City Info Weekly - 2009/02/25 (Archive)

The City Info Weekly Page is updated every Wednesday

View City of Longview Press Releases

Important Notice for Dog Owners: two stray dogs found infected with Parvovirus

The Humane Society picked up a stray Parvo-infected puppy today at the Dog Park at Gerhart Gardens Park on February 25.  Another stray Parvo-infected dog was picked up at Lake Sacajawea Park earlier this week.  While both locations remain open for pets, the City of Longview and the Cowlitz County Humane Society want to remind pet owners that:

• The Parvovirus is very contagious among dogs.  Make sure your dog is vaccinated and follow all directions from your veterinarian regarding possible exposure.
• Cleaning up after your pet helps reduce the spreading of the Parvovirus.  
• Humans are not affected by the Parvovirus.
• If you choose to take your pet to a public place, you do so at your own risk of your pet contracting diseases/viruses.

More information:  Learn more about the Parvovirus by contacting your veterinarian, or online at http://www.workingdogs.com/parvofaq.htm. 

Longview’s Sister City Commission to hold first official meeting on March 4

The first official meeting of the newly-formed Sister City Commission will be held on Wednesday, March 4 at 7 p.m. in the Training Room at Longview City Hall.  After a brief introduction by Susie Meyers, the City’s public information officer, the first order of business will be to establish bylaws and determine regular meeting dates.  Member of the public are invited to attend and give input or feedback, but may not vote on any official items being considered.

More information:  Contact Susie Meyers at 442-5022.

Longview police and high schools promote theft prevention through “lock it or lose it” poster contest for students

The Longview Police Department school resource officers are working with Mark Morris and R.A. Long high schools to reduce thefts on campus by co-sponsoring a student poster contest to promote a “lock it or lose it” message.  Officer Deborah Johnson, assigned to Mark Morris High School, said numerous items such as iPods, Nintendo Gameboys, and cell phones, including the expensive iPhone, have been stolen on local school campuses lately.  The Longview Police Benefit Association (LPBA) donated $200 to be used for prize money in the contest. Johnson said LPBA will award $50 for first place winners at each of the two high schools, $30 for each second place, and $20 for each third place.  Winning posters will be reproduced and posted at local schools to promote theft prevention and awareness.

More information:  View the contest rules, or contact Officer Johnson at 442-5800.

Longview Fire Department’s “Fire Voucher” program gives back to those displaced by fire

The Longview Firefighters Association has started a new program called “Fire Voucher.”  This unique program gives back to members of the community who have been displaced by a residential fire.   A large portion of the money that firefighters raise during our Go 4th “Hole-in-One golf event funds the voucher program.   Starting immediately, the Longview Fire Department will be handing out packets to fire victims. Each packet will include an “After the Fire” booklet with helpful information that is vital for the first 24 hours following a residential fire, City of Longview contact phone numbers, and a gift certificate good at Your Market Place to help purchase immediate essentials that have been lost in a fire.  While this seems like a small gift of assistance from the Longview Firefighters Association in a time of chaos and stress, it is an opportunity to give back to those who have suffered loss.

More information:  Contact the Longview Fire Department at 442-5500.

Downtown street light improvements under way

The City will be making improvements to the signal lights in downtown Longview through March 15.  Intermittent single lane closures during the construction can be expected.  The improvements include replacing the light arms with more ornamental fixtures and painting the traffic lights black to compliment the historic theme of the downtown area.  Intersections affected during the improvements include Commerce/Maple, Commerce/Broadway, Commerce/Hemlock, and Commerce/Florida.

More information:  Contact the Longview Public Works Department at 442-5200.

Happenings at the Longview Public Library

The Koth Gallery will feature the work of local artist Leon Lowman through March 11.  Leon, a full-time employee of the library, is a dedicated and innovative painter who has exhibited at the gallery in the past.  Through acrylic paint, collage and canvas, the brilliant colors of his work come alive in pieces of art that often are as large as the ocean.   His work today is a reflection of his lifelong passion for surfing spent in, on, and around the waters of the world.  A reception will be held in Leon’s honor on March 5 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the gallery.  The Koth Gallery is open all hours that Longview Public Library is open.

Molly Gloss and her book The Hearts of Horses are being brought to the area through the collaboration of the Northwest Voices program and a One Book – Cowlitz Reads grant.  In late January and early February, 335 copies of the book were distributed for free in the community.  Additional programs will be taking place in the community that revolve around the author and her  moving tale of a young woman gently breaking horses for several ranchers in northeastern Oregon in the winter of 1917.  In a story not soon forgotten, the book also addresses the themes of war, alcoholism, illness and death, and commitment to the land and a sometimes lonely, often harsh way of life.

• March 5 - Cowlitz County Historical Society will be presenting a program about Cowlitz County during WWI which will touch many of the same issues raised in The Hearts of Horses.
• March 9 - Molly Gloss will be appearing at Lower Columbia College from 3- 4:30 p.m. for a writing workshop in the Admissions Center, Room 143, and at 7 p.m. in the Rose Center Auditorium for a reading.  All programs are free and open to the public.

More information:  Visit the Longview Public Library’s web site to learn more about all the programs and services offered.