Benjamin Baldizon, a Site Director for the FAST program at Reynolds Middle School and a professional staff member of People for Parks. Ben helped develop the FAST program and has seen remarkable changes recognized by teachers and especially parents! Through incentives like a sponsored soccer team, evening and weekend activities, and a summer program, students are empowered to achieve improved academics. People for Parks is in the process of developing a website that will further enable East Multnomah County com-

munities the opportunity to con-nect to one source for community activities.

For example, www.peopleforparks.org will give a family the option to review a comprehensive list of any special event, program offer-ings, sporting events or anything related to parks and recreation. Check our website for further

developments as People for Parks continues to strengthen local East County non-profits.

For more information:

Kathie MindenPeople for ParksPO Box 2042Fairview, OR 97024 online www.peopleforparks.org

FEBRUARY 2009

107 E HISTORIC COLUMBIA RIVER HWYTROUTDALE, OREGON 97060

PHONE: 503-669-7473 • FAX: 503-492-3613WWW.WESTCOLUMBIAGORGECHAMBER.COM

WEST COLUMBIA GORGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MONTHLY NEWSCASCADE LOCKS • CORBETT • FAIRVIEW • SPRINGDALE • TROUTDALE • WOOD VILLAGE

Monthly Spotlight

Through strategic planning, People for Parks developed into a parks community

foundation consisting of many local partners. People for Parks has and will continue to collaborate with parks and recreation, school districts, organizations, businesses and many others to serve our community. People for Parks has always partnered with the commu-nity and has offered volunteer and financial support of projects/programs which promote its mission.

Our mission is to promote the health and quality of life of residents across East Multnomah County through the support and enhancement of parks and recre-ation services. The “Rec Mobile” program establishes recreational and craft activities at local parks for children to participate in dur-ing the summer months, serving between 20 to 100 children per day. People for Parks is developing plans to expand this program with the help of needed partnerships. People for Parks cleaned up Vance Park in the Rockwood West Gresham area, a neglected park overrun by weeds and criminals. People for Parks raised the funds and organized the construction of a new play-ground, drinking fountain, and creation of the Imaginative Children’s Garden (including cultural heritage garden plots).

Garden programming serves 100 children per week during the summer. People for Parks established after school and summer programs in partnership with the Reynolds School District to help improve academically and participate in healthy sporting activities. To date, both the middle school FAST and the elementary school Buzz programs are valu-able programs helping teachers successfully improve scores, while improving the health through physical activities of its students. Serving over 100 elementary and 100 middle school students per day, over 50% are Latino. Much of its success is due to the efforts of

INTEGRITY

COMMUNITY

LEADERSHIP

COMMERCE

Calendar of EventsFebruary 4th

7:30 am

February 6th5:00 pm

February 10th12:15 pm

February 11th7:30 am

February 12th11:30 am

February 17th10:00 am

February 18th7:30 am

February 18th11:45 am

February 25th7:30 am

Business AMSpringdale School Community Center32405 E Historic Columbia Rvr Hwy.

First Friday Art WalkDowntown Troutdale

Economic DevelopmentChamber Office

Business AMTBA

East Metro Economic Alliance Fairview City Hall Council Chambers

Membership MeetingChamber Office

Business AMRistorante Di Pompello177 E Historic Columbia River Hwy

Board MeetingLegacy Mt Hood, Conference Rm

Business AMTBA

Beverley, the new face of the Chamber!

Interim Director’s Message

It’s a new year and changes are all around us. New faces in our cities and

new faces in our chamber. Diane McKeel, Executive Director, resigned her position and was sworn in as Multnomah County Commissioner on January 6, 2009. Congratulations Diane. We wish you the best and know that you will represent us well. You’ve probably noticed a new voice on the phone when you call the Chamber office. Beverley joined the staff just before Thanksgiving. She was raised in Oregon but came to us via Colorado. Beverley has a daughter living in Vancouver.

Applications are being taken for Executive Director, and the Board plans to have new leadership in place by March 1. If you or someone you know has interest in the job, visit the chamber website for more details.Our first chamber networking meeting was held January 7 at Brasher’s Auto Body and Paint. Jay Marquess hosted, and welcomed33 of our fellow chamber members to hisbusiness at 23585 NE Sandy Blvd in Wood Village. We all wanted to take one of the office desks back to our offices and make them our own. The desks are custom “rods” (either front or rear) in really hot colors. Thank you Jay.

And speaking of our first networking meeting of the year, I was so glad to get back to normal life after the holidays and record levels of snow. I love the Chamberand the benefits a Chamber offers its members. But I especially loved seeing all your familiar faces. As a member you can host a networking meeting at your busi-ness. Just call and we can schedule a time that’s best for you and your business. The Chamber is in a time of transition. Your Chamber board leadership felt it was an important time to look at Chamber goals and directions. The board held a goal setting retreat on January 5 at Fairview City Hall. Committees were established to review membership value; board gover-nance, staffing and identity/marketing. As those goal sheets and commitments become final they will be shared with all of you. Being your Board president dur-ing this important transition has been an honor.

Barbara Kyle

Thank You to the Contributors to the West Columbia Gorge Chamber Newsletter

Barbara Kyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interim DirectorPolly Malby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NutritionPatricia Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . Senior Moments

The cities of Fairview, Wood Village,Troutdale, and Cascade Locks

Thanks to Our Spotlight and Pet Spotlight contributors that change monthly

Matt Leamy . . . . . . . Layout, Design & PrintingDonna Leamy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Proof Reader

Do you have a timely article for the newsletter? We would like to hear from you.

West Columbia Gorge Chamber Newsletter is the official publication of the West Columbia Gorge

Chamber of Commerce

503-669-7473 Published twelve times each year.Correction requested to: P.O. Box 245 Troutdale, OR 97060

For a complete listing of West ColumbiaGorge Chamber of Commerce Members

visit us on the web:www.westcolumbiagorgechamber.com

Welcome New MembersSmith Memorial Presbyterian Church2420 NE Fairview AvenueFairview, OR 97024 • 503-667-6800

Express Personnel Services1550 NW Eastman ParkwayGresham, OR 97030 • 503-492-3200

Crossage at Cherry Park1323 SW Cherry Park RdTroutdale, OR 97060 • 503-491-1661

Renewing MembersTroutdale Vision Clinic

Jackson Benefit Services

US Bank

Portland Fairview RV Park

Waste Management

Twelve Mile Disposal

Wynwood of Mt Hood

Baker & Colson, PC

Brickhaven LLC

Arby’s – Troutdale

Integra Telecom

Columbia River Gallery

The IRS has released Fact Sheets (FS) I thought you might find helpful:

FS 2009-4: The Official Internal Revenue Service website is IRS.gov, and warns taxpayers about phony websites resembling the IRS or state agency sites.

FS 2009-6: IRS Offers Free Tax Help, advises where free tax help is available.

FS 2009-7: How to Choose a Tax Preparer and Avoid Pre-parer Fraud, provides tips on choosing a preparer. For more details go to www.irs.gov/newsroom/content/0,,id=104575,00.html to access all the Fact Sheets for 2009.

2008 Standard Mileage Rates:Rate For Business Miles Set At 50.5 Cents Per Mile

Beginning Jan. 1, 2008, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (including vans, pickups or panel trucks) is: 50.5 cents per

mile for business miles driven; 19 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes; and 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations.

The new rate for business miles compares to a rate of 48.5 cents per mile for 2007. The new rate for medical and moving purposes compares to 20 cents in 2007. The rate for miles driven in service of charitable organizations has remained the same.

The standard mileage rate for business is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile; the standard rate for medical and moving purposes is based on the variable costs as determined by the same study. Runzheimer International, an inde-pendent contractor, conducted the study for the IRS. The mileage rate for charitable miles is set by law.

A taxpayer may not use the business standard mileage rate for a vehicle after using any depreciation method under the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS), after claiming a Section 179 deduc-tion for that vehicle, for any vehicle used for hire or for more than four vehicles used simultaneously.

Revenue Procedure 2007-70 contains additional information on these standard mileage rates.

Tax Tips For Business

Troutdale:City Council: New Mayor Jim Kight, and two new city councilors Matthew Wand and Glenn White were sworn in January 6, 2009.

The City also welcomed new City Administra-tor David Nelson in November replacing re-tiring John Anderson. Mr. Nelson was previ-ously Troutdale’s City Police Chief. Replacing Mr. Nelson as police chief is Scott Anderson. Watch for other new faces at City Hall.

Long time Public Works Director Jim Gal-loway will be retiring in February. Interviews for a new Finance Director are currently underway.

Wood Village:City Council: One new city councilor, Tim Clark was sworn in at the January 6, 2009.

Q & A with New City Councilor Tim Clark

Why did you decide to run for City Council?I enjoy hiking Multnomah Falls. As I was on my way up one afternoon, I walked past a man carrying a little boy on his shoulders. I overheard the little boy say, “I want to go to the top!” He was very determined but I remember thinking to myself, sure, it’s easy to go to the top when someone is carrying you. That got me thinking about who is car-rying me? What decisions are being made that directly affect me and my City? It’s like a new door opened in my head that day and I stepped in. From that point on I have been looking for ways to be more involved in my community. As both a resident and business

New Faces in Our Cities

owner here in Wood Village, I want to con-tribute to making our city the best it can be.

Have you served in other elected or appointed positions?

Just over a year ago I was appointed to represent Wood Village on the Mount Hood Cable Regulatory Commission. Not long after that I was asked to serve on the Wood Village Planning Commission and Design Review Board.

What do you think are the biggest challenges the City will face during your first term?

I think the biggest challenge will be the ef-fect of the economy on our city.

What short term changes would you like to see in the City?

I would like to see us fine-tune our City’s Emergency Response Plan. I would also like to see us create an Emergency Response In-tergovernmental Agreement with the other jurisdictions around us.

What long term changes would you like to see in the City?

I would like to see the Greyhound Park property put to some good use.

What brought you here to Wood Village and what do you like about the City?

We were looking for a new home and we wanted our daughter to be able to continue in the Reynolds School District. We love Wood Village! It’s small enough to give you that hometown feeling but has the services and benefits of a larger city.

How long have you lived in Wood Village?8 years.

Where did you grow up?Michigan, New York and all over Oregon. My dad worked his way up from being a shop teacher to the Director of Teacher Education at a college. Each new promo-tion for him was a move for us.

Where did you go to school?I graduated from The Dalles High School in 1980. I then started attending college at Oregon Institute of Technology in Klam-ath Falls. College was frustrating for me. I was being taught how to program with punch cards and yet I already had a personal computer at home. Anyone remember the Commodore PET? I was only at OIT for one year, but I did learn seven different programming languages. I’m still known at the college for my computer dating pro-gram. There were five guys to every one girl, so I had to think of something!

Troutdale First Friday 2009

February 6th

April 3rd

June 5th

August 7th

October 2nd

March 6th

May 1st

July 3rd

September 4th

November 6th

December 4th

What do you do for a living?For over 15 years now, my wife and I have owned a small software company. We sell and support a retail and restaurant point-of-sale program that I wrote. We have over 5000 users worldwide.

Will you share a little about your family? On January 14th we will have been married for 20 years! Our daughter Maria and son-in-law Rian have a precious 4-month-old daughter named Madison.

What do you like to do in your free time?I enjoy hiking and digital photography.

Are you involved in any other organizations?My wife and I attend Grace Community Church in Gresham. I’m on the sound team and I started the Grace Geek Squad (com-puter support).

What are one or two things you have done/accomplished that you are really proud of?

Marrying my wife is by far number one! I’m also proud of myself for starting my own business. I was a senior network engineer

making some pretty good money. It was scary leaving the safety net of a large com-pany but I’m really glad I did.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I thought I was going to be an electrician. That was until 11th grade when I went to the library and sat in front of a big electronic typewriter/computer terminal to do some job forecasting. I typed in “electrician” and it started printing out pages of informa-tion. I thought it was amazing and from that point on, I knew I wanted to work with computers.

Is there anything else you would like our citizens to know about you?

I really want to encourage each of you to get involved in Wood Village, whether it’s run-ning for City Council or volunteering at one of our many events. It’s important, sometimes challenging, but always reward-ing to take part in your community! I would also like to challenge you to attend at least one City Council meeting this year. I can assure you, you will be very impressed with the people who run our City.

There’s never been a better timeto embrace “Try Local First”

The Try Local First group, which was initially launched by the Gresham Chamber and joined by our chamber

and numerous community organizations, held their first meeting on January 12. Plans for 2009 are in the works to carry its message to our community that supporting local merchants strengthens the East County economy.

Angels of the GorgeBy Debora Lorang

I was recently reading the Ford Institution quarterly and found an article about the

reasons they invest in rural communities. I wish to quote a paragraph that was in the article that really stood out to me. “Some take for granted the value of rural communities to travelers. If a traveler has an accident or emergency on the vast majority of highways in Oregon, the first responder will be a volunteer with the local fire department. The same is true for those who visit and recreate in rural areas. If there is an emergency, the first per-son on the scene most likely will be a trained volunteer who lives nearby. Even small towns themselves can be a refuge for the travelers when weather is bad, such as Cascade Locks on I-84 in Hood River County.”

These words really made me think about the responsibilities of our local Cascade Locks and Corbett Fire Departments. Not only do they take care of their own communities but the travelers on I-84 and the hikers on local trails. I wish to commend and thank all the volun-teers who take care of the citizens and visitors of the Gorge; they are Angels.

“Revealing, informative, alarming, edu-cational, valuable, beneficial, instruc-

tive, enlightening, frightening, effective, and realistic” are just a few words describing attend-ees’ experiences during the 4th Annual Citizens Police Academy. Many were unaware of the kinds of crimes occurring in our community, and most had no idea the Sheriff’s Office had so many different law enforcement units working to protect our neighborhoods. Almost every attendee stated that each citizen should take the class to gain a better understanding of what the Sheriff’s Deputies face on a day to day basis.

On December 2nd Multnomah County Under-sheriff Tom Slyter, Chief Deputy Tim Moore, Deputy James Eriksen and Mayor Dave Fuller awarded 38 local residents with graduation cer-tificates for their participation in the Citizen’s Police Academy.

The 12-week course is designed to provide a working knowledge and background of the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. This year’s Academy presentations, demonstrations, and activities included:

Additionally, each person had the opportunity to ride on a River Patrol boat, tour the Detention Center, ride along with a Deputy on patrol and learned firsthand what it’s like to come face to face with an armed suspect using the Interactive Range 3000 which provides realistic, real-life scenarios giving you a split second to decide whether or not to use deadly force.

The purpose of the Citizen’s Police Academy is to advance relationships between law enforcement and residents while providing opportunities for community involvement. Attendees return to the community better informed citizens armed with new information to help improve the safety and quality of life for their families and neighbors.

Wood Village is fortunate to have a Mayor and Council who are committed to public safety and to have law enforcement officers who practice proactive policing.

We wish to thank the Sheriff’s Office for providing this very valuable program to our citizens.

Special thanks to Deputy James Eriksen for creating and coordinating the program for Wood Village.

Gang Task ForceHuman TraffickingReserve UnitSearch & RescueTaser TrainingChild Exploitation

Faces of MethSpecial Investigation UnitK9 Tracking & Drug UnitsSWAT TeamHazMatChaplain Program

Wood Village 4th Annual Citizens Police Academy Graduation

Each year on April 15th, as we all know, everyone must pay taxes. It’s something

that most folks don’t really care to do, and often put it off until the last possible moment. In the long run it only makes the process even more difficult and unpleasant.

Assuming that not much has been done through the year to generate monthly financial statements or to otherwise prepare for filing taxes. Here are a few suggestions that may lessen the stress just a bit of this annual year end rite-of-passage.

Utilize Bank Statements(Work with what’s already there.)

1. Separate business finances from personal finances.

• Process business transactions through checking, savings and credit card accounts that are separate from similar accounts used for personal affairs.

• If this hasn’t been done for 2008 begin doing so as soon as possible in 2009.

2. Identify/categorize business income and expenses.

• With a highlighter mark business income appearing as deposits posted to bank statements.

• Different highlighter colors can help identify basic expense categories like fuel, office supplies, travel and so forth posted to bank statements as checks written,

3 Steps to a Stress Free (well almost) Tax SeasonTerry A, Tipsord, Daybreak Business Development, Inc. “Bookkeeping with the small business in mind”

debit purchases, transfer of funds and withdrawals.

• If business and personal finances are mixed on the same bank statements this highlighting process becomes a bit more difficult but works just as well.

3. Total income amounts and expenses by category.

• Use a note pad or Excel to add up the in-come deposits and the business expenses by category highlighted on the 2008 bank statements.

Sort Receipts(Make little piles out of big piles.)

1. Separate business receipts from personal receipts.

2. Separate business receipts by month.

• Use a red pen to circle the date, amount and type of payment (cash, credit card, debit, check etc.)

“If the passing of one year into the next accomplishes nothing

else, it does force people to take stock of their businesses

and personal affairs.”

• Refer to the type of payment info to set aside those business receipts paid for with funds already highlighted and cat-egorized on bank account statements.

• Group remaining business receipts into basic expense categories to capture business expenses in addition to those already accounted for on highlighted bank statements.

3. Use a note pad or Excel to add up the expense receipts by category.

Get Help(Ask someone who knows.)

1. Tax preparers and CPA’s often provide worksheets that identify information they need from the taxpayer to complete nec-essary forms for the IRS.

2. Bookkeepers can use computer software to organize financial records into reports that become the basis for filing taxes and for daily management of the business.

Senior MomentsFive Things to Consider When

Choosing a Senior Living Community1. Senior living – with an emphasis on liv-

ing. When you consider choosing a se-nior living community, you might want to find a place that offers recreation, a nice view and comfortable surround-ings. It’s also likely that you will need a place where you discover new interests, build new friendships and renew old ones. A place where you can celebrate life for the remarkable journey it has been and is still to come.

2. There should be more to life than maintenance-free living. Maybe you’re wondering if it’s time to leave behind the work and worries of maintaining your own home. But for what? Perhaps for a place where there’s more to life than amenities and facilities. A place where there is a sense of community. At the end of the day, there is a difference between finding a place you can stay and finding a place you never want to leave.

3. Though you’ll never replace your house, you can find a sense of belonging someplace else. Feeling at home means feeling comfortable, relaxed and at ease. Home is a place where you feel re-spected, valued, satisfied and free to be yourself. Home should never feel like a business or a system. Home is a place you can make your own.

4. Read the small print. Get good advice about what you are agreeing to. You may question if you’re really making the right decision. Besides delivering the best service possible, the senior living provider you select must be one with whom you feel secure and comfortable. It’s just as important to be able to trust the organization behind the employees. They should not be there to persuade you, but to offer you understanding.

5. At some point, life goes from being all about us to being all about something greater than us. Once you’ve checked all the boxes and explored all the service offerings, you might find yourself won-dering if there isn’t more you should be considering. It becomes more about the philosophy that everyone deserves to be loved and valued and treated with dignity. At its core, a community should offer something more rewarding than a lifestyle: It should give you a chance to discover what it means to live life to the fullest.

© Good Samaritan Society

For copies of this information contact Patricia Smith at Good Samaritan Society Fairlawn Village, 503-667-1965

Smoke-Free Work Place Requirements

By action of the Oregon Legislature, begin-ning January 1, 2009, Oregon’s Smokefree

Workplace law now covers more worksites and protects more employees.

What are the changes to the law?

Smoking will not be allowed in any place that is open to the public or has one or more employ-ees. This means that the following worksites previously not currently covered by the law are now required to be smoke-free:• All bars, taverns, and bar areas of restaurants

• Bowling centers

• Bingo halls

• All employee break rooms

• At least 75% of hotel/motel sleeping rooms

• Work vehicles that are not operated exclusively by one employee.

Under the new law, smoking is not allowed out-doors within 10 feet of any entrance, exit,window, air intake vent or accessibility ramp. “No Smoking within 10 Feet” signs must be posted at all building entrances and exits as

required by law. Signs can be ordered online at: www.phcnw.com/pages/otec.

What does an employer need to do in order to comply with the law?

Make sure all employees are informed of the law.

• Prohibit smoking in the workplace and within 10 feet of all entrances, exits, windows and air intake vents.

• Post “No Smoking within 10 feet” signs at all building entrances and exits as required by law.

• Remove all ashtrays and other receptacles for smoking debris from your workplace and from within 10 feet of entrances, exits, windows, and ventilation intakes as required by law.

For questions or assistance: Multnomah County Health Department’s Chronic Disease Prevention Program at 503-988-4163

More information about the Oregon Indoor Clean Air Act is available at: www.healthoregon.org/smokefree

WEST COLUMBIA GORGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

PO BOX 245TROUTDALE, OREGON 97060

PHONE: 503-669-7473WWW.WESTCOLUMBIAGORGECHAMBER.COM

The Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) Fireplace Gallery is pleased to

present a new exhibit, “Forty Years of Founds and Rounds,” by R. Samuel Santi, whose art illustrates his colorful life journey from New York to Los Angeles.

Santi has been creating abstract paintings, sculptures and constructions for the past 40 years, starting with paintings of bent guitars and banjos for coffeehouses in the late 1950s.

He became in-volved in mini-malism in themid-1960s and moved to New York. Eventu-ally he meandered west again, selling his art in street fairs and cafes along the way. He uses found wood in his paintings,

“Forty Years of Found and Rounds”Art Exhibit Explores Beauty of Wood Textures

incorporating the natural splits, textures and knotholes into abstract landscapes.

“Forty Years of Founds and Rounds” will be displayed in the MHCC Fireplace Gallery from Tuesday, Feb. 3 through Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009. A reception will be held Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The Fireplace Gallery is located in the College Lounge on the Gresham Campus and is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on the Fireplace Gallery,contact Pam Kuretich at 503-491-7260.

Individuals requiring accommodations due to a disability may contact the MHCC Disability Services Office at 503-491-6923 or 503-491-7670 (TDD).

Please call at least two weeks prior to the event to to ensure availability.