Sheriff's office to retain 15 jobs
The Clark County Sheriff's Office finalized a contract for inmate medical services last Tuesday with Conmed, Inc. of Hanover, Md., which will save 10 jobs slated for elimination on Jan. 1 due to budget cuts.
Another agreement between the county and Custody Officer's guild saved an additional five jobs by deferring a cost-of-living raise until 2011.
The revised 2010 budget, readopted on Dec. 9, reduced the Sheriff's budget by $3.3 million and caused the planned cutbacks. This marks the third cut to the Sheriff's budget in the last year, reducing it by $8 million and eliminating 15 percent of the workforce, totaling 63 positions.
The deals will drop the number to 48 positions lost.
Local businesses invest downtown
For the fourth consecutive year, Vancouver's Downtown Association has secured $133,000, the maximum donation allowed through Washington State's Main Street Tax Credit Incentive Program.
Donors included Riverview Bank, Biggs Insurance Services, Phoenix Industrial, Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, DSP Architecture and Albina Fuel.
"This outstanding vote of confidence by these donors demonstrates they share VDA's passion for revitalizing our downtown," said Lee Rafferty, VDA's economic development committee chair.
Incorporated in 1989, the VDA constructs revitalization projects in downtown Vancouver.
The incentive program allows businesses who pay state business and occupation tax to donate directly to community organizations while receiving a 75 percent tax credit.
Previous years' funds have been applied to a variety of events including the construction of Turtle Place, tree planting on Main Street and Artwalk.
Northwest Renewable Energy hails graduates
The first graduating class of Vancouver-based Northwest Renewable Energy Institute received their diplomas in a ceremony held during the Christmas holiday weekend.
The 40 graduates of the Wind Energy Technicians Course are currently being placed in positions throughout the wind energy sector, according to the institute's founder, Arch Miller.
The six-month training included course work that acquainted students with various aspects of wind energy, including safety, mechanical, electrical and hydraulics, as well as metal science and programmable logic controllers.
A division of the International Air & Hospitality Academy, the institute opened its doors last July with the Wind Energy Technician Course the first to be offered. New classes for wind energy technicians have followed each month, with the next class scheduled on Monday, Jan. 11.
Special election information
Monday is the last day to register for the Feb. 9 special election in Clark County. The vote is for a number of local educational and operational levies.
Mail-in voter registration forms must be postmarked no later than Jan. 11, with the online application deadline midnight the same day. Visit www.clarkvotes.org to register online.
Citizens not currently registered to vote in Washington state have until Feb. 1 to register, but must do so by appearing in person at the County Elections Department, 1408 Franklin St. in Vancouver.
Retail development expert to speak at VDA event
Vancouver's Downtown Association will feature Michele Reeves as special speaker for its next quarterly meeting scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 14 at 7:30 a.m. at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Vancouver. Reeves, a broker for Windermere Cronin & Caplan Realty Group in Portland, is well known for her work in developing neglected and under-resourced areas in the Rose City.
The Downtown Retail Strategy Team, a working group of VDA, is responsible for inviting Reeves to this meeting. DRST has tasked itself to showcase the redevelopment and entrepreneurial opportunities in the city core.
DRST member KC Fuller of Eric Fuller and Associates explained the tie between Vancouver's downtown and Reeve's experience. "Michele is a visionary. Her experience has shown that people redefine areas with their feet before they realize it in their minds," he said.
The meeting is open to the public. If you are planning to attend, RSVP to director@vdausa.org or call the VDA office at 360.258.1129.
WSU Makes List of Top 10 Clean Tech Universities
Washington State University was ranked 10th among national universities by sustainability website cleantech.com for its developments in clean technology.
"At WSU, we're committed to working with partners around the region to solve problems and create economic opportunities in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. We are pleased that these efforts are paying off and have been recognized," said John Gardner, WSU's vice president of economic development and global engagement.
The list of the leading universities for clean technology development includes Massachusetts Institute of Technology, UC Berkeley, the University of Texas, Stanford University, the University of Michigan, the University of Colorado, University of Wisconsin, Cornell, Georgia Tech and WSU.
Clean tech is defined as products, services and processes that harness renewable materials and energy sources while dramatically reducing the production of waste products and the use of natural resources.
