Klickitat County Commissioners approved revisions to its Recreational Vehicle Parks ordinance after some revisions were made from when it was first presented a couple of weeks ago. Most of the discussion among the commissioners and the public that testified centered around authorizing the Board of Adjustment to waive a 60-day occupancy limit to deal with workforce housing needs. Some of the testimony questioned assumptions in the staff report of large-scale projects leading to a housing crunch, but Community Development Director Scott Edelman said the need is already those who work in the area and trying to find a place to live. The three commissioners voted unanimously in favor of the revisions.
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Sense of Place Starts 17th Season In October
Sense of Place, the Gorge-based storytelling series, returns for its 17th season in October. For the first time, Sense of Place is an independent non-profit rather that being a program of another non-profit. Executive Director and series host Sarah Fox says that won’t change what Sense of Place does. The first show will be October 14 on the local aviation technology industry with Jason Hartmann of the Columbia Gorge Tech Alliance. It will begin at 7 p.m. at Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River. Tickets are available at columbiaarts.org.
White Salmon School Enrollment Slightly Above Expectation
White Salmon Valley School District’s enrollment to start the school year is almost exactly what they estimated. Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn says they have 1,009 full-time students in the district. That’s seven students above what they budgeted for in the fall. Polkinghorn says if their current enrollment number holds through the fall, it will help them get a bit more funding from the state. The enrollment is down slightly from last year’s 1,022, and Polkinghorn say they continue to forecast a continued slight decline in enrollment, as many other districts in the region are seeing.
September 15 Prep Sports Roundup
Boys Soccer
Hood River Valley 2, Scappoose 0
Trout Lake-Horizon Christian 5, Riverdale 2
Girls Soccer
Scappoose 3, Hood River Valley 1
Stevenson 2, Castle Rock 2
Columbia 2, LaCenter 1
Volleyball
Sandy def. Hood River Valley 25-16, 25-22, 25-17
The Dalles def. Pendleton 25-17, 25-19, 25-21
LaCenter def. Columbia 25-15, 25-18, 25-21
Castle Rock def. Stevenson 3-1
South Wasco def. Lyle-Wishram-Klickitat 3-1
Sherman def. Ione-Arlington 25-18, 25-13, 25-12
Dufur def. Heppner 21-25, 25-18, 25-13, 25-18
Trout Lake-Glenwood def. Horizon Christian 25-8, 25-14, 25-14
Cross Country
Trout Lake’s Melody Stock won the girls’ race at a five-school meet in Stevenson. Stock held off Stevenson’s Daisy Jones in a close race, with Columbia’s Lilah Zimmerman in third. In the boys’ race, Joby Steward of Glenwood-Trout Lake took second, with Columbia’s Colby Clark in fourth and Stevenson’s Colton Hollis in fifth.
Boys Water Polo
Hood River Valley 17, David Douglas 8: Liam McGeeney scored nine goals in the game for HRV.
Girls Water Polo
Hood River Valley 13, David Douglas 9: The Eagles outscored the Scots 5-2 in the final quarter. Layla Williams had three goals and four assists for HRV.
Hood River School Enrollment Trend Continues
Hood River County School District doesn’t have its initial enrollment figures complete at this point, but it appears a gradual downward trend continues. Superintendent Bill Newton says last year’s high school graduating class was about 70 students larger than the one behind it, which is added to the high cost of housing and lowering birth rates dropping school numbers. But Newton also says the impact of families moving into the Mariposa Village housing development has led to an uptick in enrollment at Westside Elementary School. Newton says Westside is currently just over 400 students, but there is capacity for 550, so that increase won’t require any kind of adjustments.
White Salmon Gets Grant For Street Repair
The City of White Salmon has received a state grant to help pay for repairs on Scenic and Skagit Streets after damage to the roadway and water pipe underneath as a result of spring storms. White Salmon Mayor Marla Keethler says they are receiving a $1 million grant from the state, which will cover the deductible on their insurance and avoid pulling from municipal reserves. But she adds they have still been making some budget cuts over the past few months. Keether says they are beginning to do work on the 2027 budget, which will move in to full swing in October and November.
Main Line Break In Crystal Springs District Leads To Precautionary Boil Order
Crystal Springs Water District in the mid-Hood River Valley is reporting a major water main break on Highway 35, across from Oregon Road.
Crews are on site, but repairs could take several hours.
As a precaution, a boil water notice will be issued for 24 hours, or until water samples confirm the water is safe. Former Odell Water Company customers are excluded from this notice.
For the latest updates, please check the Crystal Springs Water District website.
Hood River Bridge Closure Wednesday Morning
The Port of Hood River says the Hood River–White Salmon Interstate Bridge will close to vehicle traffic Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. for the passage of the Tug Defiance. The bridge is expected to reopen by 8:30 a.m. Port officials say the bridge may reopen sooner if the vessel passes ahead of schedule. The closure could also extend beyond 8:30 a.m. if unexpected conditions delay the vessel’s passage or bridge operations. Travelers should plan ahead and expect delays. The Port is required under U.S. Coast Guard regulations to accommodate bridge lift requests submitted with at least 12 hours’ notice.
TD Council Approves Having State Administer TLT’s
The Dalles City Council gave its approval to transferring administration of the City’s Transient Lodging Tax to the Oregon Department of Revenue. The move is being made for two reasons in particular. One is to take some duties off of the City’s financial staff to allow for more time to address other areas. And Mayor Rich Mays added the state is in a better position to do enforcement. City officials said they will provide instructions to those who pay TLT’s to help facilitate the change, which takes effect October 1, but the first filing deadline will not be until February of 2027.
Hood River Council Codifies ADU Exemption For SDC’s Sharing Connections
The Hood River City Council voted to codify exempting Accessory Dwelling Units from water and sewer Systems Development Charges if the unit shares connections with a primary residence. Municipal Finance Director Chris Longinetti noted this has been the practice of the City since May of 2019. There was some debate about whether this actually provides any real incentive for ADU construction, but Councilor Doug Stepina said the policy did refect their intentions. The Council approved the first reading of the ordinance.