VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Working on a hunch and following clues, a Vancouver Public Works crew tracked down and recovered six stolen metal stormwater grates Tuesday, saving the city more than $2,000.

Several people called 911 and the City's Operations Center late Sunday and Monday about missing stormwater grates. Employees with Public Works Stormwater Maintenance and Operations team checked and found even more missing grates. In total, 11 missing grates were recorded and those 11 missing grates didn’t include calls the city inadvertently received for grates missing in unincorporated Clark County.

The stolen grates are old, rectangular, fairly heavy and made of steel. Each was custom-built for a specific poured-in-place stormwater catch basin, constructed during development of the area. That style predates the much heavier, pre-formed concrete lids with cast-in grate, the current industry standard.

Despite the recent thefts, the old grates have little worth on the metal market due to the materials used to make them. To the city, however, they are valuable and expensive to replace.

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- The Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation Department will down-size to address a significant loss in customer demand amidst tough economic times. Parks Director Peter Mayer briefed Vancouver City Council at a public workshop Tuesday.

The $10.5 million annual parks and recreation operating budget will be cut by 11 percent. The City of Vancouver’s parks and recreation centers will remain open during existing hours and roughly 80 percent of existing customers will continue to be served. However, certain classes, services and programs will be discontinued by March 31 and there will be staff layoffs.

Two specific economic factors in City park and recreation funding contributed to the $1.2 million projected shortfall in 2012:

• A sustained drop in Firstenburg and Marshall/Luepke Community Center passes, program fees and registrations in the second half of 2011 prompted City staff to re-evaluate the 2012 budget. The decline is forecasted to continue for a loss of approximately $800,000 in 2012. The 2011 budget was based upon some revenue loss from the record-setting recreation revenue of 2010; however the actual loss was higher than expected.

VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Heavy winter rains can raise concerns about the condition and safety of large trees, according to the City of Vancouver’s Urban Forester Charles Ray. Careful understanding and management of tree defects in advance can help create a safer environment, reduce liability and ease those concerns, he said.

While all trees have the potential to fail, only a relative few actually do.

"Maturity is not what makes a tree fail," Ray said. "Most tree failure is due to an existing defect, such as tree cankers, decay and root problems."

In the case of a fallen branch or other storm damage to a tree on their property, Ray urges property owners to stay calm and make a careful appraisal of the situation. Stay out of the way of branches that might fall, and stay away from downed utility lines.

"If a tree does not represent a hazard," he said, "take the time necessary to be sure it gets proper care and make a final decision about it in a few weeks or months."