Did anyone think to tell Battle Ground city officials that it’s supposed to be all doom and gloom while we’re having a recession?
In Thursday night’s 2010 State of the City address, as a good crowd of a few hundred people munched on tiny cupcakes, officials honored many city employees, businesses and volunteers for good deeds such as finding a runaway, suicidal teen, or operating a free dental clinic, or working with 140 recognized professional standards to get the police department accredited and more.
And Deputy Mayor Phil Haberthur gave a more cheerful report than was heard at many other places around the U.S., where nearly 10 percent of workers remain unemployed.
The key, he said, was holding back some money for hard times.
“Battle Ground has felt the impact of these tough times, but, due to councils of the past being fiscally conservative during times of rapid growth, Battle Ground was able to mitigate the direct effect of diminishing revenues,” Haberthur said, speaking for Mayor Mike Ciraulo, who had a scheduling conflict.
City staff did an exceptional job in 2010 and continues to rise to the occasion and do more with less, Haberthur said. For example, in 2010, city staff kept expenditures to 92 percent of budget, he said.
The unemployment rate is about 13 percent in Clark County but Habethur said Battle Ground has kept its police-department staffing intact and “has not only been resilient during these times but has even seen expansion and growth within our city.”
New businesses opened last year, existing businesses expanded and the city continued to grow, he said.
Some specifics:
• In 2010, the city expanded by annexing 104 acres that is now in the southwest portion of city limits. More than 84,000 square feet of new commercial space was added in the last year and 58 single-family residences were constructed, Haberthur said.
• Several businesses reinvested in the community by relocating to existing facilities or building new ones.
The largest reinvestment was the more than 40,000-square-foot Vancouver Clinic expansion. The company employs 43 people and will add 55 more positions soon, Haberthur said. The clinic also has plans to bring its call center to Battle Ground, he said.
• Old Town also saw a resurgence in 2010 as the city council focused some of its efforts on revitalizing Southeast First Street, Haberthur said. Existing local businesses such as Galeotti’s Restaurant made investments to their existing facilities and new businesses such as Hockinson Cafe moved into the area.
60th celebration
This year, Battle Ground will celebrate its 60th year as a city, and Haberthur said he looks forward to the city continuing its resiliency with numerous streets projects and new opportunities for economic development this year.
One project city officials hope will spark economic development is the Scotton Way extension to Southwest 20th Avenue. The extension and signalized intersection with state Highway 503 will pave the way for future commercial development and improve east-west connectivity within the city, Haberthur said. At build-out it can create nearly 700 commercial jobs plus 300 construction jobs. Construction of the roadway is expected to begin late this year and wrap up in 2012, he said.
Haberthur also shed light on some upcoming public works projects. Those improvement projects include South Parkway Avenue, Clark Public Utilities Water Intertie, Southeast Grace Avenue and Battle Ground LED upgrades.
Safety, ease of access, reduction in the city’s carbon footprint and planning for growth will all be benefits of these and other planned projects, Haberthur said.
Also in 2011, the city will continue its conservative budget with a focus on services and maintaining reserves.
