Port proposes lease rate hikes

Camas will have no trash collection Monday, June 19

There will be no garbage collection in the city of Camas on Monday, June 19, in honor of the Juneteenth holiday.

Residents that have Monday garbage collection will be scheduled for pick-up on Tuesday, June 20, along with the regular Tuesday pick-up.

Recycling and yard debris collection for city of Camas customers will be on the normal pick-up day: Monday, June 19.

In addition, some Camas residents have garbage collection through Waste Connections and may not be impacted by the city holiday. For more information, visit the Waste Connections website at wcnorthwest.com.

Port proposes lease rate hikes

The Port of Camas-Washougal is proposing a 5% rate lease rate increase for its Grove Field and Parker’s Landing Marina users in 2024.

“It seems like a good middle-of-the-road kind of increase,” Port commissioner Cassi Marshall said during a meeting on Tuesday, June 6. “I think that with the numbers that (we’re looking at) and cost-of-living adjustments, it’s not arguable at all.”

Currently, the Port charges between $112.75 to $337.50 per month for marina slips and between $248.25 to $454.75 per month for airport hangars.

Port commissioners will vote to adopt the 2024 rates on Wednesday, June 21.

Clark County lifts burn ban

Clark County Fire Marshal Dan Young announced this week that, as of Tuesday, June 13, he has lifted the ban on outdoor debris burning and recreational fires in unincorporated Clark County.

“With the rain we had this weekend and a 14-day forecast of temperatures in the 60s and 70s starting tomorrow, we will be removing the burn ban,” Young said. “Please use caution when burning and do not burn when the winds are coming from the east.”

Young urges residents to be vigilant when burning and always attend a permitted fire until it is completely extinguished and cold to the touch.

To have predictable and consistent burn bans, Clark County implements a policy to ban outdoor burning from July 15 through Sept. 30 each year. Designating this period was based on years of information about fuel conditions. However, under certain conditions, a ban can begin sooner or end later.

Permits are required for burning yard debris and land clearing. For more information, visit the county’s website at clark.wa.gov/community-development/outdoor-burning.

Jemtegaard holds annual science fair

Jemtegaard Middle School students displayed their projects and earned prizes at the school’s annual science fair, held Tuesday, June 6.

“Students entering their projects in the fair are building more confidence and competence in a healthy competition with peers,” said Jemtegaard Booster Club volunteer and fair chair Rona Ager. “They are thinking critically, solving problems, learning time management and beefing up their communication skills.”

First-place winners Olivia Nichols and Charlene Foote (sixth grade), Macey Babic and Brianna Deziel (seventh grade), and Silas Ellsworth and Riley Rose (eighth grade) “celebrated district and community recognition for their innovative presentations,” according to a news release.

Hunter Monks, Ben Termini, Henry Timmons, Ethan Dowell, Stephen Fernandez-Ramirez, Ciaran Jay, Keagan Streeter, Lainey Hajek, Amberlin McBee, Kenzie Jones, Sicily Belvin, and Jean Frazer-Ross also placed in grade level categories, while eighth-grader Maelynn O’Bryant took home the “Best of Fair” prize.

Students learned scientific investigation, creativity, leadership and teamwork skills while preparing for the fair, according to the news release.

“I love science, and I just love doing this stuff,” Nichols said. “Making the projects was the most fun, but the second-most fun part was presenting to people about our project during the science fair.”

The fair was made possible by the Jemtegaard Booster Club, the Washougal Schools Foundation, and United Precision Corporation, a leading aerospace manufacturer in the Port of Camas-Washougal industrial park, which donated funds for student prizes.

Members of the Washougal community, Washougal School District leaders and Educational Service District 112 employees served as judges.

“The most inspiring part of the planning process for me has been watching the students engage in the scientific method and get excited about their experiments,” said Jemtegaard science teacher Kaitlyn Huegli. “It’s never too early or too late to start thinking like a scientist.”

Clark County seeks applicants for parks advisory board

Clark County is accepting applications to fill a vacancy on the seven-member Parks Advisory Board. The term would begin upon appointment and end Dec. 31, 2025.

Board members serve three-year terms. Upon expiration of a term, a member can apply again. There is no limit on how many terms a member can serve.

The Parks Advisory Board advises the Clark County Council and county staff on parks planning, acquisition, development, and related issues. Applicants must be residents of Clark County. The county is looking for applicants from historically underserved or underrepresented populations including people who can bring ethnic, cultural, and geographic diversity to the group. A board member located in north Clark County or in a rural area is preferred to assist with geographic diversity.

The advisory board meets from 4 to 6 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month. The board typically meets at the Luke Jensen Sports Complex, 4000 N.E. 78th St., Vancouver, which is served by C-TRAN’s Route 78 bus. The board is currently holding meetings in a hybrid format using Microsoft Teams in conjunction with the in-person gatherings.

Clark County is a growing and diverse community with many residents speaking languages other than English. The Parks Advisory Board values the community’s diversity and seeks ways to promote equity and inclusion within the organization and with the public. The board encourages applications from candidates with knowledge, ability and experience working with a broad range of individuals and communities with diverse racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Although not required, candidates who can fluently speak a language in addition to English are encouraged to include that information in their application. Residents with a passion for parks and the ability to commit to volunteer hours beyond monthly board meetings are encouraged to apply.

Interested applicants should submit a brief letter of interest and resume to Michelle Pfenning, County Manager’s Office, P.O. Box 5000, Vancouver, WA 98666-5000 or by email at michelle.pfenning@clark.wa.gov.

The application deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, July 14.

More information about the parks board is available online at clark.wa.gov/public-works/parks-advisory-board.

County seeks Public Health Advisory Council applicants

The Clark County Board of Health is seeking applicants for a volunteer position on the Public Health Advisory Council.

The open position is for a doctor of veterinary medicine practicing in Clark County. The selected applicant will complete an unexpired three-year term that ends Sept. 30, 2024.

The advisory council meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month. One meeting per quarter is in-person, from 6 to 8 p.m., at various locations across the county. The remaining meetings are 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom.

The Public Health Advisory Council uses a health equity framework to identify community health needs, and review and recommend public health policies and priorities to address the identified needs. The council may provide community forums or establish community task forces, as assigned by the Board of Health. And the council reviews and makes recommendations to Clark County Public Health and the Board of Health for the annual budget and fees.

Clark County Public Health promotes healthy communities and environments, health equity, and disease and injury prevention. With community partners, Public Health works to promote healthier choices; ensure the safety of food and water; reduce environmental waste and contamination; and protect people from disease outbreaks through monitoring, early detection and swift response.

Those interested in an appointment to the advisory council should submit a brief letter of interest and resume to Michelle Pfenning, County Manager’s Office, P.O. Box 5000, Vancouver 98666-5000. Applications can also be emailed to michelle.pfenning@clark.wa.gov.

The application deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, June 30.

Regional law enforcement academy announces first class dates

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is excited to announce that the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) Southwest Washington Regional Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA) has its first class scheduled to begin on Nov. 27.

Through the tremendous effort of regional law enforcement partners, local governments, local and state elected officials, and the CJTC, the Southwest Washington Regional Academy (SWRA) has become a reality.

CCSO stated in a news release that the creation of the regional academy is “excellent news for our region and will significantly increase Southwest Washington law enforcement agencies’ ability to recruit deputies and get officers on patrol and working in the community.”

Historically, most recruit deputies have had to attend the academy in Burien, Washington, where local agencies had to compete with agencies across the state for limited academy slots causing sometimes lengthy wait times for academy start dates. The SWRA will also be an opportunity for local law enforcement to be instructors, facilitators and mentors at the Regional Academy, which further grows capabilities in our region

BLEA is Washington’s mandated training academy for all city and county entry-level peace officers in the state. The SWRA will be able to accommodate up to 30 students per class and will run two classes per year. Each class will teach the 720-hour BLEA Curriculum over approximately 18 weeks. The BLEA training model provides a standard training curriculum to ensure all officers have the same base-level understanding of their responsibility to the communities they serve, standards to uphold, and education for effective community-oriented policing.

Council for the Homeless release “Point in Time” data

The Council for the Homeless (CFTH) recently released data from the 2023 Point in Time count — a one-day census of persons experiencing homelessness and the programs available to assist them — held Jan. 26.

The Point in Time (PIT) count is mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“It is critical that people understand the PIT is a snapshot of one day,” Charlene Welch, CFTH development and communications director, stated in a news release. “It does not illustrate the full picture of our Homeless Crisis Response System.”

Welch said the public can learn more by attending CFTH’s webinar on June 27. To register for the webinar, visit councilforthehomeless.org/community-education.

CFTH Executive Director Sesany Fennie-Jones stated that, “even though Clark County increased emergency shelter capacity, the number of people experiencing homelessness increased” during the most recent PIT count. Some factors that likely contributed to this increase, according to the CFTH news release, included:

Due to a lack of affordable places to live, people are not as able to find a place to live and move out of emergency shelter.

People remain highly vulnerable to the lasting impacts of the pandemic. Many have deferred health needs and lack of and/or lost income.

Rent increases and market forces have led the Fair Market Rent for a one bedroom apartment in Clark County to cost $1,512 per month. The housing wage to afford this apartment paying 30% of income in rent is $29.08, according to the 2022 “Out of Reach Report” by the National Low Income Housing Alliance.

According to the CFTH news release, people in emergency shelter increased 10% due to Bertha’s Place opening to full capacity in 2023, as well as the addition of the Hope Village Safe Stay shelter community; while people in temporary housing increased 9% from 2022.

Additionally, the number of unsheltered people increased by 8% over the 2022 PIT count and chronically homeless, unsheltered individuals increased 78% from 2022. The number of unsheltered veterans increased 33% — from 24 in 2022 to 32 in 2023.

On the flipside, the number of sheltered seniors aged 62 or older increased 17% as a result of prioritizing that population for the new Bertha’s Place shelters; and the number of unsheltered families decreased slightly, going from 46 in 2022 to 43 families in 2023. The news release added that five of those families were, however, identified as chronically homeless households.

To peruse the complete data from the 2023 PIT count, visit councilforthehomeless.org/point-in-time-count.