Who doesn’t love a field trip?

In lieu of their typical weekly meeting at City Hall, the Vancouver City Council loaded onto a bus Monday afternoon to take a five-hour tour around potential development sites. Armed with folders and water bottles, the councilors heard presentation from city staffers along the way about how each site might be transformed by A Stronger Vancouver, a sweeping package of public investments currently under consideration by the city council.

If enacted as written, the package would pour resources into parks and public safety programs, upping the city’s budget by around $30 million a year.

After Monday, City Manager Eric Holmes said, Vancouver’s governing body would have a better idea of what they’d be paying for, and certainly a much more tangible understanding than they could get by looking at a piece of paper from behind the council dais.

“It is night and day, firsthand getting the experience as a group,” Holmes said, walking on a pedestrian path near Columbia Tech Center Park. “To get a sense of scale, what we’re talking about — it’s one thing to see it’s 44 acres on an 8 1/2 -by-11 piece of paper, and another to actually see what that catalytic value could be.”

The tour started in northeastern Vancouver, then wound south and back west before reconvening downtown at 9 p.m. The stops included an undeveloped 44-acre plot slated to become Fenton Community Park, as well as a vacant gravel lot in the city’s Section 30 subarea and the completed Columbia Tech Center Park. The tour also stopped at Bagley Park, Fire Station 3, Father Blanchet Park and The Waterfront Vancouver.

“We wanted to provide examples of projects and investments that are really focused on economic vitality — creating jobs, growing the tax base — as well as neighborhood vibrancy,” Holmes said.

The Fenton property, located at the northeastern tip of the city, is something of a “blank canvas,” Holmes added.

The city acquired the land for $5 million last year. The L-shaped plot, which encompasses wetlands and a creek, is undeveloped and could eventually include play areas, a dog park and even some more unusual uses like a bocce ball court or BMX track, said Julie Hannon, director of Parks and Recreation.

“It’s 8.5 Esther Shorts,” Hannon told the crowd, which gathered in the grassy field to hear her presentation. “We can do eight times the amount of work here, and do eight times as many activities.”

Full development of the site would cost $20 million and would likely be built in phases, Hannon added.

The Fenton tour was followed by another blank canvas of sorts, though on a larger scale. The Section 30 Subarea was once home to what the subarea’s plan called “aggregate resource extraction and processing” sites. Now, it’s mostly abandoned gravel mines. The city is hoping to dump some strategic money into the 553-acre site to draw private investment to the area.

Chad Eiken, the city’s director of community and economic development, said Vancouver started eyeing the future of the area in 2004, before it was formally annexed into the city.

His department is hoping Stronger Vancouver funds might help the city improve the area’s usability, adding key arterial roads as well as water and sewer infrastructure.

“There are some big challenges, which is why we haven’t seen any major development here up to this point,” Eiken said, addressing the crowd that filled the seats of the C-Tran tour bus. “The properties are under different ownership and they’ve been mined to different depths.”

When completed, the site could provide an estimated 9,000 jobs, Eiken said. It also might eventually look something like the Columbia Tech Center, an east Vancouver cluster of multi-use rentals that constitutes the single biggest taxpayer to the city’s coffers, Holmes said.

“It isn’t just theory, it isn’t just supposition of what could happen. It actually has happened here,” Holmes said.

Optimism, at a price

Monday’s cheerful, field-trip atmosphere was about showing the councilors the potential fruits of hard planning work (literally, in one case: Mayor Anne McEnerny Ogle munched on a few apples she found at the Fenton property).

That work, undertaken by the Stronger Vancouver Executive Sponsors Council, lasted two years and resulted in a package of projects aimed at making the city safer, more livable and more attractive to employers.

Consisting of around 60 items, the plan is a comprehensive look at how to manage the city’s explosive growth. It includes 34 capital projects — 25 of which involve revamping or building a new park, like at Fenton — as well as an overhaul of operating services, encompassing everything from pedestrian safety to fire sprinklers to a new arts and culture program.

But some residents and businesses have balked at the price tag. The new programs would add $30.1 million to the city’s annual budget, split three ways between increases in property taxes ($9.7 million), business taxes ($9.7 million) and other miscellaneous fees ($10.7 million).

Upon first presenting the proposals to the city council back in April, executive council member Tim Schauer called A Stronger Vancouver “a big ask.”

“It’s a hard conversation, but I think it’s an important one,” Schauer said.

Each of the proposals in the plan is still under consideration, and the city council is expected to vote on a final package by the end of the year, according to Holmes.

The survivor of one car crash and family of a girl who was killed in another near a Battle Ground school bus stop will collectively receive nearly $1.7 million in pending settlement deals.

Justin Carey, now 22, and Elizabeth Smith were both struck by vehicles near a Battle Ground Public Schools bus stop near the corner of Northeast 289th Street and 82nd Avenue. Elizabeth, who was 11, died from her injuries.

Carey and Elizabeth’s family filed a joint lawsuit in 2017 against Clark County, Battle Ground Public Schools and the district’s transportation contractor, Cascade Student Transportation, as well as the individuals who struck them. They alleged negligence by the bus company, school district and county in providing safe transportation to students.

While the details of both settlements are still being finalized, the dollar amounts have been determined. Elizabeth’s family will receive nearly a half-million dollars minus attorney’s fees, according to court records. Justin Carey, who lost his lower right leg in a crash at the same bus stop in 2013, is expected to receive about $1.2 million, according to settlement records and an attorney for the school district.

Elizabeth, who was a student at Daybreak Primary and Middle School, was struck by a southbound minivan on Oct. 19, 2016, after she crossed 82nd Avenue to visit with friends who were waiting on the other side of the street.

According to the settlement agreement filed last month, Elizabeth’s family will receive $202,500 minus attorney’s fees split between the defendants’ insurance carriers. Cascade Student Transportation will pay out $67,500 in reimbursements, and Clark County will pay $75,000. Dennis Lemke, the man who hit her, will pay $60,000.

Elizabeth’s younger sister, who is now 13, will receive $290,000 minus attorney’s fees in the form of a four-year educational fund upon turning 18, as well as deferred lump sum payments. According to court records, the sister watched as Lemke struck Elizabeth, and subsequently experienced emotional trauma and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jill Sasser, an attorney serving as the girl’s guardian ad litem in the settlement case, recently noted in court that the girl will likely be the first in her family to attend college. In a court filing, Sasser described the girl as a “resilient child” who is “handling this loss as well as could be hoped for.”

Carey, who was hit by Shaun Johnson on June 12, 2013, as he waited for the school bus, is expected to receive $400,000 from Clark County’s insurance carrier and $800,000 from Cascade Student Transportation’s insurance carrier, minus attorney’s fees.

Carey was found lying in the bushes by a tow truck driver. His lower right leg was amputated due to his injuries.

Johnson was convicted, for a second time, in 2017 of vehicular assault for hitting Carey. A jury in 2015 had convicted her of vehicular assault and methamphetamine possession, but the convictions were overturned after the Washington Court of Appeals ruled the Clark County sheriff’s deputy who found the drug in her purse had searched it illegally. The drug was not mentioned in her second trial.

The original suit alleges the intersection where the bus stop is located is dangerous, with no traffic lights, no stop signs, narrow shoulders and steep ditches on either side of the road.

According to the suit, the bus stop was located on the slope of a blind hill, with limited sight line of the bus stop for southbound traffic and limited ability for students or vehicles waiting at the bus stop to see approaching southbound vehicles.

There have been no changes to the bus stop.

WASHOUGAL — Washougal River Road, between state Highway 14 and A Street, will be closed for a longer period of time for roundabout construction.

The Washington State Department of Transportation announced Monday that what had been a 10-day closure will now be a 12-day closure. The closure will begin at 10 p.m. Wednesday and last until 5 a.m. Aug. 26.

The closure is needed for workers to build a roundabout at Highway 14 and Washougal River Road/15th Street.

Drivers will need to use alternate routes during the closure. Travel on Highway 14 will not be restricted but will be temporarily shifted to the south while crews work on the northern part of the intersection.

More information on the roundabouts project is available online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR14/accessimprove.

The weather forecast is pretty easy this week, mostly sunny and highs in the mid-80s today and around 80 degrees the rest of the week. The chance of showers this weekend is still up in the air so no worries now — we’ll dive into that possibility on Thursday.

Meanwhile, our rainfall total here in Vancouver so far this month is at 0.38 inch. We had three days of rain this month — on Aug. 2, 9 and 10. Yes, those clouds and showers were quite persistent Saturday and dampened spirits only slightly at the County Fair.

It could have been worse. Back in 2009 on Aug. 11 and 12, we had close to an inch over much of Clark County and upwards of 1.5 inches in some locations. Now that was wet. We had the average rainfall for August in just two days.

While we were under plenty of clouds over the weekend and light rain, the coastal beaches were mostly sunny and temperatures in the 70s. For some reason the ocean beaches have had more sunshine than here lately. And so it goes in the weather business.

While I was attending the outdoor Saturday Market in Ilwaco on the waterfront, skies were clear and sunny. I was eating lunch on a bench overlooking the marina watching folks coming in from salmon fishing. At that hour it was cloudy and rainy in Vancouver. I could see those dark clouds off to the east over the Coast Range mountains.

Do I see any 90-degree weather heading our way? Nope. How about a good soaking rain? Nope. At this rate, August will go in the record books as a mundane month weather-wise. That’s OK, right? Last year at this time we had 25 days with highs of 90 degrees or higher compared to six so far this year.

Time goes by so quickly, it seems, and I know many of you enjoy the autumn season the best — just like me. It’s coming, those cooler days, crisp nights and the bountiful harvest from the gardens.

Enjoy your week.

WOODLAND — Woodland Action is temporarily suspending Tuesday distribution at the food bank due to a staffing shortage, according to a post on the nonprofit group’s Facebook page.

The food bank is typically open from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays. With the closure on Tuesdays, the food bank will extend hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Tuesday distributions could return in the fall.

For more information, visit www.woodlandaction.org, or call 360-225-9998.

A Vancouver chaplain and his brother plan to cycle 2,448 miles to help break the cycle of homelessness.

“Somebody has got to step up, and I put it on our adults all the time — that it’s up to them to break the cycle,” said Mark Roskam, chaplain at Open House Ministries. “We believe in what we are doing, so that makes it easy to bicycle across the country.”

He and his brother, Mike Roskam, are planning to bike from Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif., via Route 66. The two hope to leave on Sept. 4, finish by Oct. 11 and raise $66,000.

“Mark and I log a lot of miles around Clark County and we see a lot of homeless situations,” Mike Roskam said. They both talked about homelessness often being a generational issue.

Mark Roskam said that he has been involved in cycling all of his life. His brother took up cycling after giving up golf because he was not good at it. He said that cycling gives him everything he is looking for – time to be active outdoors. “Mike brought the idea to me, and it seems like it was almost an instant yes.”

The brothers plan to travel 80 miles a day, six days a week, with their wives leading the way in a 28-foot Winnebago. The two families will spend 31 nights on the road.

“They’ll keep the food just beyond our reach so we have to finish,” Mark Roskam said. “I think we’ll sleep well.”

Donations for the trip can be made by lump sum or per-mile. The easiest way to donate is through the website https://www.sheltered.org/upcoming-events/ or by calling Leslie Cook at 360-737-0300. Mark Roskam said that every penny donated will go directly to Open House Ministries. He emphasized that none of the donations will go toward paying for the trip that the brothers estimate will cost $10,000.

Mark Roskam said that Open House Ministries has always been approved to house up to 46 families, but in the past many of the rooms had to be used for offices. Then in October, the Tod and Maxine McClaskey Family Resource Center opened. The resource center now houses all the offices along with a gymnasium, making room for more families.

“We have a lot more square footage and we’re grateful, but it takes a great effort to be able to keep up with,” Mark Roskam said.

“We have more kids than adults,” he said. Some of the money from this fundraiser will go to staffing programs in the gymnasium to work with the kids. Most of the money will go to keeping existing programs going.

The faith-based organization has been open since 1986. It allows families without homes to stay for up to one year rent-free. Mark Roskam said the ministry works closely with the adults in hopes that they will be able to break the cycle of homelessness.

Two years ago Mike Roskam completed a 4,200-mile cycling trip. It was also a fundraising effort. It raised $170,000. “So Mark and I feel pretty confident that we can reach our goal of $66,000,” he said.

Mark said that he is looking forward to the trip. Work has been busy, and the first thing to go is down time. Having time alone to think and pray is how he recharges, he said, and he is looking forward to spending time with family and raising money for Open House. It’s a “win-win-win,” he said.

The downside?

“Being away from the shelter for five weeks is going to be hard,” Mark Roskam said. “Lives are dynamic, and they’re all going on while I’m gone. It’ll be hard to be gone. It’ll be good to be gone.”

Stober fundraiser: Ty Stober, a Vancouver city councilor seeking re-election in the November general election, is hosting a fundraiser this weekend.

The event will be held 5 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Williams home, 2212 C St., Vancouver.

It’s open to donors of any amount, though suggested donations for guests start at $125.

To RSVP, email Haley@VoteTy.com.

Paving on state Highway 500 is scheduled to continue this weekend when eastbound lanes are closed to all traffic.

Highway 500 eastbound, from Interstate 5 to Northeast Thurston Way, is scheduled to close at 10 p.m. Friday and open no later than 5 a.m. Monday.

Drivers should plan to use alternate routes during the full weekend closure. Construction is weather dependent, and rain could cause the work to be postponed.

Despite some rain last weekend, crews were able to complete paving on the highway’s westbound lanes.

Highway 500 is used by nearly 60,000 vehicles a day. The state route was last paved in 2002. Heavy use and freeze/thaw cycles have contributed to pavement deterioration.

Overturning a previous decision, the Columbia River Gorge Commission took action Tuesday that could lead to shutting down a gravel mine outside Washougal.

The mine, located inside the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, has drawn heated opposition from residents who say they have endured up to 200 trucks a day traveling at unsafe speeds, along with protracted noise and copious amounts of dust.

Friends of the Columbia River Gorge refers to the mining as “illegal” and says it represents “the largest ongoing land use violation” in the 33-year history of the scenic area, which protects the picturesque canyon where the Columbia River slices through the Cascade Mountains.

The Gorge commission, meeting in The Dalles, Ore., heard arguments Tuesday from attorneys representing various parties — nearby residents, Friends of the Columbia River Gorge, mine operator Nutter Corp. and mine owner Judith Zimmerly — before voting 11-1 to reverse Clark County Hearings Examiner Joe Turner’s August 2018 decision.

Commissioner Sondra Clark cast the only dissenting vote. Commissioner Carina Miller did not attend Tuesday’s hearing.

It isn’t clear what authority the Gorge commission has to shut down the mine. Attorneys for different parties disagree over whether the commission can issue an injunction or take other enforcement action.

“I think we had a very fair and thoughtful process this morning,” Krystyna Wolniakowski, executive director of the Columbia River Gorge Commission, said at the end of Tuesday’s hearing. “Now the staff needs to confer immediately — it is our highest priority — to determine what is within our jurisdiction to do next. And we will be able to speak to that in a few days.”

Jamie Howsley, an attorney representing Zimmerly, declined to discuss the next steps but offered one comment.

“We strongly believe the Gorge commission didn’t even have jurisdiction to hear the appeal,” Howsley said after Tuesday’s hearing. “Clark County code is very specific about where appeals should go, and that is to Clark County Superior Court.”

1993 permit

In 1993, the Gorge commission approved mining at the site with a number of conditions, including that the permit would be void if operations stopped for one year or longer.

The mine stopped operating in 1997. In 2017, Nutter Corp. reopened the mine, triggering objections from area residents and environmental activists who said the mine’s permit was no longer valid. Clark County subsequently notified Nutter that the company must cease operations.

Nutter and Zimmerly appealed to hearings examiner Turner, who ruled that mining could continue. Turner said mining was subject to other regulations regarding noise and air quality and he lacked jurisdiction to interpret the Gorge commission’s permits and decisions.

Gary Kahn, an attorney representing residents living near the mine, said during Tuesday’s hearing that many of his clients live along the mine’s haul route and have endured noise, dust, pollution, odors and vibration since mining resumed.

“Those are the problems my clients have been facing since approximately October 2017, which has gone on completely unfettered and unmitigated,” he said.

Nathan Baker, senior staff attorney for Friends of the Columbia River Gorge, requested the commission issue an injunction blocking mining until a valid scenic area permit is obtained.

“It’s really important that happens today,” Baker said. “Without it, we will have won the battle but lost the war. We fully expect that if there is not an injunction, Zimmerly and Nutter will continue to violate, as they have for two years.”

But Maren Calvert, an attorney representing Nutter, argued that the Gorge commission lacks authority to issue an injunction or impose civil penalties. All the commission can do is reverse, remand or set aside the hearings examiner’s decision, she said.

Written order

Jeffrey Litwak, the Gorge commission’s legal counsel, will draft a written order for Chairwoman Lorrie DeKay to sign no later than Nov. 12. Any appeals must be filed within 60 days of the commission’s official order.

After Tuesday hearing, Michael Lang, conservation director for Friends of the Columbia River Gorge, said the commission has broad authority to issue stays and injunctions but opted to take no action.

“What that means to us is the previous Clark County notice of violation and stop work order is back in effect,” he said. “The mine has to stop, and the commission is considering the next steps it will take to enforce the scenic area act.”

Lang said he is confident either Clark County or the Gorge commission will shut down the mine.

“The real remedy is for Nutter and Zimmerly to stop operating and apply for a national scenic area permit,” he said. “It’s that simple.”

An open Vancouver school board seat attracted 13 applicants, including three people who ran and lost in the primary election.

Vancouver Public Schools is slated this month to select a temporary replacement for Position 4, which was vacated by Michelle Giovannozzi at the end of July. The four-month opening came with an unusual level of public attention as it’s in the midst of local elections. Three school board seats are open this year, including Position 4.

Teachers Lisa Messer and Kathy Decker made it to the general election. No candidates who made it through to the general election applied, which means no one will receive the benefit of de facto incumbency heading into November.

Here are some of the applicants for the position:

• Lindsey Luis, Scott Dalesandro and Jennifer Hawks-Conright, all of whom ran for office but failed to secure spots in the general election, submitted their applications. All three signed pledges saying they would not apply for the open seat prior to the primary election.

Luis is a recent graduate from Fort Vancouver High School and completed her term as National Youth President of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

“As a bilingual Latina, in a school district that serves over a quarter Hispanic/Latino students and families, I will bring the perspective of a member of this community,” Luis wrote in her letter of interest. There are no people of color on the Vancouver school board.

Dalesandro is a retired logistics manager who touted his business experience during his campaign, noting in his application letter that he would bring “new and creative ideas” to the school board.

Hawks-Conright, communications administrator for the Clark County Association of Realtors and a neighborhood volunteer, described her experience working with children as both a volunteer and mother. Hawks-Conright has four children, two of whom are on the autism spectrum, and praised the school district for its early childhood programs in helping her children learn and grow.

“I want to be a part of this process as a school board director,” she wrote.

• Adam Aguilera ran in the crowded field of Vancouver City Council candidates competing for Bill Turlay’s seat but came in fourth with 14.89 percent of the 23,099 ballots cast. Aguilera is a teacher in Evergreen Public Schools and has helped oversee diversity and equity training in that district, Clark County’s largest. He also holds leadership positions with the Washington Education Association and Professional Educator Standards Board.

“My background experience is well-rounded in meeting the district’s priorities to promote equity, school safety and fiscal responsibility,” Aguilera wrote in his letter of interest.

Aguilera also points to his experience as a person of color, as well as a member of the LGBTQ community, saying he is “qualified to serve all families of Vancouver Public Schools.”

• Kathy Gillespie, who was on the Vancouver school board from 2010 through 2017, has advocated for the board appointing a caretaker for the interim position — a temporary leader with no skin in the election game and with previous experience.

“I’ve decided to apply for this simple reason,” Gillespie said in an email to The Columbian. “The appointment term is brief, and I have the experience needed to hit the ground running and serve with the least amount of disruption to the system.”

Gillespie specifically noted her knowledge of district policies, state education law and the Open Public Meetings Act in her letter of interest.

“After two terms and eight years of service, I know the role and require no additional training or staff time to bring me up to speed on the specifics of the role,” she wrote. “Should the board desire a smooth transition and a bridge to the November election, I am ready to serve.”

• Holly Williams, who sat on the Evergreen Public Schools Board of Directors from July 2000 through November 2009, also applied saying she wants to fill a caretaker role. Like Gillespie, Williams wrote at length about her previous experience serving on a school board.

“It is in the best interest of the district — its students, staff and community — to appoint someone with my proven experience and extensive community involvement,” she wrote.

• Paul Scarpelli, the ousted manager of Clark County Animal Control, also applied, citing his longtime experience in the public sector. Scarpelli noted that the “complexities, breadth, diversity and political environment” of the school district and Clark County are similar.

The other applicants are Spring Benson, Michael Hadfield, Trevor Hayward, Scott Judkins, Susan Normington and Sindy Sands.

Vancouver Public Schools will start board interviews at 8 a.m. Aug. 20 at the Bates Center for Educational Leadership, Room 100, 2921 Falk Road, Vancouver.

Fire crews have responded to an attic fire in a single-story home, according to emergency radio traffic monitored at The Columbian.

Crews were dispatched at 7:51 p.m. to 708 N.E. 97th Ave. The back of the house and a shed appeared to be affected by a small fire coming from the attic, according to the scanner.

The fire was extinguished within 30 minutes, according to the scanner.

Though the ink is dry on Vancouver Public Schools’ budget for the upcoming year, don’t expect that this is the end of school finance discussions in Clark County’s second largest school district.

By a vote of 3-0, the Vancouver school board approved $661 million in expenditures for the 2019-2020 school year, a budget that reflects cutbacks to central office expenses. Director Mark Stoker had a previously arranged absence, and one seat is open on the school board.

The largest proportion of that budget is the $344.5 million general fund, which covers staff salaries and instructional programs. The district is also expected to spend $271.1 million on bond-funded capital projects as it pursues an extensive construction campaign.

And while Vancouver Public Schools is spending about $103.1 million more this upcoming school year than last year, the school district this spring and summer has pointed to increasing district expenses and limitations on state funding that school officials say left the district with an $8 million budget deficit and no choice but to start eliminating positions.

“Obviously we all need to come together … to identify and secure sustainable revenue that preserves valued services and programs that our community members want and expect from their public schools,” Superintendent Steve Webb said Tuesday night.

The district is eliminating the following positions:

• 10 centrally budgeted teachers on special assignment (often roving teachers providing support to their classroom colleagues) for a savings of $1.2 million.

• 5 percent cuts to central office and support service budgets, also for a $1.2 million savings.

• 15 percent cuts to central administration positions for an $800,000 savings.

• 50 percent cuts to professional development travel for a $400,000 savings.

• The elimination of one grounds maintenance position for a $75,000 savings.

The district will also use $3.8 million out of its reserve funds, and received one-time funding of $6.5 million secured by state Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver, during this year’s legislative session. But district officials say that means they’re facing a $10.3 million shortfall in the coming school year.

Vancouver, like surrounding districts, faces increased labor costs, declining enrollment and fallout from changes to the state’s new school funding model. The district also noted that its federally required special education expenses are increasing faster than what the state is providing funding for. Brett Blechschmidt, the district’s chief fiscal officer, estimates the state is undercutting the district’s special education programs by about $6.3 million. The district budgeted $45.6 million total for special education services.

“Unfortunately they’re falling farther and farther behind,” Blechschmidt said.

Still, Vancouver Public Schools could be on the brink of collecting enough revenue to eclipse that budget shortfall. The school board this summer tentatively laid out a plan to ask voters for a supplemental levy of no more than 51 cents per $1,000 in assessed property value, bringing local levy rates from $1.50 per $1,000 in assessed property value to about $2.01 per $1,000. That’s because the Legislature this past session raised the cap on local school levies from $1.50 to $2.50 per $1,000 in assessed property value, or at a level that would raise $2,500 per pupil, whichever leads to lower levy rates.

That 51 cents per $1,000 could raise as much as $11.75 million annually for the school district.

“As you know, without a sustainable revenue source moving forward, we’ll be forced to address a $10.3 million budget shortfall in the next budget year,” said Webb. “And we’ll have fewer options to consider.”

Local school levies are increasing in Battle Ground.

The Battle Ground Public Schools Board of Directors on Monday night approved a $188.5 million budget funded, in part, by a local levy rate of $2.50 per $1,000 in assessed property value. That makes Battle Ground one of the few school districts in Clark County able to take advantage of a state law that will allow it to increase its levy cap.

It’s a further complication of state law settled in response to the landmark school funding decision known as McCleary. The Legislature in 2018 capped local levies at $1.50 per $1,000 in assessed value while raising state property tax levies. This year, the Legislature increased that to $2.50 per $1,000.

Battle Ground voters approved a levy in 2017 that would have generated a rate of about $3.66 per $1,000 in assessed value, according to district budget documents. Because that voter-approved levy is greater than the new levy caps, Battle Ground was able to increase its levy to generate an anticipated $23.4 million for the 2019-2020 budget.

Superintendent Mark Ross said the additional money will allow the district to maintain programs, make safety and infrastructure improvements and add middle school sports.

“These changes will round out the educational experience that we can provide our students and families, and continue to build a district that strengthens our community and makes it a desirable place to raise a family,” Ross wrote in a district news release.

The district projects the increased levy will also allow it to cover future deficits caused by declining enrollment, increasing staff costs and special education services not fully covered by the state.

The district has made some cuts to key areas due to projected enrollment declines of about 470 students in the upcoming school year. The district scaled its basic education budget back from $99 million to $93.8 million, eliminating some staff commensurate with decreased enrollment.

“Enrollment drives staffing,” said Meagan Hayden, the district’s director of school finance. “Since our enrollment is down, the state funding is down as well. Most of our staff reductions were in basic education.”

Daniel Valtierra and Vanessa Contreras went through a rough patch.

After paying his sons’ hospital bills, Valtierra didn’t have enough money for rent, so the couple was evicted from their apartment in Vancouver. After that, they doubled up with another family for nearly a year before they received help from the new Family Assistance Community Engagement, or FACE, Program.

“I just needed somebody to believe in me again,” said Valtierra, 40, who had 20 years of good rental history before the eviction.

They were connected to Council for the Homeless’ FACE Program through Contreras’ 10-year-old son’s school. The program, which has been around for a little more than a year, aims to assist people of color and those who identify as LGBTQ, who are disproportionately impacted by homelessness.

African Americans, for instance, made up about 2 percent of Clark County’s population in 2018 but represented 13 percent of Council for the Homeless’ clients. While Native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders comprised 1 percent of the population, they made up 6 percent of homeless clients last year.

The organization did not track whether clients identify as LGBTQ until the FACE Program started. However, national numbers show between 30 and 40 percent of people experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ.

Kate Budd, executive director of Council for the Homeless, said that to effectively reduce the overall number of homeless people “we have to make sure we’re addressing the needs of populations of color, as well as those who identify as LGBTQ” because their homelessness is often connected to greater challenges such as racism, oppression and homophobia.

“Those experiencing homelessness don’t begin on level playing fields,” Budd said. “The idea of everyone can pull themselves up by their bootstraps is not a universal reality.”

According to the Supporting Partnerships for Anti-Racist Communities study published in March 2018: “People of color are dramatically more likely than white people to experience homelessness in the United States. This is no accident; it is the result of centuries of structural racism that have excluded historically oppressed people — particularly black and Native Americans — from equal access to housing, community supports and opportunities for economic mobility.”

The study examined homelessness in Pierce County, San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, Columbus, Ohio, and Syracuse, N.Y.

In May 2018, Budd’s organization received a three-year, $679,615 grant from Building Changes’ Washington Youth and Family Fund to better serve minority populations. She said when the FACE Program was first announced she got pushback from community members who questioned why it was important.

The program uses the existing social services system and connects people with cultural agencies, such as the Cowlitz Tribe, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, YWCA Clark County and Latino Community Resource Group, to increase their success with housing.

Contreras found support through Gina Ochoa, who heads the FACE Program at Council for the Homeless. When Contreras was homeless and feeling down, one thing that helped the 28-year-old weather the tough time was coming out to her family as bisexual. Ochoa was encouraging and a sounding board for other issues she tackled.

A total of 169 people or 52 households were enrolled in Council for the Homeless’ program, which uses diversion to quickly get people back into housing ideally within about two months of starting the program. Contreras and Valtierra received guidance to pay off debt from the prior eviction, as well as about $3,000 in move-in assistance.

Contreras couldn’t believe how quickly they got back on their feet.

“It was like a dream come true. We were like, ‘Wow, our own place now.’ I always thought, you know, when you had an eviction, you were always going to get turned down,” she said.

Ochoa made the couple realize that’s not always the case.

As of the end of June, 121 people, or 72 percent of participants, exited to permanent housing. None of them have returned to homelessness. (An additional 15 clients are in a two-year rapid rehousing program with Community Services Northwest, so outcomes for that program were unavailable.)

“It speaks volumes to how households are stabilizing,” Budd said.

Beforehand, 53 percent of this population exited to permanent housing, she said. The goal was to increase the percentage to 60.

Clients averaged 33 days in the FACE Program. Those who exited the program without obtaining permanent housing may have found transitional housing or emergency shelter, started staying at a friend’s place or returned to homelessness.

Budd said she’s overall pleased with the outcomes of the first year.

The most important takeaway so far, she said, is Council for the Homeless needs to make sure it’s partnering with culturally specific agencies that can help households build stability. Building relationships with landlords and providing some cultural awareness is important, too, Budd said. For instance, households from Chuuk, islands in the Federated States of Micronesia, greatly value family and may invite relatives to stay with them, breaking the terms of their rental agreement. But caseworkers can proactively inform landlords about that and mitigate future issues, possibly preventing an eviction.

As for Contreras and Valtierra, they are grateful to have a place they can call their own and dream of someday having a house in a nice area of town.

“I’m thankful I got a second opportunity,” Valtierra said.

For Peter Greenfield, investing money in Clark Public Utilities’ community solar project was a “no-brainer.”

More than four years ago, the Vancouver resident spotted an item in his utility bill seeking investors for a solar project. Customers would receive state incentive checks and credits on their electricity bills.

Greenfield said his eagerness was partially based on the forecasted 60 percent return on investment after five years.

“Even though the estimates were a little optimistic and the state rebates were not quite as high, they are still very, very high,” he said. “If that were not enough, we also received payment for the electricity that our share generates.”

For every $100 put into the project, investors have received incentive checks for nearly $30, plus energy credits worth about $2.

The good news for the approximately 700 utility customers who invested is they all will recoup their investments when they receive state incentive checks this summer. The bad news is the state program will provide one final check in 2020 before it goes away. The utility’s less valuable energy credit is expected to continue for another 20 years.

$10,000 maximum

The $1.4 million solar project was financed solely by community investors who, on average, invested $2,000.

Greenfield is one of about three dozen utility customers who invested the maximum, $10,000, by purchasing 100 units, each costing $100. The utility also had customers who purchased the minimum, a single $100 unit, including those who made $8.33 monthly payments spread over the year.

The solar project was built in 2015 on the northwest corner of Padden Parkway and state Highway 503, at Clark Public Utilities’ operations center, 8600 N.E. 117th Ave., Vancouver. The location was chosen for its solar exposure, community visibility and proximity to electrical infrastructure.

The project was popular from its beginning. The initial solar array sold out on the first day that customers could purchase $100 units. High demand prompted Clark Public Utilities to build four more arrays, and those $100 units were sold within a month.

During the “solar year” that ended June 30, the community solar project generated 385,549 kilowatt hours of electricity, a modest 3.1 percent increase from the previous year. It still set a record for solar-energy production since the arrays went online and will net the largest state incentive returns to date.

“We just had ideal weather for solar production,” said Matt Babbitts, the utility’s energy services project manager. “The ideal solar weather is clear and sunny but not too hot.”

It may seem counterintuitive, but summer is not the best time to generate solar energy because production declines during hot weather.

“We get a lot more value in the Pacific Northwest by having sunny days in spring and fall,” Babbitts said.

Summer performance can be further hindered by dust and other dirt that slowly coats the solar panels during dry weather. This week, student employees at the utility used Simple Green, brushes and a garden hose to clean the panels.

The utility describes the solar project as the biggest in Clark County, but its potential output is relatively small: enough electricity to power 30 homes for a year.

Overall, Clark Public Utilities has about 200,000 electrical customers in Clark County. Most of its electricity is purchased from the Bonneville Power Administration and generated by hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers.

The utility’s solar arrays are fix-mounted, meaning the panels do not move to maximize energy production as the Earth rotates.

“At the time in 2015 when we brought this project on line, those type of tracking systems were cost-prohibitive,” Babbitts said.

Climate change

Climate change also factored into Greenfield’s investment decision.

“I’m very concerned about that, as we all should be,” he said.

Babbitts said many investors feel the same way.

“There is a large percentage of these participating customers who are very passionate about environmental concerns,” he said. “And they want to be part of the solution at the local level.”

All the same, it’s unlikely Clark Public Utilities will launch another community solar project without state incentives, Babbitts said. Homeowners can get a better return on their investment by installing a solar system on their house and taking advantage of federal tax credits, he said.

Greenfield said he doesn’t want to put solar panels on his roof.

“We have an older house, and we have a beautiful shake roof that isn’t real new,” he said. “I don’t want to start putting solar panels on it. We would pretty much have to get a new roof.”

Greenfield has considered a solar roof offered by Tesla Inc., but is wary of the technology’s hefty cost. He has invested in SolarWindow Technologies Inc., which produces a transparent window coating that generates electricity.

“I am always one who has tried to be self-sufficient,” he said. “I would love to generate all my own electricity.”

The state may see an increase in impaired-driving arrests over the next few weeks.

Nearly 150 additional patrols will monitor potentially impaired drivers beginning today through Labor Day weekend, according to a Washington Traffic Safety Commission news release.

The Vancouver, Battle Ground, Washougal, La Center and Ridgefield police departments will participate, along with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol and Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency.

Statewide, fatal crashes involving drivers impaired by more than one substance, or poly-drug drivers, rose 15 percent per year from 2012 to 2017, according to the commission. Poly-drug drivers have become the most common culprits in fatal crashes with impairment, the commission said. Alcohol and cannabis were flagged as the most frequent combination.

The commission also plans to place 75 free-standing, tall educational posters in cannabis retail shops around the state.

“Our hope is to reduce traffic deaths to zero. Planning ahead is one action you can take to keep our roads and our families safe,” said Mark Medalen, the commission’s impaired-driving program manager. “There’s another way that everyone can help. If you see someone impaired, engage with them and help them find another way home.”

A 16-year-old boy charged in the death of another teenager during a botched drug robbery in a Hazel Dell parking lot in December was sentenced Tuesday.

Tristan Alexander Cienfuegos was ordered to remain behind bars until he’s 21.

Superior Court Commissioner Dayann Liebman imposed the sentence on Cienfuegos, who pleaded guilty to a single count of first-degree murder in Clark County Juvenile Court.

Cienfuegos originally faced charges of first-degree murder and first-degree robbery. Two co-defendants, Terrance J. Busby and Oriley J. Huynh, 17 and 15 respectively at the time of their arrests, were similarly charged in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Gage Allan Kiser.

Busby was convicted of first-degree robbery and sentenced to a range of three and a half to six years in a juvenile facility. Huynh has a hearing scheduled for Sept. 11, Deputy Prosecutor Kristine Foerster said, at which a judge will decide whether his case should remain in juvenile court or be moved to adult court.

The three boys planned to rob Kiser of marijuana Dec. 10. Their plot turned deadly when Huynh shot the Vancouver teen multiple times, prosecutors say.

In his written statement to the court, Cienfuegos said he arranged to buy marijuana from Kiser, but he did not plan to pay for it. After taking the marijuana, Kiser “was shot by someone other than me,” he wrote.

Cienfuegos said he took the plea deal offered by the state to avoid the possibility of his case being moved to adult court, according to the statement.

The court found that imposing a lower sentence would not be justified, and the agreement between the attorneys was appropriate, according to an affidavit of a finding of “manifest injustice,” a legal term used to convey that something is obviously unfair.

Foerster said the finding allowed for a sentence at the top of the sentencing range with no chances for Cienfuegos to receive credit for good time. She noted that the state’s Division of Juvenile Rehabilitation has jurisdiction to house Cienfuegos only until his 21st birthday. She declined to comment further on the sentence, citing Huynh’s pending case.

Kiser’s mother, Debra Cook, said she did not believe the punishment was fair.

“You are getting a second chance, a slap on the wrist … Does Gage Kiser? Does he get a second chance?” Cook wrote in a victim impact statement.

Kiser left behind a daughter, born July 22, according to his mother, as well as four siblings. She said the family hurts every day from their loss.

December shooting

Clark County sheriff’s deputies and medics were dispatched about 2:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10, to Pacific 63 Center, 6204 N.E. Highway 99, following multiple reports of a shooting. The shopping center is home to a number of businesses including a muffler shop and a martial arts studio.

Witnesses pulled Kiser from his still-running Jeep and attempted CPR before first responders arrived. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office. Kiser was struck by gunfire four times. An autopsy found he had entry wounds in his left shoulder and two in his back, and an exit wound on the right side of his chest, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Huynh’s case.

Court records identified Cienfuegos as the marijuana buyer, Huynh as the shooter and Busby as the getaway driver. Senior Deputy Prosecutor James Smith said in a hearing earlier this year that he reviewed the evidence and determined Busby was the least culpable.

A law enforcement probe of a June murder-suicide in Amboy found a combination of addiction and mental health issues preceded the shooting.

Investigators determined 56-year-old Robert E. Rowland shot Vernon W. Snider, 84, before shooting himself June 22 at Snider’s residence, 24707 N.E. 419th St. in Amboy.

Snider died of multiple gunshot wounds to the head, according to the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office, and his death was ruled a homicide, meaning it resulted from another person’s deliberate action. The ruling does not make any judgments about criminal culpability.

Rowland, also of Amboy, died of a gunshot wound to the head, and the medical examiner’s office ruled his death a suicide.

While reports from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit don’t pinpoint a motive for the shooting, the investigation documents Rowland’s internal struggle.

“After completing the interviews and seeing Robert’s house, it was apparent he was struggling with mental health and addiction issues,” one report reads.

Snider’s daughter, Darcy Eve Snider, lived with her father, and on the day of the shooting, returned home around 7 p.m.

She found both men dead and immediately called 911. While her father was found in the living room, Rowland was located on the porch with a black Glock semi-automatic pistol near his right hand, according to investigators’ reports.

“When Darcy got home, she noticed Robert lying on the front porch and thought he may be playing a joke on her,” one report reads. “Darcy did not know why Robert would have shot her father or why Robert would have been at the house.”

The crime scene investigation indicated a struggle had ensued between Vernon Snider and Rowland in the living room. Snider appeared to have suffered additional gunshot wounds after falling to the ground, the reports state.

Rowland lived a few blocks away from Snider and had dated Darcy Snider until about a year before the shooting. While Rowland and her father didn’t get along while the couple dated, they mostly avoided each other, she said. She told investigators she hadn’t had much contact with Rowland since moving out of their shared residence.

But a week before the shooting, Rowland had given his former girlfriend items to sell at a yard sale.

Darcy Snider and several other witnesses described Rowland as often being drunk and confrontational, recounting at least one incident in which he allegedly brandished a pistol and threatened to kill a woman in a Safeway parking lot in Battle Ground, according to investigators.

A records check revealed Rowland had a warrant out of Kelso stemming from a 2015 arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence, the reports state.

Investigators searching Rowland’s residence after the shooting found the home “dilapidated and falling apart.” There was an “immense amount of water damage upstairs” and a “sea of beer cans and trash” downstairs, according to their reports.

Hours before the shooting, Rowland was involved in a verbal altercation with a man at the Chelatchie Prairie General Store in Amboy.

Rowland began harassing customers at the store, questioning why several regulars were “always sitting around the store.” One of the customers, Ed Declusion, jokingly told him “it was so they could answer stupid questions for guys like him,” according to investigators’ reports.

When Rowland became upset, Declusion said he apologized and agreed to go have beers at Rowland’s house.

Declusion told investigators Rowland was “obviously despondent.” He described the conversation as tense and uncomfortable, leading Declusion to choose his words carefully.

“Robert also told Ed that he was sick and tired of everyone and everything,” a report reads. “Robert made no comments or statements to Ed that caused him to believe he was homicidal or suicidal.”

Two people were displaced after a house fire Tuesday night in Vancouver.

Crews were dispatched at 7:51 p.m. to 708 N.E. 97th Ave. On the way there, the first arriving crew noticed a large column of smoke and added two engines, Vancouver Fire Capt. Pete Adams said.

Once on scene, fire personnel spotted a shed engulfed in flames in the back of the property. The fire also spread to the attic of the one-story home.

Crews extended a water hose into the main part of the house and removed wallboard from the ceiling, allowing access to the “well-involved” attic, Adams said.

The fire was under control within 20 minutes, Adams said. No injuries were reported.

A portion of Northeast 97th Avenue was temporarily shut down during the incident.

The Vancouver Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause as well as the extent of the financial damages.

Oregon is revving up efforts on the south side of the Columbia River to replace the Interstate 5 Bridge.

Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney and Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek announced Wednesday they have appointed eight legislators to an I-5 Bridge committee.

“That thing needs to be fixed,” Courtney, D-Salem, said in a phone interview. “I just want to get it done. … That bridge is in very bad shape, whether it’s earthquakes you are talking about or the volume of traffic.”

Courtney said replacing the bridge “is so overdue” and “we don’t have time to play cutesy political games.”

“If you lose that bridge, we don’t know what suffering is,” he said about an earthquake toppling the twin spans, which were built in 1917 and 1958. “We are going to be in a world of hurt.”

Wednesday’s appointments are another indication that officials from both states are moving past the wreckage of the Columbia River Crossing, a $3 billion-plus project that fell apart in 2013 after the Washington Senate balked at funding this state’s portion of the project.

Earlier this year, the Washington Legislature allocated $35 million to replacing the I-5 Bridge: $17.5 million for a project office, and $17.5 million for planning and pre-design of a new bridge.

Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver, welcomed Wednesday’s announcement from Oregon’s legislative leaders.

“I consider it a tremendous step forward that coupled with Oregon’s commitment to providing some funding,” Cleveland said in a phone interview. “I think it really sets us up in good stead for taking this issue up in earnest.”

The Oregon Transportation Commission has identified $5 million for a bridge project office, she said.

Cleveland said the Oregon legislators will join her and seven other Washington lawmakers on the Joint Oregon-Washington Legislative Action Committee.

Other Clark County legislators serving on the committee are Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, Rep. Brandon Vick, R-Vancouver, and Rep. Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver. The other two Washington members are Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, and Rep. Jake Fey, D-Tacoma, chairman of the House Transportation Committee.

Cleveland said the biggest challenge ahead will be to reach consensus on the process for replacing the bridge, including a public discussion over transit.

One of the more contentious items that led to the Columbia River Crossing’s demise was connecting Vancouver to Portland’s light-rail system. Since then, C-Tran has launched bus rapid transit on Fourth Plain Boulevard and is working on a second bus rapid transit line on Mill Plain Boulevard.

“I don’t think there is disagreement that we need to replace that antiquated 100-year-old I-5 Bridge,” Cleveland said. “I am very encouraged by the trust that the leadership in Oregon is placing in us over here in Washington to sit down and have an overall successful discussion.”

Courtney and Kotek referenced the Washington Legislature’s recent financial commitment and its previous action to establish the Legislative Action Committee.

“Washington’s emerging leadership on this issue has given us confidence they are committed to this project,” the two legislative leaders wrote in a letter to Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Springfield, and Rep. Susan McLain, D-Hillsboro, co-chairs of the eight-person Oregon delegation.

“Now is the time to accept Washington’s invitation to participate in a formal process to secure this critical regional corridor. We ask that you reach out to your colleagues in Washington and schedule a meeting as soon as practicable.”

Courtney, when asked what would be different this time compared with the failed Columbia River Crossing, replied with his trademark bluntness.

“I have no idea if anything is going to be different,” he said. “We will find out if we have what it takes to make it happen.”