Washington Gorge Action Programs is seeking to hire a Seasonal Shelter Outreach Coordinator in order to open the Skamania County Emergency Warming Shelter in Stevenson. The facility will be unable to open until fully staffed. Inquiries for the position should be directed to Patty Gallardo at patty@wagap.org. Once staffed, the agency says location, operating hours, contact and access information will be announced. More general information on emergency housing programs in Skamania County can be found at wagap.org or by calling 509-493-2662. Persons seeking shelter in Klickitat County can also call WAGAP at 509-493-2662 for information.
HRPD Arrests Person On Drug Charges After Traffic Stop
The Hood River Police Department says a local resident was arrested last week after a traffic stop and being found in possession of illegal narcotics. The HRPD says in a statement one of its officers stopped the vehicle after seeing someone driving whose license was known to have been suspended. After contacting the driver, the officer noticed numerous signs of impairment. The driver consented to field sobriety tests and after the administration of the field sobriety tests, the driver was taken into custody for DUII/Controlled Substance. During a search, the driver was found to be in possession of an array of illegal narcotics, burglar tools, packaging material, scale and a concealed firearm. The driver was transported to NORCOR where he was booked and lodged.
Daytime Delays Monday On Highway 97 In Klickitat County
People traveling along Highway 97 in Klickitat County should plan ahead for daytime delays early next week. Both Monday and Tuesday, the Washington State Department of Transportation’s contractor, Combined Construction, will close a single lane in both directions of the US 97 bridge over Bickleton Highway. During the closure, crews will patch damaged areas of the bridge deck in preparation for winter weather. A single lane in both directions of the US 97 bridge over Bickleton Highway near milepost 12.5 will be closed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Traffic will alternate intermittently through a single lane with flaggers. This brief work is being done as a temporary solution until a bridge and deck rehabilitation project begins in May 2024. Once the project begins, crews will perform permanent repairs on damaged areas, overlay the deck with fresh concrete and replace guardrail runs. To keep both travelers and maintenance crew safe, travelers are asked to slow down, pay attention and use caution through the work zone.
Bridge Lifts Planned For Friday Mornings
The Port of Hood River has scheduled two weekly full-height lifts of the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge to occur between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. every Friday morning for the purpose of tensioning and testing the newly installed wire ropes on the bridge’s lift span. Port crews will perform two back-to-back full height lifts of the span, each lasting approximately 25 minutes, during that hour every Friday through May of 2024. While some traffic will be able to clear between each of the two lifts, motorists should expect significant delays in crossing during the 4 a.m. hour every Friday. The Port’s engineering firm says the objective of the lifts is to allow the ropes to work over the sheaves during operation so that the individual components of the ropes can properly seat against each other, and when rope tensioning is performed in six months they can reasonably expect the ropes will essentially be at their final state and the adjustments that are made at that time should hold well into the future.
HR Electric Co-op Advises Planned Outage On Sunday
Hood River Electric and Internet Co-op says there will be a planned power outage that will affect some members in the Odell and Pine Grove areas beginning around 11:40 Sunday morning. Some members will have brief interruptions at the beginning and the end of the work, and some will be off for up to four hours. The outage is needed so Pacific Power can repair damage on their transmission line that serves the Co-op’s substation in Odell. Affected members will receive a phone call or email from us, if we have current contact information on file. If you live in Odell or Pine Grove and depend on electrically powered life-sustaining medical equipment or battery-dependent medical devices, notify Hood River Electric & Internet Co-op.
HR URA Board Approves Heights Streetscape Implementation Plan
Hood River’s Urban Renewal Agency Board approved the Heights Streetscape preferred design and implementation plan. The plan puts projects in three groups: key circulation, small pedestrian and bicycle projects, and filling in blocks. Key circulation is the major group, and includes a roundabout at 13th and May, Belmont Road intersections with 12th and 13th Streets, a 12th Street bike connection to Pacific Avenue, and improvements to May Street. Nathan Polanski of consultant MIG said besides the obvious hurdle of funding, getting sign off from the Oregon Department of Transportation is among the bigger challenges for the project. URA board chair Mark Zanmiller said the challenge before them is to get the foundational traffic flow done.
The Dalles Police Receives Accreditation
The Dalles Police Department is now a fully accredited agency through the Northwest Accreditation Alliance. Department Chief Tom Worthy said while receiving the award during this week’s City Council meeting that the accreditation affirms a commitment to best practices in Law Enforcement and the highest ideals in public safety. In becoming accredited the department revised its policy manual, evidence handling manual, and evidence procedures, and demonstrated proof of compliance to hundreds of standards to outside law enforcement auditors. The full accreditation report can be reviewed on The Dalles Police website.
MCCAC Taking Utility Assistance Appointments
Mid-Columbia Community Action is now scheduling appointments for all household types for the December 1 opening date of its Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Community Action’s utility assistance programs help qualified individuals and families stay current on their utility bills. The agency’s Household Utility Assistance team will be scheduling appointments for assistance at their main offices in The Dalles and Hood River, along with outreach appointments in Moro, Maupin and Cascade Locks. In order to apply, call 541-298-5131, ext. 206 in The Dalles or ext. 310 in Hood River. If your call is not answered, leave a message and allow two business days for a return call. Beginning December 1 applications will be available online at mccac.com. Eligibility requirements vary depending on the size of household.
Wasco County Commissioners Talk With Kramer Field Groups
Wasco County Commissioners recently discussed Kramer Field with groups who use the baseball and softball fields in the western portion of The Dalles. Commissioner Scott Hege says some of the issues the groups have in using the facility have been a result of changes in the County’s lease agreement with Northern Wasco Parks and Recreation District led to some of the problems. Hege believes they can work through it, particularly as the likelihood of the site being used as a new hospital locations in the near future seems to have dimmed. Hege adds the long-term intention is to develop an athletic complex sometime in the future.
Mt. Hood Forest Christmas Tree Permits Available
Christmas tree permits for the Mount Hood National Forest are now available through December online, in person, and from local vendors, or from a Mt. Hood National Forest district office. Permits cost $5 per tree and households can purchase up to five per year. Permits purchased online at www.recreation.gov must be printed and displayed on the vehicle dashboard to be valid. Recreation.gov charges an additional $2.50 service fee per purchase. Traditional orange permits can also be purchased at one of the Forest’s four district offices or from a local vendor. Fourth-grade students with an “Every Kid Outdoors” pass are eligible for one free Christmas tree. To be eligible for the free tree permit, fourth graders must have an Every Kid Outdoors pass. Students can get their free permit by bringing their pass to a district office or online at Recreation.gov. For more information about Every Kid Outdoors, visit www.everykidoutdoors.gov