P age A6
M ay 17, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver
iws m r
Newspaper Conducts Annual Donation Campaign
The S enior M essen g er, the
V a n c o u v e r a r e a ’s o n ly se n io r
n ew spaper, k icked o f f its annual
read er d o n atio n cam p aig n th is
m onth on its 22nd an n iv ersary .
The p a p e r’s goal is $ 5 2 ,0 0 0
says D iane W agner, editor. S pon­
sored by the C ity o f V ancouver,
the m onthly tab lo id n ew sp ap er
for p eo p le “ 50 and b e tte r” relies
on d o n a tio n s and a d v e rtis in g
sales revenue to m eet its ex p e n s­
es.
“ T he S e n io r M e sse n g e r is
c o m m itte d to p re se n tin g news
and features about re c re atio n a l
and social o p p o rtu n itie s for se ­
n io rs in Southw est W ashington;
o ur goal is to help p e o p le m ain ­
tain activ e, p o sitiv e life -sty le s
and a ttitu d e s. We c o n sid e r our
re a d e rs our p a rtn e rs, and we are
asking for th e ir help to c o n tin u e
b rin g in g them the new s th ey need
and w an t,” W agner says.
O ver 12,000 read ers receiv e
the S enior M essenger in the m ail,
fre e o f c h a rg e , w ith a n o th e r
1,000-plus issu es d istrib u te d lo­
ca lly to retire m e n t and nursing
hom es, h o sp ita ls, m edical o ffic ­
es, com m unity and sen io r c e n ­
te rs and o th e r site s. A bout 10
p e rc e n t o f the re a d e rs live in
Skam ania and K lic k ita t counties
A nyone 50 o r o ld e r may request
the p ap er be sent to them w ithout
cost. A lthough d o n a tio n s are re ­
q u ested every year, a do n atio n is
Dedication Of Forestry Plaza
The stone pillars are in place
and finishingtouches are being chis­
eled into the Bolds-W hitfield Ur­
ban Forestry Plaza which features a
30-by-60 foot sculpture o f basalt
and running water. The dedication
was on Monday, May 15.
The City o f V ancouver’s Ur­
ban Forestry Commission will for­
mally present the plaza to Mayor
Burce E. Hegensen asa living gift to
the community.
The first Silva Bolds-Whitfield
Urban Forestry Award, honoring
people who demonstrate a commit­
ment to enriching the city’s urban
forestry program, were also pre­
sented at the ceremony.
T h e p la z a h o n o r s S ilv a
B o ld s - W h itf ie ld , a lo n g tim e
V a n co u v er re sid e n t, w ho was
re sp o n sib le fo r p la n tin g o v er
100 trees in the d o w ntow n area
- in c lu d in g th e 3 0 -y e a r old
sw eetgum tree w hich is the c e n ­
te rp ie c e o f the p laza.
Funds for the $60,000 project
were raised through donations made
by many local businesses and indi-
High School
Students
Unite
Walkers along the newest sec­
tion ofthe city’s Discovery Trail will
be able to sit and take a breather
thanks to the combined efforts o f the
Vancouver U.S.A. Volksporter and
students from the Fort Vancouver
High School metal shop.
In 1993, the Volksporters do­
nated the wood and steel to construct
two outdoor benches. Welding, fin­
ish woodwork and assembly were
handled by members o f the school’s
1993 metal shop class. On May I, the
completed benches were installed
along the Discovery frail by mem­
bers o f the City o f V ancouver’s
AmeriCorps program.
The benches are strategically
placed half way up two hills on the
newest two-mile section o f trail. The
first bench is near the city’s Arnold
Park greenspace, near the intersec­
tion o f SR 500 and St. John’s Boule­
vard.
The second bench is west o f
Nicholson road. The benches are
spaced approximately one mile apart.
“ From the sta rt, we plan n ed
to put these b enches on the tr a il,”
ex p lain s Phil O aks o f the C ity o f
V an co u v er Parks and R ecreatio n
D epartm en t. “ We ju s t had to w ait
for th is section o f the trail to be
c o n stru c te d before we could do
so .”
The Discovery Trail stretches
intermittently for five miles starting
near Vancouver Lake and parallels
the Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway.
When completed, it will span seven
miles east to David Douglas Park.
Value o f the new benches is estimat­
ed at $500 each.
and A ctivities Program (NSAP).
After federal financial support dried
up in the 1980s, Senior Messenger
readers and advertisers responded to
the increased need and continued to
keep the newspaper viable.
The Senior Messenger provides
information on upcoming communi­
ty events, classes for older adults,
legislative and health issues, lifestyle
columnists, social and nutrition ser­
vices, volunteer program opportuni­
ties and extensive coverage o f the
city’s Senior Trip Program.
Local writers are encouraged to
submit stories to the Senior M essen­
ger. “Our readers like articles re­
counting childhood memories, de­
scriptions o f other times and places,
and stories about local historical
events and sites,” Wagner says.
for more information about the
Senior Messenger, call Wagner at
696-8016. Make checks payable to:
The Senior Messenger, P.O. Box
1995, Vancouver WA 98668.
Citizen Mediators Negotiate Solutions
The Clark County Dispute Res­
olution Center offers free services
involving neighborhood contlicts.
The center, staffed by volunteer
and specially trained citizen media­
tors, can help resol ve difficulties such
as: barking dogs, loud noise, over­
grown neighborhood yards and
neighborhood disagreements.
“If people have a problem, we
want them to give us a call,” said
Christopher Sheesley, Program De­
veloper. “Situations will be evaluat­
ed and may be assigned to a citizen
mediator who will sit down with ev-
eryone involved and work to resolve
things. Most problems can even be
settled over the telephone.”
The budget for this new service
comes from surcharges on district
court filing fees.
Benefits from the center are ex­
pected to be many.
Sheesley points out solutions can
be quick and economical.
In fact, services are free. Con­
flicts are brought to a close in a
collaborate way and enable citizens
to take more responsibil ities for prob­
lems on their block. Cases, such as
broken windows and minor threats,
can be settled without going to court.
“This is a voluntary, confiden,
tial, no-risk alternative to solving a
conflict,” Sheesley said. “You meet
face-to-face with trained and certir
fied citizen mediators that help neigh­
bors negotiate their own agreements.
With mediation, everyone can
win and creative solutions can go
beyond compromise.
The center, however, does not
provide counseling or therapy and it
does not offer legal advice or advo­
cate for any side.”
Security Alarm Registration Required
viduals.
Hors d ’oeubers and beberags
from Hidden House Restaurant and
Paradise Cafe, and music by the Ad
hoc Brass Ensemble, helped too
liven tip the occasion.
Small Forest Sprouts In Arnold Park
A sm all fo rest o f c e d a r, fir
and w illow sa p lin g s sp ro u te d in
a m a tte r o f hours in V a n co u ­
v e r ’s A rnold Park last T h u rs­
day, A pril 25.
Som e 1,200 o f the eig h t-
in c h -h ig h n u rse ry tre e s w ere
p lan ted by m em bers o f the c ity ’s
A m eriC o rp s p ro g ram . T he trees
- 800 ced ar, 300 D ouglas fir and
not required to be included on
the free m ailing list.
P roduction, p a p e r and p rin t­
ing co sts com e to ab o u t $12 per
read er per year And the d o n a ­
tion cam paign includes a plea to
read ers to donate a little extra
this year due to in creasin g n ew s­
print prices.
The newspaper got its start in
1973 with fund from the Older Amer­
icans Act, along with the Senior Trip
Program and the Senior Nutrition
100 w illow — w ere d o nated by
th e G iffo rd P in c h o t N a tio n a l
F orest N ursery in W ind R iver,
WA.
“ The sa p lin g s w ere planted
am ong existing deciduous and ev ­
e rg re e n tre e s o v e r a 3 0 -a c re
a r e a ,” says Phil O aks o f the C ity
o f V a n c o u v e r’s P arks and R e c re ­
atio n D epartm ent. “ W hile m any
o f the trees will stay in place,
o th e rs w ill se rv e as n u rsery
sto ck to be tra n sp la n te d e lse ­
w here in the c ity .” The saplings
are tra n sp la n ta b le for three to
five years a fte r initial planting.
A rn o ld P a rk is an open
green space city park north o f
SR 500 near the intersection
w ith St. J o h n ’s B oulevard.
Residents and business owners
with security alarm systems are now
required to register their alarms with
the Clark County Sheriffs Office or
the Vancouver Police Department. By
registering, the Sheriffs Office and
the Vancouver Police Department
hope to reduce the number o f false
alarms from residential and business
security systems.
Registration is free in the unin­
corporated county. To pick up a form,
just stop by one of the Sheriff s Office
three precincts: West Precinct, 9102
N. E. Highway 99 (737-6079): Cen­
tral Precinct,, 11608 N. E. 149th Street
(737-6195); and East Precinct, 11818
S. E. Mi 1 Iplain Boulevard (253-2047).
To receive a permit application in the
mail, please call the Consolidated
Alarm Center - a cooperative effort of
Clark County and the City o f Vancou­
ver -- at 696-8172.
Also under the ordinance, all
alarms must have automatic shut-off
devices that will shut the system off
within 15 minutes o f activation. Fines
would result from m ultiple false
alarms. A first and second false alarm
results in only warning letters.
“We estimate there are about
10,000 alarm systems countywide,”
said Inspector Dave McKay o f the
Clark County Sheriffs Office. “And
about 90 percent o f the calls deputies
respond to on alarms are false alarms,
which puts officers at unnecessary risk
and reduces our ability to respond to
actual emergencies.”
McKay said that by requiring
permits the Sheriffs Office hopes to
promote responsiblity.
“This is a significant public safe­
ty issue,” McKay added. He urged
residents to call the Consolidated
Alarm Center or their neighborhood
Sheriffs Office Precinct if they had
additional questions.
Position Open On Urban Forestry Commission
The City o f Vancouver is seek­
ing applicants to fill a vacancy on the
Urban Forestry Commission.
The seven-membercommission
is established to enhance the city by
managing and conserving trees in
Vancouver’s city-owned parks, pub­
lic areas and public rights-of-way. It
also helps property owners and pub­
lic agencies in Vancouver improve
and maintain trees consistent with
adopted city policies.
Commission members are ap­
pointed by the mayor subject to con­
firmation by city council. Members
serve four-year terms. The commis-
sion regularly m eets the second
W ednesday o f each month at 4 p m.
in Vancouver City Hall. Applica­
tions are available through Marie
Day, Vancouver City Hall, P.O. Box
1995, Vancouver, WA 98668-1995
or by calling 696-8211. Applications
must be submitted by June 16.
Low
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