the park, I would not have given the money,” she said. “That park is a valuable asset to Woodland, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. It’s a beautiful setting. I can’t see a big building there.”