Event will highlight new additions to community center

A dedication ceremony to mark the installation of several improvements to the 95-year-old Camas Community Center will be held Wednesday, Oct. 6.

Those recent additions to the facility located at 1718 S.E. Seventh Ave., in the Oak Park area, include an entryway and a new audio-visual system.

The festivities will begin at 5 p.m. with activities and arts and crafts for kids and demonstrations of the new sound system’s capabilities. The dedication, led by current Mayor Paul Dennis and former Mayor Nan Henriksen, will start at 6 p.m. Refreshments will be served throughout the evening, which concludes at 7 p.m.

“It’s really a general celebration of good things happening at the community center,” said Henriksen, who is the current president of the non-profit group Friends of the Camas Community Center.

Audio-visual system

Thanks to donations from non-profit organizations and local businesses, the community center is now equipped with a state-of-the-art audio-visual system.

The new equipment will be available for use by community groups and those who hold weddings, receptions, meetings and other events at the facility.

“It’s amazing what it can do,” Henriksen said. “And it will be fun for the citizens to see what will be available for their events.”

Funding for the project came through a $3,000 grant from Camas-Washougal Community Chest, and a $3,500 contribution from the Friends of the Camas Community Center. Dale Ross of Ross Electric in Vancouver contributed more than $6,000 in in-kind labor and installation supplies to get the equipment up-and-running.

Ross and his brother Troy are both Camas High School graduates.

“He is a local guy who wanted to give back to the community,” Henriksen said.

New entryway

The $85,000 project involved a complete re-vamp of the community center’s entryway, including the installation of two automatic motorized doors, an elevated deck adjacent to the kitchen, stairs, additional exit and an Americans with Disabilities Act compliant ramp that replaced a wood structure.

The work, completed in July, was done by Zink Commercial Contractors of Vancouver. Partial funding for the project was provided through a Community Development Block Grant.

The building where the community center is now housed was constructed in 1915 and was home to the Oak Park School. It was purchased by the City of Camas in 1985, and currently houses the offices of Camas Parks and Recreation, and hosts its activities, events and classes.

For more information about the dedication, call 834-5307.