The Port of Hood River Commission took some testimony at its Tuesday night meeting on a parking plan for the Waterfront and whether or not to included metered parking, but it will be a while before any decisions are made.  Hood River City Councilors had decided a couple of weeks ago to form a committee including Port and Waterfront business representatives to discuss the parking issues, and Port Executive Director Michael McElwee says that process will continue.  He added it will be several weeks before there is any kind of resolution.  In other business, the Port Commission approved design guidelines for development on the former Lower Hanel Mill property.

Making The Dalles a “Blue Zone” community will be the subject of a pair of informational meetings on Thursday.  A number of area organizations are working to making The Dalles one of only three Blue Zone project locations in the state.  Lauren Kraemer of OSU Extension says the Blue Zone concept stems from the work of Dan Buettner, a National Geographic fellow who studied areas of the world where people commonly live to be 100 or more to find common traits.  Those traits included a diet heavy in fruits and vegetables, getting plenty of physical movement, reducing stress, and having a solid network of friends and family.  The meetings will take place at noon and 4 p.m. on Thursday at One Community Health in The Dalles.

The deadline for non-profit organizations to apply for grant funds for projects and programs from the City of The Dalles is less than a week away.  Applicants must demonstrate how they would stimulate economic development or tourism in the community, or provide social benefit for the community.  Applications are available at the City Clerk’s Office on 313 Court Street in The Dalles until Tuesday, and at the City’s website thedalles.org on the home page under hot topics.  Applications must be turned in by Tuesday for review by the City Manager, who will make recommendations to the City Council.  Approved applications will be submitted for funding through the annual budget process, with funds being awarded after July 1.

Boys Basketball Castle Rock 55, Stevenson 52 South Wasco 54, Horizon Christian 39 Dufur 70, Mitchell-Spray 33 Naches Valley 54, Goldendale 48   Girls Basketball Stevenson 51, Castle Rock 49 LaCenter 79, Columbia 26 Horizon Christian 33, South Wasco 30 Dufur 51, Mitchell-Spray 41 Goldendale 57, Naches Valley 51   Wrestling Hermiston 59, Hood River Valley 11:  Jason Shaner, Chad Muenzer, and Ryan Zeller won matches for HRV.

The Hood River City Council has set times for joint meetings with the municipal planning commission on the Westside Area Concept plan.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says work has been on-going on planning for 400 acres, much of which is within the urban growth boundary but outside the city limits.  Mayor Paul Blackburn notes growth in Hood River tends to be developer driven, but in this case a big examination is being undertaken before individual parcels are built out.  Residential densities will be a big focus of the plan.  Wheeler says a consultant is working with the City on the plan along with a technical task force.  The City Council/Planning Commission joint meetings will take place with a briefing on March 13 and a worksession on May 22.

The Dalles City Council received a draft of a housing needs and residential buildable land needs analysis during their meeting Monday evening.  It’s one of three studies the City is having done, including the transportation systems plan that will be done in about a month and a parking study, that could lead to changes in the municipal comprehensive land use plan.  But Mayor Steve Lawrence noted that new City Planning Director Steven Harris advised the Council to be cautious and not move too fast on any changes.  Lawrence added the analysis shows 480 acres of buildable space in The Dalles under the state’s definitions, but that doesn’t mean the land is necessarily available for development for reasons ranging from zoning to ownership.

Washington 14th District State Representative Norm Johnson was one of a dozen House Republicans who voted in favor of a bill to delay the deadline for implementation of a reduction in the amount of money school districts can collect through local property tax levies.  The bill passed 62-35, with majority Democrats joined by the 12 GOP members in favor, and 35 Republicans against.  School districts had faced a four percent reduction in the amount they could collect starting next year, but Johnson said while districts are waiting for the Legislature to hash out a McCleary decision solution for funding basic education they should not have to deal with that cut.  Fellow 14th District Representative Gina McCabe voted no.  Republicans who voted against the measure said they worry the extension would give lawmakers an excuse to kick the can down the road one more year on permanent education funding.

Girls Basketball Hermiston 53, The Dalles 36:  Kenzie Padilla scored 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs to the win in the Columbia River Conference opener for both teams.  Brooke McCall and Iliana Telles led the Riverhawks with 10 points apiece. Lyle-Wishram 39, Bickleton 33:  Larissa McConnville lead the Cougars to the win with 13 points. Seton Catholic 38, Columbia 24:  Kathrin Hylton topped the Bruins with 10 points.   Boys Basketball King’s Way Christian 70, Stevenson 58:  King’s Way jumped out to a 19-7 lead in the first quarter to set the pace for the win.  Austin Brannan led Stevenson with 19 points. Columbia 74, Seton Catholic 64 Bickleton 58, Lyle-Wishram 57:  Kyle Underwood of Bickleton scored with one second left in regulation to tie the game, and his team went  on to win.  Elijah McCullough led Lyle-Wishram with 18 points.

The City of The Dalles has hired Angie Wilson as its new Finance Director.  Wilson will be filling the vacancy left by Kate Mast, who retired after ten years in the Finance Director position.  Wilson has nearly 20 years of finance experience in both public and private sectors, including with the Port of The Dalles.  Her first day with the City of The Dalles will be next Wednesday.

Oregon Department of Transportation crews will be working on a pair of bridges in The Dalles area this week that have experienced pavement failures due to the winter weather conditions and increased traffic due to recent storms.  The Interstate 84 westbound bridge at milepost 90 is under a single lane closure through Tuesday or Wednesday as the asphalt concrete pavement surface has been delaminating and leaving deep potholes, so crews will remove all of the asphalt from the bridge, taper the approaches down to the concrete deck, and a new surface will be placed later this spring or summer.  There are similar conditions on The Dalles Bridge into Washington, and asphalt patching will begin Tuesday, with single lane closures during daytime hours leading to ten to 15 minute delays.  In all cases, ODOT asks motorists to slow down as they pass through work areas.