Crews busy fighting wildfires
 Personnel from several area fire districts have been deployed to eastern Oregon, eastern Washington and Montana, fighting wildfires in both grasslands and timber. Some crews are still involved in those efforts.
Fire District 11
Personnel from Fire District 11 spent several days assisting in efforts to control the Horse Heaven Hills Complex fire near Prosser, and fires in Oregon.
Officials reported July 17 that lighting storms started a 60,000-acre blaze in eastern Washington.
District 11 chief Dennis Mason, a member of the Washington State Incident Management Team, served as logistics chief at the Horse Heavens Hills Complex Fire that consumed 30,000 acres. Crews put that fire out. Mason was on the scene July 13-19.
Captain Ryan Berg, and firefighters Josh Wynand, Mat Akers, Derek McHugh and Scott Burk staffed a District 11 brush fire engine to assist in fighting the Horse Heaven Hills Complex Fire which was made up of four major fires.
Fire District 11 Division chief Dean Lange assisted in fighting the Lightning Complex Fire near Warm Springs, OR, east of the Mount Jefferson Wilderness.
Lange serves on a state Incident Management Team. One such team has been loaned to assist the State of Oregon. Lange arrived at the scene of the 4,650 acre fires July 17. Lange was expected to return by early August.
Mason left again July 25 to assist with a timber fire near Kalispell, MT. Mike Ciraulo, also of Fire District 11, joined Mason in that effort. At one point, that fire ran 10 miles in three hours. Both Mason and Ciraulo are expected to return by Aug. 10.
Another District 11 team assisted July 29-31 with the Les Blair Fire near Kennewick. That team included captains Ryan Berg and David Greenwood, plus firefighters Shawn Parrish, Derek McHugh and Dan Ferber. The Les Blair fire was a 4,000 acre grass fire.
Fire District 13
Fire District 13 chief Tom McDowell and a communications team helped fight the Horse Heavens Hills Complex Fire July 13-16, and the Little Chopaka Fire near Tonasket July 7-13.
Serving with McDowell at these two fire locations were Levi Keene, Steve Reese, Mike Williams, David Seth, Adam Halliday and Pete Sloniker.
In addition, Fire District 13 sent Shawn Eten and a brush rig to fight the Horse Heaven Hills Complex Fire July 13-19.
Fire District 13 assistant chief Ben Peeler fought the Windy Ridge Complex Fire near Kettle Falls July 16-26. With Peeler were Levi Keene, Steve Reese, Mike Williams, David Seth and Pete Sloniker.
Fire District 3
Fire District 3 firefighters Craig Martinell and Joseph Stiffler helped fight the Easy Street Fire near Wenatchee July 9-12.
Scott Sorenson, deputy chief of Fire District 3, served as Operations Section Chief at the fire near Warm Springs, OR July 15-19.
Firefighters Robert Moon and Josh Haldeman assisted with the Les Blair Fire July 29-31.
Fire District 12
Captain Max Konkright and firefighter Travis Smith, both with Fire District 12, took a brush engine to help fight the East Street Fire near Wenatchee July 8-11.
Travis Smith, along with volunteers Chris Troyer and Nathanial Lyman, also took a brush engine to the Horse Heaven Hills Complex Fire July 13-19. Chief Tim Dawdy served at the Horse Heaven Hills Complex Fire as part of an Incident Management Team.
Fire District 12 Captain Brett Graham, and volunteers Chris Troyer and Jason Dement took a brush engine to the Les Blair Fire near Kennewick, July 29-31.
Fire district officials said that districts are reimbursed for the salary and overtime expenses incurred when staff members serve elsewhere, including transportation costs.
In addition, fire districts are compensated for equipment used to fight fires elsewhere.

County gets grant to upgrade 119th St.
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Clark County has received a $750,000 federal grant to go with $3.55 million in county road funds to widen and improve NE 119th St. in Vancouver.
The schedule for the street improvement from NE 72nd Ave. to SR-503 will not be determined until the end of this year, said Susan Wilson, a transportation program specialist for the county. The plan is part of the county’s 2007-2012 Transportation Improvement Program that was approved last fall.
The 119th St. improvements and a walkway to connect Hockinson High and middle schools were added to the transportation program after a county public hearing July 31. A state grant of $150,000 will be added to the funds needed to connect the two schools.
No information was available as to when construction of either project is to begin.
According to county statistics, the cost of improving NE 119th St. will reach nearly $26.6 million. The federal grant will be matched with $3.55 million from county road funds and an unnamed $22.3 million to be raised after six years, according to the county.
A group of developers agreed to pay $384 per average daily trip to establish an economic base that will allow the county to borrow money to widen the street and build overpasses along Padden Parkway at Andresen Road, 72nd Ave. and SR-503.
A chart showing the NE 119th St. project costs lists engineering at $1.4 million; acquisition of property at $6.3 million, and construction at a little more than $18.8 million.
The property that lies along the street was recently removed from the county’s urban holding and zoned for commercial, industrial and residential uses. A retail-business project is already planned for the intersection of NE 119th St. and SR-503.
Improvements to the 2.23 mile stretch would include widening the two-lane road to a four-lane arterial, and adding left-turn lanes and bike lanes, according to county records.
The section marks the western end of an area from NE 72nd Av. to Ward Road that was opened to development earlier this year. Several thousand new residences are expected to be built in at least 10 subdivisions, but the exact number of homes has not been announced.

Humane Society workload swells
 The Humane Society for Southwest Washington does not have enough kennels to handle the number of animals received each day.
In addition to emphasizing spay and neuter programs, Humane Society officials urge the public to adopt pets from their organization.
In June, the Humane Society took in 1,444 animals, and euthanized 780.
In an effort to reduce the number of cats put to death each day, Humane Society officials have reduced adoption fees.
Chuck Tourtillott, executive director of the Humane Society, said some 70-80 animals have been arriving at the shelter each day. With 24 dog kennels in the adoption ward, and 48 kennels in the cat ward, there is not enough room for all incoming animals, he said.
Tourtillott said the shelter usually receives 45 animals a day. Tourtillott said warm weather results in more litters of kittens, many of which are delivered to the shelter. On days when the shelter receives 80 animals, said Tourtillott, more than half are litters of kittens.
Animals share kennels, stacked in hallways in crates. The Humane Society’s Alternative Placement Coordinator is on the phone all day seeking space in other shelters to help manage the burden. And some pets are placed in foster homes as a temporary means of dealing with the flood of unwanted, sick or found animals.
More than 100 foster families are currently caring for Humane Society animals in their homes. Sometimes entire litters of kittens remain guests in a foster home for months as Humane Society staff members seek permanent homes for them.
To encourage adoptions, officials have reduced the adult cat adoption fee from $80 to $15. The adoption fee for kittens is $50, reduced from $100.
Humane Society officials offer these tips to help curb the number of pets arriving at the shelter:
** Give a kitten or adult cat a loving, permanent home.
** Spay or neuter pets to prevent unwanted animals.
** Explain the importance of sterilization to friends, family, co-workers and neighbors.
** Help the Humane Society build a new building, not only to shelter more animals but also to provide them with a heathier environment.
All animals leaving the Humane Society have been spayed or neutered, marked with a microchip for identification, and treated for fleas. They have also had their first round of vaccinations. Each adopted cat comes with a certificate for a free health exam at a veterinarian of the recipients choice.
Tourtillott said many euthanized animals are not healthy. Some 75-80 percent of euthanized animals are cats.
Tourtillott said fundraising is underway for the construction of a new Humane Society building. About $3 million of the needed $4.5 million has been raised so far, said Tourtillott, to construction a new facility near the current location.
The Humane Society had purchased land for a new facility in Battle Ground, but sold that site earlier this year.
The Humane Society for Southwest Washington is located at 2121 St. Francis Lane, Vancouver, which can be reached traveling west on Fourth Plain Blvd. from downtown Vancouver. Information is available by calling 693-4746.
Other agencies rescue pets
The Humane Society is not the only organization in southwest Washington working to find permanent homes for abandoned or abused pets.
Second Chance Companions seeks homes for dogs and cats and other kinds of pets.
People who have an unwanted pet may call Second Chance Companions, 687-4569. If there is no urgency, the pet owner is asked to keep the pet until a new home can be found. The organization has some foster care capacity.
Pets available for adoption through Second Chance Companions may be seen on the Second Chance Companion Web site, SCCPets.com. The volunteer organization asks for an adoption fee of $100 for a puppy or kitten, $75 for a dog age six months or older, $50 for a cat six months or older, and $150 for a purebred dog or cat.
Furry Friends is another volunteer group that takes in unwanted cats and seeks to find homes for them through advertising and photos on their Web site: www.FurryFriendswa.org
Furry Friends founder Nancy McMartin said the group has no foster homes for dogs at present, so only cats are accepted. A fee of $50 is sought when a cat is relinguished to Furry Friends.
Each cat is treated for fleas and mites, receives a microchip, is altered, and is given shots. Those adopting a cat from Furry Friends are asked to pay an $80 adoption fee, or two cats for $100. Applications are screened and adopted cats are delivered to homes.
Furry Friends may be reached at 993-1097.
Pet Aid of Washington takes in both dogs and cats, using eight foster homes as temporary housing. Animals are treated for fleas and mites, and are spayed or neutered. The group works to find homes for pets through The Reflector, PetFinder.com, and Craig’s List.
Pet Aid of Washington assesses adoption fees of $75 for a kitten, $60 for an adult cat, $35 for a senior or ill cat, and $80 for a puppy.
Ped Aid of Washington was established in 2004, and can be reached at 624-8953.

Task Force hears from public on I-5 plans
 Staff members with the Columbia River Task Force took public comments Aug. 4 during an open house event at the Vancouver Farmers Market.
Comments focused on the four remaining alternatives for improving the I-5 corridor traffic flows across the Columbia River.
Two alternatives involve replacing the existing bridges and two involve the construction of supplemental bridges.
The alternatives also vary on transit options, with bus rapid transit and express bus being considered, as well as light rail.
A single alternative, plus the “no-build” option, is to be announced when the Task Force meets Tues., Nov. 27, 4-8 p.m., at the offices of the state Department of Transportation in Vancouver.
Alternative 1
A first alternative listed in a project summary is a replacement bridge that would support movement of bus rapid transit (BRT), express bus and bicycles and pedestrians. The bridge would be constructed upstream or downstream from the current bridge, with a span high enough above the river for passage of marine traffic, yet below Pearson Field flight paths. The bridge would be a five or six-lane structure, a fixed-span with no bridge lift. Under this alternative, the existing I-5 bridges would be removed when the new bridge could accommodate traffic.
The high capacity transit component in this alternative would consolidate what engineers see as the best performing bus rapid transit options with local bus infrastructure. BRT service to Portland would involve a transfer to the TriMet Yellow Line MAX. Express bus service would provide direct access to and from Clark County to downtown Portland during morning and afternoon commutes.
Alternative 2
A second alternative would be a five or six-lane replacement bridge that could carry I-5 traffic, light rail, express busses and bicycles and pedestrians across the river. The bridge would be a mid-level bridge high enough for passage of marine traffic, and low enough to avoid air traffic. It would be a fixed structure, without a bridge lift, built either upstream or downstream of existing I-5 spans which would be removed once the new bridge became operational.
Light rail would serve as the high capacity transit mode for this alternative with a double-track extension from the Expo Center MAX Station in Portland to a park and ride station near downtown Vancouver. Exact alignments, including locations of terminals and supportive park and ride facilities, would be refined during completion of a draft environmental impact statement. Express bus services would serve peak-hour commuters between Clark County and downtown Portland.
Either replacement bridge option could involve the use of managed lanes for specified traffic.
Alternative 3, 4
The third and fourth alternatives would require construction of a new, “supplemental” bridge immediately downstream of existing I-5 bridges. Under both “supplemental” options, bridges would have four lanes to be used by southbound I-5 traffic and rapid transit.
The third alternative calls for bus rapid transit on the new bridge. The fourth option would include light rail.
Both third and fourth alternatives would re-stripe existing bridges for four lanes, with standard safety shoulders for northbound traffic, and wider bicycle and pedestrian lanes.
In both “supplemental” bridge solutions, the existing bridges would be retained and retrofitted to a “no collapse” standard to minimize damage from a major earthquake.
Washington and Oregon transportation officials estimate a formal public comment period on the selection of the one alternative will take place in spring 2008 as part of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement process.
The Columbia River Crossing Task Force, established in 2005, includes leaders from Oregon and Washington communities, businesses and neighborhoods, with representatives of commuter, freight and environmental agencies and groups. During the past two years, Task Force members and transportation engineers, known as the “project team,” waded through 12 alternatives to reduce the options to these four alternatives, plus a “no-build” option. The project team is now working to define and refine details of each alternative to allow additional study and analysis and completion of a Draft EIS.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement will address the following issues:
** Public transit (route, stations, and park and ride locations)
** Freight improvements for connections and safety
** Efficiencies (such as ramp meters, incident response, ridesharing and telecommuting)
** Pedestrian and bicycle improvements
** Effects to air, soil, water, wildlife and noise
** Cultural and historical resource protection
** High occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes
** Tolling
** Bridge type, appearance, and alignment (upstream or downstream)
Since formation of the Task Force, members have generally met monthly to weigh in with engineers on options for improving mobility and safety along a five-mile project area that extends from SR-500 in Vancouver to Columbia Blvd. in Portland. Public comments were taken at meetings.
Transportation officials warn that this highway bottleneck, now congested for an average of 4-6 hours on weekdays, will be congested for more than 14 hours per weekday by 2030 if no action is taken.
The project website is www.columbiarivercrossing.org. More information may be obtained from Project public information officer, Danielle Cogan, at 816-8857.

Candidates offer views
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
The four candidates competing for the job of Woodland mayor shared their ideas and aired their differences during a Woodland Chamber of Commerce public forum July 31.
Three hopefuls--John J. Burke, Chuck Blum and Walter Hummel--are trying to unseat incumbent Mayor Doug Monge, who is running for a second term. Burke is serving his second term on the city council and Blum is a former member of the council. Hummel is seeking his first elective office.
A crowd of 88 people attended the forum that began with a five-minute statement from each candidate. Questions to the candidates involved the future of a Woodland swimming pool, downtown parking issues, and concerns about city staff responses to businesses and landowners.
Blum and Burke stated their opposition to building a swimming pool in Horseshoe Lake Park, an idea that has divided the community, but Blum pointed out that the council signed an agreement with the Woodland Swimming Pool and Recreation District, and the agreement must be honored.
Blum, who said he originally voted against building an indoor pool in the park, said he would work to bring both sides together for a compromise. He did not elaborate on what that compromise might be.
Monge, who has consistently said he supports building a pool in the park, said the latest plan moves the boat ramp to an area near the skate park and allows space for a walking path and a green belt around the lake.
Recognizing that the city council voted to sign the agreement, Burke added, “There are problems we need to look at.”
The candidates were pressed by Benno Dobbe of the swimming pool committee to say what they would do to support the committee.
“We had a special meeting in the park, and a lot of citizens asked good questions,” Burke replied. “Have you answered the questions? No. Has the land been short-platted? No.”
The largely business-oriented crowd asked about the city staff’s support of business interests, with one person in the audience complaining about what he said was a dismissive response from a code enforcement clerk to a specific problem between the business and the city.
“What would you do to support businesses?” he asked.
“That’s why I’m trying to take over this job,” Burke replied. “It happens a lot.”
Hummel said that the city council should “address these problems. Council is involved with these types of things.”
Monge, who said he was not aware of the specific problem, said that he has asked the city council for a full-time enforcement clerk.
“I’ve been told ‘no’ (by the council),” he said. “There is a tremendous amount of paperwork, and they don’t want to give the wrong answers. The staff is overworked. A certain responsibility falls on council.”
Blum said dismissive or improper responses by staff to questions from the public are “totally unacceptable.”
“Woodland must take care of its citizens. We would talk about these things and get to the bottom of them,” he said. “We need citizen input.”
Monge defended the city council’s recent decision to lift parking restrictions for two years downtown, saying the council did not want to create a parking problem. The council has agreed to look at the parking issue after the two-year period ends.
Darlene Johnson, who moderated the forum, said that the business community is opposed to the two-year limit and prefers an open ended change.
“We were afraid that if we opened the floodgates, we could end up hurting the downtown,” Monge said. “Two years will open the window to bring business to the downtown.”
Blum disagreed.
“I think we need to create a parking problem in downtown,” he said. “I’d like to see a mixed use of residential and commercial. You can do that without parking restrictions.”
Blum and Hummel are retired. Burke owns JJ’s Computer Repair in Woodland, and Monge is a Longview police officer.

Body found
in Woodland is identified
 Cowlitz County officials have identified a body found on Dike Road in Woodland Aug. 2 as Erasto Casarroyias-Cortez, 30, of Woodland.
One man reportedly involved in the incident has been arrested for failing to report the death.
Investigators with the Cowlitz County sheriff’s office located two men who were reportedly with Casarroyias-Cortez when he died.
The men, Sergio Yobani-Centeno, 24, and Rolando Garcia-Lopez, 18, were in the Casarroyias-Cortez van when Casarroyias-Cortez jumped or fell from the moving vehicle, according to reports.
The men checked on Casarroyias-Cortez and found that he was deceased, according to reports. They reportedly left the vehicle and fled the scene.
Rolando Garcia-Lopez was arrested on a charge of failure to report a death due to an accident involving a motor vehicle. Bail was set at $50,000.
A passerby reported finding the body at 1:30 a.m. The vehicle was a Ford Aerostar van with California plates.