County boards seek applicants
There are vacancies on both the Clark County Solid Waste Advisory Commission and the Board of Equalization.
Those interested in the solid waste advisory commission may contact Anita Largent at 360-397-6118 ext. 4484 for more information.
Applicants for either board should send a letter of interest and resume to Jennifer Clark, Clark County Board of Commissioners, P.O. Box 5000, Vancouver, WA 98666-5000 or jennifer.clark@clark.wa.gov by July 13 for the solid waste advisory commission or by June 29 for the Board of Equalization.
County agencies get grants
Three Clark County programs received Project Innovation grants from the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette.
The Children’s Home Society of Washington got $38,730 for sexual education for parents of minority youth.
The Community Housing Resource Center (doing business as the Home Ownership Center) received $37,000 for community development and anti-poverty strategies for the Fourth Plain neighborhood.
The YWCA of Clark County was granted $28,868 for family violence prevention for minority families.
More than $526,753 was given to 16 agencies in Clark, Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties – Clark County received 21 percent of the grant funding.
The Shoe Box donates shoes to Share
The Shoe Box donated 100 new and 100 gently used pairs of shoes to Share. Shoes were distributed to Share clients currently living in the Share shelter system. The Shoe Box is an independently owned shoe store in Vancouver.
Port of Vancouver awarded $5.41M
The Port of Vancouver USA has been recognized by the State Department of Ecology’s Local Toxics Control Account for its work in groundwater cleanup efforts in the form of $5.41 million grant.
Funding, which will be received by the port over the next two years, will help meet obligations under the agreed order with the Department of Ecology. Money will be used to install a groundwater cleanup system and continue monitoring at the site. The grant will help offset an estimated $36 million cleanup effort.
Nautilus hosts third FITJAM
The region’s first-ever marathon relay, team and individual challenges, and a collection of fitness-related celebrities will anchor the third-annual FITJAM celebration July 14 and 15 at the world headquarters of Vancouver-based Nautilus Inc.
The weekend kick-off reception is Friday, July 13, hosted by the Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. Nautilus will open their truckload sale early, and special guest Dan Dickau of the Portland Trail Blazers will be present to sign autographs. Tickets are $20 for members and $25 for non-members, available at www.vancouverusa.com or by calling 360-694-2588.
Questions about FITJAM can be emailed to fitjam@nautilus.com
Greenlight Greater Portland new development group
The Four-County Economic Development Corp., a private-sector group devoted to the region’s economic development, announced a new name: Greenlight Greater Portland. In its recruiting, the group will capitalize on the area’s reputation as a hub of sustainable business and living.
Workforce Development
State average wage rises
The annual average wage in Washington increased 5.4 percent to $42,584 from 2005 to 2006, according to the state Employment Security Department.
The average wage is used to compute unemployment-insurance benefits for jobless workers, and due to the increased average wage, the minimum and maximum unemployment benefits will go up in July.
ESD: $3.3 million saved
Employers in Washington helped each other avoid $3.3 million in unemployment-benefit charges over the last year by promptly reporting their new employees to the state, according to the state Employment Securities Department.
The ESD matches its record of people who are collecting unemployment benefits with new-hire information from employers to find those who continue to collect benefits after they’ve found new work. When there is a match, workers must pay back the money they’ve received, the previous employer’s unemployment tax account is not charged for the cost of benefits.
Benefit charges are used to determine an employer’s tax rate.
State unemployment stays low
Washington’s unemployment rate inched up to 4.6 percent in May from April’s rate of 4.4 percent. Both rates are historically low, according to the state Employment Security Department.
Statewide, employers added 6,400 nonfarm jobs. In Clark County, 1,300 new jobs were added. About 800 were seasonal hires, while 500 reflected the underlying expansion of the job market, according to regional economist Scott Bailey’s monthly report.
Construction was up 200 jobs and manufacturing was unchanged except for the loss of 100 jobs in the paper industry – more losses are likely in the coming months as Georgia-Pacific continues to reduce its staff, Bailey predicted.
Trade, transport and utilities added 300 jobs (100 above the usual seasonal hiring) and leisure and hospitality was up 100 jobs, all seasonal hires, boosting total employment to 13,500 – 400 more than last year.
