Baseball Hood River Valley 9, Barlow 4:  The Eagles jumped out to a big lead early, and rolled to their second straight win to begin the season.  Connor Coerper went three for three and drove in two runs at the plate while striking out seven, and Dallas Buckley drove in three runs. Adna 17, Columbia 2   Softball Hood River Valley 5, Barlow 4:  Zoe Munn and Makenna Zeller drove in two runs apiece, and the Eagles held off a late Bruin rally to win the season opener for both teams.

The Hood River Urban Renewal Agency has decided to add housing as an identified goal for the Heights Urban Renewal District.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says adding housing to the goal list would open up some options for using tax increment financing to help assemble land to create affordable housing in that area of Hood River, if the URA board wished to move in that direction.  Wheeler says other cities have used urban renewal to address housing needs, particularly in regard to preparing infrastructure for home construction.

The Dalles City Council approved slight rate increases for The Dalles Disposal to defray the cost of a state-mandated increase in tipping fees at the Wasco County Landfill.  The disposal company was notified last month by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality of a 30-cent-per-ton increase effective on April 1…and another 28-cent jump three months later.  As a result, residential garbage pickup bills will go up two-to-ten-cents per month on April 1, with a similar increase three months later. In other business, the Council returned a proposed ordinance to allow recreational vehicle park development on land zoned for medium or high density residential uses back to staff to review non-residential sites like Chenowith Creek and Eagles Lodge properties.  Councilors were concerned about taking up limited residential properties for an RV park, while acknowledging the need for such a facility in the region.  They are currently allowed outright in General Commercial and Recreational Commercial zones, and by permit in the Commercial/Light Industrial District.

As the Hood River County School District works toward developing a budget for next school year, Superintendent Dan Goldman is “cautiously optimistic” that the district may be in a position to add programs rather than cut.  Goldman’s first two budgets as superintendent have involved cuts, but he believes efficiencies the district has made in recent years are paying off, allowing the buildup of reserves to pay for jumps in Public Employees Retirement System costs, create a five percent reserve fund, and put enough in contingency funds to take care of emergencies.  With those three moves, Goldman says that will take the district through the next biennium, while acknowledging the district is very dependent on the state for its future fiscal health.  The first district budget committee meeting will take place in early May.

The City of Bingen and the Washington State Department of Transportation have held their initial discussion to kickoff the project to get an overpass built on Highway 14 into the Port of Klickitat.  Washington legislators included funding for the project in the transportation package last year.  Bingen Mayor Betty Barnes says the initial step will be a transportation survey.  At the same time, surveryors are trying to determine the best site for the overpass.  Once those steps are done, stakeholders will be brought in to get feedback, and then a public outreach effort will begin.

Baseball Hood River Valley 7, Gresham 6:  The Eagles came back from a five-run deficit to win their season opener on a soggy Traner Field.  Isaiah Enriquez drove in the game winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning, shortly after Andrew Roberts delivered a two-run single to tie the contest.  Enriquez also got the win on the mound, limiting the Gophers to one run in the final three innings. The Dalles 8, Glencoe 4 Dufur 7, Riverside 3   Softball The Dalles 8, Roosevelt 7:  Home runs by Maddy Bradford and Grace Helyer in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Riverhawks to the season opening win.

An appeal has been filed of the Hood River County Community Development Department’s approval of a commercial/industrial land use permit for a hotel that is a part of the DeeTour project.  Community Development Director John Roberts confirmed that the Hood River Valley Residents Committee had filed an appeal of the permit for the 50 room hotel.  Elements of the appeal include a call for more depth of study on traffic impacts, the burden on emergency services, and cumulative impacts, and protests the deferral of some of the approval criteria for the permit.  Roberts says they will be scheduling a date for the appeal hearing, probably in late April or early May.  The DeeTour project, which also includes a concert amphitheater, is being put together by Apollo Land Holding.  It would be located on the site of the old Dee lumber mill.

The Dalles Community Outreach Team is in Washington, D.C. to keep potential projects and positive policies for the area in front of Oregon’s Congressional delegation and various agencies.  Port of The Dalles Marketing Director Kathy Ursprung says one topic being emphasized this time is to encourage Congress to appropriate economic development monies called for in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act to both the Oregon and Washington state investment boards.  The team includes various representatives of governmental agencies and businesses in The Dalles and Wasco County.

Hood River County Commissioners, in their capacity as the board for as the Windmaster Urban Renewal District board, will discuss the potential of proceeding with a second phase of the sewer project in that area.  The first phase was done seven years ago, and district will retire the debt on it in about a year.  The panel discussed a few years ago a second phase of the project that would continue down Tucker Road to Nobi’s Corner.  County Administrator David Meriwether says expansion of the sewer project could help make some of the commercial properties in that area more usable.  The Commission will hold a preliminary discussion on the subject at their meeting next Monday to determine if they want to consider this phase.

Area high school and middle school students can sign up for the third annual Google Wind Challenge through Friday.  The Wind Challenge will take place April 30 at The Dalles Civic Auditorium.  Teams of high school and middle school students from throughout the Gorge have a chance to race against the clock to build the strongest, fastest wind turbines and compete for prizes.  More than 200 students took part in the event last year.  The Wind Challenge is free to participate in, with all materials provided.  Volunteers from the community are also needed to assist students and help with judging and event day coordination.  Students and volunteers may register online at www.windchallenge.org.  A science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fair will also be on site with activities to engage students and the general public.