Cheers: To a renovated landmark. Since opening in 1966, Smith Tower Apartments has been one of Vancouver’s most recognizable buildings. The 15-story cylindrical structure was the city’s first high-rise, has a unique design and is prominently visible from local freeways. Now it is getting a much-needed face-lift.
Documents submitted to the city of Vancouver show that interior and exterior renovations are planned — the first major upgrades in the building’s 58-year history. On the outside, crews will replace existing windows, repair and seal structural walls, and improve accessibility around the building. The 170 studio and one-bedroom units for low-income tenants also will be renovated, benefiting residents. But for the landscape of downtown Vancouver, exterior improvements will be a most valuable face-lift.
Jeers: To a suspicious device. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to downtown Vancouver on Tuesday after a suspicious device was found near a ballot drop box on Esther Street. Police responded to a possible arson before discovering the device.
Nobody was injured, and the ballot box was not damaged. But the incident raises concerns about the Nov. 5 election and the possibility of disruptions. With heated rhetoric and lies about poor election integrity permeating the campaign, every effort must be made to ensure security and to prosecute anybody who attempts to disrupt the process.
Cheers: To police training. Up to one dozen Clark County law enforcement officers will be trained to draw the blood of suspected impaired drivers for toxicology testing. A grant from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission will fund the equipment for blood-draw rooms at local precincts and phlebotomy training.
Officials say the program will allow officers to avoid crowding hospitals to draw blood samples — a process that often leads to hours of waiting. “If we can reduce the amount of time spent just sitting at a hospital waiting for a blood draw, we can get officers back on the streets to enforce the law and protect the citizens,” Vancouver Officer Sean Donaldson said. It also will improve the investigation of suspected impaired driving, which will help protect the public.
Jeers: To eschewing vaccines. Vaccination rates among kindergartners in Clark County — and throughout the nation — have declined. The Legislature in recent years has removed personal preference as an exemption, but more and more parents are finding reasons to refuse vaccines for their children.
That not only makes those children more susceptible to preventable diseases; it endangers classmates. As the Clark County Public Health website says: “One of the best ways to protect yourself and those around you from vaccine-preventable diseases is to keep your immunizations up to date. Getting vaccinated can reduce your chances of getting infected and can prevent severe illness and death.”
Interesting: A rumbling volcano. Six small earthquakes were recorded last month around Mount Adams, about 100 miles northeast of Vancouver. Typically, one earthquake is recorded at the mountain every two to three years, and September marked the most activity since monitoring began in 1982.
“It’s nothing that we’re worried about at this time,” one researcher said. Still, the activity is intriguing to the amateur volcanologists who have populated the Northwest since Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980. A bit of activity at Mount Adams is a reminder that we live in an active volcano zone.
