Feb 13, 1996

Cornerstone Communications Inc.

Seattle-based Cornerstone Communications Inc., a video services company, has added Leslie Crist as writer, producer and director. Previously, Crist was senior producer for Lockert-Jackson and Associates where she wrote, produced and directed medical and occupational safety and health programs.

Pacific Northwest Bank

Pacific Northwest Bank, a community commercial bank with offices in Seattle, Bellevue and Lynnwood, has announced the election of Betty Woods as a member of the bank's board of directors. Woods is president and chief executive officer of Premera, the holding company for Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska and Medical Service Corp. of Eastern Washington. She also serves as president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska. She became chief executive officer of Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska in 1993 and has been with that company for 20 years.

Valley Pontiac Buick GMC Inc.

Valley Pontiac Buick GMC of Auburn has appointed Richard Sims to new car and truck sales manager. Sims brings to Valley 16 years of car industry experience. Most recently, he was general manager of a dealership in Kirkland.

Nile Temple of the Shrine

Frederick H. Oliver has been elected potentate of Nile Temple of the Shrine, a Mountlake Terrace-based temple dedicated to help crippled and burned children. Oliver is president of Fred Oliver Machinery Inc., a company involved in sales of construction and logging equipment. Formerly, he was principal in Clyde Equipment Company in Seattle.

Washington Public Power Supply

The Washington Public Power Supply System has announced changes to the agency's organization to enhance its competitiveness. Reporting directly to managing director Vic Parrish are Al Mouncer as general counsel and four vice presidents. The four vice presidents are: Gerald Kucera, vice president, administration and chief financial officer; Paul Bemis, vice president, nuclear operations; Rod Webring, vice president, operations support/public information office; and Jack Baker, vice president, resource development. Chief nuclear officer responsibilities will remain with Parrish.

Kibble & Prentice

Seattle-based Kibble & Prentice, a financial services firm assisting clients throughout the Pacific Northwest to build net worth and manage risk, has named several people. Joe Strecker and Dallas Otter have been named vice presidents of the Kibble & Prentice investment consulting division. Rex Lund has been named a vice president of the employee benefit division and Dan M. Guy III has been named a senior vice president of the Employee Benefits Division.

SDL McCarthy

Bellevue-based SDL McCarthy has announced the additions of Stan Hadler and Ron Ward as senior project managers. Both have 20-plus years of construction experience.

W.G. Clark

Hal Ferris has been promoted to vice president and Greg Schroeder has joined as project manager at W.G. Clark Construction in Seattle. Ferris joined W.G. Clark in 1990 as a senior project manager. He also oversees the company's marketing program. Ferris holds a civil engineering degree from the University of Washington and an MBA from the University of Portland. Schroeder was previously employed by Edifice Construction of Seattle. He was graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in construction management.

Water recycling project wins award

An award-winning water recycling system at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center of the National Marine Fisheries is saving about 335,000 gallons of water per day. The Seattle Water Department, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration jointly funded the project. According to Seattle Water Department statistics, the water saved in a single day would serve over 1,600 households. The project was paid for in part by a $216,000 grant from the department as part of its water conservation program. The research facility, a labyrinth of plastic pipes, water treatment equipment and fiberglass fish tanks, is used for research on salmon and other fish. The system treats and reuses about 90 percent of the water needed for raising fish. The system will save about $200,000 per year. Previously the center ran several high-capacity chillers during the summer. The new system uses a smaller, single chiller, saving about 80 percent of the energy used for water chilling. This is the only freshwater system of its size in the country that uses recycled water for rearing salmon. The project won a Department of Energy Award for its contribution to reducing water use at a federal facility.

Industrial pollution harming Canada

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Industrial air pollution from the United States appears to be at least partly the cause of worsening visibility in the Fraser Valley, a densely populated area east of Vancouver, B.C. New evidence supporting this explanation was presented at the meeting of the American Meteorological Society recently. In 1991, Canada and the United States signed an accord identifying visibility as an issue of concern and committing them to investigate trans-boundary air pollution. In response to complaints of deteriorating visibility by residents of the Fraser Valley, a field study was funded by Environment Canada and the B.C. ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. Analysis of the data collected indicated that the air pollution causing visibility to deteriorate is made up of mostly fine aerosols that are typically acid. In summer, light scattering and visibility impairment are dominated by nitrates and sulfates in these droplets. During the worst of the four episodes measured, the wind was from the south, and when the wind direction shifted, the episode ended. The model being used is comprehensive, including both air movements and chemical reactions. The study is being funded by a grant from Environment Canada.

WEIA luncheon scheduled

The Washington State Environmental Industry Association (WEIA) will hold its regular meeting at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 27. Two industry representatives and two WEIA members will talk about successful partnerships between environmental service firms and environmental industries. The meeting will be held at the Washington Athletic Club, Heritage Room, 1325 Sixth Avenue, Seattle. Reservations should be made by Feb. 23 by calling 528-3410. Cost is $25.

Public to help shape fishing regs

OLYMPIA -- Over the next few months, fishers and other interested persons will have several opportunities to help shape this year's ocean, Puget Sound and river fishing regulations. These opportunities will occur as the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Pacific Fisheries Management Council conduct a series of public meetings that culminate with the season-setting session from April 8 through 12 in the San Francisco Bay area. The public meetings will be held at 1 p.m. Feb. 28 in Olympia. There, the Department of Fish and Wildlife will provide pre-season salmon size run forecasts and other information to the public. Another meeting will be held April 3 and 4 in Tacoma. That is the second of the "North of Falcon" meetings. Participants will finish drafting regulatory proposals, for Washington Waters, which will be taken to the meeting in San Francisco.

South Park trail to be dedicated

A new nature trail that promises to benefit area residents and local wildlife will be dedicated Feb. 14, the Seattle Engineering Department has announced. Dedication ceremonies will take place at noon at the Meyers Way Park and Ride lot at Olson Place in South Park. The 3/4-mile path winds beside a series of water purification ponds, presenting numerous hands-on opportunities for local students and residents to learn about the importance of clean water in protecting the environment. Interpretive signs along the trail give the history of the site and describes the numerous types of indigenous plants and animals found there. Four sedimentation ponds help filter the water and provide an excellent natural habitat for local wildlife. The trail is the result of cooperation between the Seattle Engineering Department's Drainage and Wastewater Utility through its stewardship Through Environmental Partnerships along with several other community groups.

Pollution prevention design tool developed

Pacific Northwest National Laboratories will begin work on a new software tool to help chemical engineers incorporate pollution prevention into the design of new and retrofit processes. Through a partnership involving the Center for Clean and Industrial Treatment Technologies at Michigan Technological University and the Center for Waste Reduction Technologies under the auspices of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, PNNL will expand its software to include design guidelines for chemical processes. The chemical processes include reactor design, separations design, and other unit operations common to the chemical process industry. The software will be developed as part of the Clean Process Advisory System. Funding for the project is provide by the EPA. For more information contact Scott Butner at 528-3290. This information is provided by Pollution Prevention Northwest, published by the Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Research Center.

Foster acquires license

CLINTON, N.J. -- (BW) Foster Wheeler Environmental Corp. has acquired the exclusive license in the United States and Taiwan for the Modular Vault Dry Storage (MVDS) system for spent nuclear fuel, high-level nuclear waste and special nuclear material, it was announced by Sam Box, president and CEO. "As a full-service provider in the environmental restoration, decontamination-and-decommissioning and waste management fields, we look upon the MVDS as another major step in expanding our base to provide enhanced services to both the U.S. Department of Energy and the nuclear utility industry," Box said. Licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the MVDS system has been in use for more than 25 years in the United Kingdom and successfully operated in the United States for more than five years by Public Service Company of Colorado. The exclusive license acquired by Foster Wheeler Environmental Corp. was formerly held by Foster Wheeler Energy Corp. and GEC Alsthom, the United Kingdom-based company which designed the system. The MVDS facility was designed, NRC licensed and constructed in 24 months and continues in service today. The Modular Vault Dry Storage system offers a number of advantages over cask storage, including enhanced security and lower costs. Foster Wheeler Environmental Corp. is an international environmental consulting, engineering, and construction firm employing over 1,800 experts in a comprehensive range of environmental sciences and engineering disciplines.