Cheers: To Knitty Gritty Heroes. In addition to coming up with a clever name for themselves, a group of women at Vista Court Apartments near downtown Vancouver have been pitching in to help the homeless. Since starting in May, they have knit more than 500 hats for people who are stuck out in the cold. They also make blankets to donate to organizations that provide homeless services. “Everybody deserves to have something — a blanket, a hat, whatever,” Charlotte Mayham told The Columbian. “There’s so much negativity against the homeless.”
Clark County is home to many stories of generosity throughout the year, and those stories are particularly resonant around the holidays. Cheers go to all who help their fellow citizens simply because it is the right thing to do.
Jeers: To computer glitches. A new information technology system for Washington’s community colleges is five years behind schedule and is expected to be $45 million over budget. The money comes from student fees, not general taxes, but as state Sen. Mark Miloscia, R-Federal Way, said: “That is real money, $45 million. … That is re-prioritized from somewhere else.”
The system was installed in 2015 as a pilot program in Spokane and Tacoma, and it has been troubled from the start. Installation at all 34 colleges now is scheduled for 2022, and the budget has grown from $100 million to an expected $145 million. The original vendor for the project has declared bankruptcy, adding to the snafu. The situation is costly for students, and lawmakers should find a timely and cost-effective solution.
Cheers: To building bikes. For the 18th year, an event organized by Waste Connections has resulted in the assembling of bicycles for needy children. More than 600 bikes will be donated in time for Christmas.
Adding to the poignancy of this year’s event is a name change. What was Waste Connections’ Christmas Promise is now the Scott Campbell Christmas Promise. Campbell, an active community leader (no relation to the Campbell family that owns The Columbian) who was deeply involved in the bike program, died earlier this year after a battle with cancer. “What would Scott have wanted?” said Jason Hudson of Waste Connections. “Scott liked to take things a step further, to make things bigger and better.”
Jeers: To thieves. When Theresa Marble won a brightly painted rock at a cancer benefit, she placed the 20-pound stone in her front yard in remembrance of those who have battled the disease. Sometime around Thanksgiving, the rock went missing.
The rock has more sentimental significance than monetary value. Painted with the words, “Supporting Fighters, Admiring Survivors, Honoring the Taken, and Never Giving up Hope,” it reminded her and passers-by of the toll cancer takes on our community. Why anybody would steal it is a mystery, but Marble said, “Maybe someone took it because it meant something to them. I like to be optimistic.”
Cheers: To The Waterfront Vancouver. The first stage of the billion-dollar development along the Columbia River is scheduled to open next summer. Developers recently provided a progress report on two restaurant buildings and a 90-foot pier that will extend over the river. As Matt Grady of Gramor Development said, “It’s monumental.”
The development is years from being completely built, but it will, indeed, be monumental for Vancouver. By repurposing a waterfront that spent decades as an industrial site, the project will help mark the city as a destination. Much work remains, but the development is beginning to provide a glimpse of Vancouver’s future.
