The INDEPENDENT, February 15, 2007 Page 17 Wash. Co. Cultural Summit on Feb. 23 Help the homeless – donate items Members of the Washington County arts, cultural and her- itage communities are invited to attend a Cultural Summit on Friday, February 23, from 4:00- 6:00 p.m. at the Glenn and Vio- la Walters Cultural Arts Center, 527 E. Main Street, Hillsboro (corner of Fifth and Main, three blocks from the Hillsboro Cen- tral MAX Station). The Summit is sponsored by the Washing- In January 2006, more than 1,100 homeless children and adults resided in Washington County. Connecting homeless persons to services and involv- ing citizens in the work to end homelessness is the goal of Washington County Project Homeless Connect. On February 28, volunteers from the community, in collabo- ration with nonprofit, public, and private agencies, will host a one-day Project Homeless Connect event to provide criti- cal services and resources to people who are homeless and/or desperately poor. Ser- vices will include medical, den- tal and vision exams, prescrip- tion glasses, legal advice, help applying for financial assis- tance, employment counseling, transportation guidance, do- mestic violence consultation, haircuts, pet care, energy as- sistance, and housing informa- tion and referral. ton County Arts, Heritage and Humanities Coalition (WCAH- HC). The Coalition will open its 2007 grant cycle on February 26th. Information on grant pri- orities will be discussed at the summit. In addition, represen- tatives from a variety of arts and cultural organizations, such as the Regional Arts and Culture Council, the Oregon Cultural Trust, the Oregon Arts Commission and the Beaverton Arts Commission, will be on hand to discuss grant opportu- nities, event opportunities, con- tinuing education workshops and cultural tourism. Light re- freshments will be served. View the Washington Coun- ty Cultural Plan, at . Banks set to begin search for new city engineer From page 15 velop the charges. Parati esti- mates this will take two weeks and will cost less than $3000. Previously, council decided not to continue with Parati, (for- merly LDC engineering) as the city engineer. As a result, the city needs to conduct a request for qualifications to find a new city engineer. Mayor Teri Branstitre presented a copy of a recent RFQ used by the City of North Plains. Council agreed to modify and use the model presented. Lucas spoke to council about adopting an e-mail policy soon. He explained that, if the city doesn’t have a system in place to capture all public e- mails sent and received by city staff and councilors, a situation could arise where the individ- ual’s personal computers could be subpoenaed. Mayor Branstitre told council about improvements for city hall, including carpet cleaning, electrical updating, and instal- lation of an ADA compliant front door. These are all included in the budgeted. The city is starting budget preparations for the next fiscal year. Council appointed City Recorder Jolynn Becker as the city’s budget officer. She will prepare the proposed budget. The Budget committee will meet four times from March un- til May. The budget committee includes the councilors, mayor and eight community members. Branstitre asked the councilors to consider committee mem- bers so they can be appointed next month. Families not using available tax credits From page 12 runs $480 a month and $865 in a child care center. (Rates vary for different types of care and in different areas of the state.) Nemmers’ agency launched the campaign after learning that many families do not apply for the tax credit benefits. Ac- cording to Nemmers, the IRS estimates that at least 20 to 25 State forest plan From page 5 Annual operations plans identi- fy and describe specific proj- ects such as timber sales, road maintenance, stream enhance- ment and recreation projects on state-managed public forests. Annual operations plans are available at each district office, area ODF offices in Forest Grove, Roseburg and Prine- ville, at Salem headquarters, Please see page 23 Action Ads INEXPENSIVE – EFFECTIVE 503-429-9410 percent of taxpayers leave thousands of dollars on the table just from the federal Earned Income Tax Credit alone. “Many families are not aware of the tax credits or don’t know where to find help prepar- ing their taxes,” Nemmers said. To get the word out, the Net- work has distributed to Oregon radio stations public service an- nouncements that feature Gov- ernor Ted Kulongoski. Sum- maries of the tax credits and sites where families can find free tax help are listed on the Network’s Web site at www. oregonchildcare.org, and cal- lers may obtain general infor- mation about the credits by calling the Network’s toll-free line, 800-342-6712. W illiams M etal F ab Project Homeless Connect will be held at the National Guard Armory, 848 NE 28 Av- enue, Hillsboro (across from the Hillsboro Airport). How can you help? Dona- tions of time, funding, and/or personal items including tarps, blankets, sleeping bags, hy- giene items, etc. are being ac- cepted. NW Medical Teams Van will be available, but den- tists and dental hygienists are needed to staff the event. Any- one can volunteer to help serve food or assist. To volunteer your time, or for more informa- tion on how you can become involved in this community event, go to www.handsonwa shingtoncounty.org and click on the red/blue logo for “Washing- ton County Project Homeless Connect” or call event coordi- nator Kim Krohn at the Good Neighbor Center Shelter, 503- 443-6084. Tips given for back country trips From page 13 an outdoor store or talk with your health care provider about what is appropriate to carry for you and your family. Carry these other essentials, whether on a day hike, road trip or sea kayak adventure: • Shelter. It can be as simple as a tarp, nylon poncho, cagoul (a long waterproof, oversized rain coat affair used by climbers), or as elaborate as a tent. Even a couple of big plas- tic garbage bags can save a life. • A portable shovel. You can dig out a stuck vehicle, make a snow cave, snow trench or dig someone out of an avalanche with a shovel. • File a trip plan with a friend, family member or, if climbing or traveling in the back country, with the appropriate authori- ties. Source: Cecelia Haack, M.S. OSU Extension Faculty Nutrition Educator FAMILY FUN!! Huge AUCTION - BINGO - DINNER LOTS OF GReat PrIZES Custom Fabrication & Welding All Metals Including Stainless Steel & Aluminum Friday, Feb. 23rd. 6 PM - 9 PM BANKS CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 22785 N.W. Fisher Rd. Buxton Portable W ELDING A VAILABLE TO RESERVE YOUR ADV. TICKETS CALL 5 0 3 - 4 2 9 - 8 4 3 1 503-324-4500 VISA, Master Card Accepted. 17819 Noakes Rd., Vernonia, Oregon FUN!! FUN!! FUN!! FUN!! FUN!! FUN!! FUN!! & MORE FUN!!!