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Chamber Battle Tourists’ Smoke & Fire Perceptions

Posted on by mbailey

Periods of wildfire smoke do not help to attract tourists to the region.  And sometimes it’s not actual smoke that causes a dip in visitors like this past weekend, but merely reports of fires in the Pacific Northwest.  The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Lisa Farquharson says they are constantly fighting perceptions when the word fire is mentioned in association in the Gorge.  She says they are constantly reminding potential visitors that most of the summer, fire and smoke does not prevent the Gorge from being open for business.  Farquharson adds she urges everyone in the community to have a consistent message about what is available in the Gorge and what is actually an accurate picture of smoke and fire issues in the region.

 

HR Bridge Lift Currently Inoperable

Posted on by mbailey

The lift on the Hood River/White Salmon Interstate Bridge is currently inoperable.  Port of Hood River Executive Director Kevin Greenwood says the south end of the lift would not raise during a monthly maintenance lift earlier in August.  He says the problem is in a gear box, where cotton to keep moisture out and grease in got caught up on the axle and froze the machinery up.  The unit was disassembled by a firm out of Pasco and it is now being repaired.  Greenwood was unsure of when the repairs will be finished.  He adds the lift if very rarely raised, usually only for tall sailboats a couple of times a year.

Orchard Road Work Begins; Detour In Effect This Week

Posted on by mbailey

The Oregon Department of Transportation says Tucker Road will be closed at Orchard Road just south of Hood River between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. each day this week through Thursday to allow for utility work to prepare for construction next year of safety improvements at that corner.  All through traffic must detour using Brookside drive and Indian Creek Road.  Access to homes and businesses will be open on each side of the closure area.  ODOT says the current shape of the intersection requires large freight vehicles to use more than one lane while turning, slowing traffic and creating opportunities for accidents.  The new intersection will be wider and the corner will be curved so it’s easier for trucks to stay within their land while turning, and improve the turning vehicles’ view of oncoming traffic.

White Salmon Crews Doing Vegetation Management Projects

Posted on by mbailey

White Salmon public works crews will conduct a week of vegetation management beginning Monday.  Public Works will be clearing sidewalks of vegetation or parts of trees that overhang sidewalks and streets, aiming to ensure a safe environment for students to walk or bike to school by removing vegetation that impairs the full use of the sidewalk and street.   This includes improving the line of sight and pedestrian hazard trees, primarily on N. Main and NE Estes Avenues.   A space of fourteen feet above the street surface and eight feet above the sidewalk surface will be cleared by the city.  City officials say trees can cause problems with visibility and create a hazard for drivers.  However, with proper maintenance and pruning, the trees can be an asset to White Salmon, providing shade and beauty.

 

Deschutes River To Stay Open For Steelhead Fishing This Fall

Posted on by mbailey

One of the most popular rivers to fish in the West, the Deschutes River will remain open for steelhead fishing this fall, as enough unmarked steelhead have passed Bonneville Dam.  As of last Tuesday, 24,151 unmarked summer steelhead have passed Bonneville Dam since July 1.  At least 23,100 needed to pass between July 1 and August 31 to keep the Deschutes River open past September 14.  The John Day River is likely to be open for hatchery summer steelhead this fall as fishery managers predict the river will meet its threshold of 26,000 unmarked steelhead passing Bonneville between July 1 and August 31.  Most returns to the John Day are natural origin steelhead and recreational fishing is meant to target hatchery strays before they spawn.   Check the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s permanent regulations for season dates.  Historic data shows a strong statistical correlation between passage at Bonneville Dam and abundance in tributaries like the Deschutes and John Day.  Above these threshold numbers, populations are abundant enough to not be at risk from fishing pressure.  Anglers must release unmarked steelhead but there is some mortality from catch-and-release fishing. 

TD Art Center To Feature Textile Artist In September

Posted on by mbailey

The Dalles Art Center’s September exhibition will be the first comprehensive showing of the work of an Oregon textile artist from her early years, the influence of her family to her work creating print designs for national fabric companies, to her full-circle journey into personal storytelling through memorial quilts.  Lori Mason of Portland has family roots in the Underwood area.  Memorial quilts have a long history in America, going back to the 19th Century with examples such as Elizabeth Rosemary Mitchell’s, “The Graveyard Quilt” to 20th Century quilts honoring the grief of a nation, such as the Challenger Quilt.  Mason builds on this tradition using clothing from the deceased as the material for the quilt while engaging modern symbols that bring the personality of the deceased to life.  Due to the personal nature of her memorial quilts, and because they go directly to people’s homes throughout the country and beyond, it is usually Mason’s studio work that makes it to galleries.  An opening night reception will be held on September 7, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.   An artist talk with Mason is set for September 14 at 7 p.m., and tickets are available at thedallesartcenter.org.

The Dalles URA Approves Basalt Commons Project & Funding

Posted on by mbailey

The Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency Board approved a vertical housing project that will be one of the largest public investments in the history of The Dalles.  The Basalt Commons project will be located on the former Griffith Motors auto sales lot at 523 East Third Street, which was purchased by Hanlon Development in 2017.  The existing building will be demolished. Basalt Commons will comprise of 108 apartments in a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units, while the five-story building will have ground floor commercial space.  Urban Renewal will be contributing as much as $1.73 million to the project, including direct payments to the City of The Dalles and Northern Wasco Parks and Recreation toward System Development Charges specific to the multi-unit residential aspect of the project via an Urban Renewal incentive program that encourages upper-story residential projects.  A separate direct contribution of $730,000 will help offset construction costs.  In addition, Basalt Commons is eligible for Vertical Housing Zone tax credits, providing a 10-year tax abatement of up to 80 percent for the property.  Urban Renewal anticipates recouping its investment in 13 years.  The 18-month construction period is anticipated to begin as early as summer 2024.

Interstate Bridge To Be Closed First Weekend Of November

Posted on by mbailey

The Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge will be closed to all traffic for four consecutive days on the first weekend of November for work on the wire ropes that support the bridge lift counterweights.  The closure will begin at 12:01 the morning of Friday, November 3 through 11:59 the night of Monday, November 6.  Crews from Hamilton Construction will remove, replace, and adjust the tension in the wire ropes that support the bridge lift counterweights.  The work is not weather dependent and will be underway continuously during the closure.  The new ropes have a service life of at least 30 years.  The work was originally scheduled to take place in May but fabrication delays prompted the Port to reschedule until after the fruit harvest this year.  During the weeks leading up to the closure, there will be intermittent, single-lane closures of the bridge primarily during nighttime hours as Hamilton Construction crews work to prepare for the closure.  For more information, visit the Port’s website at portofhoodriver.com.

Discovery Center/GEO Merger Opens Educational Opportunities

Posted on by mbailey

The recently announced merger of Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Gorge Ecology Outdoors is opening up educational opportunities for the Discovery Center.  Discovery Center Marketing Director Mikey Goyette says GEO has their own department within the Center’s educational department, and their looking to continue the programs GEO has offered in the last two decades along with opening up other opportunities.  An example of the possibilities is a Perseid Meteor Shower Family Viewing Party Saturday evening at 8 p.m. in the Discovery Center parking lot.

Visitors Center For Hood River Now On Cascade

Posted on by mbailey

Visit Hood River has a new location for its visitors’ center and offices.  At the start of August, the organization has moved into space in Mall 202 on Cascade Avenue in downtown Hood River, after the visitors’ center had been located at the Hood River County History Museum in the marina area for a few years.  Visit Hood River’s Hannah Settje says in just a few days in the new location, they’ve noticed an increase in the number of people coming in to the visitors’ center.  The visitors’ center move comes just weeks before two of Visit Hood River’s biggest events, the Hops Fest and the Harvest Festival, both in early October.

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