In your neighborhood

Battle Ground, Meadow Glade and Hockinson

Battle Ground: The Battle Ground community float won the Theme Award this year in the Portland Grand Floral Parade. Battle Ground has had a float in the parade since 1955.

Ridgefield and Fairgrounds

Ridgefield: Clark County planning staff has given a preliminary OK to a Verizon Wireless proposal to build a cellular telecommunications tower on the property of Harvey and Phyllis Reeder, 5613 N.W. 289th St. — just north of the Ridgefield city limits. Some neighbors have weighed in with concerns about aesthetics and health. The tower would be 160 feet tall, hold up to 12 antennas and serve the downtown Ridgefield area.

Hazel Dell, Felida and Salmon Creek

Pleasant Highlands: Three Cascadia Montessori School students — Sophia Bhatti, Mia Draper and Taylor McLachlan — decided they would hold a fundraiser for the Humane Society for Southwest Washington. The girls chose a Movie Day theme, and Sophia’s grandmother, Pat Price, said the girls could use her house for their “movie theater.” Friends were invited. The girls included lots of snacks like milkshakes, smoothies, cookies, brownies, and hot dogs with the price of admission. Their idea was a good one: they have $100 to donate to the Humane Society.

Orchards, Sifton and Brush Prairie

Sifton: Warm cheerful golden stuff fell from the sky instead of rain on June 12, encouraging approximately 200 people to turn out for a dedication ceremony for Tiger Tree Neighborhood Park at 8600 N.E. 149th St. There was a free lunch courtesy of Realtor Scott Allen, Realty Executives, the Sifton Neighborhood Association and Clark County. The developed 6-acre park includes wooded nature trails, a small playground with equipment, small open lawn play area, picnic tables and benches.

Five Corners: Bosses of local businesses and organizations from Manley Architects to Parkrose Hardware and Underwriters Laboratories to Evergreen Truss got together June 10 to do some home building. Eighteen CEOs and community leaders went to work at Patten Park, a seven-home subdivision being built by Evergreen Habitat for Humanity at 7017 N.E. 98th Ave. It was the first CEO Build, hosted by First Independent Bank CEO Bill Firstenburg.

West Vancouver and Downtown

Rose Village: A renegade bicycle business based on somebody’s front lawn should have bit the dust by the end of this month. Marcus Griffith of Arnada pursued a long-standing complaint against Henry Willis, who’s been operating the “Old Bike Man” shop near East 25th Street and Fort Vancouver Way — just behind Burgerville — for years. According to correspondence from Vancouver police officer Drue Russell to Griffith, Willis has “continued to deny that he was running a business, even though he is buying and selling bikes, displaying multiple bikes with price tags, obtained a business license from the state and has established a history of police reports” regarding purchase and sales of stolen bikes. Russell eventually appealed to Willis’ landlord, Robert Wood of F Street, who promised to resolve the matter before July.

North Clark County and Woodland

Woodland: The largest touring grill in the world thundered into town to raise money for prostate cancer research on June 4. The Johnsonville Big Taste Grill, a semi-truck-sized barbecue grill that can cook 750 brats at a time, parked at the Woodland Safeway, served up lunch and took in more than $1,600 for the Prostate Cancer Research Group.

East Vancouver, Cascade Park, Fisher’s Landing and Evergreen

Mountain View: Barry Leung and Teresa Kung, owners of the Vancouver Fastsigns, donated 31 banners to Evergreen Public Schools to celebrate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency naming the district as a 2010 Energy Star Partner of the Year.

Fircrest: The new $10,000 reader board outside the new Cascade Park Community Library was a gift from service club Altrusa International Clark County. In early May, Altrusa stopped by with one of those great big checks — for $5,000, the second payment of two — made out to the Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation.

Cascade Park: More than 129 people turned out, despite wet weather, for the sixth annual Free Clinic Classic at Royal Oaks Country Club. The golf tournament raised $53,675 for the Southwest Washington Free Clinic, which provides free, basic, walk-in health care, together with dental, vision and specialty care. It is the largest free clinic in the state. “During this recession it is so important that we continue to support our neighbors that are in great need of health care services,” said Executive Director Barbe West. “Our clinic prevents unnecessary emergency room visits, keeps people from missing work, and keeps children healthy and able to stay in school.”

Central Vancouver, Minnehaha and The Heights

Bagley Downs: Eydie Fitzgerald was nominated and elected the co-vice chairwoman of the Bagley Downs Neighborhood Association at a meeting on June 2. Baltahazar Evrensel was nominated and elected treasurer at the same meeting.

North Garrison Heights, Forest Ridge: Two central Vancouver neighborhood associations held a joint neighborhood cleanup day on May 15. The spoils were two truckloads of bulky items weighing a total of 11.4 tons, and three drop boxes of yard debris totaling 8.23 tons. The neighborhoods also set up an extensive recycle and reuse program, accepting donations to Habitat for Humanity and computer recycler CREAM, and offered recycling of old eyeglasses and child car seats and proper disposal of flags. Many items intended for trash were diverted to recycling or reuse, and about $350 was saved in disposal costs. The North Garrison Heights and Forest Ridge neighborhood associations want to thank the city, Waste Connections, Southwest Washington Medical Center and their many neighborhood volunteers.

Ellsworth Springs: Two hours of dancing in the aisles and rapping for the Lord took place at the Church of the Good Shepherd on June 4. The Rev. Shelly Fayette presided over a Friday night hip-hop service — the first of its kind in Vancouver, she said. Leading the rapping were Mark Kernell from PO Soul Entertainment and Jermaine Atherton. It was all youth led, Fayette said, and 155 people came. There were baked goods and an “Everyday Jesus” art show, too.

East Clark County: Camas and Washougal

Camas: On June 5, a few special-needs kids from the Columbia River Miracle League played baseball with a few special players — mascots from SportsClips, Fred Meyer and Red Robin. The trio of characters were invited by the Clark County Titan Youth Foundation. The foundation also organized a hot dog barbecue after the game, which was served by Kohl’s “A team.” The games were played in the gym at Union High School due to the poor field conditions from the previous day’s weather, said Lee Olstead, community involvement organizer for the Clark County Titan Youth Foundation.