Census needs 200 KC workers
Lou Marzeles
News Editor
It’s that time of decade again, and Uncle Sam wants you to count heads for him.
“We need about 200 people altogether in Klickitat County,” says Leandra Kessinger, Recruiting Assistant, East Side Klickitat County, for the U.S. Census Bureau. “And we aren’t seeing anything close to the number of people we need.”
Working for the 2010 Census is a good, albeit temporary, job, Kessinger says. “It pays between $11.25 and $13.75 an hour, depending on the position,” she says. “You work a minimum of 20 hours a week up to a maximum of 40 hours, and your time is flexible; you can put in those hours around your schedule.” There’s also a mileage allowance and paid training. Census workers are being hired now, and jobs can last up through September. Workers must have proper identification, pass a background check, have legal employment status, and take a 28-question test.
Last year a review of living quarters was completed, to ascertain where people live. Living quarters includes homes, jails, hospitals, shelters, mobile food vans—anything in which people can and do live.
Survey forms have been sent out to all living quarter addresses. For any surveys that are not returned, an attempt is made to hand-deliver them. “It’s especially hard to track down the homeless,” Kessinger says. “And surveys sent to post office boxes need to be followed up, since those don’t give an indication of actual living quarters.”
The kinds of questions posed on the census survey this decade are much less intrusive than previously. “The government is no longer interested in whether or not you have a flushing toilet,” Kessinger points out as an example of a once-useful question that has now been dropped. In the early part of the 20th century, that was eminently helpful data.
Kessinger also points out that any information not directly related to census statistics is kept in confidence. “All non-statistical information collected remains confidential for a period of 72 years,” she says.
Census workers are needed for a variety of positions, including enumerators (the people who actually locate households and conduct surveys), crew leaders, crew leader assistants, recruiting assistants, and census clerks.
For more information or to apply for a census job and to see a sample test, visit www.2010censusjobs.gov, or call (866) 861-2010.
Most school levy votes pass with comfortable margins
All county school districts with levy votes this year are likely to pass their levies, the County Auditor’s office reports. Initial results from the vote which concluded Tuesday were published by the Auditor’s office late Tuesday, while updates on the few remaining votes to be tabulated were being published Wednesday morning.
Most levy votes are decisively in favor of the proposed levies, with only White Salmon making it a race. As of early Wednesday, the levy there was passing by a margin of 51.32 percent in favor and 48.68 percent against.
Goldendale’s school levy appears to pass by 63.8 percent of the vote, with 1,426 votes cast in favor and 809 against.
The Centerville levy is passing by 63.64 percent in favor and 36.36 percent against.
Other county results include:
Klickitat: 72.05 percent for, 27.95 against.
Glenwood: 63.91 percent for, 36.09 percent against.
Prosser: 75 percent for, 25 percent against.
SR-14 sections to be closed for improvements
Lou Marzeles
News Editor
The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is going to make traffic on SR 14 a lot better, but not before making it a little worse.
The highway will be closed off and on between Dog Mountain (mile post 53) and White Salmon (mile post 65), beginning next month.
WSDOT will host an open house on Feb. 18, between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the White Salmon Valley Library to provide closure schedules and alternate route information to help drivers plan ahead and avoid delays. No one is expected to be there the entire three hours. “You can stop in when you want during that time,” says WSDOT spokesperson Abby Russell. “It’s informal.” We’ll have all the information motorists will need.”
Russell says the road closures are needed for the safety of both motorists and crews. “There’s not enough room on the road to make the repair process safe for everyone,” she points out. “We have to have closures in order to do the repairs quickly and safely.”
WSDOT will make safety improvements to the SR 14 Corridor to reduce the risk of rocks falling onto the highway. The project will remove loose rock, unstable soil, trees, and other debris from the sharp slopes along SR 14 in this stretch. Crews will install rock anchors to stabilize the rock slope above the highway and will install wire mesh fencing along the slope to protect motorists from potential rock slides.
“Pre-planning of closures helps everyone in the process,” Russell says. “Motorists will know ahead of time exactly when the road will be closed, and they can make their travel plans with knowledge of the schedule. The work begins in early March, and we always try to get in and out in one construction season.” Asked what a complete construction season was, Russell responded that technically it’s a year. “But paving really can’t be done past October,” she added. “We anticipate being in repairs from early March through September this year.”
The project was awarded on Jan. 11 to Hi-Tech Rockfall Construction, Inc. of Forest Grove, Ore., with a winning bid of $2.38 million. Funding is coming out of federal highway improvement funds totaling $3,645,000.
For more information, contact Area Engineer Chris Tams at (360) 759-1310, or toll-free at (866) 279-0730, or email swGorge@wsdot.wa.gov.
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