Sifton community cleans up transient camp on private property

Sifton — Neighbors came together on a Saturday in late February to clean up the remains of a transient camp that had developed at the property that used to be Wade’s Auto Body on Fourth Plain Boulevard near 124th Avenue. The Sifton Neighborhood Association, alumni of Washington State University Vancouver, Waste Connections and a specialized environmental clean-up company called National Response Corporation all helped out. Also on hand were deputies from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. All went well and safely, according to Sifton Neighborhood Association President Christie BrownSilva, and it took about four hours to completely fill a trash bin provided for free by Waste Connections. None of the camp’s residents were on hand at the time, BrownSilva said. The group removed all sorts of rain-soaked stuff, from mattresses to hypodermic needles.