Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt, 40, is now in his second year leading what’s been a contentious city council and presiding over politically tough choices that have included: cutting $9.1 million from the city’s general fund, closing a fire station and laying off 112 city workers. No new roads are planned after this year; the parks capital fund is similarly drained.
The debate over the massive multibillion revamp of the Interstate 5 bridge has been fierce as planners draw closer to providing a final plan for the crossing over the Columbia River. Most agree that a better connection for the estimated 60,000 Clark County residents who cross the bridge daily to work in Portland must be built. But vocal anti-tolling and light-rail critics have surfaced to call for a third bridge or increased federal funding. However, there are many, including Leavitt — who campaigned on a pledge to fight tolling — who have said that a bridge must be built, and soon, and if it can’t be done without a toll, so be it.
Despite the economy, there have been some bright spots in the ’Couv: After a one-year hiatus in 2009, fireworks lit up the sky over Fort Vancouver once again. The event, cancelled for lack of funding, was brought back in 2010 with new sponsors and a scaled-back, family-friendly approach, replacing a mega-mainstage event and fireworks shot from a barge in the Columbia. Organizers said an estimated 15,000 people arrived for the show, and they expect it to be an annual tradition.
The fort, incorporated in 1857 where the Hudson’s Bay Company had established its northwest headquarters in 1825, along with Army barracks and Officers Row, remain standing and are central to the city’s identity. The Army barracks are in for a remodel as well: As the Army vacates the space, the National Park Service will take control of the buildings that have hosted soldiers for 100 years. The Park Service is working with citizens to fashion a future for the barracks.
