Columbia River Gorge Commission staff have been putting together a guide that will be posted on their website to help provide guidance for those who have lost their homes that are within the National Scenic Area in both the Rowena and Burdoin fires. Addressing the Klickitat County Commission on Tuesday, Gorge Commission Executive Director Krystyna Wolniakowski said her staff is looking to be as helpful as they can to those who have to rebuild their homes. Gorge Commission Planner McKenzie Aamodt said the quickest path to rebuilding is to build “like for like” in the same footprint and location as the home was located on, as that eliminates many of the usual required reviews to build a home in the Scenic Area. The Gorge Commission website is gorgecommission.org.
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Burdoin Fire Damage Assessments Being Collected
Damage assessments are beginning to be accumulated for the Burdoin Fire. Klickitat County Emergency Management Director Jeff King told the County Commission during its Tuesday meeting that preliminary data shows nineteen homes were destroyed and 47 damaged, and he expected the number of destroyed will go up. He added thirty other buildings were destroyed and fifty more damaged. But King noted a large majority of structures were saved, with 82% of the primary residences in the fire footprint having been saved.
Burdoin Fire At 69% Containment
Containment of the Burdoin Fire has progressed to 69% as firefighters continue to widen and secure lines around the perimeter. Complex Incident Management Northwest Team 13 operations section chief Jesse Stone says they are focusing on a section on the west side of the Dixon Creek area, and crews will probably be there for a day or two to ensure its under control. Stone adds people will see smoke from burning of interior pockets of the fire. In fully contained areas, crews are shifting to repair work, disposing of brush and branches cleared from along roadways, gathering up equipment and supplies that are no longer needed, and rehabilitating hand and dozer line.
The Dalles Council Gets First Street Update
Community Development Director Joshua Chandler updated The Dalles City Council on progress towards the long-discussed First Street project. Chandler told the Council archaeological coordination with the State Historic Preservation Office is on-going, right-of-way and easement acquisitions are being completed, and they are finalizing coordination with Union Pacific Railroad. He adds they are trying to do the project in parallel with development of the Federal Street Plaza. Chandler noted since the First Street Project was conceived nearly twenty years ago, there has been 24 different City Councilors, five mayors, five community development directors, three city managers, and three public works directors.
Sewer Work On Court Street Alley Starts Wednesday
The Dalles Public Works on Wednesday will begin work on a sanitary sewer main repair in the alley between East 1st & East 2nd streets on Court Street. A full street closure on Court Street and in the alley will remain in place Wednesday and Thursday. Motor vehicles and bicyclists will be detoured to adjacent side streets. Pedestrian traffic through the alley will be detoured to adjacent sidewalks. Pedestrian and sidewalk access to local businesses on Court Street will remain open through the duration of this work. Work hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on each scheduled work day, but the trench must remain open until work is complete. If you have questions, contact The Dalles Public Works Department at (541) 296-5401.
Mass Casualty Drill Thursday At Jackson Park
Providence Hood River is alerting the public that they will be conducting a full-scale mass casualty drill on Thursday morning at Hood River’s Jackson Park. Providence spokesperson Susan Frost says there have about a dozen actors who will be feigning injuries from a bus crash. They will be transported from there to the hospital. The drill is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday, and continue until around noon. Frost adds normal hospital operations will continue during the drill.
MCSC Plans For Respite Care
Mid-Columbia Senior Center is seeking volunteers as it sets up a program for dementia-specific respite care with a $100,000 grant from the Alzheimer’s Association Center for Dementia Respite Innovation. Senior Center Executive Director Rob Garrett says the Harbor Respite program will provide four to six hours a week of structured, supportive care. The goal is to start the program with a light opening this fall, based out of the Center building on 1112 West 9th in The Dalles. Those interested in volunteering or have someone who would benefit from receiving respite care can call Garrett at 541-296-4788.
Burdoin Fire Containment Now 54%
Containment of the 11,289 acre Burdoin Fire has advanced to 54% on Sunday. Complex Incident Management Northwest Team 13 Operations Section Chief Jesse Stone says along Highway 14, crews are still finding small smokes and working to fully extinguish them. On the north side of the fire, Stone says they are working to finish securing some areas in the creek drainages. Stone adds suppression repair efforts will begin soon. Fire behavior analyst Miles Pollock says observed fire behavior in the last 24 hours has been minimal, but notes hotter and drier weather is forecast in the area for the first part of the week. To the north, the 53-acre Snyder Creek Fire reached full containment on Sunday night, and fire crews are patrolling and pulling hose off that fire.
City of HR Continue Development Code Update Process
The City of Hood River is embarking on phase two of an update of its development code. City Councilors have held two meetings in recent weeks that have mostly involved being briefed on what is being considered by City planning staff. City Manager Abigail Elder says this is the first time the City has embarked on this sort of review in about 20 years. Elder says the Council will probably have three more meetings on the code to give planning staff feedback, with municipal staff to come back to the Council with proposed changes this winter.
White Salmon Water Infrastructure Project Starts
Construction is set to begin this week on water infrastructure upgrades along Spring Street and North Main Avenue in White Salmon. It’s the start of the North Main Booster Pump Station Project, designed to improve both everyday water service and emergency fire flow capacity for residents in the North Main/Simmons Road pressure zone. The project is being funded by a $2,406,034.44 Public Works Board Loan as well as $177,500 in American Rescue Plan Act funding that was allocated by the White Salmon City Council. City officials say the project addresses a long-standing deficiency in reservoir storage capacity that limits reliable water supply and fire protection in parts of the city. The new booster pump station will restore and improve service to this zone by connecting it to the Spring Street Reservoir, which has sufficient capacity to meet current and future needs. The public should expect traffic impacts and potential detours in the construction area, especially as work moves westward. A detour map is available online at whitesalmonwa.gov.