Construction on 72nd Ave., St. Johns slated for this year
Work could begin this year to widen both NE 72nd Ave. between 88th and 110th streets, and St. Johns Rd. between NE 50th and 72nd avenues, all in Vancouver.
The work is to include a new signaled intersection at what is now a “Y” connection at NE 72nd Ave. and St. Johns Rd.
While both projects are set to get underway this year, the 72nd Ave. improvements might be delayed until 2008.
An appeal of environmental permits for the two projects by Friends of Curtin Creek was turned back March 8 by a county hearings examiner.
Work would widen 72nd Ave.
Jean Singer, manager of both projects for Clark County Public Works, said the work on about 1.2 miles of NE 72nd Ave. will widen the road to four lanes plus a center turn lane, with sidewalks on both sides and bike paths. All permits have been approved, said Singer, and the work is fully funded, but the state Department of Transportation has not yet released the funds.
The construction work will cost about $8 million, said Singer, and may be done in one construction season. Total project cost, including purchase of right-of-way at $1.5 million, plus planning and engineering, will be about $11 million. Bids could be solicited later this year, said Singer, or delayed until 2008.
When completed, NE 72nd Ave. will be the through road, and St. Johns Rd., which now connects with NE 72nd Ave. without a signal and at a “Y” angle at about 114th St., will be connected at right angles. The new connection, which will be just south of the present “Y” connection, will be controlled by a traffic signal, she said.
Plans for St. Johns Rd. improvements include four travel lanes plus center turn pockets, along with sidewalks and bike lanes. Singer said the St. Johns work will require two construction seasons.
The 1.4 mile St. Johns project will include a section of NE 72nd Ave. between about 110th St. on the south and northward to near NE 119th St. at which point the road will return to one lane in each direction.
Singer said the St. Johns project will likely go to bid in May of this year and construction could start in June. Estimated construction cost is $13 million. Planning, engineering and right-of-way expenses will bring the total project cost to about $19 million, she said.
Because the two projects are close together, said Singer, one stormwater facility will be constructed to serve both areas. That facility will be located between 82nd and 86th avenues, and between 99th St. on the south and the railroad tracks on the north.
With two projects so close together, said Singer, the work should be staggered so that two contractors would not overlap each other and that traffic could continue to flow through the area despite intermittent lane closures on both routes.
Appeal focuses on environmental issues
Singer said permits for both projects have been approved, but were appealed by a group called Friends of Curtin Creek. She said a hearings examiner ruled March 8 in favor of the county on that appeal. The Friends group has until March 22 to appeal the hearings examiner’s decision to the county commissioners.
The appeal focused on various environmental issues as well as procedural matters.
Hearings examiner Joe Turner granted portions of the appeal while affirming county decisions on permit approval.
Turner ruled that county officials failed to properly consider adverse environmental impacts of the projects on retained wetlands and that the county should undertake additional conditions to address wetland impacts.
Those conditions include installing clay “trench dams” along drainage pipes to prevent groundwater from flowing through the aggregate backfill around the pipes, and adding additional mitigation for wetlands affected by the construction work.
Turner also ruled that the wetland, habitat and floodplain permit applications comply with applicable criteria, subject to certain additional mitigation requirements.
Turner conducted five public hearings on the appeal between November 21, 2006, and Feb. 8, 2007, plus telephone conferences.
Friends of Curtin Creek had argued that stormwater in the area infiltrates the soil and migrates east to Curtin Creek, helping to keep the creek water cool during dry summer and fall months. The road projects would reduce the amount of stormwater that infiltrates the area, the appeal alleged.
The appeal suggested that stormwater infiltration facilities be constructed adjacent to the roadway. County officials said that such facilities would have to be built in wetlands and therefore would be more disruptive than the road work as proposed.
The hearings examiner, however, concluded that the high groundwater level in the area precluded the infiltration of stormwater into the soil, and that any groundwater recharge from the roadway would have insignificant impact on the volume of groundwater reaching Curtin Creek. “The shallow aquifer in the area is full, as evidenced by the high groundwater elevations,” wrote the hearings examiner.
The examiner concluded that the project would mitigate its own impacts on groundwater elevations to some extent by eliminating the existing ditches.
While east-west flowing ditches in the area will remain, the north-south ditches will be replaced with pipes. “While the appellants’ concerns are sincere and reasonable,” wrote Turner, “the examiner finds, based on substantial evidence in the record, that the road project will not have a significant impact on the volume of groundwater that reaches Curtin Creek. Therefore the project will not have a significant impact on the volume and temperature of Curtin and Salmon creeks.”
The Friends of Curtin Creek group, headed by Dr. John Bishop, a professor at Washington State University Vancouver, is represented by Vancouver attorney Keith Hirokawa.

Theater developer eyes Ridgefield
Bill Myers
staff reporter
Elie Kassab, whose company, Prestige Theaters, developed the Gardner Center theater complex in Battle Ground, wants to develop “Pioneer Plaza,” a similar complex in Ridgefield.
“Nothing is certain yet,” said Kassab in a recent interview. He said that barring obstacles, he hopes to start construction in 2009 on a theater and retail complex in the Ridgecrest Development at the southeast corner of Pioneer St. and S 45th Ave.
The Ridgecrest Development is a 320-acre site zoned for mixed use. This zoning would allow residential, commercial and industrial occupancies. City officials and developers are currently awaiting a hearings officer’s decision in the wake of a Feb. 28 hearing on the development.
A theater location near the I-5/Pioneer St. interchange would draw customers from Ridgefield, La Center, Woodland and populated unincorporated areas of Clark and Cowlitz counties.
Kassab said he envisions Pioneer Plaza as a three-building complex with about 300 employees on a footprint of about 100,000 square feet at the southeast corner of the Ridgecrest Development. The buildings would house a theater complex and about 25 retail outlets.
Eight screens are planned in the cinema, but more would be added if a proposed Cowlitz Indian casino is developed at the La Center ramps on I-5, said Kassab. He said the theater could be open in 2010.
“Elvis and Marilyn will be there too,” said Kassab. He was referring to life-size, bronze statues of Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe that welcome patrons at the Battle Ground Cinema and other Prestige Theater complexes. He said other bronzes would join Elvis and Marilyn at the complex. “But I’m not yet sure who they will be,” he added.

La Center schools appeal boundary decision
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
The La Center School District is continuing its attempt to obtain industrial and commercial land from neighboring Ridgefield School District.
The district has appealed a decision from the Regional Committee on School District Organization denying the land change. The appeal goes to the superintendent of public instruction. The regional committee voted 3-2 Jan. 11 to deny the change in industrially-zoned property.
The appeal will be heard by an administrative law judge. No date for a hearing has been set, and La Center Superintendent Mark Mansell said he does not know whether the hearing will be by phone or in person.
La Center had asked the regional committee to transfer land along I-5 at the La Center Junction from the Ridgefield to the La Center school district. Had La Center prevailed, about $47 million of assessed value would have been transferred from Ridgefield to La Center. Ridgefield would have received about $7 million in value from the exchange.
The La Center urban growth area is expected to expand along La Center Road to include a portion on both sides of the I-5 corridor. That area will be zoned primarily for industrial and commercial uses under the plan now before the Clark County commissioners.
Mansell has said that the school district needs additional commercial and industrial property to provide adequate facilities for an increasing school enrollment.
The district’s appeal claims that regional committee member Jim Kolshinski, who voted against the land exchange, owns property in the Ridgefield School District and his property would see tax increases should the land exchange move forward.
“His vote and deliberation in this process creates an actual conflict of interest, the lack of an appearance of fairness, and denied La Center a fair and impartial hearing,” according to the appeal.
“I got an earful from community members, asking if that was a conflict of interest,” Mansell said. “When I went into the hearing I saw him shaking hands and talking with Ridgefield (board members and superintendent). I think that was an unfair position to put him in.”
The appeal also claims that the regional committee’s decision was not based on the facts presented during the public hearing. It cites discussion by committee member Robert Rice of Longview who said that the state Legislature should address financial equity between districts. Rice said that funding is “not equitable.”
“…I think that’s the Legislature’s responsibility. Rather than pit the 297 districts of the state against each other, they should be unified and this should be a legislative thing statewide,” Rice said.
The appeal says that Rice’s opinion about legislative responsibility to equitable funding was not appropriate as part of the decision. The appeal states that he “specifically rejected portions of the mandatory criteria….”
According to the appeal, committee member James Tormanen also did not consider the evidence and testimony in his decision, when he said that the Hockinson District has no industrial or commercial zoning and has been “very successful in passing bonds and levies….”
The appeal calls Tormanen’s statements “unsupported assertions,” and claims that “La Center was not given an opportunity to rebut….”
Tormanen, Rice and and Kolshinski voted against the land change, while committee members Bruce Hagensen and Christine Wamsley voted for the exchange.
If the administrative law judge rules in La Center’s favor, the request for boundary changes will be remanded to the regional committee that heard the first request. The judge will set the parameters for discussion and decision-making.
Tim Merlino of Educational Service District 112 said that in his 21 years with the ESD, this is the first time that a school district has petitioned for land to be moved from another school district.
La Center, however, was involved in a 1995 request from the residents of the Merwin Lake area to move their neighborhood from La Center to the Green Mountain School District. The land value was about $10 million, Merlino said, and the residents were successful in their request.
Most requests for school boundary changes come from individuals or neighborhoods, Merlino said.

Salmon Creek Wal-Mart appeal set April 4
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
The fate of two Wal-Mart stores hangs in the balance, while opponents of proposed Woodland and Salmon Creek stores continue their battle.
A Woodland hearings examiner’s ruling on a proposed Wal-Mart near the city’s industrial area is not expected until mid-March, and opponents of a proposed Salmon Creek store have appealed a Clark County hearings examiner’s decision to the county commissioners.
The commissioners have scheduled a public hearing on the Salmon Creek appeal for Wed., April 4, 1:30 p.m., commissioners’ hearing room, sixth floor, Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.
The Fairgrounds Neighborhood Association and Bridget Schwarz are appealing Hearings Examiner Daniel Kearns’s decision to allow Wal-Mart to build a store in Salmon Creek. Since the store was originally planned, the county commissioners have placed a moratorium on new commercial construction in the heavily traveled Salmon Creek area.
In his appeal to the county commissioners, attorney John Karpinski, who represents the neighborhood association, cited potential traffic hazards and inadequate measures to handle storm water as major issues.
Karpinski wrote that the hearings examiner “did not make (Wal-Mart) have a majority/preponderance of the evidence on their side,” although Kearns wrote that Wal-Mart is responsible for the burden of proof.
According to Karpinski, Wal-Mart has not provided adequate transportation studies, and he said a study done near a Wal-Mart on Mill Plain Road was “inaccurate.” He wrote that no current trip generation study has been done.
Kearns’s order states that “none” of the traffic engineers “…expressed the professional opinion that any of the nearby intersections rise to the level of being a ‘traffic safety hazard’ under this standard….”
As for storm water, Karpinski said that there was no proof of the storm water system’s capacity, and the examiner did not address de-watering or silt.
Kearns wrote that the storm water report “is an improper mix of three reports,” although he wrote, “…the applicant’s reports adequately demonstrate that the storm water preliminary plan is feasible….”
In his final order, Kearns wrote that Wal-Mart will be required to perform a capacity analysis and provide a system design for storm water removal.
“The issue may boil down to a battle of the experts,” Kearns wrote. “…I find that the applicant’s engineering reports are credible, focused and address the correct standards….”
Traffic is also a major issue for the proposed Woodland Wal-Mart that would sit adjacent to the city’s industrial zone. A traffic circle is planned for the east side of I-5 at the interchange with Dike Access Road, the entrance to the industrial land and the Port of Woodland. During a hearings examiner’s hearing in February, representatives from industries and the port testified against creating a traffic circle, saying that a circle would slow heavy semi-tractor trailer traffic.
According to the Woodland planning department, a decision from the hearings examiner is expected in “mid-March.”

Woodland math teachers receive grant from Qwest
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
A $10,000 grant awarded to two Woodland High School math teachers will give them 21st century tools to help students solve advanced math problems.
The funds from the Qwest Foundation will be used to buy programs and microphones that will allow the students to explain the steps they are using to solve the problems, especially in geometry, calculus and algebra. Using the program, students will be able to create videos of their work to share with others in the class.
Patty O’Flynn said she has received previous grants that have provided high-tech tools, including the Mathcast program, that help students work through problems and explain them to others.
O’Flynn said the Mathcast program allows students to use a “graphics tablet, microphone and recording software to create a living breathing version of their work.”
The program allows other students to watch the problem being solved and at the same time, listen to the student as he or she solves the problem, O’Flynn said.
The program brings a “real-life learning environment into the classroom,” she said.
The grant will provide funds to buy duplicates of the Mathcast tools for Kash VanCleef’s math class. O’Flynn teaches pre-calculus, calculus and algebra II, while VanCleef’s classes cover algebra and geometry.
O’Flynn said the grant will pay for tools that can be used by about half the math students at the high school.
Digital white-screens are among the tools used by O’Flynn’s classes. These computer screens are programmed to permit a student or teacher to use a pen-type instrument to write directly on the screen and input it to the computer’s memory. At the same time the student is working on the computer screen, the problem and solution are displayed on a larger screen in the room.
The new program will also permit students to edit their work on student computers.
O’Flynn and VanCleef have seven computer monitors in each classroom. O’Flynn said the students sometimes work with partners on alternate days or they may create a group of three or four students to work together on a mathcast program.
The $10,000 grant awarded to the Woodland math teachers is one of 10 awarded statewide. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction selected the finalists. According to information from Woodland High School, the grants are designed to integrate innovative teaching technology in the classroom.

Student wins in contest
Katelyn Hendrix has won first prize in the seventh-grade category of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library’s 2007 bookmark contest.
Katelyn was one of 217 entries from Woodland, said Woodland Community Librarian Abbie Anderson.
The library will sponsor an “Arty Party” Tues., April 10, 3:30 p.m., Woodland Community Center, to honor the students who participated in the contest.
Eight finalists will be honored and will receive framed copies of their bookmarks. They are Cambria Keeley, kindergarten, Columbia Heights Academy; Olivia Erickson, first grade, Drew Muonio, second grade and Cierra Massey, third grade, Woodland Primary School; Shelby Hendricks, fourth grade, and Taylor Sawyer, fifth grade, Woodland Intermediate School, and home school students Amy Zumstein, sixth grade, and Elizabeth Zumstein, eighth grade. Three students, Cathrine Harrell, fifth grade, Woodland Intermediate School; Carolina Zamora, seventh grade, and Erica Barragan, eight grade, Woodland Middle School, received honorable mention.
Finalists for the bookmark contest were selected by the library staff.
“It was a difficult choice,” Anderson said.
The library district sponsors the contest every two years.

Lower Columbia offers basic ed
Adult Basic Education for people age 16 and older who want to review or learn basic skills for college entrance, employment, or in preparation for the General Education Development exam will be offered Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6-9 p.m., beginning April 3 at the Woodland Center of Lower Columbia College, 650 Goerig St., Woodland.
The class is designed to improve basic reading, writing and math skills. A skills assessment is required before enrolling in the class. Fee is $25.
Also offered at the Woodland Center are classes on English as a Second Language, set for Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7-10 p.m., at $25, and General Education Development, a review course leading to the GED credential.
Job training offered
Flagger Certification is also offered at the Woodland Center. This is a one-day certification class leading to a 3-year certification valid in Oregon, Washington and other states. Class is offered Sat., March 31 or May 26, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Food Handler Testing is offered Mon.-Fri., 8-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m., at Woodland. A 23-minute video followed by multiple choice test leads to the handler permit. No children or cell phones allowed. $10, cash only.
Caregiver Continuing Education is also offered in Woodland. “Understanding the Renal System” is set for Sat., April 21, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at $25.90, and “Understanding Diabetes Mellitus” will be offered Fri., May 25, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., also $25.90. These classes provide five clock hours each and meet caregiver continuing education requirements for the Human Services Council and the Southwest Area Agency on Aging.
Continuing education also offered
Cyber Safety, a class on safe internet and e-mail skills, will be offered in Woodland Sat., April 7, 9 a.m.-noon, at $20, plus a $9.10 lab fee.
Recreational Art, taught by artist Alex Rudinsky, is set for Wednesdays, 2-4 p.m., April 11-May 30, at $49, or $20 for ages 55 and over. A supply list will be provided at the first class.
“Write Your Life Story” is a class that helps people remember and record their life experiences to pass along to future generations. The class is offered Wednesdays, 1-3 p.m., April 4-June 13, at the Woodland Presbyterian Church, 756 Park St., Woodland. Cost is $49, or $20 for ages 55 and over.
Information about any of these classes offered in Woodland is available by calling Chere Weiss, (360) 225-4768, or (800) 291-4518.

Rape, burglary reported in Woodland
Woodland police officers are investigating a reported home invasion, rape and burglary that occurred March 16 about 3 a.m.
Officers were dispatched to the Tulip Valley apartment complex on Woodside Terrace at 3:31 a.m. where a female victim, who was reportedly unhurt, told officers that she had been attacked in her apartment by a knife-wielding male.
The suspect reportedly threatened the victim with the knife, then raped her. He then burglarized the apartment, stealing several items.
After the suspect left, the victim fled the apartment and called for help. The knife was left at the apartment and recovered by police.
Police believe the suspect entered the ground floor apartment through an unsecure window, then left via the front door. A police dog from the Vancouver Police Department was called to the scene and tracked the suspect east from the apartment complex. The dog lost the track in a nearby parking lot.
The suspect is described as a white male with olive skin, slim build, about 5-ft. 10-in. tall, with short, brown hair. The suspect was last known to be wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt.
Anyone who may have seen someone matching the suspect’s description in the area of the Tulip Valley Apartments is asked to contact Woodland police, 225-6965, 225-8981.