Two women are spearheading a project to create a village of tiny homes for the homeless.  Andretta Schellinger and Jessica Richelderfer Wheeler envision Spruce Village as a complex of about 30 tiny homes using a shared restroom and shower, with on-site security and shared chores.  The village would be alcohol and drug free, and Wheeler says there will be a screening process.  Residents would help build the homes themselves, pay monthly rent, and there would be a priority given to homeless veterans.  The concept is modeled after similar villages in Olympia, Portland, and Eugene.  Currently the pair is trying to connect with as many organizations and agencies as possible, and search for a potential site.  Those who would like to take part in the effort can visit on-line sprucevillageproject.org, or go to the Spruce Village Inc. Facebook page.

Volleyball The Dalles def. Hermiston 25-20, 25-15, 25-15:  The Riverhawks remain atop the Columbia River Conference with a 4-0 record. Hood River Valley def. Pendleton 26-24, 20-25, 25-22, 25-20:  The Eagles run their league mark to 3-1. Columbia def. Stevenson 3 games to 1 Dufur def. Horizon Christian 25-19, 25-17, 25-19 AND 25-6, 25-18, 25-20 (two matches) South Wasco def. Sherman 25-19, 25-23, 25-18 Naches Valley def. Goldendale 25-14, 24-26, 25-16, 25-16 Klickitat def. Yakama Tribal 25-19, 25-17, 22-25, 22-25, 15-11   Girls Soccer Hood River Valley 4, Pendleton 0:  Savanna Brentlinger, Kassidy Davidson, Mona Diaz, and Halle Campos all scored to lead the Eagles to a win in the opening Columbia River Conference match of the season. The Dalles 0, Hermiston 0 Columbia 5, Castle Rock 1 LaSalle 10, Goldendale 0   Boys Soccer Hermiston 3, The Dalles 1

Wednesday is the deadline for Rapoza Development to meet a number of different conditions set by the Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency to move forward with the Granada Block Project to build a 147-room hotel in downtown The Dalles, including demolition of the Recreation Building and the closing of purchase of the properties involved.  Tuesday night, the Urban Renewal Advisory Committee deadlocked on a request from Michael Leash of Rapoza to extend the agreement to May 2016.  Leash said the extension would allow time for Oregon State Representative John Huffman to seek a million dollars in financing through an anticipated state bond package to be developed in the February legislative session to provide the money to close the sale, and to work through a complex process to apply to be a Hilton Garden Inn.  Huffman said he made the suggestion in the expectation that there will be a small bonding package put together in February, believing he can gain support because of what the project would represent for economic development in The Dalles.  The Dalles Mayor Steve Lawrence says his understanding is the City Council, acting in its capacity of the Urban Renewal Agency Board, would not have to take any formal action for the agreement to expire after the deadline if the conditions are not met.  Lawrence says the Urban Renewal Agency Board will probably go into an executive session after the regularly scheduled City Council meeting on October 12 to receive information, and then come out in open session and if a member wants to make a motion to be voted on they can, and if nothing happens the panel would move forward with discussing putting out a new Request For Proposal.  Leash said he still believed his project is the best and highest use of the land to deliver jobs, traffic in downtown, and tax revenues, adding Rapoza would probably submit another RFP if the Agency Board will not grant an extension.

The Hood River City Council is going to find out if living in a home in the City could cause any conflict of interest issues as it goes through the process of creating short-term rental regulations.  Mayor Paul Blackburn says some Councilors have wondered if that might be a problem as the issue is discussed in the weeks ahead, and City Attorney Dan Kearns will file an inquiry with the state to get a ruling.  All seven members own homes in the city.  Blackburn says they expect to hear from the state in about a month. In other business, the Council has instructed municipal staff to learn from Hood River Garbage Service what the impact on rates and franchise fees would be if curbside composting and yard debris removal were added to services.  Councilors had considered putting the topic in next year’s goal setting session, but Mayor Paul Blackburn says they felt comfortable moving ahead toward a yes or no vote.  Downtown restaurants have been involved in a pilot program for curbside composting.

The Dalles City Councilors have decided to ask municipal staff to research grants that would bring in funds to restore and move the historic Gitchell Building on the north side of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks near East 1^st and Washington.  The City recently received an engineering study showing the 148-year-old building on the National Register of Historic Places is in severe disrepair, with water damage and the possibility of it falling down leaving City officials with liability concerns.  It’s also within a railroad right-of-way, and because of that it probably could not be occupied in its current location.  Councilor Dan Spatz suggested taking stop gap measures to allow time to research funding sources for repairs and a move of the building.  Spatz noted he would like to see the building made into an attraction to bring visitors off of the freeway into downtown The Dalles.

The Mid-Columbia Council of Governments has tabbed former Hood River City Manager Bob Francis to be its new executive director.  MCCOG board chair Michael Smith says Francis is already working with current executive director John Arens on the transition.  Arens announced his resignation from the position in May.  Francis was the city manager of Hood River for nine years before stepping down from that position.  Mid-Columbia Council of Governments provides services in Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam, and Wheeler counties that local governmental agencies do not provide on their own.

It appears Q-Life will be able to move forward with offering a contract to former The Dalles City Manager Nolan Young to provide administrative services to the intergovernmental agency that provides middle-mile broadband.  City Councilors gave direction to interim City Manager Julie Krueger to inform the Q-Life board that the City at this time cannot provide the services as they have in the past.  That would pave the way for Q-Life to offer a short term contract to Young.  Q-Life attorney Keith Mobley and board president Erick Larson both said Young would provide critical leadership as the agency looks to secure state funding for a broadband connection in Maupin from Bonneville Power Administration fiber optic lines, and can help create a new model for administration of the agency.  The City will continue to provide financial work and clerical support to Q-Life.

The SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) program is looking for volunteers to help children from pre-kindergarten to third grade learn to love reading.  Volunteers spend one hour a week in Oregon schools working one-on-one with students.  SMART Executive Director Chris Otis says they are in particular need of site coordinators for Parkdale Head Start and Chenowith and Dry Hollow elementary schools.  Otis adds they can always use more readers at all schools.  Those who would like to volunteer for the SMART program can sign up on-line at getSMARToregon.org.

A fire that burned three-point-six acres in the bottom of Indian Creek Canyon where it meets the Hood River has been contained.  Hood River Fire Chief Devon Wells credited a helicopter brought in to make water drops on the fire with being a big reason why the blaze that started Sunday evening was knocked down.  Wells said there would be firefighters remaining on the scene overnight, and on Tuesday firefighters would be back at the fire location doing more mop up work.  He said Hood River residents should expect smoky conditions, particularly in the morning, drifting down from the river canyon over the next day or two.  No structures or power lines were damaged by the fire, which Wells described as “cleaning out the hillside.”  There is no word yet on a cause of the fire, and Wells indicated more work on that investigation will take place on Tuesday.

Klickitat County Commissioners will be mulling over whether to allow recreational all-terrain vehicles to be legally used on County roads with speed limits under 35 miles per hour after a pair of hearings last week.  Opinions voiced at the two hearings are mixed, with those at a session in Goldendale leaning in favor but people at a White Salmon meeting raising concerns with safety, dust, and trespassing.  Commissioner David Sauter says written comment will be taken until October 7.  Sauter noted the range of options for the Commission includes allowing the ATV use on all eligible roads, doing it just on certain roads, not allowing it at all, and setting up a pilot area to test it.