Cheers: To the Clark County Council. With a bounty of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, council members are focusing on public safety. They voted this week to allot $10.23 million for preliminary work on renovating the Clark County Jail, and they expressed support for $15.5 million toward relocating the Children’s Justice Center and Family Law Annex.
The jail, in particular, presents numerous issues that eventually will require hundreds of millions of dollars for a new facility or extensive remodeling. It is time to begin a serious community discussion about the future of the jail, and councilors deserve credit for keeping the jail at the forefront. Cities and counties throughout Washington — and the rest of the country — have benefitted from ARPA, a 2021 COVID-relief bill. With rising crime being a concern for our community, councilors are wise to put some of the funds toward items that will enhance public safety.
Jeers: To bad air. Vancouver and the rest of the metro area have been under an air quality advisory this week, with officials warning of elevated pollution levels. High temperatures and light winds allow pollutants to linger in the air, creating smog that can be hazardous for children, pregnant women, older adults, and people with heart disease or respiratory conditions. Smog irritates the eyes, nose and lungs, and contributes to breathing problems.
Officials recommend limiting driving and avoiding unnecessary idling to help limit polluting emissions. In the big picture, the situation further highlights the need to quickly address climate change, with heat waves contributing to poor air quality.
Cheers … and Jeers: To removing derelict vessels. The good news is that two sunken ships will be removed from the Columbia River, just west of the Interstate 5 Bridge. The Alert and the Sakarissa had been moored at the spot for years, and in late 2021 they sank. Now, Coast Guard officials say the ships are leaking oil into the Columbia, warranting their removal.
The bad news is that the public inevitably ends up paying for such projects. The owner, who moved the ships to the site in 2006 with the intent of restoring them, reportedly died several years ago. That leaves salvage efforts in the hands of taxpayers. Cheers go to plans for removing the vessels, but jeers go to a system that allows derelict ships to be pawned off on the public.
Jeers: To contract negotiations. Speaking of systems that need to be fixed, teachers in Ridgefield and Washougal are engaged in contract negotiations that could lead to strikes. In the Kent School District, teachers are on strike, and a strike in Seattle Public Schools appears imminent.
Without taking sides between teachers’ unions and administrators, it is fair to say that a system in which strike talk is a rite of late summer is problematic. Students inevitably end up being the losers when there is uncertainty about when classes will start.
Cheers: To football season. Most local high school teams played their season openers Friday, and the University of Washington and Washington State teams take the field today. Football is back, and while baseball long has been known as the National Pastime, football is more of a national passion.
Cheers go to the athletes, coaches, support staff and fans of all sports, who help create an enjoyable diversion from the cares of the world. As for the Seattle Seahawks? Well, they don’t start until a Monday night game on Sept. 12 against the Denver Broncos — and former Seahawk quarterback Russell Wilson.
