A1 3-27-12
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Cyan Magenta Yellow Black Weekday 1 Cyan Magenta Yellow Black TUESDAY A1 Cyan Magenta Yellow Black TUESDAY A1 Volume 104 No. 13 10 Sections, 636 Pages l 75 Cents What’s Inside... Index Obituaries ........... A2 Public Record ..... A5 Business ............ B3 Around Town....... B2 Hometown .......... B1 Schools .............. B4 Sports ................ A6 Opinion ............... A4 Classifieds.......... B5 Public Notices .... B7 U|xaIICGHy02335mzV SHOWCASING THEIR STRENGTHS CHS Knowledge Bowl team takes home the state trophy three years running: Hometown, Page B1 SOLAR FLARES Camas track teams shine in Battle Ground: Sports, Page A6 AMERICAN PROFILE Camas-Washougal, Washington, Tuesday, March 27, 2012 C AMAS LANDMARK GOES UP IN FLAMES DANIELLE FROST/POST-RECORD Firefighters make final preparations for the controlled burn of the former Riverside Bowl building in Camas along Northeast Third Avenue. The facility was originally built in 1947, and when it was destroyed on Saturday it was one of the largest practice burns in Camas history with smoke visible from several miles away. Personnel from the Camas and Washougal fire departments and East County Fire and Rescue participated in the training exercise. The fire was still smoldering Monday morning, 48 hours after it began. To see additional photos, visit www.camaspostrecord.com. City leaders hope to make the EMS fund solvent BY HEATHER ACHESON Post-Record Staff In an effort to help bring some long-term stability to a struggling emergency medical services fund, Camas city officials want to place a proposal for an EMS levy rate increase on the Aug. 7 ballot. During a recent Camas City Council meeting, Camas Fire Chief Nick Swinhart said the recom- mendation is to boost the rate from 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed prop- erty value to 46 cents. Under the proposed new rate, starting in 2013 the owner of a $300,000 home would pay $138 per year — a $33 increase. According to Camas city officials’ calculations, at 46 cents the levy would put the EMS fund in the black by $237,130 by 2018. But keeping the rate at its current level would build a deficit of $2.9 million by 2018. Camas Mayor Scott Hig- gins said the process of fig- uring out the “right” levy amount has been challeng- ing. “This has been kind of painful for me,” he said. “We have just gone around and around to find out how to get the lowest number possible and still continue the current level of ser- vice.” For more than 30 years, the local area EMS sys- tem has been supported through a partnership be- tween Camas, Washougal and East County Fire and Rescue, with Camas being the lead agency. Through three separate voter ap- proved tax levies, all three entities currently contrib- ute to the system at the same rate. The Camas levy expires at the end of this year, while the ECFR levy ex- pires at the end of 2014. Washougal taxpayers currently pay an EMS levy rate that totals 60 cents per $1,000 of assessed val- ue. Of that, 35 cents goes to fulfill the partnership obligations with Camas and ECFR, while 25 cents is used to maintain WFD minimum staffing levels. Ten cents of Washougal’s 60 cent EMS levy will ex- Camas officials propose EMS levy rate hike Council will vote on increase to position’s salary schedule BY HEATHER ACHESON Post-Record Staff In preparation for the onset of the search for a new city administrator, Camas officials are propos- ing a 4 percent increase to the position’s annual pay scale. On Monday, the City Council will vote on a resolu- tion that would boost the sal- ary to a range that starts at $9,464 and tops out at $11,300. The current scale is $9,088 to $10,852. City Admin- istrator Lloyd Halverson, who announced in January his plans to re- tire from full-time work in September after 23 years on the job, said he supports the adjustment. “I think it is in the city’s best interest to be sure that we are competitive in the pay we offer in this de- cision,” he said during a re- cent City Council meeting. During the process of analyzing the current pay scale, Halverson said re- search was done using comparatives from about a dozen other Washington jurisdictions. Cities studied and their respective monthly city administrator/manager salaries included Arling- ton, $12,506; Longview, $12,453; Battle Ground, $11,603; Lake Forest Park, $11,250; New- castle, $11,166; Washou- gal, $11,073; Tumwater, $11,006; Monroe, $10,947; Centralia, $10,833; Mountlake Terrace, $10,715; Sum- ner, $10,455; and Kelso, $10,000. Among that group of jurisdic- tions, the aver- age monthly pay is $11,167. Halverson said the recom- mended change to the salary schedule would put Camas in a good position to bring in a top candidate as it will be competing with several of the area’s other jurisdictions also in the process of recruiting for new city leaders. Ridgefield City Manager Justin Clary stepped down in March to take a position in the private sector, and Camas prepares to begin search for new city administrator See EMS levy , page A3 See Search, page A5 Lloyd Halverson, Camas city administrator Meeting with WSDOT representatives could be scheduled BY DAWN FELDHAUS Post-Record Staff As the work to widen state Route 14 continues, several local business owners say they are be- ing affected by the project. Earlier this month, traffic was shifted to a new southern frontage road while crews reconstruct the highway between the east Camas Slough Bridge and Second Street. The route takes drivers through two roundabouts at Union and Second streets. That project is scheduled for completion later this year or early next year, according to Abbi Rus- sell, communications manager for the Washington State Department of Transportation Southwest Re- gion. Mitch Hammontree, owner of Quiznos in The Crossing, hosted a meeting with other business own- ers Wednesday, which also includ- ed Washougal Mayor Sean Guard, City Councilman Paul Greenlee and Camas City Councilwoman Linda Dietzman. Hammontree said he remains frustrated with the tall mounds of dirt located between the highway and his business. “We are now at a critical mass,” he said. Hammontree has reduced the number of his employees and the hours of operation in the evening. He said he emailed the Depart- ment of Transportation about the dirt affecting his business, and he found out about the “TS, tough stuff, rule.” Jim Graybill, owner of Jimbo’s Chevron, called Hammontree about their mutual concerns. “We employ local kids,” Gray- bill said. “The economy was bad enough.” Hammontree said concerns from him and other local merchants went unheeded a year ago. “We need a resolution,” he said. Hammontree said traffic delays caused by flag- gers are result- ing in a reduction in sales. He men- tioned he used to see 30 to 40 Georgia-Pacific employees a day eat at Quiznos. Now, he notices two or three. Graybill re- cently laid off three employees. The 24-hour gas station now op- erates with a seven-person staff. Two of the full-time employees have had their hours reduced. Graybill told one of the flaggers it could be intimidating for po- tential customers to see a flagger standing in front of an entrance to the station. Rhonda Webster, manager of Jimbo’s Chevron, said business there has decreased 70 percent. “Once customers establish new routines, they won’t come back,” she said. Graybill agreed. “We used to be a convenience store,” he said. “Now we are an inconvenience store.” Paul Varsek, owner of Ameri- can Marble & Granite, agreed that custom- ers cannot see his business sign because of the dirt, and his sales have decreased. Russell said the dirt will be used as fill and excavated in stages as crews build embankments for the Business owners worry about SR-14 traffic delays DAWN FELDHAUS/POST-RECORD A flagger at the 100 block of “C” Street, in Washougal, temporarily slows traffic as crews from Northwest Natural Gas relocate a gas line in preparation for construction of a roundabout. Several business owners in the vicinity of the road work recently talked about seeing fewer customers. See Delay , page A8 “We used to be a convenience store. Now we’re an inconvenience store.” — Jim Graybill, Jimbo’s Chevron
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Cyan Magenta Yellow Black TUESDAY A1 CHS Knowledge Bowl team takes home the state trophy three years running: Hometown, Page B1 Camas track teams shine in Battle Ground: Sports, Page A6 — Jim Graybill, Jimbo’s Chevron Weekday 1 Cyan Magenta Yellow Black TUESDAY A1 B y H eatHer a cHeson B y H eatHer a cHeson B y D awn F elDHaus Cyan Magenta Yellow Black See EMS levy, page A3 See Search, page A5 See Delay, page A8 Camas-Washougal, Washington, Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Post-Record Staff
Transcript of A1 3-27-12
Cyan Magenta Yellow Black Weekday 1Cyan Magenta Yellow Black TUESDAY A1
Cyan Magenta Yellow Black TUESDAY A1
Volume 104 No. 13 10 Sections, 636 Pages l 75 Cents
What’s Inside...Index
Obituaries ...........A2Public Record .....A5Business ............B3Around Town .......B2Hometown ..........B1
Schools ..............B4Sports ................ A6Opinion ...............A4Classifieds ..........B5Public Notices ....B7
U|xaIICGHy02335mzV
showcasing their
strengthsCHS Knowledge Bowl team takes home the
state trophy three years running:
Hometown, Page B1
solar Flares
Camas track teams shine in Battle Ground:
Sports, Page A6
american ProFile
Camas-Washougal, Washington, Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Camas landmark goes up in flames
Danielle Frost/Post-recorD
Firefighters make final preparations for the controlled burn of the former Riverside Bowl building in Camas along Northeast Third Avenue. The facility was originally built in 1947, and when it was destroyed on Saturday it was one of the largest practice burns in Camas history with smoke visible from several miles away. Personnel from the Camas and Washougal fire departments and East County Fire and Rescue participated in the training exercise. The fire was still smoldering Monday morning, 48 hours after it began. To see additional photos, visit www.camaspostrecord.com.
City leaders hope to make the EMS fund solvent
By HeatHer acHeson
Post-Record Staff
In an effort to help bring some long-term stability to a struggling emergency medical services fund, Camas city officials want to place a proposal for an EMS levy rate increase on the Aug. 7 ballot.
During a recent Camas City Council meeting, Camas Fire Chief Nick Swinhart said the recom-mendation is to boost the rate from 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed prop-erty value to 46 cents.
Under the proposed new rate, starting in 2013 the owner of a $300,000 home would pay $138 per year — a $33 increase.
According to Camas city officials’ calculations, at 46 cents the levy would put the EMS fund in the black by $237,130 by 2018. But keeping the rate at its current level would build a deficit of $2.9 million by 2018.
Camas Mayor Scott Hig-gins said the process of fig-
uring out the “right” levy amount has been challeng-ing.
“This has been kind of painful for me,” he said. “We have just gone around and around to find out how to get the lowest number possible and still continue the current level of ser-vice.”
For more than 30 years, the local area EMS sys-tem has been supported through a partnership be-tween Camas, Washougal and East County Fire and Rescue, with Camas being the lead agency. Through three separate voter ap-proved tax levies, all three entities currently contrib-ute to the system at the same rate.
The Camas levy expires at the end of this year, while the ECFR levy ex-pires at the end of 2014.
Washougal taxpayers currently pay an EMS levy rate that totals 60 cents per $1,000 of assessed val-ue. Of that, 35 cents goes to fulfill the partnership obligations with Camas and ECFR, while 25 cents is used to maintain WFD minimum staffing levels.
Ten cents of Washougal’s 60 cent EMS levy will ex-
Camas officials propose EMS levy rate hike
Council will vote on increase to position’s salary schedule
By HeatHer acHeson
Post-Record Staff
In preparation for the onset of the search for a new city administrator, Camas officials are propos-ing a 4 percent increase to the position’s annual pay scale.
On Monday, the City Council will vote on a resolu-tion that would boost the sal-ary to a range that starts at $9,464 and tops out at $11,300. The current scale is $9,088 to $10,852.
City Admin-istrator Lloyd Halverson, who announced in January his plans to re-tire from full-time work in September after 23 years on the job, said he supports the adjustment.
“I think it is in the city’s best interest to be sure that we are competitive in the pay we offer in this de-cision,” he said during a re-cent City Council meeting.
During the process of
analyzing the current pay scale, Halverson said re-search was done using comparatives from about a dozen other Washington jurisdictions.
Cities studied and their respective monthly city administrator/manager salaries included Arling-ton, $12,506; Longview, $12,453; Battle Ground, $11,603; Lake Forest Park, $11,250; New-castle, $11,166; Washou-gal, $11,073; Tumwater, $11,006; Monroe, $10,947; Centralia, $10,833; Mountlake Terrace,
$10,715; Sum-ner, $10,455; and Kelso, $10,000.
Among that group of jurisdic-tions, the aver-age monthly pay is $11,167.
H a l v e r s o n said the recom-mended change
to the salary schedule would put Camas in a good position to
bring in a top candidate as it will be competing with several of the area’s other jurisdictions also in the process of recruiting for new city leaders.
Ridgefield City Manager Justin Clary stepped down in March to take a position in the private sector, and
Camas prepares to begin search for new city administrator
See EMS levy, page A3
See Search, page A5
Lloyd Halverson, Camas city administrator
Meeting with WSDOT representatives could be scheduled
By Dawn FelDHaus
Post-Record Staff
As the work to widen state Route 14 continues, several local business owners say they are be-ing affected by the project.
Earlier this month, traffic was shifted to a new southern frontage road while crews reconstruct the highway between the east Camas Slough Bridge and Second Street. The route takes drivers through two roundabouts at Union and Second streets.
That project is scheduled for completion later this year or early next year, according to Abbi Rus-sell, communications manager for the Washington State Department of Transportation Southwest Re-gion.
Mitch Hammontree, owner of Quiznos in The Crossing, hosted a meeting with other business own-ers Wednesday, which also includ-ed Washougal Mayor Sean Guard, City Councilman Paul Greenlee and Camas City Councilwoman Linda Dietzman.
Hammontree said he remains frustrated with the tall mounds of dirt located between the highway and his business.
“We are now at a critical mass,” he said.
Hammontree has reduced the number of his employees and the hours of operation in the evening. He said he emailed the Depart-ment of Transportation about the dirt affecting his business, and he found out about the “TS, tough stuff, rule.”
Jim Graybill, owner of Jimbo’s Chevron, called Hammontree about their mutual concerns.
“We employ local kids,” Gray-bill said. “The economy was bad enough.”
Hammontree said concerns from him and other local merchants went unheeded a year ago.
“We need a resolution,” he said. Hammontree said traffic delays
caused by flag-gers are result-ing in a reduction in sales. He men-tioned he used to see 30 to 40 Georgia-Pacific employees a day eat at Quiznos. Now, he notices two or three.
Graybill re-cently laid off three employees. The 24-hour gas station now op-erates with a seven-person staff. Two of the full-time employees have had their hours reduced.
Graybill told one of the flaggers it could be intimidating for po-tential customers to see a flagger standing in front of an entrance to
the station.Rhonda Webster, manager of
Jimbo’s Chevron, said business there has decreased 70 percent.
“Once customers establish new routines, they won’t come back,” she said.
G r a y b i l l agreed.
“We used to be a convenience store,” he said. “Now we are an inconvenience store.”
Paul Varsek, owner of Ameri-can Marble & Granite, agreed that custom-
ers cannot see his business sign because of the dirt, and his sales have decreased.
Russell said the dirt will be used as fill and excavated in stages as crews build embankments for the
Business owners worry about SR-14 traffic delays
Dawn FelDHaus/Post-recorD
A flagger at the 100 block of “C” Street, in Washougal, temporarily slows traffic as crews from Northwest Natural Gas relocate a gas line in preparation for construction of a roundabout. Several business owners in the vicinity of the road work recently talked about seeing fewer customers.
See Delay, page A8
“We used to be a convenience
store. Now we’re an
inconvenience store.”
— Jim Graybill, Jimbo’s Chevron
