East Vancouver, Cascade Park, Fisher’s Landing and Evergreen
Airport Green: Judy Perry baked 100 cupcakes for the Airport Green Neighborhood Association picnic July 3. They were decorated in red, white and blue, and arranged as an American flag.
Image: Claire Smith wanted to know if the dental-practice sign at Northeast 138th Avenue and 28th Street contained a typo. The sign proclaims “Alfordable Dental.” Alternately, Smith wondered if this is a play on the dentist’s name. The latter is correct: Alfordable Dental is owned by Dr. Daniela Almajan, and the business name picks up the first two letters in her name. “We get that question all the time,” said a receptionist at the business, who said the place has been open about three years. It is a sliding-scale and multilingual clinic that serves adults and children.
North Clark County and Woodland
La Center: Many streets, neighborhoods, clubs and churches hold group garage sales — but La Center stands alone in holding a citywide one. It was July 17, and 74 different sellers participated — mostly private homeowners but also clubs, student classes and others raising funds for good causes. Maps of all the garage sale locations — along with incredibly extensive checklists itemizing what was available at each — were posted online and distributed to arriving motorists starting early in the morning. The Lions Club served a pancake breakfast at the La Center Evangelical Free Church.
Battle Ground, Meadow Glade and Hockinson
Battle Ground: School is out for the summer — but not for Dave Cresap, who’s busy getting ready for his new job next fall. The new principal of Chief Umtuch Middle School is a descendant of the pioneer Cresap family that homesteaded in Battle Ground in 1866 and has been prominent in the area ever since. He has been assistant principal at the former Lewisville Middle School and then its replacement, the new Chief Umtuch school. He has also taught at Hockinson High School, Lake Shore Elementary School, La Center High School and the University of Portland, where he earned a doctorate in math. He and his wife, Elaine, have three children, three grandchildren and a fourth grandchild en route.
East Clark County: Camas and Washougal
Camas: The Camas-Washougal Rotary raised $5,800 in an auction at the club’s annual charter night. The semi-formal evening was themed “An Evening Under the Stars” and was held at the Fairgate Inn, 2213 N.W. 23rd Ave. Barbara Crozier, Washougal, was introduced as the Rotary International District 5100 governor. The following members were installed as officers: Lindsey Korell, president; Fred Lowy, immediate past president; Greg Brown, president-elect; Rollin Perrigo, treasurer; and Shirley Keane, secretary.
Ridgefield and Fairgrounds
Ridgefield: A Clark County hearings examiner has given final approval for a Verizon Wireless proposal to build a cellular telecommunications tower on the property of Harvey and Phyllis Reeder, 5613 N.W. 289th St. — just north of the Ridgefield city limits. A public hearing was held in late June and the decision mailed on July 9. Numerous neighbors weighed in with concerns about aesthetics and health impacts. County planning staff checked nearby towers to see if these could serve the downtown area — avoiding the construction of another one — but found none could. The tower will be 160 feet tall, hold up to 12 antennas and serve the downtown Ridgefield area. It will be on a 10-acre parcel with significant tree canopy.
Central Vancouver, Minnehaha and The Heights
Central Park: Evelyn Campbell, Jan Nelson and Heidi Huff represented the Fort Vancouver Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution at the DAR Continental Congress in Washington, D.C.
Bagley Downs: Abe Perlstein received the 2010 Hero Award by the Washington Community Mental Health Council on June 25 at a conference in Yakima. Perlstein has logged more than 500 hours as a volunteer at the organization’s Wellness Project since it opened in 2004.
Central Park: The Washington State School for the Blind hosted an introduction to computer programming camp for blind and visually impaired students on July 13-16. Twelve students learned programming, heard from guest speakers from the computing field, spent time with computer games designed for the blind among other recreational and computer-programming related activities. The camp was brought to the school in partnership with Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville, Washington State University and the National Science Foundation.
Harney Heights: Neighbors brought up a “continuing problem with vandalism” in St. Helens Park, 4007 E. 13th St., at a July 7 neighborhood association meeting. Trees and picnic tables have been damaged, tagging was found and vehicles have been parking on and driving in the grass, according to the meeting minutes.
Central Park: A founder of the Central Park Neighborhood Association — and a beloved science teacher at the former Lewis Junior High — was joined by nearly 100 friends on July 11 for a 90th birthday celebration. Robert Scott, who now lives at Glenwood Plaza, was born in Pomeroy, attended high school in Okanogan, worked as a fire lookout and an Army Air Force ground trainer, and eventually earned his degree in biology with a minor in geology. He came to Vancouver to teach the children of shipyard workers. Many who came to the 90th birthday party said Robert was the reason they pursued science as a career; current Central Park Neighborhood chairman Richard Hovey said Robert and his late wife, Olive, “worked long hours for years to help preserve and improve their neighborhood near Clark College.”
West Vancouver and Downtown
Shumway: Soroptimist International of Southwest Washington and the YWCA of Clark County hosted a quarterly networking mixer and speaker series June 28. Debra Adams of the YWCA spoke on domestic violence both on a local and global scale. After the meeting, the Soroptimists presented the Y with a contribution “to carry-on their good work.”
Shumway: After weeks of rain delays two koi were painted at East 31st and F streets on June 26. Ten people showed up on the rare, sunny Saturday to help paint the street mural, which is designed to slow traffic. The project started as a part of Abbey Brown’s senior project at Hudson’s Bay High School and was designed by Emmy Cammack.
Hazel Dell, Felida and Salmon Creek
Salmon Creek: For years now, a pair of vacant duplex homes has been languishing up on blocks at the north end of Northeast Seventh Court, near the Three Creeks Library off 139th Street. And for years now, neighbors have complained that the homes look trashy, attract vandals and transients, and sit above unkempt yards. The county issued violations against property owner Waterford Development last fall, and the company got the temporary storage permits to let the homes sit there. But those permits expired in April, according to code enforcement manager Kevin Pridemore, and new violations were issued in June; now, according to Dan Wisner of Waterford Homes, final permits to place those homes on the ground have finally been issued. He said the work should be done within the next few weeks.
Salmon Creek: The latest in a slew of new farmers markets has gotten off to a fashionably late summer start. The Salmon Creek Farmers Market kicked off on July 15, and will be open 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Thursday through Sept. 30. It’s located in the dead-end stump of Northeast 139th Street just west of the Three Creeks Library. There’s farm-fresh produce, prepared meals and specials, live music and more. Organizers searched long and hard before this unlikely site came through, but next year it will be part of a big construction project — the widening and extension of 139th across I-5 — so they’ll have to keep hunting if there is to be a second season.
West Hazel Dell: Nathan Snyder was awarded a Fulbright research grant to China for the 2010-2011 academic year. Snyder, a 2006 graduate of Columbia River High School, graduated from the University of Washington in June. He will study the enforcement of intellectual property in China’s developed regions.
Northeast Hazel Dell: The Clark County Food Bank planted 2 acres of carrots and other crops at the former Washington State University agriculture station on Northeast 78th Street, now known as the Heritage Farm. Volunteers from the community helped plant the crops, which will be donated to the local food pantries.
