Around 100 people attend the Bridging the Gaps event on June 4.
Nearly 100 people on Saturday gathered at LifePoint Church on Southeast 192nd Avenue for the “Bridging the Gaps” event. Inside the auditorium government officials, representatives, experts and citizens turned out in the interest of information.
The subject at hand was the much-debated Columbia River Crossing, a joint megaproject between the Oregon and Washington departments of transportation, designed to replace the existing I-5 bridge, improve miles of infrastructure and extend Portland’s light rail line into Clark County.
Event coordinator David Madore said in his opening remarks that the event was all about the need and desire to “engage, inform, connect and talk.”
Financial experts were assembled in panel format to present their findings and recommendations on the CRC. The audience was engaged and quick to applaud with its approval and support for these officials and experts who shared their concerns and interest.
After hearing the experts’ findings, Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, said he would call the Washington state auditor and attorney general. This declaration was met by thunderous applause, as constituents and representatives reaffirmed their dedication to open, clear and honest government.
Editor’s note: David Madore and US Digital sponsored this event. We had a citizen reporter cover the event from his own perspective. If anyone else has any thoughts on the event or the project, please comment below or send an e-mail to contact@couv.com.
I went to this event and planned on staying a short while, maybe taking in a speaker or two. I found myself staying the whole entire time, due to the information the speakers communicated to the audience. I was amazed at the information I was hearing. I became very uncomfortable with the fact that elected government officials are wrecklessly spending your hard earned money, without any accountability. Although Tiffany Couch did not have a lot of detailed numbers to share, that fact that she had asked for the numbers and they did not or could not provide her with that documentation is very scary. The fact that your so called politicians, who are suppose to be for the people, don’t seem to be listening to the people of Clark County. They appear to be going forward with their own agenda, regardless of what the people want, and trying to push this CRC project, (a new I-5 Bridge with Light Rail).. The fact that there will be the same amount of lanes and that it will cost this ungodly amount and they expect for you to pay for it by any means necessary, doesn’t sit well with me and it shouldn’t with you. If you haven’t already listened to some of the videos on couv.com, I would recommend you listen to the one with Lars Larsen drilling the mayor of Vancouver, as to why they are forcing this project down the throats of the people of Clark County without a vote, when they have already voted it down twice already. The video of the unruly commissioner at one of their meetings and the video featuring the helicopter, where the cost of this fiasco is clearly communicated to you and you’re presented with a viable alternative, are a must see. I hate to think that I’m the only one out there ignorant of what is going on right under our very noses.