,

Raising The Bar: CHS Gymnasts Are On The Upswing To State

By Dan Trujillo

The Camas High School gymnasts keep raising the bar.

Propelled by a school record team score of 181.7, the Papermakers won the 4A district championship by more than 20 points Saturday at Battle Ground High School.

Senior Jacqueline Purwins clinched the all-around championship with 37.825 points. She finished first on the vault (9.475), second on the floor (9.7) and the beam (9.65), and fourth on the bars (9.0).

“It’s crazy because we’re not even at our best yet. There’s still some little things that we can clean up,” Purwins said. “It just kind of all came together. When you have a good first event, the rest of it is a lot easier to follow.”

Freshmen Shea McGee and Alyssa Shabata followed Purwins’ lead.

McGee grabbed second place all-around with 37.675 points. She finished first on the floor (9.8) and the bars (9.3), and third on the beam (9.35) and the vault (9.025).

“You just have to relax and pretend like it’s any other meet,” McGee said. “That was pretty snazzy,” she added about the team score. “We pulled out our best. I had so much fun.”

Shabata took third place all-around with 36.95 points. She earned second place on the bars (9.2) and the vault (9.1), fourth on the beam (9.55) and fifth on the floor (9.3).

“It was cool standing up on the podium with my friends,” Shabata said. “We’ve been working hard for this.”

Gymnasts

Jacqueline Purwins dazzles on the floor for the Papermakers. Photo by Dan Trujillo.

Joy Marsh claimed fourth place on the vault (8.7) and ninth place on the floor (9.2). Madison Martin notched fifth place in the beam (9.05) and seventh place on the bars (8.2). Lizzy Wing gained fifth place on the floor (9.3) and 10th place on the vault (8.15). Sienna Brophy placed eighth on the beam (8.5) and Annika Afleck took eighth place on the bars (8.15).

Head coach Carol Willson couldn’t be more excited the Papermakers. They all get the opportunity to represent Camas at the 4A state meet, Feb. 16 and 17, at the Tacoma Dome.

“We were hoping for a 180. We beat that by almost two points,” Willson said. “We are in a good position.”

Although Purwins enjoyed competing at state as a sophomore, she said there’s nothing like being there with her teammates. The girls achieved that dream together for the first time last season and finished in second place. They’re very talented gymnasts.

“The biggest goal for all of us is winning as a team,” she said.

Purwins will be the only one to graduate from this program after this season. Marsh and Martin should be back to lead the team again as captains. Gymnasts McGee and Shabata are just getting started.

 “Have fun. Don’t get caught up in the competition because it always makes it worse. That’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned,” Purwins said. “Senior year is all about having fun. If we’re winning along with that, that’s great. But as long as I’m having fun, I’m OK with it.”
Gymnasts

Camas team captain Joy Marsh and head coach Carol Willson cheer for a Papermaker during the floor exercise. Photo by Dan Trujillo.

Stevens makes history for Washougal

Katie Stevens became the first gymnast from Washougal High School to qualify for state, and she did it in all four events.

The freshman finished third on the vault, with a 9.175, fifth on the floor, with a 9.4, and fifth in the all-around, with a 33.775. Against seniors and juniors, no less.

“I really wanted to make it to state in at least one event,” Stevens said. “To get in all four is really insane.”

Stevens started the season with a brace on her foot, after straining tendons in her tibia and fibula. She returned to competition a few weeks ago.

“She had an amazing meet,” said head coach Carol Willson. “To see her come off at injury and get to state in all four events in very exciting. She’s starting something special for Washougal High School.”

Stevens knows the Camas gymnasts and coaches well. She has trained and performed with them at VEGA since she was 5.

“I’m very grateful that the Camas girls treat me as one of their own,” Stevens said. “They embrace that I’m from Washougal, and they’re not mean about it.”

Although she has no idea what to expect at the Tacoma Dome, Stevens embraces her opportunity to perform for Washougal on the big stage at state.

“I want to show them that little schools can do big things.”

To learn more, visit www.chs.camas.wednet.edu

 Gymnasts Photo Gallery

/0 Comments/by
,

Union Wins Intense 4A GSHL District Wrestling Championship

Camas, WA — Union won an intense District Wrestling Championship Saturday at Camas High School that saw several “civil war” matches, and a striking rematch between Skyview’s Jackson McKinney and Papermaker Samuel Malychewski.

The Titans won with 374.5 points — and Camas followed with 358.5. Heritage, Skyview and Battle Ground placed third, fourth, and fifth respectively.

Spectators watched Papermakers Rylan Thompson, a senior, and Tanner Craig, a junior, battle for the first time competitively. Craig’s long winning streak was broken by Thompson during the match that went into overtime sudden victory.

“It’ll hurt no matter who wins,” said Camas Head Coach, Cory Vom Baur, prior to the match. Vom Baur was also named District Coach of the Year.

Malychewski and McKinney have faced each other several times this season, as the third and fourth state ranked (respectively) wrestlers — and will likely battle again at State. Malychewski bested McKinney on Saturday.

“I just went out there and gave it 100 percent,” said Samuel Malychewski of his match against McKinney. “I wasn’t thinking about my past loss, I just focused.”

Union continues to dominate the 4A GSHL District Championship having won seven of the last eight titles.

“This year was about depth,” said Titan Head Coach, John Godhino, “our JV has really wrestled hard and came through, and we had about the same amount of guys in the finals. Going forward these next few years, we have a strong junior base so we won’t lose a lot next year, but we have to get better to compete with Camas.”

 

Wrestling

Union High School won the 4A GSHL Wrestling Championship on Saturday.

Results by Weight Class

106

  • 1st Place – Sanry Nguyen of Heritage
  • 2nd Place – Ryan Esperto of Union
  • 3rd Place – Miguel Victorano of Battle Ground

113

  • 1st Place – Brandon Esperto of Union
  • 2nd Place – Jacob Tabor of Heritage
  • 3rd Place – Samuel McCormick of Camas

120

  • 1st Place – Daniel (Brett) Joner of Battle Ground
  • 2nd Place – Aaron Avery of Union
  • 3rd Place – Dilyn Jimenez of Union

 

126

  • 1st Place – Jack Latimer of Camas
  • 2nd Place – Kyle Moore of Camas
  • 3rd Place – Calvin Bahl of Union

132

  • 1st Place – Rylan Thompson of Camas
  • 2nd Place – Tanner Craig of Camas
  • 3rd Place – Logan Smith of Skyview

138

  • 1st Place – Noah Talavera of Union
  • 2nd Place – Isaac Salon of Union
  • 3rd Place – Jonah Sullivan of Camas

145

  • 1st Place – Isaac Duncan of Camas
  • 2nd Place – Karter Leifson of Camas
  • 3rd Place – Miles Hartwig of Union

152

  • 1st Place – Danny Snediker of Union
  • 2nd Place – Chris Johnson of Skyview
  • 3rd Place – Spencer Inserra of Battle Ground

160

  • 1st Place – Gideon Malychewski of Camas
  • 2nd Place – Kyle Brosius of Union
  • 3rd Place – Kyle Cantu of Heritage

170

  • 1st Place – Josh Joo of Union
  • 2nd Place – Noah Renk of Battle Ground
  • 3rd Place – Nick Oien of Skyview

182

  • 1st Place – Colby Stoller of Camas
  • 2nd Place – William Pettersen of Skyview
  • 3rd Place – Anthony Choi of Camas

195

  • 1st Place – Samuel Malychewski of Camas
  • 2nd Place – Jackson Mckinney of Skyview
  • 3rd Place – James Cook of Heritage

220

  • 1st Place – Austin Stewart of Battle Ground
  • 2nd Place – Dumitru Salagor of Union
  • 3rd Place – Brian Lloyd of Skyview

285

  • 1st Place – Marvin Barber of Union
  • 2nd Place – Giovanny Rojo of Union
  • 3rd Place – Josue Espinoza of Camas

For a complete list of results, go here: District Results

To learn more, visit www.camaswrestling.com

Wrestling Photo Gallery

(more will be posted at www.Lacamasmagazine.smug.com by Sunday afternoon)

/0 Comments/by
,

Boys Basketball: Battle Ground Abruptly Ends Camas Season

By Dan Trujillo

The Camas High School boys basketball players learned a lot of lessons this season. They just wish it could have lasted longer.

Battle Ground defeated the Papermakers 55-40 Friday to secure the final slot into the 4A bi-district tournament. Camas finished with a 13-8 record, after starting out the season 8-0.

“At the beginning, our swagger was awesome. I just wish we could have kept it going in league,” said senior captain Tre Carlisle. “I’ll remember the fight that we showed every single day.”

This was just not the Papermakers’ day. They were held to an uncharacteristically low 15 field goals and just two 3-pointers.

Battle Ground jumped out to a 26-14 advantage at halftime. The Camas crowd did everything it could to get the Papermakers back into the game, but the Tigers would not be denied.

“The crowd came out and made a little tunnel for us,” Carlisle said. “That was awesome. That was the most touching thing I’ve ever seen from a crowd.”

Isaiah Sampson led Camas with 18 points. Kyle Allen and Carson Bonine each added five. Shane Jamison earned four points and won some impressive battles for rebounds.

Carlisle said there is a lot for the Papermakers to be thankful for. He and Sampson led a team with very little varsity experience to a tie for third place in league.

Ryan Josephson inherited the program, and brought a lot of knowledge and passion from his days as a Camas High School basketball player and a junior varsity coach.

“It was a quiet locker room, but we got a lot of ‘thank yous’ out there,” Carlisle said.

The future looks bright, as long as these Papermakers can stick together.

“I just want them to be aggressive. Go at each other in practice. Outside of practice, be friends,” Carlisle said. “Just go hard. Put it all on the line.”

in To learn more, visit www.chs.camas.wednet.edu

Camas Basketball Photos

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Events: National Letter of Intent Day Coming Up February 7

Camas, WA — National Letter of Intent Day is Wednesday, February 7th, 2018, we have an impressive group of athletes that will be signing at 9:00 am at the Camas High School North Commons. Family and friends are invited.

Here’s the list of 14 talented scholar/athletes and where they will be attending college:

  • Payton Bates, College of Idaho, Softball
  • Perrin Belzer, Grand Canyon U., Soccer
  • Trevor Bentley, Mt. Hood, Baseball
  • Courtney Clemmer, Oregon Tech, Basketball
  • Alexa Dietz, San Diego State, Rowing
  • Kennedy Ferguson, U of New Mexico, Softball
  • Dominic Fewel, Oregon State, Soccer
  • Maddie Freemon, Cal State Fullerton, Basketball
  • Mark Kim, West Point Military Academy, Swim
  • Hailey Oster, Montana State U., Golf
  • Madison Pfaff, Corban U., Volleyball
  • Madalyn Scherwinski, U of Mary, Swim
  • Joshua Schneider, Willamette U., Soccer
  • Abbi Wong, U of Puget Sound, Softball

Schools across the country are taking part in the letter of intent event.

To learn more, visit www.chs.camas.wednet.edu

Here’s a gallery of some of the athletes that will participate at the signing.

Football

Trevor Bentley runs to score one of the Papermaker TD’s at the season home opener.

 

Volleyball

Madison Phaff (with the ball).

 

Basketball

Courtney Clemmer.

 

Soccer

Perri Belzer. Photo by Kris Cavin.

 

Swim

State Champion swimmer, Mark Kim.

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Science Olympiad Team Prepares for Weekend Camas Invitational

Camas, WA — Fresh off a fifth place performance at the ultra-competitive Golden Gate Tournament in California, the Camas Science Olympiad team is preparing to host its annual Invitational — right at Camas High School this Saturday.

The team meets weekly in a club-like setting to learn, talk, strategize and just have fun in an effort to win Science Olympiad tournaments, all with an eye on winning another State title. They’ve clinched the Washington State title for seven of the last eight years, and team President, Wilson Ho, a senior, is hungry for another major win.

“We are very competitive,” said Ho, “but we also have a good work ethic, and we really can’t procrastinate. You have to set yourself up to study time management and organize yourself. Plus, we have fun while we do this, and we always get along well.”

The Olympiad students work together to prepare for the competitions, which include chemistry labs, test labs, material science labs, aviation, astronomy, thermo dynamics, and build sessions, such as hovercraft, Ruve Goldberg, robotics, and mousetraps.

“With the hovercraft you build a small device to control speed,” said Abigail Jiang. “With astronomy, we do tests of space objects.”

Olympiad

Robotics

 

Led by head coach Matthew Chase, the students say they are well supported by parents who come to the study sessions, and chaperone their various tournaments.

During those tournaments, the Olympiad students are paired up for three to four events throughout a single day. Team captains strategize the partnerships and the path to a team victory.

”We love to win,” said Ho. “And yes, it’s a ton of work, but you learn so much, and a lot of times we’ll get just three hours of sleep the night before a tournament.”

Jiang said they get excited about the awards, and explained that scoring is like golf.

”The lower the score the better,” said Jiang. “It’s a team effort, and motivation comes from the team. We want everyone to do well.”

Ashley Teng loves the personal element.

“You get to understand people more,” said Teng. “You see how people respond, and we have fun while we do it.”

Their Camas Invitational starts this Saturday at 8 am at Camas High School. Their regional tournament is on March 3, and the big State tournament is in April.

We’ll report on Satuday’s results. Stay tuned.

Olympiad

Building a tower during a competition.

 

Olympiad

Robotics competition.

 

Olympiad

Winning a recent tournament.

 

Olympiad

At a tournament — during awards.

 

Olympiad

All dressed up.

/1 Comment/by
,

Swimming: Lindbergh Bests Camas at Weekend’s SW Washington Invitational

Longview, WA — Lindbergh High School bested Camas at Saturday’s annual Southwest Washington Invitational. Yes, Lindbergh. We’d never heard of them, either, but they made the 2.5 hour trek from Renton, WA to participate in the invite — and they swam well.

When the final scores were announced, it was a little surprising since Camas had won so many events, but the numbers don’t lie. In the end, Lindbergh earned 529 points; Camas, 475; Columbia River, 362; Mark Morris, 344, and Battle Ground, 295. A total of 17 schools competed at the invite.

“We were down 11 kids,” said Camas coach, Mike Bemis. “Plus, I let them pick some of their own relay teams. It’s OK. We’re in great shape for Districts, and have a solid State team.”

Plus, Columbia River High School had a great showing — especially with Rob Mead, who broke a 26-year-old meet record (51.92) in the 100 Back. The record (52.81) had been held all that time by All American, Whitney Woolard, who would compete at the 1996 Olympic Trials.

Camas junior, Eric Wu, didn’t compete at the last part of the meet, due to illness. He eventually recovered.

The boys are working hard the next two weeks in preparation for Districts; and then at least eight will represent at State  in February.

Invite

The Lindbergh High School swim team won the invite.

 

Invite

From left: Ben Taylor, Luke Bales, Jake Duerfeldt, and Zach Macia.

 

Invite

Noah Macia in the 100 Breast event.

 

Invite Stats:

200 Medley Relay

1st Place: Battle Ground — Alex Curran, Marcelo Lombardi, Sam Anderson, Seth Colpitts (1:42.27)
2nd Place: Camas — Finn McClone, Eric Wu, Austin Fogel, Luke Bales (1:42.99)
3rd Place: CRHS — Daniel Ishchuk, Simon Parish, Elijah Parish, Sam Walker (1:51.83)

200 Free

1st Place: Mark Kim, Camas (1:47.77)
2nd Place: Isaiah Ross, Washougal (1:48.20)
3rd Place: Finn McClone, Camas (1:48.47)

200 IM

1st Place: Eric Wu, Camas (2:00.48)
2nd Place: Sam Walker, CR (2:09.92)
3rd Place: Simon Parish, CR (2:14.97)

Invite

Camas Swim Coach Mike Bemis talks with members of his team.

50 Free

1st Place: Ben Phelps, CR (23.04)
2nd Place: Sam Anderson, BG (23.05)
3rd Place: Marcelo Lombardi, BG (23.24)

100 Fly

1st Place: Joe Dodd, Hockinson (55:30)
2nd Place: Elijah Parish, CR (57.58)
3rd Place: Kodee Soetamin, Mark Morris (58.79)

100 Free

1st Place: Rob Mead, CR (47.49)
2nd Place: Sam Anderson, BG (50.35)
3rd Place: Daniel Brown, Washougal (51.49)

500 Free

1st Place: Mark Kim, Camas (4:55.37)
2nd Place: Austin Fogel, Camas (5:05.55)
3rd Place: Antonio Ortiz, Lindbergh (5:20.04)

200 Free Relay

1st Place: Battle Ground — Sam Anderson, Seth Colpitts, Marcelo Lombardi, Alex Curran (1:32.63)
2nd Place: CR — Simon Parish, Ben Phelps, Daniel Ishchuk, Rob Mead (1:34.42)
3rd Place: Camas — Ben Taylor, Jake Duerfeldt, Zach Macia, Mark Kim (1:37.18)

100 Back

1st Place: Rob Mead, CR (51.92) a meet record!
2nd Place: Finn McClone, Camas (56.26)
3rd Place: Tony Kajino, Union (57.29)

100 Breast

1st Place: Joe Dodd, Hockinson (1:02.49)
2nd Place: Austin Fogel, Camas (1:03.52)
3rd Place: Khai Tran, Skyview (1:05.51)

400 Free Relay

1st Place: CR – Sam Walker, Elijah Parrish, Ben Phelps, Rob Mead (3:30.98)
2nd Place: Lindbergh — Connor Donahue, Anthony Vogeler, Evan Luttrell, Minh Pham (3:36.12)
3rd Place: Mark Morris — Brian Franklin, Dawson Dang, Ryan Pospichal, Kodee Soetamin (3:36.80)

Invite Photos

Invite

Josef Kiesenhofer in the 100 Fly event.

 

Invite

Austin Fogel.

Invite

One of the relay teams having fun.

Invite

Luke Bales

To learn more, visit www.chs.camas.wednet.edu

/0 Comments/by
, ,

City Council Moves to Demolish Crown Park Pool — To Plan For New Pool Complex

Camas, WA — After months of public debate, deliberation, and research, the Camas City Council moved to demolish the 64-year-old Crown Park Pool Friday during its annual planning workshop at Lacamas Lake Lodge.

After Parks and Recreation Manager, Jerry Acheson, made his department’s final presentation on the issue, each council member addressed their concerns and opinions, and the consensus was to demolish the pool this year — to start looking toward the future of Crown Park — and to actively start planning to build a new aquatics/community center that can be used year-round (likely at a new location).

The decision ended months, if not years, of speculation about the aging pool’s fate. In 2000, the city spent $275,000 in major pool renovations and has spent tens of thousands in recent years on major repairs.

Six of the seven councilors openly advocated for a new aquatics/community center that would serve the greater community.

The motion to demolish gives the city’s Park and Recreation Department the direction to pursue demolition procedures, which will require finding a contractor, developing a plan, and presenting that demolition plan for the council to officially vote and move forward. Legally, the pool’s fate needed to be decided by May 2019, given Clark County ordinances that require unused public facilities, such as the pool, to be demolished or renovated.

“My preference is to start demolishing it,” said City Councilor, Bonnie Carter. “I would be geared toward doing that this summer. Sixty-four years is a good life cycle.”

City Councilor Shannon Turk concurred — “I agreed with demo-ing it. I prefer a new pool that helps the students. And it does need a community center built with it.”

Planning

From left: Camas Schools Superintendent Jeff Snell; City Administrator Pete Capell; City Councilor Shannon Turk; City Councilor Bonnie Carter; and City Councilor Steve Hogan.

The councilors acknowledged they need to move swiftly on this project so that the fate of the Crown Park master plan isn’t left in limbo. Although planning specifics about a water feature or re-development of the park were discussed, concrete plans are far from being decided.

“I’m not ready to make a firm commitment today,” said City Councilor Don Chaney. “Based on citizen input, I still feel an obligation to add a new safe place for people to swim. I don’t feel comfort in any option without knowing how to pay for it. I’m very concerned about debt service.”

City Councilor Melissa Smith said timing is critical about future plans — both for the park and to build a new aquatics/community center. She mentioned public comments from Wednesday’s Parks and Rec Commission meeting about the city not meeting the needs of a stellar swimming community that continues to grow and progress.

“I prefer some kind of a new pool, and I don’t believe Crown Park is the best location for a new community pool,” Smith said. “We need to support the swimming community. I like the idea of a splash pad for this park.”

City Councilor Greg Anderson said: “I like the recommendations made. I think we should choose a plan, do the proper funding, and then plan for a year-round aquatics center facility at a new location. I don’t want to spend any more money on the current pool. Let’s see where we want to go and then explore solutions.”

The council’s newest member, Deanna Rusch, said she learned a lot at Wednesday’s Parks and Rec meeting.

“The community wants a new pool,” said Rusch. “We have high-caliber swimmers and divers, and I would love to see a new pool here.”

Planning

Crown Park Pool.

City Councilor Steve Hogan advocated for the demolition, as well, but also said the city needs to move quickly to make sure the needs of the community are met without years of delay in new construction.

“As far as the fate of Crown Park,” said Hogan, “I could go either way with a leisure pool or a water feature. The Parks Board has done a lot of work, and we owe it to them to get something moving.”

His fellow councilors agreed about moving quickly to take care of community needs.

While the Parks and Rec Department moves forward with demolition planning, Peter Capell, the City Administrator said he will actively work with committees to plan for a new pool/community center, along with securing property, designs, partnerships and finance options.

Planning for the Crown Park, in general, is by no means set in stone. The council expressed interest in having more public forums and debates on how to proceed. Today’s actions simply allow the city to make demolition plans for the pool.

“We need to have many detailed discussions with Camas, Washougal and the Port of Camas-Washougal about an aquatics center resolution,” said Smith. “Let’s do this in the next six months.”

To learn more, visit www.cityofcamas.us

Photo Gallery

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

/2 Comments/by
, ,

Camas City Council Meets for Annual Planning Conference

CAMAS, WA — The Camas City Council is meeting today and Saturday for its annual planning conference at Lacamas Lake Lodge. The seven-member council and Camas Mayor, Scott Higgins, will meet today from 1-5 pm, and again Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.

The workshop proceedings are open to the public, but there isn’t time set aside for public comment.

Today’s agenda:

Opening Statement (1 pm)

Crown Park Master Plan (1:30 pm)

Details: A presentation about the Crown Park Pool Assessment, as well as the preferred conceptual Master Plan for Crown Park.
Presenter: Jerry Acheson, Parks & Recreation Manager
Recommended Action: This item is for Council’s information and discussion.

Pool

Aerial view of Crown Park.

Citizen Relationship Management (CRM) System Overview (2:30 pm)

Details: A presentation about CRM, a tool for citizens and staff to place service requests and to track the work until it is completed. You will see how service requests can be made, the various types of service items and how the work can be monitored and tracked.
Presenter: Sherry Coulter, Information Technology Director
Recommended Action: This item is for Council’s information only.

Recordkeeping Refresher (2:45 pm)

Details: The City Clerk and Deputy City Clerk will be presenting some refreshers and reminders related to Open Public Meetings and Public Records. With ever-changing laws related to records management and governmental transparency, this will be a helpful reminder for both Council and Staff.
Presenter: Jennifer Gorsuch, City Clerk and Bernie Bacon, Deputy City Clerk Recommended Action: This item is for Council’s information only.

East County Fire & Rescue (ECFR) Functional Consolidation Discussion (3:30 pm)

Details: The Council and ECFR Commissioners have held workshops to discuss the possibility of a Functional Consolidation. The previous presentation material is attached for your review. Staff does not intend to discuss the presentation again, unless there are questions. This item will give the Council, ECFR Commissioners and Council Members from the City of Washougal the opportunity to discuss the proposal. Staff will provide a brief introduction, then turn it over to the elected officials.

 

Saturday’s Planning Agenda

The planning workshop will resume on Saturday.

Council Member Orientation (9:15 am)
Details: This is an orientation for new Council Members and a refresher for existing Council Members. The topics will include the role of a Council Member, Open Public Meetings, Public Records and a few other topics.
Presenter: Shawn MacPherson, City Attorney
Recommended Action: This item is for Council’s information only.

Community Survey Review (10:00 am)
Details: Staff will review the 2017 Community Survey results to assist Council in prioritizing needs from the Level of Service discussion.
Presenter: Pete Capell, City Administrator
Recommended Action: This item is for Council’s information only.

Strategic Plan – Level of Service (10:45 am)
Details: The presentation will begin with a demonstration of Open Performance, a tool that will demonstrate progress against measurable goals. Then each department will give a brief overview of its current level of service. Each department head will discuss the department’s level of service and measurements in more detailed presentation at future Workshops. It will take several months to complete all of the level of service presentations, so there will be a summary review after all of the presentations and staff will ask the Council Members to prioritize service levels in advance of developing the 2019-2020 City budget.
Presenters: Department Heads
Recommended Action: This item is for Council’s information only.

To learn more, visit www.cityofcamas.us

 

 

/0 Comments/by
, ,

Crown Park & Pool Planning: Citizens Speak Up; Next Stop City Council

A well attended Parks and Recreation Commission meeting Wednesday night at Lacamas Lake Lodge was filled with varied opinions, emotional pleas, and ideas that demonstrated a city torn between preserving the local landmark, Crown Park Pool, and looking toward the future.

At issue is the 64-year-old Crown Park Pool, which is shut down because it doesn’t meet current health codes. At minimum, it would cost $300,000 to meet code, but that would only be a short-term band-aid. To get the pool functioning properly would cost the city $2.2 million — and it would still remain a summer pool that’s operational three months a year.

Parks and Recreation Commission President, Randy Curtis, said he was pleased with the 25-person turnout to view the proceedings.

“We’re pleased to have this kind of turnout,” he said. “The social media folks got a lot information out and that’s a good thing. Now we’re dealing with specific recommendations, and there will be time for public comments.”

Camas Parks and Rec Manager, Jerry Acheson, then presented the attendees with the Crown Park Pool history and master plan. He said the pool has undergone maintenance over the years, and that the public has responded to surveys on prospective plans.

The one consensus: The public wants some kind of pool.

Pool

Twenty-five people attended the Parks and Rec meeting.

He reviewed specific plans calling for a leisure pool, a water feature, and simply renovating the existing pool. What would the impact on traffic be at Crown Park with a new leisure pool? Not good, he said.

“We asked is this the right location for a new pool?” He said. “The answer was no. We thought ‘where would we build a new pool?’ Then we thought we should just focus on Crown Park. So, we reviewed adding a water feature and modernizing the park.”

After extensive research, Acheson said in November the commission recommended to City Council an option that Crown Park have no pool, but rather a new look and water feature. The cost: $3.2 million.

They also urged the council to start a new process to build a new pool in Camas — at a location not yet determined.

Pool — Public Comments

After Acheson’s presentation, 13 residents commented — and their opinions varied from building a new, state-of-the-art facility to preserving the Crown Park Pool. One thing was clear — there wasn’t enthusiasm for a water feature at Crown Park.

Colleen Purwins said she represented her daughter, Jacqueline, who’s a diver for Camas.

“My daughter wants a new pool facility with a 1-meter diving board so kids who want to learn how to dive can do so without having to train in Beaverton. She’s even willing to help out,” said Purwins.

Wayne Patterson advocated for a new pool and recreation center, and said he experienced the positive side of building such a facility in an Alaska town, where he lived previously.

Shannon Larson expressed her love of teaching kids how to swim.

”We can build a facility that can be profitable — or at least break even,” said Shannon Larson. “But what’s closest to my heart is to make sure that kids know how to swim …”

Pool

A Camas resident expresses her opinion.

Anastasia McDonnell advocated for the pool to stay, and doesn’t want a water feature.

”I want to preserve the current feel,” McDonnell said. “It’s the crown jewel of our town.”

Charity Feb said: “We love Crown Park Pool. It’s great to be able to afford this — to have it for the kids.”

Several others expressed similar sentiments — wanting to keep the pool and preserve the current look of Crown Park. Nobody was in vocal support of a water feature.

Niki Cantrell made a very emotional plea for a new state-of-the-art aquatic center.

”I have a swimmer,” Cantrell said. “For some kids, swimming is their only sport — it’s what they can do. We have a whole slew of kids in this town who travel extensively to compete, and I think this town needs an indoor/outdoor facility. We need to have something year-round so the whole community can enjoy it.”

City councilor Bonnie Carter reemphasized that “even if we have the money to repair it, just to meet code, the Crown Park Pool would still be closed for repairs this summer.”

Curtis said the city administrators heard from 20 residents via email on Wednesday alone advocating “for a new state-of-art pool.”

What’s next?

Curtis said the City Council will hear all public input from the meeting, along with recommendations, and they will decide how to proceed. Three city councilors were present at Wednesday’s meeting.

The City Council will meet this weekend at Lacamas Lake Lodge for their annual planning meeting to discuss this issue. The public is invited to attend, however, there is no opportunity for public comment.

To learn more, visit www.cityofcamas.us

Photo Gallery

/3 Comments/by
, ,

Aviation Interest Surges in East County — Grove Field Considers Upgrades

Grove Field, Fern Prairie, WA — Personal pursuits and business demands are driving the present surge in East County aviation, according to pilot Neil Cahoon, and Port of Camas-Washougal Commissioner, John Spencer.

Cahoon, a retired Delta Airlines and military pilot, owns three planes and runs an annual private pilot ground school at Grove Field. The class itself is at capacity and is double the student size from 2017.

“Last year, we had eight students, this year we have 18,” said Cahoon. “And that’s our capacity. We need more instructors here in Clark County to meet the demand.”

The 12-week class is designed to teach the fundamentals of aviation, and is the beginning of the journey to become a private pilot. The ground class prepares students for the FAA Knowledge Test and then the Private Pilot Practical Exam. Following this phase, students are required to do a minimum of 40 hours of flight time to get a private pilot certificate.

While there’s no Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirement to attend a ground school, Cahoon said students benefit from this course by sharing the experience with like-minded individuals trying to achieve a goal. When the course is completed, students will have had 36 hours of class instruction, and hopefully at least one hour per week of personal study time.

Cahoon, who spent 13 years flying in the Air Force, ultimately became a commercial pilot for Northwest, which was purchased by Delta. He also spent seven years in the reserves. He retired from Delta in 2016. He’s flown the big planes, but he’s most fond of his 1946 Piper J3 Cub, which was purchased three years ago — which he flew from New York to Camas.

Aviation

This 1946 Piper J3 Cub is owned by Neil Cahoon.

 

Aviation

Ground training instructor, Neil Cahoon.

Most students in the class were there for personal pursuits.

“I do big things on my ten’s birthdays,” said student Patty Holt. “I’ve got another one coming up — so I want to fly a plan on my next big birthday.”

But, there’s also business interest that spiking the support for aviation. This is largely separate from the personal pursuits.

The Port of Camas-Washougal is currently developing an Airport Layout Plan (ALP), which would get Grove Field to meet all FAA safety requirements for its current traffic. The port oversees the air field.

“There are some good things about the ALP, but I do have some real concerns,” said Cahoon. “The north side properties (at the airport) have a unique arrangement with the Port of Camas-Washougal where they have perpetual access to their property. They own the north side taxi-way. When an airport becomes obligated with FAA funds, the Feds need a fence or barrier between public and airport property. They don’t like the type of access that is currently there. I don’t want to see their access impeded in any way, so that arrangement needs to be determined before we partner with the FAA,” said Cahoon.

Aviation

This is a modified Glove Swift, owned by Charlie Hopkins. It has a constant speed propeller that turns counter clockwise.

Spencer, one of three Port of Camas-Washougal commissioners, said they are making plans so that the airport is viable for decades to come.

”We need to think in terms that we serve a greater community — not just Camas,” said Spencer. “We’re the only airport in East County, and we need to think about emergency preparedness. For example, Grove Field wasn’t usable during the recent fires. With an instrument approach, you could have used the airport.”

The ALP, said Spencer, is working toward these ideas:

  • 3,070 feet of runway, which gives the airport an instrument approach and meets FAA standards.
  • Increasing runway width from 40 feet to 60 feet.
  • Taxiways needs to be separated from the runway.
  • Clear trees by the airport’s west end.
  • Remove the mobile home park adjacent to the airport.
  • Purchase two acres from Johnston property (which is for sale) to extend air field.

“We’re the only airport in East County,” said Spencer. “To meet growing business demand, we need to expand. Getting freight in and out of Camas will become more important , plus the airport is at a great location to serve the community during a crisis, such as a major earthquake.”

If the ALP was approved and enacted today, it would take four or five years to break ground and begin construction. The ALP alone requires 18 months of review, then there’s the Environmental Impact Statement, and the Graphic Information System Survey (GISS). The Port would need to apply for an FAA grant, which would cover 90 percent of the estimated $15-20 million cost. The remaining 10 percent comes from the State and the Port itself.

To learn more, visit @cwaagrovefield on Facebook or www.portcw.com

Aviation Photo Gallery

/0 Comments/by