News Briefs for Jan. 30, 2020

Lacamas Meadow trail temporarily closed

The neighborhood trail at Camas’ Lacamas Meadows closed temporarily this week after what city staff called “a sewer overflow caused by a large accumulation of grease in the pipeline.”

City staff reminds community members to not put grease down their drains.

The pipeline is located along a short trail that connects the north side of the Lacamas Meadow subdivision to the south side. City crews will be in the area through at least Jan. 30, placing lime in the area of the spill.

People and pets should avoid the area until city crews remove the “closed” signs.

Camas police explain ‘noisy’ Prune Hill incident

The Camas Police Department issued an explanation of a “noisy” Jan. 20 event on Prune Hill.

“At about 9 p.m. on the night of Monday, Jan. 20, Camas police were called to check on a suspicious white van seen at a construction site near the 2000 block of Northwest 33rd Way,” the police reported. “The van was leaving as police arrived. Police attempted to contact the van, but it sped off.”

Police found the van abandoned a few blocks away, near Northwest 44th Avenue and Sierra Drive, and learned the van had been reported stolen from a Battle Ground daycare three days earlier and was filled with, according to the police, stolen construction equipment.

Police set up a tracking operation to locate the suspects and decided to use K9 police dogs.

“K9 tracks tend to be noisy events,” stated a release from the Camas Police Department. “Camas resident probably saw multiple police cars and heard intermittent siren blasts while this was taking place … unfortunately, police were unable to locate these suspects. It is believed that they likely got a ride out of the area from a different vehicle after they fled on foot.”

Police said the stolen construction materials and van would be returned to their owners.

Department of Commerce to host local planning course Jan. 30

The Department of Commerce will offer a short course on local planning from 6:15 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, at Lacamas Lake Lodge, 227 N.W. Lake Road, Camas.

The free workshop will provide an overview of the complex mix of land-use laws that work together to support land-use decision-making surrounding state and local laws and Washington’s Growth Management Act.

Part of the workshop will cover the best practices for public participation and information about the state’s Open Public Meetings Act.

Participants will learn about the legal basis for planning in Washington state, open government laws, the basics of comprehensive planning and the roles and responsibilities of board leadership.

The event will not be live-streamed. There are resources and videos from similar events available at commerce.wa.gov/serving-communities/growth-management/short-source/.

To register for the course, email the course you would like to attend with your name, organization represented and title to shortcourse@commerce.wa.gov or call 360-725-3064.