The Port of Hood River Commission has authorized approaching the City about establishing a formation of a single-property Urban Renewal District for Development of Waterfront Lot 1. That would allow the City to close out the current 109-acre Waterfront Urban Renewal District, while the Lot 1 URA would only be nine acres in size. Consultant Elaine Howard told the Commission she feels it’s the best solution available to allow the Port to move forward on public improvements for the property west of the Nichols Basin. If the City agrees to the single-property district, it would generate $1.7 million in tax increment financing over ten years to pay off Lot 1 project costs the Port would incur upfront. The city would be able to use the majority of the current Waterfront acreage for a potential new urban renewal area on the West Side.
Anderson Gives Update On Dog River Project
The Dalles City Council got an update on the Dog River Pipeline project during their first meeting of 2023. Public Works Director Dave Anderson says progress was good before winter weather settled in, noting nearly 6,000 feet of pipe was constructed and is in service. The project site is currently under snow, and work will resume in the spring. Anderson gave the update as the Council awarded the last contract for the project, to construct fish screening and passages systems at the intake of the new pipeline. Dog River has coastal resident cutthroat trout in it, designated as a sensitive species in Oregon.
Mayors Continue Tradition At HR Council Meeting
It was a fairly quick first meeting of the year for the Hood River City Council, highlighted by the swearing in of new Councilors Grant Polson and Doug Stepina along with Mayor Paul Blackburn. Blackburn returns to the post he left four years ago when his family moved out of the area. Outgoing Mayor Kate McBride continued what has become a Hood River tradition, giving Blackburn a book of Robert’s Rules of Order that former Mayor Arthur Babitz initially gave Blackburn ten years ago with small piece of advice written into it, who then gave it to McBride with another line when she took the gavel. In returning to Blackburn, McBride said she wrote “diverse opinions make balanced government.” Blackburn was initially mayor from 2014 to 2019.
Merkley Town Halls Scheduled For Friday
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley will host a trio of town halls in the region on Friday. He will start at Rufus City Hall at 10:30 Friday morning, move on to the Fort Dalles Readiness Center at 1 p.m., and finish up at Hood River Middle School at 4 p.m. Merkley’s office says the Senator will update constituents on his work in Washington D.C. at all three town halls, along with answering questions and inviting suggestions on dealing with the challenges facing Oregon and America.
Trafficking Walk Planned Wednesday
The Mid-Columbia Human Trafficking Task Force will hold a Human Trafficking Awareness Walk on Wednesday in The Dalles. Task Force Coordinator Shannon-Marie O’Brien says trafficking happens in this area, in the form of movement via Interstate 84 in the Gorge and Highway 97 to the Bend area, the purchasing of sex, and labor trafficking. O’Brien says the walk is part of their attempt to educate people about the existence of human trafficking in this area. Those who would like to take part in the walk can meet at HAVEN on 420 East 3rd in The Dalles at 11 a.m. Wednesday. The walk will take place at noon.
January 9 Prep Basketball Scores
Boys Basketball
LaSalle 50, Hood River Valley 46: The Falcons used a late fourth quarter run to grab the win in a game that saw neither team lead by more than six points. Nick Robertson led LaSalle with 19 points. Sawyer Clemett scored 14 points and Zak Poole 12 for HRV.
Girls Basketball
LaSalle 68, Hood River Valley 26
Federal Spending Bill Includes Funds For Assisted Living Facility
The recently approved federal omnibus spending bill includes $2.5 million for Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation’s planned Assisted Living Facility in Western Klickitat County. CCHC officials says the award is intended to leverage additional capital from U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development and the state of Washington construct the facility. Klickitat County acquired a seven-acre parcel near White Salmon and immediately leased the property to CCHC, which has advanced predevelopment and design efforts for the 52 unit facility where 16 units will provide memory care services and the remaining 36 dedicated to assisted living. Not less than 25% of the development will be affordable to households earning at or below 50% of the area median income. CCHC Board Chair Paul Blackburn said in their ideal scenario, they will break ground for construction in August and open the facility a little over a year later.
HR County Courthouse Security Entrance Finished
The Hood River County Courthouse’s new vestibule for entry has been finished. County Administrator Jeff Hecksel says those entering the Courthouse will continue to enter via the lower door east of the historical main entrance, and will now go through a security portal with a body scanner and x-ray machine for belongings. Hecksel says the equipment and personnel for the security entrance was paid for through the local option levy passed by County voters in 2020.
Training On Broadband Map Planned For Wednesday
A special training is scheduled in White Salmon on Wednesday to help people learn more about Friday’s federal deadline for people to review the online National Broadband Map, which attempts to identify current levels of broadband access for individual households across America. These levels of service will help determine the portion of more than $42 billion in federal broadband funding available in each state over the next five years to support improving broadband access. But it isn’t easy to use the map, even if you have access to the internet. Mid-Columbia Economic Development District and the Snowden Community Council are organizing a public training Wednesday evening from 6:15 to 7:30 in the White Salmon Community Library. MCEDD Deputy Director Carrie Pipinich will show people how to access the federal mapping website and compare its information with their real-world experience. The map indicates internet upload and download speeds and service providers regardless of whether people are relying on satellite, copper cable, cell tower, cable or fiber. People are encouraged to bring their own laptops to the training. Instructions on how to access the National Broadband Map are posted at www.mcedd.org and https://snowdencommunity.org/.
January 6-7 Prep Sports Roundup
Boys Basketball
Hood River Valley 70, Milwaukie 68 (OT)
Willamette 59, The Dalles 36
Columbia 46, Castle Rock 40
Stevenson 47, Tenino 42
South Wasco 61, Dufur 46
South Wasco 78, Horizon Christian 43
Horizon Christian 63, Trout Lake 40
Trout Lake 71, Klickitat-Glenwood 43
Condon 52, Sherman 47
Lyle-Wishram 48, Klickitat-Glenwood 46
Dufur 69, Lyle-Wishram 49
Cle Elum-Roslyn 77, Goldendale 31
White Swan 76, Goldendale 72
Girls Basketball
Milwaukie 51, Hood River Valley 30
King’s Way Christian 41, Stevenson 30
Stevenson 43, Tenino 23
South Wasco 89, Dufur 14
South Wasco 58, Horizon Christian 33
Trout Lake 48, Horizon Christian 18
Trout Lake 59, Klickitat-Glenwood 16
Dufur 52, Lyle-Wishram 22
Klickitat-Glenwood 50, Lyle-Wishram 18
Sherman 42, Condon 30
Cle Elum-Roslyn 45, Goldendale 36
White Swan 48, Goldendale 45
Boys Wrestling
The Dalles’ Julian Morehouse was fourth at 170 pounds as the Riverhawks’ finished 19th as a team at the Don York Tournament at Cleveland High School in Portland.
Columbia’s Sawyer Muehlbauer won the 170 pound division at the Battle of the Bridge Invitational at Hockinson High School.
Goldendale’s Brock Armstrong won three of five matches at 120 pounds at the Gut Check Invitational in Kent
Girls Wrestling
Hood River Valley’s Lauraine Smith took fourth at 155 pounds and Goldendale’s Kali Watson sixth at 130 pounds at the Kelso Invitational.
Swimming
Hood River Valley’s boys and girls swept a three-school Northwest Oregon Conference meet over Wilsonville and Putnam.
Michael Cole, Lydia DiGennaro and Carter Randall had multiple first place finishes for The Dalles at a meet in Baker.