Friday, February 22, 2008
By LAURA McVICKER, Columbian Staff Writer

BATTLE GROUND — The setting of his speech was fitting: a building under construction and part of a new 21-acre commercial and residential strip in Battle Ground.

It typified the future for the city.

"This building and the entire complex represents vision, determination and commitment to the future," Battle Ground Mayor Mike Ciraulo said Thursday at his State of the City address, referring to the building that's part of the Battle Ground Village under construction and set to open this year. "It allows us to imagine the possibilities."

Amid major developments in the last year, the mayor told a crowd of hundreds Thursday that Battle Ground should plan for more growth by taking steps to expand its housing market and bring in more small businesses.

The city must also increase recreational areas, such as bike trails, soccer fields and baseball fields, to attract outsiders and revitalize downtown, he said. Those plans will support a city that's quadrupled in size in just 10 years.

"We can and will aggressively compete with Vancouver and Portland for economic opportunities in our community," he said.

Ciraulo spoke not only about city officials' plans for the coming year, but highlighted a hefty list of accomplishments.

Among the city's accomplishments, Ciraulo cited the opening of a skate park on Fairgrounds Avenue and a hotel last year, and officials breaking ground on a new library and community center.

"We have already begun to reap the economic benefits of (the skate park) and over the coming years its value to our community will surely increase," he said.

Yet with the growth comes growing pains, Ciraulo said. Battle Ground's housing market is geared toward entry-level homeowners — not middle-income or upper-class residents. The mayor said he plans to "diversify the housing options."

He also hopes to see more restaurants and even an 86,000-square-foot motocross arena to make Battle Ground an "energetic" city and one that residents don't have to leave to seek big-city amenities and shopping.

After hearing Ciraulo's words, Battle Ground City Councilman Chris Regan said the speech provided an opportunity to reflect on the city's past and how far it has come from a town of just a few thousand people.

"It just takes so long to grow," he said. "The fact that you look at Battle Ground's growth and see a lot says a lot ... There are a lot of dedicated people."