The Hood River County School District has included in its budget for the upcoming school year flexibility to deal with difficult to project kindergarten and first grade class sizes coming out of the pandemic.  District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn says they are still gathering numbers, but they know kindergarten numbers were down this current school year and there has been a feeling that parents held kids back a year to allow them to start in a more normal setting.  He’s anticipating larger than usual kindergarten and first grade enrollment, but they have put money into a contingency budget to deal with it.  Polkinghorn says they already know Parkdale Elementary will have a very large kindergarten class in September, so more staffing has been allocated for that.  

White Salmon’s draft comprehensive plan will be the subject of a public hearing to be conducted on Zoom by the municipal planning commission on June 23.  City Councilors will join the planning commission to hear a presentation on the plan from the City’s consultants at 5:30 p.m. before the planning panel holds the hearing.  Mayor Marla Keethler says the virtual meeting is being set up to allow maximum flexibility for taking public testimony, and people will not have to sign up in advance to give comment.  Keethler says when the City Council holds its hearing on the comp plan in July, their current plan is to hold it in-person with an online option.  For log-in information for the June 23 meeting, and to review the draft plan, go to white-salmon.net.

The Hood River Urban Renewal Agency is about to enter phase two of the Heights Urban Renewal process, developing a preferred streetscape plan to guide infrastructure investments.  The URA board went over goals for phase two during a Monday evening meeting.  The first phase of public engagement showed most respondents prioritized slowing traffic, creating safe streets and intersections, and street improvements that support access to local businesses.  Nathan Polanski of consulting firm MIG says it also made clear parking will be a significant point of contention between various stakeholder groups.  Plans are being made to do a parking study during phase two.  The URA board will be receiving project goal revisions to consider next month.

The Hood River City Council is getting ready to transition back to in-person meetings.  City Manager Rachel Fuller says they are waiting to see what the state does in regard to regulations when Oregon reaches the 70% vaccination rate, but told Councilors the plan is to have a hybrid-type meeting on June 28, with Councilors and staff in their chambers at City Hall and online viewing still available.  She also said new technology is being installed to City Hall to assist in streaming the meetings online.  In other business, the Council appointed finance director and assistant city manager Will Norris to serve as interim city manager when Fuller steps down on July 1.  The City has begun the process of searching for a permanent replacement.

The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce confirmed plans are underway to move forward with the Hometown USA 4th of July Parade.  The parade will be in partnership with Fort Dalles Fourth and their title sponsor Columbia Gorge Toyota and Honda.  In a statement, the Chamber said if Oregon is not able to open up by July 4th, the parade will not be held.  The parade will start at 10:00 am and will follow the same parade route as the Cherry Festival Parade, beginning at 6th and Webber Street and ending on 2nd Street by The Dalles Chamber.  Parade applications are available at TheDallesChamber.com.

Boys Basketball Dufur 69, Ione-Arlington 56 South Wasco 62, Country Christian 54   Girls Basketball Ione-Arlington 42, Dufur 40 Country Christian 61, South Wasco 40  

Klickitat County Commissioners are expected to discuss on Tuesday whether to petition the Supreme Court to hear their appeal of a decision that the Glenwood Valley is part of the Yakama reservation.  The Ninth U.S. Court of Appeals reaffirmed on Friday an August 2019 U.S. District Court decision that the 121,466 acre Tract D is within the reservation.  The actual boundary of the reservation in that area had been debated for more than 150 years.  Klickitat County Commission Chair David Sauter said he was disappointed but not surprised by the Court of Appeals decision, noting the only recourse they have left would be to petition the Supreme Court, and there is no guarantee the case would be heard.  Klickitat County has 14 days from the ruling on Friday to make a decision on petitioning for Supreme Court review.

Hood River County has received a 151-page document with guidelines on how $4.5 million in federal pandemic relief funds can be used.  County Administrator Jeff Hecksel says there are basically five categories the money can be used for, including pandemic response, addressing negative economic impacts, replacing lost revenue, premium pay for some workers, and water, sewer, and broadband projects.  Hecksel says the Treasury Department defined lost revenue in such a way that Hood River County wouldn’t be eligible to use the funds in that way off of the current fiscal year.  It’s based on the County’s overall budget, not individual sources of revenue, and because of a local option levy for public safety approved by voters last year, the County would not be eligible to use the pandemic relief funds for that purpose.  Hecksel did say the federal funds don’t have to be used until 2024, so it’s possible if revenues were to drop overall the County could qualify to use the money to cover that.    

The Port of The Dalles Commission held its meeting in Dufur last week.  Port Executive Director Andrea Klaas says they got an update on water system improvements the Port and the City of Dufur partnered on, and discussed wastewater system needs for the community.  Klaas says a design is in place and funds are being sought, and that’s good news for the Port, as there is the potential for commercial and industrial development in Dufur.  That meeting also marked the final one for long time Port board member Mike Courtney, who is stepping away after serving for 24 years.

Hood River Valley High School will double the size of its summer school program this year to give students more options to regain credit, participate in experiential learning classes, and get back on track for graduation.  The summer program will run on weekdays in July, with full- and half-day options for students.  The high school has scheduled 12 experiential learning classes, in which students can earn credit while learning real-world skills.   Students will earn elective credit for the hands-on classes.  They will also work in small groups with teachers and staff to complete classes and recover credits they need for on-time graduation.  To sign up for summer school at HRVHS, go to hrvhs.com, or contact the school at (541) 386-4500.