School district offers to run float for a year
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
The La Center School District has offered to operate the city’s stern wheeler parade float for a year while the city decides what to do.
The district offer was made to a citizens float committee, headed by Chris Forzano. Private businesses, including the four La Center casinos, have agreed to help fund the float operation for two years.
The committee will recommend to the city council on Wed., May 9, that the city accept the public-private offer.
Forzano said the public-private partnership is in the best interests of the community.
“This is all about the community of La Center and what the community wants,” Forzano said. “The community wants to have the float.”
School district Superintendent Mark Mansell said that the district will spend no money on float operations. The district’s insurance will cover the float operations at no extra cost.
“Our insurance cooperative has a strong safety staff,” Mansell said. “We can bring in our safety folks who could look at it and maybe make it better for the future.”
The participation of district students affected Mansell’s decision to make the offer.
“This has an impact on some of our kids,” Mansell said. “The city has always been supportive of the school district. Let’s let it operate for a year and give time for a community group or the city to decide what to do.”
Mansell said that he has supported the city’s operating and maintaining the parade float.
“The float is an important symbol,” he said. We do want the float; we’re behind the float.”
Existing volunteers who have worked on the steamboat float over the past couple of years are more than welcome to continue.
“All the volunteers who have worked on the float, walked beside the float are needed,” he said. “We couldn’t do without them. We want the people who have been part of it to continue to be part of it.”
Since the city has owned the float, the city has paid an employee to haul the float to parades and other events. The district will use volunteers to haul the float.
“I think that volunteer will be me,” Mansell said. “I have the pickup that will haul the float.”
He said he hopes to take the float to most of the summer parades.
Under the district proposal, the city will continue to store the float.
“There are ways we can do things more efficiently,” Mansell said. “We hope that we can come to a short-term solution that will lead to a long-term solution.”
The city council voted, 3-2, on Nov. 21 to surplus the float and sell it. Council members Bill Birdwell and Linda Tracy opposed the decision. Later, after about 300 La Center people signed a petition asking the city to maintain ownership, the council delayed action on selling. During a March 7 work session, council member Dale Smith suggested that a citizens committee research the total cost of maintaining the float and find out what other communities do.
In 2006, the sternwheeler traveled to several festivals in southwest Washington, including participating in the Portland Rose Festival Starlight Parade. The float will not join the Starlight Parade this year.
During 2006, the city spent $7,600 on materials and staff time for public works employees to drive the float to the various parades.

Pennies add to library fund
Pre-school children ages 3-5 donated a wagon-full of pennies to the Battle Ground library building fund last week.
The $153.43 contribution included some nickels and dimes, said Jane Higgins, president of the Friends of the Battle Ground Community Library and co-chair with her husband, Don, of the library fundraising group.
The children found some of the coins on the ground, and gathered donations from family members and friends. “They scrounged the parking lots,” said Jane Higgins.
The pre-school group, which meets in a private home, brought in a bucket of pennies to the library last year that totaled $26.36.
The children presented the latest donation at the library on April 26. They were treated to a party at the library, complete with stories and snacks. “With supporters like these, how can we go wrong,” said Don Higgins, co-chair of the fundraising effort with his wife.
In addition to the penny donation, the library fund was buoyed last week by a donation of $2,500 from the Friends of the Three Creeks Community Library. That money was half of the proceeds of a recent book sale at Three Creeks.
An ice cream social held at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church raised about $1,200 for the library fund, including a matching grant from Trivent. And a Customer Appreciation Day at Opdahl Chiropractic in Battle Ground added an undetermined amount.
“It was a good week,” said Higgins.
Higgins said about $485,000 remains to be raised toward the $3.4 million goal for the new library. Developer Dennis Pavlina will donate about $1.3 million of the total cost. Construction of the library shell could start this year.
In addition to the donation from the Three Creeks Library, the Friends of the Cascade Park Community Library purchased a table for the new Battle Ground facility at $1,000.
Donations are invited for the library projects, with “naming rights” available for chairs, tables, alcoves, and other library features. Information is available by calling Jane or Don Higgins, 666-5865.

Auction raises thousands for BG activities
An April 28 dinner and auction event raised over $59,000 for sports and other extra curricular activities at Battle Ground High School.
The money will be used to purchase sports equipment and weight training equipment, and to support 39 other school programs including fire cadets, Natural Helpers, Science Olympiad, drama, band and ROTC, according to Diane Miller, president of the Battle Ground High School Auction Association.
Miller said $16,000 was donated during the evening for sports equipment. Those donations, called “Fund-An-Item,” came in various denominations and were not for the purchase of auction items.
Miller said about $10,000 was raised in the “Fund-An-Item” portion of last year’s auction. The goal this year was $21,000 for this part of the event, she said.
Miller said 270 people attended the auction, somewhat fewer than in 2006. Some of those attending, said Miller, do not have children in Battle Ground schools. Some school staff members also took part, she said.
The theme this year was “Las Vegas Tiger Style,” with dice, poker chips, and flower arrangements with playing cards as decorations. Student Joey Cain played the role of Elvis Presley, and Gabby Buonviri imitated Marilyn Monroe.
Miller expressed her gratitude to Steve Pagel who served as auctioneer. “He did an outstanding job,” said Miller.
A deck package donated by Milwaukee Lumber, including design, materials and installation, sold for over $2,000, said Miller, making it the single most valuable item auctioned off. The auction offered 40 items in the live portion.
Miller termed the auction “a huge success, thanks to all the generous donors, parents, students and all involved.” A banner advertising the event and hung over Main Street was donated by FLEXABILITI-TEES.
Miller was touched by the generosity of those attending. “Watching those paddles go up and up was a very touching moment for all of us,” said Miller.
“As in past years, it is always a proud moment to see all the students that help put on this event,” said Miller. “We could not do it without them.”
Miller said 18 committee chairs helped organize the event, with the help of hundreds of other people.
The 2006 auction raised about $64,000, said Miller. Anyone willing to make a cash donation is invited to call Miller, 921-8365. Volunteers are also needed for next year’s event, she said.

Four sets of twins not a first in area
Four sets of twins born in a 32-hour period April 11-12 at Southwest Washington Medical Center were not the first time such an event has taken place in the area.
Iris Hegge of Battle Ground gave birth to twin boys on Feb. 9, 1954, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Vancouver. Three other mothers with twins left the hospital at about the same time that Hegge departed the facility, all with a child on each arm.
Hegge said she knew she was going to have twins. Based on heart beats, those attending Hegge predicted that the births would be one boy and one girl. But Hegge said she was pleased to have twin boys. Don and Ron Hegge are now 53 years old.
The twins were the last of seven children born to Albert and Iris Hegge. The next youngest was Dolly who was then three years old. Albert died in 2002, ending the couple’s 63 years of marriage.
Don and Ron were not identical twins. Don was blond and Ron brunette, said Hegge. Sister Dolly could tell them apart from the very beginning.
Hegge’s mother did not have twins, but she has two sisters who both had twins. Albert Hegge had twin cousins.
Hegge said St. Joseph’s Hospital was a Catholic facility, and it was a “Marion Year” in the Catholic faith. That meant, said Hegge, that all multiple births in the hospital that year were free. She did not know that until after the twins were born and a note arrived on her food tray telling her that there would be no charge for the deliveries.
Hegge now lives with her daughter, Dolly Kraus, in Battle Ground. Don Hegge lives in Ridgefield and Ron Hegge in Arizona. Her other children are Norma Gean Bischoff and James Hegge, both of Ridgefield, Gloria Taft of Oregon and Carol Shimer of Vancouver.
Iris Hegge said all seven of her children have operated their own businesses, from steel to trucking to feed mill to mortgage company. Iris Hegge has 22 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren, none of whom are twins.
The other sets of twins born within days of each other in 1954 were born to Mr. and Mrs. James Cox of Vancouver, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Wurzer of Camas, and Mr. and Mrs. Rony Ruscitti of Portland.
On April 11, 2007, Jason and Kristine McKinney of La Center greeted son Parker at 9:06 a.m. and then daughter Peyton about an hour later. The twins joined older sister, Skyler, 2, in the McKinney home.
The other three sets of twins arrived April 12.
Jeff and Krista Toffelsen of Vancouver welcomed Aiden at 10:58 a.m. and Avery just eight minutes later.
Baker Olson arrived at 12:14 p.m. and brother Dylan two minutes after that, the children of Dave and Wendy Olson of Vancouver.
And Robert and Amanda Nunn of Vancouver greeted Katelyn at 5:25 p.m. and Nolan at 5:29 p.m.
Barbara James, manager of the Family Birth Center at the Medical Center, said the arrival of four sets of twins in such a short period of time was a new record. “We typically see 24 twin births in a year,” said James, “so four twin births within hours of each other is just amazing and very special.”
The four sets of twins arrived at the Medical Center just one month before Mother’s Day which is Sun., May 13.
For more information about Mother’s Day this year, see pages A-8 and A-9 of this issue of The Reflector.