The Biological Opinion for the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge has been approved by NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service. Hood River-White Salmon Bridge Authority Commissioner Mike Fox says after four years of work they’ve received the sign off on that document, which is key to moving forward with water work in the Columbia River and heading toward getting the final Record of Decision that will allow the project to move into construction. The biological opinion gives the criteria for design of all water work for the bridge. It’s the second milestone for the bridge project in recent days. Last week, the Bridge Authority received an investment grade credit rating that sets the stage for the project to receive a low-interest loan.
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Wasco County & City Of The Dalles Discuss Google Funds
Wasco County Commissioners and The Dalles City Councilors talked about policy options for usage of certain Strategic Investment Program funds that Google will pay as a result of agreements reached in 2021 for development of two new data centers. One idea presented by city and county officials that have done preliminary work on the topic is to create an endowment fund that could provide a funding source on an on-going basis. County Administrative Officer Tyler Stone said with initial Google data center enterprise zone now on the tax rolls, and more to come over the next few years, all taxing districts are seeing financial benefits already. Many of the Councilors and Commissioners noted they want to see what kind of valuations the state puts on the Google properties in the Strategic Investment Plan agreement, which has not happened yet. A second joint meeting was set for July 23, with the intent to gather public input in the interim.
Smoke Ready Week Starts June 10
Next week is Smoke Ready Week. Numerous agencies have developed a Community Smoke Plan for the Mid-Columbia, and one element is to educate people about what they should have on hand to deal with heavy smoke from wildfires and other sources. OSU Extension’s Grace Wesson says displays will be going up at some area hardware stores with instructions and supplies to build their own low cost home air filter with a box fan and a MERV-13 rated air filter. There is now a website, SmokeReadyGorge.org, that will list local air quality index readings. Wesson says if it’s over 100 air quality can be unhealthy for those in sensitive groups, and above 150 can be unhealthy for anyone.
Wasco County Commissioners Get Resolution Center Update
Wasco County Commissioners received an update on the financial proforma for a proposed Resolution Center that would be built at West 10th and Walnut in The Dalles. Mid-Columbia Center for Living Finance Director Mark Stewart told the panel that current plans call for building the facility in three phases, starting with a crisis center and substance use disorder facility, followed by cottage and community support services, then residential and secure residential treatment facilities. Wasco County Administrative Officer Tyler Stone said the residential facilities are in phase three because the proforma shows both would operate at a loss, but they anticipate conversation in the 2025 Oregon Legislature will address these kinds of treatment options. Commissioner Steve Kramer added they are waiting to hear from the Oregon Health Authority on where this project is on their draft funding rankings. Stone noted funding construction is probably easier than getting sustainable funding for operations.
Burn Ban For Klickitat County Zone 3 To Begin On June 17
A ban on opening outdoor burning for Klickitat County’s Burn Ban Zone Three will start on Monday, June 17. Once the ban for the area of the County between the western county line to the western boundaries of fire districts #4, #12, and #15 begins, all unincorporated lands in Klickitat County will be under a burn ban. The ban started in Zone Two this week, and in Zone One last month. The ban applies to unincorporated areas, not including Yakama Indian Nation, Washington Department of Natural Resources, and Washington Parks and Recreation Commission lands. People should check with appropriate fire agencies concerning burning restrictions within any city or town.
Wasco County Burn Ban To Start Monday
Wasco County Commissioners have approved the annual burn ban and a ban on the use of all fireworks in unincorporated areas of the County beginning on Monday. The County joins the Oregon Department of Forestry and county fire districts in issuing the burn ban, which will coincide with the start of fire season in the ODF Central Oregon District. The fireworks ban for unincorporated portions of Wasco County mirrors a similar measure adopted by the City of The Dalles. It does not prohibit fireworks displays permitted by the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office. This is the third consecutive year that the County Commission has approved the fireworks ban.
Pride Month Events Planned
The Columbia Gorge Pride Alliance has a full slate of events going on this month to commemorate Pride Month. Alliance Coordinator Kit Clasen says Pride will be a focus of First Friday in Downtown Hood River this Friday. A Pride observance will take place on June 15 at Teo Park in Stevenson, events are planned in White Salmon on June 22, and there will be a resource fair and march on June 29 at Lewis & Clark Festival Park in The Dalles. For a complete list of Pride events in the Columbia Gorge, go to Columbia Gorge Pride Alliance Facebook or Instagram pages.
Hood River City & County Talk Housing And Annexation
The Hood River City Council and County Commission held a joint meeting to discuss housing and annexation issues, and it served to underline how many barriers there are to creating more housing opportunities of various kinds. While much of the talk centered on whether annexation of large amounts of the urban growth area at the various steps the governmental bodies could take to stimulate housing development, City Planner Dustin Nilsen pointed out they have been processing a number of multi-family housing applications, but they stall out because of economic realities. County and City officials plan to have a strategic annexation discussion. They also talked about work on updates to the urban growth management agreement, but staff capacity and fiscal limitations mean in might be another budget cycle before that can happen. The two bodies also planned to get together again in about three months, once staff has information to add to the discussion.
Wasco County Receives Fire Prevention Grant
Wasco County has been awarded a $5.9 million grant through the federal Community Wildfire Defense Grant program. The $5.9 million grant will be used for various projects, including road side and hazard tree treatments, defensible space buffers, property level risk assessments, and community education, in addition to recruitment for a countywide Wildfire Coordinator to support ongoing efforts. Grant partners include the Wamic Rural Fire Protection District, Juniper Flat Rural Fire Protection District, Tygh Valley Rural Fire Protection District, Oregon Department of Forestry, Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District, Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue, Oregon State Fire Marshal, and OSU Extension Fire Program. The Community Wildfire Defense Grant program is a federal initiative aimed at supporting communities in their efforts to prevent, mitigate, and respond to wildfires. The program provides funding to local governments for projects that improve the safety and resilience of communities at risk of wildfire.
Summer Columbia River Fishing Seasons Set
Oregon and Washington fishery managers have finalized preseason planning for 2024 Columbia River summer recreational salmon and steelhead fisheries. For the summer season, retention of adult hatchery Chinook, hatchery steelhead, and sockeye will open June 16 from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco. Adult Chinook retention will only be open from June 16th to the 19th in the area downstream of Bonneville Dam and from June 16th to 30th upstream of Bonneville Dam. However, the sockeye return is forecast to be about 20 percent higher than last year’s actual return and the retention of sockeye and hatchery steelhead is expected to remain open through the end of July. The preseason forecast of upriver summer steelhead is slightly higher than last year’s return but still represents a poor return relative to historic levels, so anglers will see conservative retention regulations again in 2024. Hatchery steelhead retention will be allowed June 16th to July 31st from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to The Dalles Dam and June 16th through August 31 from The Dalles Dam upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco with a reduced bag limit of one fish.