Residents urge Clark County to try park 'pods', raise algae and toxic‑water concerns during public comment

At the start of the meeting, two residents used the public‑comment period to raise housing and environmental concerns. Carmen De Leon (who said she also goes by "Mellow") spoke in favor of experimenting with small solar‑powered "park pods" as temporary overnight shelter options for people experiencing homelessness and urged nonchemical weed control in parks by using animals such as ducks and sheep. She also raised concerns about algae at Vancouver Lake and Salmon Creek and urged creative cleanup ideas. "So I heard about park pods where they're, like, about 6 feet big, and then the homeless people can sleep in them overnight, and they're solar powered," De Leon said.

A remote caller, Kimberly Goheen, questioned county transparency on public spending and public‑health matters. She asked where $1,000,000 in county funds given to a "Melnick" study of racism had been spent and said she would file public records requests about toxic water provided to Clark County inmates. Goheen also asked whether the county had informed Vancouver and Battleground residents about fluoride in drinking water and raised other environmental health concerns.

Council did not act on these public comments during the meeting; the speakers' remarks were recorded for the public record.