Hood River County Commissioners have formally approved moving ahead with signing the legal documents to transfer ownership of the Hood River library and the grounds around it to the Hood River County Library District.  The County had retained ownership of the building when voters approved formation of the district to reopen the library five years ago, to allow the district to get firmly established.  County Administrator David Meriwether says it’s time to convey the property over to the district as originally planned.  In other business, the Commission approved the County budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year.  It is unchanged from the document developed by the County’s budget committee, and continues current levels of funding in most areas.

With classes out for summer, for the Hood River County School District it’s now time for maintenance projects on district buildings to take place.  Superintendent Dan Goldman says the biggest project is at Hood River Middle School, where the temporary boiler used in the past year has been replaced by another temporary boiler that could become permanent depending on how renovations of pipes in the building progress.  Goldman noted bringing in the new temporary boiler is less expensive than what they have been doing since the original boiler went out before the just concluded school year.

Applicants are being sought to fill the vacancy on the Port of The Dalles Board with the upcoming retirement of Bob McFadden.  McFadden is stepping aside at the end of June, leaving three years remaining on his term.  Those interested in the position must have a primary residence within the Port of The Dalles district and have lived within the district for at least a year, be registered to vote in Wasco County, and not be a Port employee.  Applications are available online at portofthedalles.com or in person at the Port office on 3636 Klindt Drive in The Dalles.  For more information, contact Port of The Dalles Executive Director Andrea Klaas at 541-298-4148.

Construction on the east-side of the North Central Public Health District facility in The Dalles will cut off Americans with Disabilities Act access for the next one to two weeks.   Clients needing services and requiring this access are encouraged to call ahead to the health district so it can make arrangements for services to be provided at an alternate location.  The number to call is 541-506-2600.   The purpose of this construction is to improve the building’s ADA access.

When the Oregon Transportation Commission met in Hood River last week, Port of Hood River Executive Director Michael McElwee spoke to them about the need for replacement of the Port’s Interstate Bridge.  McElwee says he wanted to deliver a clear message, telling the panel the bridge is “old, seismically deficient, functionally obsolete, and needs to be replaced.”  He added the Oregon Department of Transportation needs to engage more positively and actively in efforts underway to replace the bridge.  McElwee also told the group he was not happy with communication with ODOT during the closure of Interstate 84 that resulted from the June 3 oil train derailment in Mosier, saying they didn’t hear from ODOT to ask for the Port to open up the toll bridge until 30 minutes after local law enforcement asked for it, and received no communication on the freeway being reopened.

As summer starts, The Dalles is seeing a change in its schedule of activities for the season with no Fort Dalles Rodeo this year.  The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lisa Farquharson says even though the rodeo will be missed, there will still be plenty of attractions in the coming weeks, starting with Fort Dalles Fourth during Independence Day weekend.  Farquharson says she hopes the rodeo can return in 2017, adding she knows the impact the event can have for local businesses.

Two people were taken to hospitals after a two-car accident on Highway 197 about a half-mile east of Dallesport on Sunday evening.  According to the Washington State Patrol, a van driven by 36-year-old Kate Alvarez of The Dalles was northbound on Highway 197 at about 7:25 p.m. Sunday when the van crossed the center dividing line.  A southbound car driven by 51-year-old Ladana Wright of Lyle attempted to avoid the van by driving into the southbound ditch, but the two vehicles collided head-on in the ditch.  The WSP says Alvarez was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland and Wright to Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles for treatment of injuries.  The WSP report indicates the cause of the accident remains under investigation.

The North Wasco County School District 21 board approved a budget for 2016-17 on Thursday night.  Superintendent Candy Armstrong says the fiscal plan essentially maintains the status quo from this year.  She notes the 2017-18 budget may prove to be more challenging, depending on what happens in the upcoming session of the Oregon Legislature.  Armstrong said the only change made prior to the budget going to the board was to shift some money set aside for college credit tuition to have part of it go to the Wahtonka Community School rather than all of it to The Dalles High School.

The Oregon Department of Transportation is asking federal authorities to suspend unit oil trains from going through the Gorge and the state until more is known about the cause of the derailment in Mosier two weeks ago.  Officials made public a letter from ODOT Rail and Public Transit Division Administrator Hal Gard to Federal Rail Administration Regional Administrator Mark Daniels asking for the moratorium during a Hood River meeting on Thursday.  The letter expresses concern with lag bolts, a type of fastener used on curved sections of track to attach the rail to the rail tie, and requests that oil train traffic not resume until a means of detecting defects with those bolts is developed.  Union Pacific has indicated a failure of the bolts cause the June 3 derailment.

Columbia Cascade Housing is accepting applications from Skamania and Klickitat counties for the Washington Home Rehabilitation Program.  The program will provide no interest, deferred payment loans up to $20,000 for low to moderate income homeowners to make needed health and safety repairs to their homes using local contractors through a grant with Community Block Grant funds.  The loan, with a lien placed against the property, is paid back when the house is sold, the title changes hands, when the house ceases to be the owner’s primary home, or 30 years from date of the loan. David Peters of the Mid-Columbia Housing Resource Center encourages anyone who thinks they might be eligible to apply.  For an application or more information, contact Peters at 541-296-3397 or 1-800-800-3397.