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TUESDAY JAN. 24, 2006 Boundary Review Board is kaput Although vociferously proclaiming support for City of Vancouver annexations, two Clark County commissioners today eliminated the State of Washington Boundary Review Board of Clark County, stopping for now any possibility for the city to expand its borders north of Fourth Plain Boulevard. County Commissioner board chairman Marc Boldt said, after a brief session this morning, that the boundary review board was disbanded “to ensure a careful approach to considering annexation of the geographic areas currently included in Fire District 5.” Boldt and commissioner Steve Stuart, who made the motion to kill the boundary board, both said during the meeting that the third commissioner, Betty Sue Morris, who was not in attendance, was clearly in favor of their action. Eliminating the boundary review board did not stop an 823-acre Burnt Bridge Creek annexation south of Fourth Plain Boulevard but did put the kibosh on a possible 16,000-acre annexation of 70,000 people, which would have made Vancouver the second largest city in the state. Community annexation information fairs being conducted by the city in the area north of Fourth Plain Boulevard within the boundaries of Fire District 5, begun earlier this month to inform county residents of benefits of becoming citizens of the city, will continue. The next session is this evening at 6 p.m. in Prairie High School, 11500 NE 117th Avenue. Two more annexation information fairs are scheduled in January. Fire District 5 and the Vancouver Fire Department merged more than ten years ago. In addition to fire service, the city provides other urban services within its urban growth boundary. Conceivably the Boundary Review Board could have taken the Burnt Bridge Creek annexation and expanded it to include all of Fire District Five, some of which is outside the city’s urban growth boundary. Earlier, Morris commented that the county was not opposed to annexations, saying that the county would work with the city in a sequential, systematic approach to annexation within urban growth boundaries. At this morning’s meeting, commissioner Stuart repeatedly said he believed that annexation north of the city’s present boundaries is in the best interest of both those inside and outside the city. “I will personally work with the city to take the annexation message to the people,” he said. But, Stuart, who made the motion to disband the boundary board, said, “the people in the area to be considered for annexation have to be heard from first.” Clark Public Utilities neutral
in talks The Hazel Dell Sewer District, Clark County and, obliquely, the City of Vancouver have been discussing the possibility of creating a countywide sewer agency. Clark Public Utilities, which provides wastewater services for the city of La Center and offers water service for a large part of southwest Clark County, north of Vancouver, has been involved in the talks, too, but has taken no position in the matter. Utility general manager and CEO Wayne Nelson said today that the utility is neither promoting the idea nor contemplating being the agency to operate a countywide wastewater system. The county and the Hazel Dell Sewer District, which serves about 70,000 homes north of Vancouver, initiated the talks. Calendar The third in a series of
annexation information fairs being offered by the City of Vancouver is
at 6 p.m. this evening in Prairie High School, 11500 NE 117th Avenue.
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The Heritage High School winter band concert is at 7 p.m. this evening
in the high school at 7825 NE 130th Avenue.
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Half-day training courses for Southwest Washington Medical Center’s
Hospice Southwest program are being offered at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan.
25, through Saturday, Jan. 28, in the Health Connection Conference room
on the second floor of the Memorial Health Center, 100 E 33rd Street.
For further information, call Carol
Thompson, 696-5100,
extension 5069.
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The environmental, social and economic benefits that trees provide is
the subject of a free Tree Top workshop, sponsored by Clark Public
Utilities and Yard ’n Garden Land at 7 p.m. this evening in the Marshall
Center, 1009 E McLoughlin Boulevard..
Headlines
at home and from around the world:
Card room lawyer urges opposition to Cowlitz Casino Resort--Columbian, Jeffrey Mize Vancouver Symphony Orchestra reaches new high--Columbian, James Bash 7,000 chickens end up on wrong side of road near La Center this morning--KATU NASCAR track near Bremerton appears unrealistic--Seattle P-I, Jennifer Langston and Holly Cain More than 3,100 Wal-Mart workers get state health aid--Seattle Times, Ralph Thomas Alito gets 10-8 party line vote from Senate Judiciary Committee--Washington Post, Fred Barbash
Mount St. Helens VolcanoCam updates every
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WSDOT Vancouver area traffic cams
Vancouver OnStage
Source links Click here for Washington Wineries
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Education link U.S. House Science Committee website
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