The Washington State University Board of Regents assembled its wish list to the state Friday. At the top is the construction of a classroom building at the Vancouver campus.

Pending approval from the Legislature, a $38.6 million applied technology classroom would be built by the summer of 2011. Also on the list is the $7.4 million design of a veterinary medical research building in Pullman.

At the meeting, the Board of Regents also approved offering a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at the WSU Vancouver campus.

Environmental center to offer free summer camp

Vancouver’s Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center has won a grant to offer a week of free day camp this summer for poor and homeless students interested in the outdoors.

It’ll probably happen in the first week of August, Alishia Topper of the education center said Friday.

The center already offers four weeks of camp with scholarships for needy families. This fifth week will be on site at the center, on the old Evergreen Highway just east of Interstate 205.

The $42,550 state grant will also fund a year-round program for students especially interested in nature and the outdoors. They’ll get free programs at the center after school and on weekends, with assistance for travel and clothing.

Of 25 agencies statewide who won Washington’s “No Child Left Inside” grants, the not-for-profit Columbia Springs was the only recipient in Southwest Washington.

For more information or details about signing up, contact Topper, 360-882-7010 or atopper@columbiasprings.org.

Fire department, school set mass casualty drill

About 40 students from the Vancouver School of Arts & Academics will take part in a mass casualty drill with the Vancouver Fire Department on Tuesday.

The simulated school bus accident will run from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at VFD headquarters at Northeast 63rd Street and Andresen Road, said fire Capt. Rick Steele.

It’s part of the school’s Day of Caring program, Steele said.