Replacement of the Dog River water pipeline took a major step forward on Monday evening as The Dalles City Council voted to award a construction contract for the project to K&E Excavating.  The bid was for over $5.89 million, well under the City’s estimated cost of $9.47 million.  Mayor Rich Mays noted it has been a 12-year process for the City to get to this point, but now work is starting on the ground.  The project is due to be finished by the end of next year.

The White Salmon Valley Pool Metropolitan Park District will hold a virtual town hall meeting on Thursday evening to update the public on the status of efforts to construct a new swimming pool in White Salmon.  Much of the design work has been done for the pool and associated facilities that would be constructed in a first phase, but the district board voted to take a pause the development process last month.  Board member Steve Harris says that’s because their consultants have given them updated numbers showing the estimated cost to build the pool of $5.7 million reached last August has gone up by 28 percent, to $6.7 million.  The district has been fundraising in an effort to get the pool built.  Thursday’s meeting begins on Zoom at 7 p.m.  To take part go to whitesalmonvalleypool.org.

Hood River City Councilors voted to approve adding irrigation of parks into a parks maintenance contract that’s already in place.  The City is down three employees in the public works department, and already has an agreement in place with Crystal Greens Landscaping of Clackamas.  Public Works Foreman Adam Schmid told Councilors that Crystal Greens will install smart irrigation controls at twelve different locations that also allow for more efficient water use.  The City will be paying $26,720 for the services.

A new Timed Use Permit for personal vehicles along the Waterfall Corridor in the Columbia Gorge goes into effect Tuesday to help reduce congestion, increase safety and improve the overall visitor experience.  Between Tuesday and Labor Day, the Timed Use Permit will be required for personal vehicles to access federal lands adjacent to the Waterfall Corridor between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., seven days a week, between the Bridal Veil off-ramp at I-84 Exit 28 and Ainsworth State Park at Exit 35.  Multnomah County, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, the Oregon Department of Transportation and the U.S. Forest Service launched the joint project to create a more reliable, safe, predictable and enjoyable experience for all users visiting trailheads, waterfalls and viewpoints.  In addition to the Waterfall Corridor Timed Use Permits, the Forest Service will reinstate Multnomah Falls Timed Use Permits for visitors using the I-84 Exit 31 parking lot during the same time period.  The permits are two separate systems and are not interchangeable.  The permits can be acquired at recreation.gov.

Human remains discovered over the weekend in remote Klickitat County rangeland about two miles east of John Day Dam have been tentatively identified as those of a man from The Dalles reported as missing over two years ago.  According to a statement from Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer, the remains were discovered by a hiker on Saturday afternoon, and are believed to be those of Matthew J. Palmer, who was 26-years-old when he was reported as missing to The Dalles Police in February of 2020.  A forensic pathologist will further examine the remains at the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the official cause and manner of death are pending, but it does not appear the death was the result of homicidal violence.  The investigation is ongoing.

A 50-year-old Klickitat County man has been arrested and charged with child molestation in connection with a sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl in June of last year.  According to a statement by Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer, Brandon Osborn was taken into custody late last week after being found hiding in his residence north of Goldendale.  Law enforcement, including the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office and Posse, the Washington State Patrol, and the U.S. Marshal’s Service had spent nearly a year tracking Osborn, who fled residences in Kennewick and Spokane before being traced back to his former residence near Goldendale.  Osborn is charged with child molestation in the second degree, intimidating a witness, and violation of a protection order, and was booked into the Klickitat County Jail on $250,000 bail.

The speed limit on the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate bridge will be lowered to 15 miles per hour starting on Thursday.  Port of Hood River Commissioners decided to implement the speed reduction a month ago as one immediate action to help extend the serviceable life of the nearly 100-year-old steel structure until a replacement bridge is constructed.  The Port’s consulting bridge engineers have advised that two main factors cause accelerated deterioration to the bridge deck – vehicle speed and weight.  Port crews will install new speed limit signage on the bridge on Wednesday, including digital radar speed signs.

A delegation from the bi-state group working on replacement of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge will be going to Washington, D.C. soon to lobby federal officials for a $195 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation that would be a cornerstone for funding the new bridge estimated to cost $500 million.  Hood River Mayor Kate McBride says they want to talk personally with the people who would make a difference in getting the money.  She adds the grant could accelerate the timeline for the project.  A conceptual finance plan would include the $195 million federal contribution, $110 million each from Oregon and Washington, and local Port contribution funded by tolls of $85 million.  

Klickitat County is on the long path toward updating its comprehensive land use plan.  County Commissioner Dan Christopher says they haven’t been able to make a lot of progress on it to this point, in part because they have been trying to hire a long-range planner to do the updates over the last year, but haven’t been able to find one.  Christopher says Planning Director Mo-chi Lindblad is currently finishing critical areas ordinances and working on the shoreline master plan first.  But he adds with parts of the plan 25 years old, it will probably be a years-long process to get done.

The Oregon Community Foundation will award $10,000 in four scholarships to students enrolled in the Early Childhood Education program this fall at Columbia Gorge Community College.  There is a significant shortage of qualified child care professionals in the Mid-Columbia region and across the Northwest.  The college offers instruction leading to certificates and Associate’s degrees in Early Childhood Education.  Those interested in pursuing a career in early childhood care and education and would like to find out how to access the scholarships can contact Child Care Partners professional development navigator Ryan Brusco by phone at (541) 506-6133 or email at rbrusco@cgcc.edu.