Good news-bad news for Wal-Mart
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
A Woodland hearings officer’s decision is a good news-bad news story for Wal-Mart and for the Woodlanders Against the Wal.
Hearings Examiner Irv Berteig has ruled that no decision on developing the super store may be made until a transportation study is complete, but he ruled that the Wal-Mart store is allowed outright under the zoning, and he said a State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) report would not be required.
“We’re ecstatic,” said attorney John Karpinski, who represented the residents’ organization.
Karpinski said that his understanding of the ruling is that a 20-year transportation study must be finished before further plans to build the store can move ahead.
“I don’t think they can meet these standards,” Karpinski said.
Jennifer Holder, spokeswoman for Wal-Mart, said the company is happy that further SEPA reports were not required by Berteig, but she said the company is studying the decision.
“We have a couple of weeks to take a look at it,” Holder said.
Berteig’s decision states: “A decision shall not be made on the site plan…and I-5 interchange improvements until the WSDOT (Washington Department of Transportation) study for the Port of Woodland can be completed and evaluated.”
A spokeswoman for the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments said that the COG is working with the state and the city to develop a 20-year strategic transportation plan. The study is expected to take 18 months, said Rosemary Siipola, and funds will not be available immediately for work on the I-5 interchange at Dike Access Road, near the proposed store.
“Nothing will be ready for construction there when the plan is written,” Siipola said. “The only construction plan will be for the city’s section of SR-503.”
Dave Ripp, executive director of the Port of Woodland, said the port is a partner with the city and state in the 20-year transportation strategic plan.
Berteig’s decision also requires the developer to write an analysis of the flow of water down stream from the store location and to install culverts to prevent flooding of Dike Access Road.
Wal-Mart’s Holder said that the hearings officer did not specify the number of culverts or where they should be located.
A traffic circle proposed for Dike Road east of I-5 drew opposition during a public hearing from industries and the Port of Woodland. Industry representatives said the traffic circle would not give adequate room for large semi tractor-trailers and would affect the city’s ability to attract industries to the area.
Berteig seemd to agree with the industries by requiring that a round-about or traffic circle be redesigned “(to) accommodate the largest heavy haul truck using the interchange.”
The design of traffic circles or intersections must include a safety analysis and a study of traffic gaps between heavy trucks and other vehicles, according to the ruling.
The site where Wal-Mart plans to build a super-store is zoned for commercial use and is near a proposed high school, as well as the city’s industrial area. The store has drawn opposition from residents who have expressed concerns about additional traffic along Dike Access Road and the loss of business in the city’s downtown area. The residents organized the Woodlanders Against the Wal.

Virgil Wallace remembered for humor and goodwill
Family members remember Virgil Wallace as a hardworking man who enjoyed humorous stories, and as a father who encouraged his children to use their heads to think things through.
Wallace, known as “The Old Woodsman,” died March 30, 2007, at age 90, ending his life as a logger, writer and poet, and 70-year Clark County resident.
Virgil Albert Wallace was born June 11, 1916, in Oregon City, OR, to Ivan and Della (Willoughby) Wallace. He moved with his family to Camas where his father worked in a paper mill. The family survived a flu epidemic in 1919. In 1921, the family moved to North Plains, OR, and then to a Stella, WA logging camp owned by Simon Benson.
In 1923, Ivan Wallace purchase 10 acres on what is now 22nd Ave. in Ridgefield and the Wallace children attended Good Hope School where Virgil earned certificates for perfect attendance.
Virgil Wallace left school in 1929 after the seventh grade to help earn money for the family which was affected by the Depression. He picked prunes, potatoes and strawberries, and did groundskeeping work at what is now the Summit Grove Lodge near La Center.
In 1931 when Wallace was 15, his father told him he would have to leave home and support himself because the family could not afford to feed and support six children. Wallace left after having breakfast, with lunch for that day, and working skills his father had taught him. He got a job at a farm where he earned $1 a day and room and board.
In 1932, Wallace rowed a boat across the Lewis River and applied for work at the Zumstein Farm. He was hired there which started a 75-year friendship with the Zumstein family.
Wallace milked cows and did other farm work for the Zumsteins and other Woodland farmers, while occasionally working as a timber faller as well. He also worked for the Shoemacker farm near Battle Ground. Wallace was injured when he was hit on the head by a rock while digging a well. That injury resulted in 40 years of headaches and other ailments.
In 1937, Wallace began driving a truck for Bob Cresap Trucking, hauling gravel, furniture, milk and other items. He was drafted in 1942, but released later that year because of health problems.
In 1941 or 1942, Wallace bought 40 acres of property east of Battle Ground, and then another 40 acres nearby. In 1943, Wallace bought a house in Battle Ground.
Wallace learned that the Haines family had moved to Battle Ground in 1932, that the father operated a shoe store, and that the family included eight daughters. He went into the store ostensibly to buy shoes while looking over daughter Susan Haines. He paid for the expensive boots with cash.
Virgil and Susan were married Dec. 16, 1944, in the Community Church in Battle Ground, with Bob Cresap as best man and Susan’s sister, Violet, as matron of honor. Helen Eaton, wife of Wallace’s friend Everett Eaton, played the piano.
After a stint logging and driving a truck for Dr. John Noble’s tie mill, Wallace moved his family to Estacada, OR, in 1947, where he had a two-year job falling timber. He stayed in Estacada for 20 years.
Wallace bought a home in Estacada. He brought Everett Eaton, Ernie Wedin and Eric Wedin with him, and all three occupied a bunkhouse on the Wallace property. During this period, Wallace worked as a contract timber faller, using the company name Lucky Wallace Logging.
In 1953, Wallace moved from the city of Estacada to an outlying farm. By this time, the Wallaces had five children.
During the Estacada years, Wallace logged long poles that were used in the reconstruction of the USS Constitution.
In 1967, Wallace met Finley Hayes, publisher of Loggers World Magazine, and began writing for that publication.
The Wallaces moved to Amboy in 1967 and Virgil continued to work as a timber faller. He cut about 40 million board feet in the Canyon Creek area for the Van Port Timber Company of Boring, OR. He did contract cutting for other logging companies--Clarence Downing, Joe Zumstein, Ralph Bryant and Sherman and Zumstein.
In 1978-1979, Wallace cut timber in the Manzanita, OR area.
Wallace was injured several times in his life,:
• In 1950 or 1951, Wallace suffered a broken leg when he was pinned against a truck.
• On New Years Day in 1945, two weeks after he was married, Wallace was in a truck accident, suffering broken ribs and other injuries. He didn’t recognize his new wife for about a month.
• In 1952, he struck his foot with an axe and could not work for an extended period of time.
• In 1955, a broken tree top fell on him, breaking his shoulder.
When he was injured and couldn’t work, he sold timber off his Battle Ground lands. He contracted hepatitis in the 1950s, possibly from drinking contaminated water.
Wallace’s son, Jerry Wallace of Woodland, remembers his father’s rule of thumb: if someone directs you to make a cut and you believe it is unwise, just say “I’m unsure about that. You’re welcome to take my saw and do it yourself.” If the person does it successfully, it’s a lesson learned, Jerry Wallace remembers his father saying. If the person won’t do it, take your saw and go away.
After the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, Wallace, 64, semi-retired and began selling firewood from his Amboy home. He cut salvage wood from logging sites and clear cut areas.
In the 1990s, Wallace began writing for the American Timberman and Trucker magazine, work he continued until it ceased publication.
Virgil and Susie Wallace enjoyed traveling in the 1980s and 1990s, sometimes in a pickup with canopy that they could use for camping. They visited Coffeeville, Kansas, where Wallace's grandfather, William Wallace, had once made coffins in which members of the Dalton Gang were buried.
The Wallaces also visited New England and Haiti, and made trips to Alaska. Virgil visited Alaska 13 times, the last time being in fall 2006.
Even though neither Virgil nor Susie had finished high school, both earned General Education Degrees in the 1950s at Clark College.
Wallace’s wife, Susie, died in an automobile accident in 1995. Wallace moved to Yacolt in 1997.
Wallace enjoyed writing poetry and short stories. He authored seven books. He never wore a beard or mustache until the last two years of his life. He never smoked, drank or chewed tobacco.
Wallace spoke numerous times to school classes, telling stories of the woods and of life. He often stressed how he could afford to travel by not spending money on cigarettes. He sometimes had students do math on the blackboard, calculating how much cigarettes would cost over a year’s time. He told students that if they made the right decisions early in life, things would go well for them.
Wallace was well known for telling stories from his life. Son Jerry Wallace recalls his father asking, “Have I ever told you the story about....” Jerry would say yes. “Well, it’s such a good story, I want to hear it again myself,” said the senior Wallace, would then proceed to tell it again.
Wallace is remembered for his excellent memory, sense of humor, and enjoyment with funny anecdotes. He encouraged his children and others to think ahead as they made decisions in life. When making a cut in a log, Wallace would be looking ahead for where he would make the next cut. When picking berries, he would not be looking at the berries he was picking, but instead looking ahead to berries he would pick next. “Use your head and think it through,” was his advice.
Jerry recalls his father being a very positive man who guided his children but never harped at them. “He would never harbor ill feelings,” said Jerry. “He believed in burying the hatchet.”
Wallace was happy to help people in need, to pick up hitchhikers and to stop along the road to assist someone with trouble. He changed many tires for others. He was anxious to pick people up at the airport, but hated to say goodbye.
History and education were important to Wallace, but material things did not mean much.
Family members describe Wallace as a religious man who attended the nearest church. He had a strong faith in God, developed while working in the woods. He likened tree branches to the branches of a family, saying that family branches without God would wither and die. He always said grace at meals, stemming from the Depression era when the family had little on the dinner table.
Wallace was preceded in death by his wife, Susie, sisters Mammie Davis and Gladys LeRouge, brothers Ivan Wallace in 2006 and Irvin Wallace in January 2007, one grandson and one great-grandson. Survivors include sons Jerry Wallace of Woodland and Michael Wallace of La Center, daughters Sharon Gillette of Amboy, and Christine McKinley and Linda Sprouffske, both of Oregon, sister Della “June” Bolt of Vancouver, 14 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.
Graveside services were held March 31 at Amboy Cemetery, with Layne’s Funeral Home, Battle Ground, in charge of arrangements.

Ridgefield School District hires new superintendent
Bill Myers
staff reporter
With unanimous accord on March 27, Ridgefield School District board members ended a search process that took several months and voted to hire Artie (Art) C. Edgerly as new district superintendent.
For the past six years, Edgerly has been superintendent of the Wapato Public Schools, a district with 3,288 students in central Washington with a $28.6 million budget.
Ridgefield school board chairman Chris Swindell said, “I believe Art Edgerly is an excellent fit for our school district.” The new superintendent will receive an annual salary of $118,966.
Edgerly, 48, is no stranger to Southwest Washington. Following his graduation from the University of Washington, he taught grades 4-8 for eight years at Amboy Middle School. He earned a master’s degree in education at the University of Portland and worked as a special services coordinator for the Battle Ground School District. He received his School Administrator certification from Seattle Pacific University.
From 1996-1999, Edgerly was principal of Adams Elementary School in the Wapato District. From 1999 until 2001, he was a principal of Wapato Middle School. Along the way, he also served as a superintendent intern before his appointment to the Wapato superintendent post.
The Ridgefield School District has a current student enrollment of 2,037 and school officials project significant growth over the next 10 years.
Married, Edgerly lives in the Wapato area with his wife, Irma, and daughter, Therese, 18. They have a grown son, Art, living in Seattle. “We have always dreamed of returning to Southwest Washington,” said Edgerly. “Ridgefield will be an outstanding place to work and live,” he added.
Following the departure last year of former superintendent Mary Vagner who resigned to take a superintendent’s position in Idaho, Ridgefield school officials asked former Ridgefield superintendent John Simpson to fill in pending recruitment of a new superintendent. Simpson filled the chair and received rave reviews from citizens and community leaders.

County, BG schools could partner for new land
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
The Battle Ground School District got a hint of good news during the Clark County commissioners’ urban holding hearing April 3.
“We were excited to learn that the county and school district may partner for land and land use,” said Kelly O’Brien, spokesperson for the school district.
During the meeting, Commissioner Steve Stuart said the county and the school district might “collaborate to find a suitable site” that could be shared by the district and the county. No specifics were announced, but a partnership to provide recreational facilities was suggested.
Commissioner Betty Sue Morris said after the meeting that partnership for land is a “very complex issue,” and Washington state law may affect how school districts can develop partnerships.
“The county owns property that may be suitable, but it’s no different from any other transaction,” she said.
The school district has expressed concerns about being able to provide education for new students that would be generated by the 10 residential subdivisions that could be built in the area between 72nd Avenue and Ward Road and between 119th and 99th streets.
The school district and county have established school impact fees for the unincorporated areas at $7,636 per single-family home for this year and $8,290 per single-family home in 2008. Speaking during the hearing, the district’s attorney Marnie Allen asked that the fees for the urban holding area be set at the 2008 rate.
A district proposal to be added to the developers’ agreement with the county requires that developers pay the district 16 percent of the total impact fees shortly after a site plan is approved, and pay the balance when building permits are acquired.
Residential subdivisions with single-family homes as well as apartments are planned for areas south of 119th Street and east of SR-503. When built out, the area could contain several thousand homes.
Also at issue is the cost of upgrading the streets and roads that feed the area. The commissioners have determined that three intersections along Padden Parkway, at 72nd, Andresen Road and SR-503, would require overpasses, and 119th Street would become five lanes wide. Additional signals would be needed along 119th Street, officials said.
The commissioners said April 3 that funding sources for the street improvements have not been determined, but a bond probably will be required. The commissioners have discussed bonding between $5 million and $9 million. The interest rate of 4.54 percent has been projected to cost the county $2.52 million. The board has discussed 10 and 20-year payment options.
The county has estimated that 104,800 trips will be generated by the new subdivisions and a cost of $26 per trip has been proposed.
Steve Madsen who represents the Builders Association told the commissioners that the cost of development could be excessive and would “preclude innovative, small scale development.”
“This is a pay-to-play,” he said. “I ask that you consider opportunities for small scale developments that should be a part of any mix in an urban holding area.”
The commissioners voted to continue the hearing until Tues., April 17.