Aug 04, 1998

Montlake Bicycle Shop

Kirkland's Montlake Bicycle Shop has relocated from Central Way to 211 Kirkland Ave. in Kirkland.

Berntson Porter & Co.

Berntson Porter & Co. has promoted Norman Haugen and Stein Larsen to principal, Richard DeGroot to senior manager, Terrie Larson to manager, Ann Huber to supervisor, Jennifer Lilly and Mike Iverson to senior, and Patrick Griffee and Mike Schmidt to advanced staff. Bernston Porter & Co. is a Bellevue-based auditing, accounting, consulting and tax services firm.

Carlink Inc.

Carlink Inc. has named Mark Leffingwell to regional sales manager in the greater Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett metropolitan area. Leffingwell will lead the development of auto dealer participation on the Carlink Dealer Registry, and work with business that specialize in auto insurance, leasing, parts, and accessories who wish to build or upgrade web sites. Carlink.com is an auto site on the world wide web.

Muckleshoot Indian Tribe

The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe has selected Michael Moran as its new government relations officer. The officer serves as the tribe's primary public information contact, coordinates its inter-governmental relations, with state, local, and federal governments, and coordinates the tribe's political activity. Moran formerly worked with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, the Office of Program Research of the House of Representatives, and as college faculty at Eastern Washington University.

The Traver Co.

Hugh Rodman has joined The Traver Co., a Seattle design firm, as a graphic designer.

Loerke Construction

A new construction team entered the Portland market this summer. The firm, Loerke Construction Group (LCG), was formed by three Northwest construction industry veterans -- Terry Loerke, Bruce Turner and Steve Jones. President Terry Loerke has over 28 years of industry experience, Turner has over 25 and Jones has over 15. Turner is in charge of estimating, pre-bid and general conditions review, value engineering, pre-construction services and subcontractor negotiations. Jones is using his expertise as a project manager for the company. The team is rounded out by Lydia Fleming, who is the company's marketing coordinator and executive assistant. She has over 12 years of experience. LCG is providing general construction, construction management, design-build and preconstruction services for high-technology, institutional, commercial and industrial projects. It has a bonding capacity of $150 million. The company also offers in-house civil engineering, mechanical, electrical and process engineering services. It is headquartered at: 16427 N.E. Airport Way, Suite B, Portland, OR 97230, (503) 256-3016, fax (503) 256-3684.

Holaday-Parks

Mechanical contractor Holaday-Parks Inc. has promoted several of its employees and added one new face. Chris Whitmyre, a 16-year veteran at the firm, has been assigned as project manager for the design-build department; Scott Rushing has been promoted to manager of the engineering department; Michael Greenheck has become the design supervisor for the engineering department; Mark Ojendyk has been promoted to the special projects/tenant improvements group of the design/build department; and Mike Grunden has joined the design/build department to provide estimating support and construction management.

Garry Struthers

Garry Struthers Associates (GSA) Inc. has been named the 1998 Region X Prime Contractor of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. GSA recently celebrated its 10th year in business. It specializes in civil/infrastructure engineering, environmental engineering and construction management. The company employs over 40 workers in its Bellevue and Portland offices.

Sound Floor

Seattle-based Sound Floor Coverings Inc. has reached an agreement with Domco to become a master distributor of Domco's three product brands -- Domco, Azrock and Nafco -- in the Salt Lake City area. Sound has a branch office in Salt Lake City as well as Portland.

Changes proposed for Seattle's recycling

SEATTLE -- Under proposed changes to Seattle's solid waste comprehensive plan, Seattle Public Utilities could expand recycling to all multifamily housing, change the frequency of curbside collection, or change the way yard waste is dealt with. A public hearing on the proposed changes is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 17, at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, Municipal Building, 600 Fourth Ave. For further information, contact the office of Council President Sue Donaldson, 684-8807.

Salmon conference to be held here

SEATTLE -- On Sept. 17, the Northwest Environmental Business Council and law firm Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe will present a conference on the impact of salmon as an endangered species. The conference will cover technical issues, permitting and regulation, and the affects of listing under the Endangered Species Act on industry and agriculture. The event begins at 8 a.m. and concludes at noon in the Columbia Seafirst Center, 40th Floor, 701 Fifth Ave., Seattle. Call (206) 528-3410 for more information.

We're a 'brownfields showcase community'

SEATTLE -- Pursuant to Vice President Al Gore's May designation of Seattle and King County as a "brownfields showcase community" -- one of 16 nationwide that have made laudable strides in cleaning and redeveloping contaminated properties -- the city, county and Port of Seattle will hold a celebration of the honor on Aug. 18. The day-long affair begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 5:30 p.m. During that time officials will tour brownfields by boat and bus, plus hear briefings on local and federal brownfields initiatives. For further information, contact Lucy Auster at (206) 205-0711.

Matthew Snell joins Hart Crowser

The Seattle office of environmental and engineering consulting firm Hart Crowser has hired Matthew Snell as a senior remediation engineer. He has more than five years' experience in the design and implementation of remediation technologies. He has worked with landfill sites, contaminated soils and air emissions for such clients as the U.S. Navy, Hanford and Washington Natural Gas.

Exponent adds staff

Bellevue-based Exponent, Inc., an environmental engineering consulting firm, has added new people in its Bellevue office. Jim McLaughlin has joined as a quantitative ecologist. He previously worked in King County's Department of Natural Resources Environmental Laboratory. Melissa Melvin is a toxicologist who joined Exponent after recently receiving a master's degree in environmental management from Duke University. And Patrick Moore has joined the office as a senior GIS analyst.

Feds list Oregon coastal coho

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon coastal coho salmon were listed Monday as a threatened species, throwing into doubt the state's ground-breaking plan for enlisting private timberland owners and farmers in voluntary efforts to save the fish from extinction. The listing was prompted by a federal magistrate's ruling that the National Marine Fisheries Service violated the Endangered Species Act by not listing the coho from the central Oregon Coast to the Columbia River last year. Keeping the fish off the list was a way to give the Oregon plan a chance to work. The Oregon plan is based on voluntary habitat restoration efforts by private landowners, who control 65 percent of coho habitat. Nearly half the $30 million funding the plan each year comes from a special tax on the timber industry on condition that the coho not be listed. Killing the timber tax as of Sept. 1 will leave the Oregon Salmon Plan $5 million short for salmon restoration efforts this year, and force the state to scramble for the matching funds to guarantee a $100 million federal grant for habitat restoration. Will Stelle, Northwest regional director of NMFS, said they would continue to support Oregon's voluntary program. "June's court ruling won't force us to change our fundamental position that steady and effective implementation of the Oregon salmon plan is the right thing to do," Stelle said in a statement. "It was good for the fish last year and it remains good for the fish today." Terry Garcia, assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, said the agency would continue working with other states and regional authorities in similar cooperative agreements.

Get your rocks on Route 66

PHOENIX (AP) -- You still can get your kicks on Route 66 in northwestern Arizona, but you'll have to contend with companies that want to get their rocks. Rock quarries are being dug along the longest remaining uninterrupted stretch of the historic highway. Miners pluck giant granite boulders and crush them into the pink, rust and palomino-coral hues of decorative gravel used in booming Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Calif., and Phoenix. Upwards of 1,000 tons of rock are removed each month from half a dozen mines. It sells for as much as $120 a ton. And more mines are on the way as contractors learn of the area. The mining is legal, and most of it is on private land. But many of those dedicated to preserving Route 66 say the mining should stop. Route 66 activists worry that some of the best mountain landscapes are those dotted with silica prized for its hardness and sparkling reflections. "I see nothing to deter them from turning the whole area into one big gravel pit," said Al Richmond of Flagstaff, a Route 66 preservationist, author and environmental historian. The rancor over mining has forced the Arizona Department of Transportation to cancel its contracts for Route 66 rock. That state agency, charged with maintaining Arizona's dozen scenic byways, was until April buying rocks from along Route 66 for use as stabilizers for storm drains under northwestern Arizona highways. "We realized that purchasing the rock would actually affect the scenic quality of the (Route 66) road," said Walt Gray, an ADOT spokesman. Rock wholesaler Kalamazoo Materials of Tucson removes upwards of 400 truckloads of materials each month from its mine near Valentine. "It is some of the most premium decorative landscape granite in the Southwest and maybe in the world," said Chris Carriuolo, sales manager for Kalamazoo. "We've got quality rock, and the people down in Phoenix love it," said Fred Grigg of Valentine. Like other miners along Route 66, Grigg fiercely defends his right to do with his land as he pleases. "I think free enterprise is what this country was built on. It's a free country. I believe everybody has a right to go out there and do what they need to do," said Grigg, who until a few years ago made a living as a gasoline wholesaler and rural-electric utility official. Edger Walema, vice chairman of the nearby Hualapai tribe, said the mining is worrying because tourists must take Route 66 to reach the reservation, which includes the western reaches of the Grand Canyon. "It's an insult to the Indian people. It's an illustration of greed and a disturbance to the country that will never be the same again," Walema said. Jon Savelle is the Journal's environment editor. He can be contacted at (206) 622-8272 or jon@djc.com.