Bill Myers
staff reporter
Proposed tolls over a new Columbia River crossing sparked debate at a Jan. 2 meeting of the Regional Transportation Council (RTC).
During a discussion of tolls starting at $1 during off-peak hours and reaching $2.50 during morning and afternoon peak hours, Clark County commissioner Betty Sue Morris said a “free lane” should be available to both north and south bound motorists who can’t afford the tolls.
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) project director Doug Ficco said a free lane would diminish toll revenue needed for capital financing and operations and maintenance. Ficco said motorists would tend to use a free lane at all hours of the day, not just during peak hours.
Morris said modeling should be done to determine what impacts a free lane would have on toll revenue. She said citizens at focus group meetings have told her that they cross the Columbia River Bridge five or six times daily. “We need to remember that there are a lot of people who don’t make a lot of money,” said Morris.
WSDOT regional director Don Wagner said much work is still needed to determine toll amounts and processes. He said that while staff estimates appear to be sufficient to pay bond costs, much work is still needed to determine actual construction costs of the project. Wagner said issues remain as to how Oregon and Washington will share in costs and which state will collect tolls.
Morris said the use of I-205 is not a free option for most Vancouver residents people who need to reach Portland areas near I-5 because of fuel costs.
Vancouver mayor Royce Pollard said he doesn’t understand why the I-205 bridge doesn’t have tolls. Pollard said motorists will have other transport options when using a new Columbia River/I-5 bridge, such as light rail and buses. He said modeling should be used to determine toll incomes.
Battle Ground city council member Bill Ganley said it might be possible for Washington motorists who travel to jobs in Oregon to receive tax refunds from Oregon to cover their toll costs.
Washington transportation commissioner Philip Parker said a proposed new initiative by anti-tax activist Tim Eyman could limit the ability of state legislators to impose fees and tolls in the future.
Interviewed after the meeting, Ficco said tolls on a new Columbia River bridge will require legislative action. He said federal rules allow toll collections on new or expanded interstate bridges which increase capacity. He said federal rules do not allow new tolls on existing interstate facilities without congressional action.
Ficco said state law requires a public vote to authorize new transit systems. He said a vote can be taken to authorize a study and/or funding of such systems. Voters will need to know what they are voting for, and it will take about 18 months to determine costs of a new Columbia River bridge, he said.
During the meeting, Morris objected to a written assertion in a statement that the Columbia River Crossing Project is “our region’s top transportation priority.” The assertion was contained in the draft of a statement by the Clark County Transportation Alliance. The statement asked state legislators to advocate for the project, to help secure state funding and passage of legislation needed to facilitate the project, and to seek support for federal “mega-project” designation for the project during federal funding reauthorization processes.
Morris and Clark County commissioner Marc Boldt each voted against the draft. Commissioner Steve Stuart and other RTC board members voted to approve the statement. Both contend that more important priorities are congestion at 134th St., Hwy 14 and other heavy traffic areas.
In a presentation of preliminary cost estimates, Ficco said the crossing project will cost $3.1 to $4.2 billion, depending on the highway and bridge alternative selected, and the type of high capacity transit system.
In a draft of a Finance Plan Summary, Ficco said a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is planned for release in February 2008. The DEIS will describe the effects of five (four build and one no-build) alternatives on the environment and will include a chapter on financing options.
The Columbia River Crossing project area is a five-mile stretch of I-5 from SR-500 in Vancouver to Columbia Blvd. in Portland, identified as currently congested on north and southbound lanes each weekday for four-to-six hours. Transportation officials say congestion in both directions will increase to 15 hours each weekday by 2030 unless improvements are made.
State transportation officials in Washington and Oregon appointed a 39-member task force in 2005 to help identify and address Columbia River crossing problems. Task force members working with state and regional transportation staff members identified four build alternatives. Alternatives include a replacement bridge with an adjacent span for either bus rapid transit or light rail, or a supplemental bridge with an adjacent span for bus rapid transit or light rail.
Replacement bridge options propose five or six travel lanes in each direction, with a possible use of managed (HOV) lanes. The supplemental bridge options envision four lanes of southbound traffic with either bus rapid transit or light rail, and the existing bridge would be re-striped into four lanes for northbound traffic with the additions of wider bicycle and pedestrian lanes.
Preliminary findings issued by Columbia River Crossing project staff members indicate a replacement bridge would provide more congestion relief than a supplemental river crossing, but a supplemental crossing would have less impact on historic resources and could be about 10-15 percent less expensive to build.
Potential funding sources would include federal and state governments, tolling, and regional and/or local funding sources.
More information is available at www.ColumbiaRiverCrossing.org. Project public information officer Danielle Cogan can be reached at (360) 816-8857.
Columbia River Crossing Task Force members will meet on Tues., Jan. 22, 4-8 p.m., at the Hilton Hotel, 301 W 6th St., Vancouver. The next meeting of the Regional Transportation Council board of directors is set for Tues., Feb. 5, at 4 p.m., in the Training Room of the Clark County Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver.
Kirsi Ryan Leppanen was early last week in more ways than one.
The daughter and first child of Juanaria and Scot Leppanen of Woodland, Kirsi was born early in the New Year at about 1:05 a.m. on January 1, 2008. She was born at Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital, and is believed to be the first baby born in Clark County in 2008.
Kirsi was also early in another way. Her arrival was predicted for Jan. 23 but she decided to enter the world three weeks early. She is doing well, however, weighing in at birth at 7 pounds 2 ounces.
Kirsi is the first grandchild of Lynn and Sharon Leppanen of Yacolt, and the 14th grandchild of her mother’s parents, Tom and Christie Narvasa of Vancouver.
Juanaria and Scot Leppanen received special recognition as parents of the first New Year child. Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital presented the Leppanens with a gift basket containing baby care products including towels, blankets and keepsake holders.
In addition, Anna and Evan Rhodes, parents of twins who were the first children born in Clark County in 2007, gave the Leppanens a special baby blanket and wished them well on their new adventure.
Scot Leppanen said he plans to continue the new tradition established by the Rhodes and similarly congratulate the first baby born in the county in 2009.
Bill Myers
staff reporter
Clark County Public Works officials considered but rejected a temporary span similar to those used during World War II at the site of a condemned Klineline Bridge on Hwy 99 over Salmon Creek until a new, permanent bridge is constructed in 2009.
Bailey bridges are manufactured piece-by-piece in factories and assembled on-site to provide temporary spans. The portable bridges were invented by British civil engineer Donald Bailey, and designed to quickly replace bridges destroyed by advancing or retreating armies.
A recent announcement from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) hailed the work of 40 state workers who, in freezing temperatures and working 12-14 hours per day, assembled a 180-foot Bailey-style bridge over the Chehalis River in just six days. The Bailey Bridge will serve as a temporary replacement for a county bridge washed out during December floods.
State officials said the Bailey style bridge used in Chehalis came from the WSDOT storage facility in Tacoma. The bridge has 295 panels and transoms, and is held together by 450 pins. It was the only one of its kind in the Southwest region of the state. The total cost of bridge assembly was about $250,000.
Public Works director Pete Capell said members of his department determined that Bailey-style bridges were not on hand in sufficient lengths and widths for the Klineline project. He said the bridge manufacturer offered to build and deliver a Bailey-bridge package to fit the Klineline span at a cost of about $500,000. Assembly would add about $250,000 to the price tag. Capell said delivery and assembly of the temporary bridge would have taken about four months, just as contractors are expected to begin construction of a permanent bridge.
Capell said motorists have reasonable alternative routes to the Klineline Bridge, making the expenditure of money for a temporary bridge unwise. He said both north and southbound traffic on Hwy 99 in the vicinity of Klineline Bridge has reasonable access to Interstate 5.
Brandy Slagle
Staff reporter
Battle Ground Mayor John Idsinga was all smiles even as winds picked up and heavy rains pummeled the small white tents set up at Fairgrounds Park.
“This is a beautiful day in Battle Ground,” he said, which drew laughter from the small crowd huddling together in the audience.
Idsinga welcomed onlookers to the community center ground breaking ceremony with brief comments Dec. 20. He then welcomed guest speaker Mindi Linquist who spoke on behalf of Senator Patty Murray.
Murray had announced a $400,000 earmark in federal government funding to help construct the community center in August. City staff had only placed $300,000 of the proposed money in the construction budget for the center, said city manager Dennis Osborn, in case the money did not come through for the city.
Linquist confirmed that the legislation would be signed by President George W. Bush. After an administrative fee, total federal funding for the community center is $392,000.
The total project will cost about $4.2 million. Funding for the community center will come from a variety of revenue streams aside from Murray’s earmark, including the balance of the parks bond and a partnership with Loaves and Fishes.
Joan Smith, executive director of Loaves and Fishes, said she is excited “to give birth” to the new center.
“We should be able to have Thanksgiving dinner here next year,” she said. “We can’t wait to be able to offer services five days a week to the seniors here.”
Loaves & Fishes donated $100,000 to fund the commercial kitchen in the community center. They will relocate their operations to the community center as soon as it is finished. Loaves & Fishes serves lunch once a week on Wednesdays to seniors at the Battle Ground Senior Center.
The community center will be about 12,000 square feet in size and include office space, a commercial kitchen and equipment, break-out rooms and a multipurpose room for community events. A community meeting room will be able to accommodate about 260 people.
Lombard Conrad Architects of Boise, ID, designed the building and the construction contract was awarded to Emerick Construction of Portland.
Steve Christiansen spoke to the crowd on behalf of Lombard Conrad.
“I think this is the first time inspiration for a new building came from the bathrooms,” he said, motioning to the recently remodeled rest rooms in Fairgrounds Park.
Construction on the community center is scheduled to begin in January and city staff estimate it will take 10 months to complete.
The project is part of the city’s ongoing parks improvement program.
Ken Vance
staff reporter
The city of Woodland was recently awarded a $500,000 grant from the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) for the Schurman Way road reconstruction project.
The project will reconstruct just under a mile of Schurman Way between the Dike Access Rd. and Guild Rd. It is expected to be completed by November of 2008.
“The road apparently had premature failure on the pavement,’’ said Woodland Director of Public Works Elaine Huber, who said the city currently has engineers examining what went wrong with the section of the road. “We want to make sure we correct that and build a good road that will last Woodland a long time. It should have been a 50-year design, but it failed in 14 years.’’
The Woodland project was one of 60 around the state of Washington awarded by the TIB. The 60 projects totaled $65.4 million. The grant revenue comes from funds generated by three cents of the statewide gas tax dedicated by the legislature to TIB programs.
Clark County was awarded $3 million to help relieve congestion and reduce the number of accidents on NE 88th St. The city of La Center was awarded $120,222 for street maintenance and the city of Ridgefield received $104,125 for a Division St. sidewalk project from Union Ridge Elementary School to the Abrams Park Bridge.
“These grants put gas tax dollars to work alleviating traffic congestion and providing much-needed road improvements,’’ said Transportation Improvement Board member Bill Ganley, a Battle Ground city councilman. “Investing in local communities is vital to advancing economic development, helping to build safer communities, and preserving quality of life.’’
The legislature created the TIB to foster state investment in quality local transportation projects. Project funding is awarded on a competitive basis using rating criteria established by the board and usually requires local financial participation.
The Woodland project was originally estimated to cost $961,022 but the final figure won’t be known until engineers complete their assessment. The city has already budgeted in 2008 for its portion of the project.
“We think the project will be slightly over $1 million, but the design isn’t done yet so we don’t have final knowledge of what the project is going to look like,’’ Huber said.
Bill Hundley, who retired as Woodland School District superintendent last spring, has been named interim superintendent of the Stevenson-Carson School District.
Hundley, who will serve until June, succeeds Jim Saltness, who resigned for health reasons in October.
After only six months of retirement, Hundley said he did not realize how much he would miss education, and he said he’s looking forward to working in Stevenson.
A 34-year veteran of education, Hundley served Woodland for seven years. He began his career as a history teacher in Kelso.
Saltness served as a vocational education teacher in the Battle Ground School District from August 1979 until June 1987. He was human resources director in the Battle Ground District from 1999 until 2001.
The Woodland Fire Department received a “wonderful surprise” during the last city council meeting before Christmas.
Led by council member and Grange Master John J. Burke, a committee of Woodland Grange members presented a check for $1,050 to Fire Chief Tony Brentin on Dec. 17. The money will be used for the purchase of protective clothing for water rescue.
“I didn’t know they were going to do that,” Brentin said after the meeting. “It was a wonderful surprise. The firefighters are extremely grateful to the Woodland Grange for their donation and support.”
The fire department owns a rescue boat that is staffed by no more than three firefighters during an operation, Brentin said.
The need for better protective clothing was shown on Dec. 13 when a person walking at the edge of Horseshoe Lake saw a car submerged in the water at the end of Whalen Street and South Pekin Road.
The walker called the fire department and the rescue team was dispatched along with a volunteer dive team from Cowlitz County. The temperature hovered around 34 degrees, Brentin said.
Nobody was in the car, which was pulled from the lake, but a small amount of oil was spilled, and the team placed booms in the water to isolate and collect the oil.
Brentin said the department responds to a half dozen water rescue calls each year. Ten firefighters are trained for water rescue, he said.
In addition to protecting rescue teams from the cold, the new suits include a flotation device, Brentin said.
The funds will allow the fire department to buy four rescue suits to be shared among the Woodland team.
“We found a supplier that will sell them to us at half price,” Brentin said. “The new suits are orange and they’re easier to spot in the water.”
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
Wheels are turning to complete a sculpture and water feature that will some day sit in Hoffman Plaza in Woodland.
Enough money has been raised through donations to cast a bronze replica of the historic, steam-powered sternwheeler “Mascot” that made daily trips from Woodland to Portland at the turn of the 20th century.
Woodland’s Downtown Revitalization Committee has raised about $15,000, enough for the sculpture and the casting. Kalama sculptor Bill McCown created the art. Joy Haasl of the revitalization committee said the bronze should be cast by the end of January.
Casting the bronze is only the first step, Haasl said. Plans are for the bronze to be mounted on a rock and concrete base with water cascading to the back of the boat. The total cost, including in-kind labor, is expected to reach $40,000, she said.
The Lower Columbia Contractors Association has bid on the project and has agreed to work with the Woodland group, Haasl said. Jeannette Scapelli of the Contractors Association will write a grant to help pay for the final construction and installation.
“We’ll need plumbing, electrical work and permits,” Haasl said.
The revitalization committee will need a state shoreline permit in order to build the structure that will hold the sternwheeler, Haasl said. The city plans to build a new rest room and a walking path around Horseshoe Lake Park, adjacent to the plaza, although no date has been set for construction.
“We wanted to get all three going at the same time so we could share a permit,” Haasl said.
The idea to create a bronze replica of the “Mascot” came during the Woodland centennial celebration in 2006. A history of the sternwheeler fleet by Walter Hansen says the “Mascot” was the first of the steamers to make the trip to Portland and back each day.
According to Hansen, the ship, built in 1890, was originally 100 feet long and fired by wood. After running aground in 1908, the “Mascot” was rebuilt to 132 feet long and was converted from wood to oil. The sternwheeler burned to the water line at Pekin Landing in 1911.
Hansen writes that the “Mascot” was one of some 30 steamers that plied the Lewis River between 1854 and 1931 when the now Horseshoe Lake was a river channel.
Major donors to the project include Marie Heerman, $5,000, and Margaret Colf Hepola and Hansen, $3,000 each.
People who would like to donate are asked to mail donations to Downtown Woodland Revitalization Committee, P.O. Box 1041, Woodland 98674. The committee is also accepting in-kind donations of labor and supplies. For information, call Haasl, 360-225-2139.