Ken Vance staff reporter
It was a vote about having a vote.
Or was it?
The La Center City Council rejected a proposal April 30 for an advisory vote that would have asked citizens of the city to answer two questions. First, if the city should enter into talks with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe about providing sewer to the Tribe’s property near the I-5 junction. And second, if the city should seek to mitigate all of the identified impacts of the proposed Tribal Casino.
At its meeting on April 30, the council listened to public testimony from a dozen citizens who seemed split on whether or not the city should put the issue to a vote of La Center’s residents. About 50 people attended the meeting, which at times was both contentious and full of acrimony.
Council members Troy Van Dinter, Bob Smith and Linda Tracy all voted against the resolution, while members Bill Birdwell and Mike Nolan voted yes. Birdwell asked for the advisory vote to be placed on the August 19 primary ballot.
“This is a decision the council needs to make,’’ said Van Dinter, explaining his vote.
Mayor Jim Irish said on more than one occasion that the vote was an issue of the First Amendment Rights of the La Center citizens. However, Smith didn’t agree.
“Jim has wanted to negotiate with these people from Day 1,’’ Smith said. “They tried to make this a right-to-vote thing. That’s not the issue. It was his way to try to force us to mitigate.’’
Last year, the city council voted 4-1, with Birdwell casting the only vote of opposition, on a resolution stating the city would not enter into negotiations with the Cowlitz Tribe to provide sewer service to the casino’s proposed location, a 152-acre parcel near the La Center junction.
The council remains split on whether the Cowlitz Casino is inevitable, or if the fight against it is still worth fighting. Those who believe it’s only a matter of time before the Tribe gains approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs say La Center has to mitigate the impacts immediately.
“To mitigate now, would send the wrong message to the BIA,’’ said Smith, who believes the Cowlitz Tribe will use the negotiations as evidence of local approval for the project.
Tracy disagreed.
“We are supposed to negotiate for something we don’t even know if it’s ever going to be an issue?’’ Tracy asked rhetorically.
Nolan feels that Smith, Van Dinter and Tracy are taking a very big risk with their stance.
“I’m not willing to put my head in the sand,’’ Nolan said.
About 65 percent of La Center’s current tax base is made up of revenue generated from the four non-tribal card rooms in the city. If the Cowlitz Casino is built, some people believe that that portion of the tax base would either be dramatically decreased or dry up altogether.
La Center was recently awarded 700 acres of commercial and industrial land near the junction in its Urban Growth Boundary. City officials want to see that land developed, but in order to do so, services--most notably sewer--need to be extended to the junction.
Smith and others would like to see developers pay for that. Irish and others believe the development won’t come if they have to pay for the services.
“The junction would then be re-allocated because we can’t provide service to it,’’ Irish said.
The combination of the potential loss in revenue from the card rooms and lack of ability to develop the area awarded to La Center in the Urban Growth Boundary, without any mitigation with the Tribe, is a devastating scenario for some to consider.
“It’s terrible,’’ Irish said. “The impacts could be devastating, but they don’t have to be.’’
Irish is confident a decision by the BIA on the casino is coming by the end of the summer or early fall. And, when that happens, it will be too late for any negotiations with the Tribe. Irish and Nolan said the Tribe has already turned its sights on a southern sewer line that would eliminate its need to negotiate with La Center for sewer.
“What’s going to be their incentive?’’ Nolan said. “The sewer is their incentive. If we wait until the last possible minute to try to mitigate, it’s my understanding they are already negotiating with everyone else for sewer. If that happens, they won’t even answer the phone.’’
Nolan even offered a baseball analogy that it was the bottom of the ninth and there were two outs and La Center was behind in its attempt to block the Cowlitz Casino from being built. Again, Smith disagreed.
“I don’t think so,’’ Smith said. “I think we’re in the second or third inning. That’s the difference between us. If it is the bottom of the ninth, I don’t think we’re behind.’’
Smith also feels if the BIA does approve the Cowlitz Casino, that it will force the Tribe to mitigate the impacts with La Center.
“It’s my opinion that the BIA is going to make them mitigate the impacts,’’ Smith said. “And, we don’t even know what the total impacts are at this point.’’
Irish said he has been told that is not the case.
“They don’t have to,’’ Irish said.
The Battle Ground school board will hold one more public meeting before a decision is made on the disposition of some $1.75 million not needed to complete projects approved by voters in March 2005.
While the board unanimously approved a resolution in December 2004 that any unused funds would be used to pay down existing debt, the board is now considering other options.
The board has developed a list of projects for which the money could be used, from painting to purchasing equipment to replacing a fire alarm system to upgrading heating and cooling equipment.
The public is invited to comment on the issue during a meeting set for Thurs., May 15, 6 p.m., at the District Office, CASEE Center, 11104 NE 149th St., Brush Prairie.
The board previously held three public meetings. Two were poorly attended, said District superintendent Shonny Bria. At a third, the board heard a range of projects for which the money could be used.
Mary Beth Lynn, District of Fiscal Services for Battle Ground schools, said the school district presently owes about $72.5 million, of which about $61.2 million was approved in 2005 and the remainder borrowed in prior years.
If the $1.75 million were used to reduce debt, said Lynn, the owner of a $250,000 home would save about $5.43 per year on property taxes.
In addition, taxpayers would save another estimated $920,000 in interest that would otherwise be paid on the borrowed $1.75 million.
In March 2005, voters authorized the school district to borrow $62.9 million for a wide range of construction projects. The action qualified the district for another $51.5 million in state funds, resulting in a construction budget of more than $114 million. With that money the district has constructed or is working on two new primary schools, two new middle schools, the replacement of both Lewisville Middle School and Amboy Middle School, an addition to Laurin Middle School, modifications to Prairie High School, purchase of land for new schools, technology upgrades, heating and ventilation upgrades, and a new stage at Battle Ground High School.
On Jan. 11, 2005, two months prior to the March 2005 bond election, the board approved a motion that reaffirmed a prior resolution on using any left over money to repay debt. That motion, passed by the board unanimously, stated, in part: “...a motion to honor Section 6 of Resolution No. N-04, by promising to the taxpayers, that any unused bond funds be used to pay down existing bonds, deemed appropriate, after any required hearing (s).”
Since the bond approval, the district has constructed Daybreak Primary and Middle schools, torn down Chief Umtuch Primary School, constructed a new Amboy Middle School, added classrooms to Captain Strong Primary School, and made improvements at other schools. The new Tukes Valley Middle and Primary schools, an addition to Laurin Middle School, and a replacement at Lewisville are under construction, and other projects are pending.
A similar issue arose during the construction of the Daybreak schools when the district received more state funding that anticipated and decided to use that extra money to add classrooms to the Daybreak schools rather than pay down debt. Even with those added classrooms, said Bria, portable classrooms will be needed at the campus by fall. The Daybreak schools are in there first year of service. A 10-plex portable will be added to the campus over the summer, said Bria.
The additional state matching money brought the state contribution to about $51.5 million instead of the planned $36.6 million, or about $15 million in additional revenue. And that number might still go up, said Lynn.
The added classrooms were not without controversy. Officials considered paying down debt with the extra money instead of spending it. The board decided, however, that the money did not fall under the “unused” definition and that more classrooms at Daybreak were needed.
Battle Ground resident Russ Wadleigh attended two of the three public hearings on the issue of what to do with the $1.75 million. “They made a promise to pay down the debt and they shouldn’t renege on it,” said Wadleigh.
Wadleigh also theorized that the district might pay down debt with the $1.75 million primarily to gain public goodwill for a future bond election. Despite that, said Wadleigh, the money should still be used to pay off debt.
“What they are not doing at these meetings,” said Wadleigh, “is telling people they made this motion (to pay down the debt with unused funds) in the first place.”
Wadleigh said he is a strong supporter of a new high school in Amboy and supported bond measures that would have funded such a project. He said students at Battle Ground High School suffer from crowding that could be relieved with a new north county high school.
Borrowed bond money accrues interest
Lynn noted that the borrowed bond money had earned interest until it was spent on construction work. Through January 2008, said Lynn, proceeds from the March 2005 bond have earned about $4.3 million in interest--money that is not ear-marked for any specific project but remains in the construction account.
Lynn noted that the interest earnings can only be used for construction projects unless they are also used to pay down debt.
Lynn said the May 15 public hearing would be the final opportunity for people to comment on disposition of remaining construction funds.
Bill Myers staff reporter
Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge and Pro Photo Supply of Portland have launched a second annual photo contest. Shutterbugs are urged to submit favorite nature images taken at the Refuge by Aug. 1 at 6 p.m.
The 2008 contest invites both regular participation by all ages and entries from contestants ages 17 and under in a special Youth Contest. Each photographer may submit up to five images. Entry forms are available on-line at www.ridgefieldfriends.org and at www.ProPhotoSupply.com. They may also be obtained by calling 887-9495.
Images can be dropped off at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge headquarters or Pro Photo Supply, 1112 NW 19th St., Portland, or mailed to Friends of Ridgefield NWR, PO Box 1022, Ridgefield, WA 98642.
Contestants with winning photos will receive recognition and gift cards for photographic supplies at Pro Photo Supply in Portland.
Last year, the winning photograph was Featherweights, a picture by Gresham, OR wildlife photographer Jim Cruce of a Rough-legged Arctic Hawk having a dispute over food with a Red-tailed Hawk. Cruce said he shot the photo with an F-100 Nikon film camera, using Fuji 200 film. Cruce said he taught himself to use a camera and often shoots from his car, using it as a blind.
Over the years, Cruce has donated photographic images to the Audubon Society of Portland, and his work has been published in Blue Heron Week brochures and the full color guidebook, Exploring the Tualatin River Basin.
Cruce retired in 1995 after working in the camera department of the Oregonian for about 36 years.
Marguerite Hills, executive director of the Friends of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, said all 2007 photo entries will be posted during May at the Seasons Coffee Shop next to the Old Liberty Theater, 115 N Main, Ridgefield.
Eight railroad cars that have been stored in Battle Ground since last fall will be moved out by June 1, according to Eric Temple of the Columbia Basin Railroad in Renton.
Temple said a freeway widening project in the Renton area forced closure of his Spirit of Washington dinner train that had run between Renton and Woodinville for about 15 years.
Work on I-405 will include the removal of a rail bridge over the freeway, he said, severing the 25 mile route which he had leased from Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
Temple said he has worked to be able to run the dinner train on a northern portion of the rail line between Woodinville and Snohomish, but so far has been unable to gain access to that portion of the line. Negotiations continue, he said, between Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Port of Seattle on the future of the railroad. He said he is still hopeful that a settlement will be reached, allowing him to resume the dinner train operation.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe will retain ownership of the portion of the rail line to the south in the Tukwila and Black Diamond areas, said Temple, but may sell the portion to the north between Renton and Snohomish. That sale could be to the Port of Seattle, he said.
Temple said he also operates a rail line in the Yakima area which is freight only and no passenger service. The cars presently stored in Battle Ground could be moved to Yakima, said Temple, or could be relocated elsewhere on the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad which he leases from Clark County.
Temple said he has received complaints from Battle Ground residents about the presence of the dinner train cars in the Fairgrounds Park area of the city. While he has the legal right to store them in that location, he said, he will respond to those complaints and move the cars by June.
Two locomotives previously used on the Spirit of Washington dinner train are now stored in the Yakima area, he said.