Klickitat County Human Resources Director Robb Van Cleave updated County Commissioners on progress toward transferring control of the County Jail from the Sheriff’s Office to a new Department of Corrections under the Commission’s direction. Van Cleave said a contract for a firm to conduct a jail administrator search will be available for Commission approval next week…while a resolution to formalize the transfer is almost complete. But he noted right now they are in a phase of making changes to items like credit card and cell phone accounts to happen before the administration change is made. Van Cleave said he plans to update the Commission at each of their weekly meetings on the process.
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Klickitat County Commission Asks For More Work On Battery Moratorium
Klickitat County Commissioners asked County Planning Director Scott Edelman to make some changes to a draft document that would place a six-month moratorium on battery energy storage systems either as a stand alone project or as part of an energy generating facility, along with the storage and warehousing of lithium batteries. While the goal has been to allow time to develop regulations around green energy large scale battery storage, but has evolved into a larger discussion around what Commissioner Dan Christopher called a “bigger public safety problem.” Edelman made changes in an attempt to not impede existing business practices, and Christopher asked for a closer look. Once they reach agreement on moratorium language, it will be sent to the Prosecuting Attorney’s office for a legal opinion before a hearing and adoption.
HR City Planning Commission Approves Site Plan For Rand Road Development
The Hood River City Planning Commission unanimously approved the site plan review for the Rand Road Affordable Housing development. Panel members said the application from Community Development Corporation and Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation was very clear and complete. Some of the Planning Commission did emphasize the City Council needs to prioritize construction of a sidewalk on the west side of Rand Road between Cascade Avenue and Sherman Street to handle an increase in pedestrians when the housing development is built.
HR County Commission Works On Levy Ballot Title
Hood River County Commissioners are expected to formally approve the ballot title and explanatory statement for renewal of the County’s public safety levy that will go before voters in November at a special meeting on Thursday. Commissioners spent nearly an hour of their regular Monday meeting parsing the language for those documents, looking to emphasize what they are seeking is the continuation of the five-year levy of 78 cents per thousand dollars of assessed property value with no increase from what was originally approved in 2020. Commissioner Arthur Babitz said the goal is to be transparent and be clear that they are not seeking a tax increase. Commissioners wanted to review changes they made to the documents before approving them to be sent to the County Clerk’s office. They will hold a special online meeting Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m. to do that.
Larch Creek Fire Containment Moves To 14%
Containment on the Larch Creek Fire in Wasco County inched up to 14% Monday evening…and while firefighters are mopping up around much of the fire…they are still working to hold the line on the southwest perimeter around the Tygh Creek area due to heavier fuels and hot spots. Fire officials said several spot fires ignited outside the containment line but were quickly extinguished, with the size of the fire remaining at 18,684 acres. Night shift efforts focused on improving and strengthening fire lines. The National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch across much of Central Oregon, including the fire area, with the likelihood of thunderstorms Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning that could bring increased winds and lightning strikes with little precipitation. The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office on Monday modified evacuation advisory levels on the east side of the fire, with Level 3 areas dropping to Level 2, and Level 2 to Level 1. Evacuation advisories on the west side of the fire are unchanged, but are expected to be reevaluated this morning. Detailed evacuation advisory areas are available on the Wasco County Sheriff’s Facebook page. Structural task forces are being demobilized this morning, and crews will continue patrolling around structures that remain in areas under evacuation.
Magill Says Looting Reports Heard; But None Called In To 911
The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office says it has been hearing some information from community members of looting takin place in evacuated areas near the Larch Creek Fire, but have received no formal reports through 9-1-1 Dispatch. Sheriff Lane Magill said in a statement that without formal reports, the incidents go uninvestigated. Magill asked the community to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity in evacuated areas by calling the non-emergency dispatch number at 541-296-5454 so a deputy can be sent to investigate. Magill pointed out looting during a natural disaster is a serious crime and will not be tolerated, adding the Sheriff’s Office is committed to protecting the property of those who have been forced to evacuate their homes due to the Larch Creek Fire.
Gilliam County Sheriff Says Lone Rock Spared By Fire
Gilliam County Sheriff Gary Bettencourt said the City of Lone Rock faced an “unprecedented threat” on Monday from the Lone Rock Fire, but with the efforts of local, state, and federal fire resources, they managed to avert what could have been a catastrophic event. Bettencourt said the fire came dangerously close to the City, adding it was “mere inches” away from complete devastation. Bettencourt pointed out while Lone Rock was spared, the fire continues to grow into Wheeler and Morrow counties. It is now reported to be 51,855 acres in size. He says the City of Lonerock will remain at a Level 3 Evacuation until further notice. That’s is to protect citizens and support the efforts of local, state, and federal fire crews who will remain dedicated to monitoring and extinguishing spot fires.
The Dalles Outdoor Water Use Advisory Lifted
An advisory in The Dalles to limit outdoor water use has been lifted. The advisory was put in place by the City due to one of its three wells to meet summer demands…the Lone Pine well…being out of service due to an unexpected mechanical failure. But City officials announced Monday afternoon that repairs to the will are complete…and the municipal water system has returned to normal summer operation. The advisory was issued on July 5 due to high temperatures…and was extended to July 17 as hot weather lingered. But with the repairs to the well in place, there was no reason to continue the advisory.
Bridge Work On Schedule
Work to repair six overhead lateral beams on the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge that were damaged by a boom on a truck hitting them in late June is on schedule. Nighttime bridge closures that started last week and run each night from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. will continue for a few more days. Port Executive Director Kevin Greenwood says work has progressed as planned, with actual replacement of the beams to take place in the early part of this week. Greenwood also said it is possible they might be able to get the work done a day or two early if everything goes smoothly.
Fires Lead To Tourism Disruptions
Wildfires once again can be disruptive to tourism into the region. The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson says while the current Larch Creek Fire is a good distance from The Dalles, it still impacts tourists decisions to come to the area. Farquharson says she will being doing a media blitz to the larger markets that The Dalles draws tourists from, but that will come once there is more containment achieved on the fire. Farquharson adds that normally when a fire occurs, the drop in tourism occurs while the fire is taking place, but picks right back up once it is contained and drops out of the news cycle.