Sifton Neighborhood Association

Minutes of May 10, 2005, Meeting

Business Development, Park

President Lamont Shaindlin opened the meeting by reminding us that he receives reports from Clark County regarding permit applications and environmental studies. These reports usual relate to proposed housing subdivisions and commercial development. Regarding the Sifton Park to be built just west of NE 131st Avenue & 71st Street, the deadline for public comment is May 20.

A source has told Lamont that the new Wal-Mart store is now expected to open in August, 2006. Regarding the Kaiser Permanente site on the northeast corner of 137th Avenue & Fourth Plain, road improvements will begin any day. A medical outpatient facility will be built. The retail development expected to occur on the southeast corner of Fourth Plain & SR 503/117th Avenue will not happen. Neither the topsoil nor the traffic access is satisfactory. Duck’s will apparently remain where it is on Fourth Plain & 121st Avenue.

The old Home Base building south of Fourth Plain will be torn down and the property rebuilt. We expect one or two “junior retailers.” Lamont explained that a “shop” refers to a facility with less than 20,000 square feet; a “junior” has 20,000 to 50,000 square feet, and an “anchor” is a business whose building has 50,000 or more square feet.

Guest Speaker State Rep. Deb Wallace

Representative Deb Wallace, who represents District 17 in Olympia, was our guest speaker. Lamont pointed our how Deb votes sometimes against the Democrat majority in response to constituents’ input. Initiative 601 was overturned, despite Deb’s vote, during the session that ended last month, and taxes raises on gasoline and liquor were passed. Liquor will be taxed an additional $1/bottle and cigarettes $.60/pack. The estate tax was increased on estates of $4 million or more.

Deb gave us a brief history of her deciding to run for the district seat three years ago and said that neighborhood associations in Clark County are among the strongest in the nation. She is on these House committees: Transportation; Trade, Agriculture, and Economic Development; and Technology, Communication, and Energy.

Budget increases were passed not only for two large projects in the Seattle area but also for Clark County projects, including a study of how to improve traffic near the Columbia River and I-5. Commute time is a big concern. Deb also stated about the legislative session, “We actually did a lot for job creation,” taking steps to develop jobs in Clark County and supporting small business. She talked about emphasizing education for the 21st century world and stated that the legislature added 8,000 slots for post-secondary education in the state. WSU-Vancouver will soon be serving four-year undergraduate students. Deb worries that our county’s service economy can’t support families and stresses the need to train students as well as other nations do.

Deb believes we need more investment in infrastructure and transportation, including various energy sources. She also said we need to better treat people with mental health issues or put them in jail and that Attorney General Rob McKenna is hitting the meth problem hard with a new program. There is a community meeting set for June 9 to address identity theft. It will be held at 6:30 P.M. at Shahala Middle School southeast of Vancouver. A member of the task force on identity theft with the Washington State Patrol will address participants.

The state legislature recently passed bills to provide funds for performance audits of all state agencies. Previously, agencies were audited for financial accountability. Also funded now is health care for children in low-income families and an $800 million budget for “alternative transportation.”

The tax system here is based on sales taxes and property taxes. A group of legislators and citizens will be traveling throughout Washington to discuss tax reform. Bills haves been proposed in the past to cap property taxes charged to senior citizens.

The Portland/Vancouver I-5 Transportation and Trade Partnership is a bi-state task force of community, business, and elected representatives, which has brought Washington and Oregon citizens and leaders together to respond to concerns about congestion on I-5 between Portland and Vancouver. Between January of 2001 and June of 2002, the partnership worked to develop a long-range strategic plan to manage and improve transportation in the I-5 corridor between I-405 in Portland and I-205 north of Vancouver. This information comes from www.i-5partnership.com.

Deb encouraged us to think about what kinds of changes should be made if a new bridge is built or either the I-5 or the I-205 bridge is changed. The States are to split the costs.

Deb led a discussion of C-Tran, whose website is www.ctran.com. Bus service is being cut, but C-Tran has over $59 million in reserves and plans to build a park & ride center on 99th Street. C-Tran has raised fares recently and plans to stop service to Portland and stop accepting Tri-Met transfers and C-Tran transfers. C-Tran is a public transit authority whose board is made up of city council and county commission members. One idea to improve its make-up is to elect board members directly.

Announcements, Treasury, Next Meeting

The lucky ticket holder this time was Rodger Lance, who split the $24 received this evening. Rodger is chairman of rentals for this grange hall. The Washington Grange allowed us to use their hall this evening free of charge—thank you!

Lamont proposed we hold a meeting the second Tuesday of June but not convene in either July or August. Representative Jim Dunn was guest speaker before the Heritage Neighborhood Association this evening but hopes to speak to us in the near future. Lamont presented Treasurer Allen Hoff with a bill dated May 5 for photocopies made on behalf of NSA. Allen paid Lamont $26 from tonight’s and last month’s “pots” collected, so we are calling it even and have no other bills to pay. The current treasury amounts to $8.

The next meeting is set for Tuesday, June 14, 2005, from 7:00 to 8:30 P.M. at Fire Station 88 on Ward Road & Fourth Plain.