The Hood River Urban Renewal Agency board voted to move forward with a proposed scope of work for Phase 3 of the Heights Streetscape project.  There were some changes from what was originally envisioned for this part of the planning process, including traffic calming on 13th Street, work to design  key intersections originally planned for the second phase, east-west street and parking design, a bicycle connection to Pacific Avenue, and a decision not to conduct a demonstration project because it is not feasible.  And more Urban Renewal board and advisory meetings were added to this phase.  Board member Mark Zanmiller did say there is still the issue of needing the Oregon Department of Transportation to give its approval to any plan before spending a large amount of money on design work.  12th and 13th through the Heights are both state highways.

The Dalles City Council has voted to send back a $1.6 million federal grant for the First Street Project because it will be faster and cheaper to do the work without it.  The money was awarded to the City and the Oregon Department of Transportation in 2009, and plans for the long-delayed project are now 95 percent complete.  But a finding that reconstruction of masonry walls between Union and Washington would be necessary carried with it the potential of delaying the project to 2026.  City staff found if the grant was sent back, it would cost the City $800,000 less to build the project and it would be done two years earlier.  The Oregon Department of Transportation, which had partnered with the City on the original application for the grant, confirmed it was willing to terminate the agreement.

The new Mid-Columbia Houseless Collaborative will present to city councils and county commissions next month as it shares its vision.  Led by Mid-Columbia Community Action Council and Washington Gorge Action Programs, nearly 40 organizations, local governments, and individuals formed the Collaborative to prevent and end houselessness in the region including Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman counties in Oregon and Skamania and Klickitat counties in Washington.  The Collaborative will start its presentation tour next Wednesday before the Sherman County Commission.  They plan visits to The Dalles City Council, Hood River County Commission, Hood River City Council, Skamania County Commission, Wasco County Commission, and Bingen City Council over the next two months.  A goal for the Collaborative includes preserving existing affordable housing and supporting partners with new construction projects. By 2027 the group plans to support the construction of at least 262 affordable, accessible housing units in the five-county Mid-Columbia region, including Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman counties in Oregon and Skamania and Klickitat counties in Washington.

Boys Soccer

Hood River Valley 4, Hillsboro 2

Girls Soccer

The Dalles 3, Molalla 0

Hillsboro 6, Hood River Valley 0

Corbett 1, Trout Lake 0

Seton Catholic 4, Columbia 1

King’s Way Christian 5, Stevenson 0

Highland 4, Goldendale 0

Volleyball

LaSalle def. Hood River Valley 25-3, 25-15, 25-7

King’s Way Christian def. Columbia 25-17, 25-14, 25-20

Castle Rock def. Stevenson 25-9, 18-25, 25-11, 25-18

Goldendale def. Kittitas 3-0

The Dalles’ Julie Summers was named Tri-Valley Conference Volleyball Coach of the Year and Kennedy Abbas Player of the Year as the league its annual awards in the sport. Jeilane Stewart and Zoe LeBreton joined Abbas in receiving first team all-conference honors, while Zoe Dunn and Lydia DiGennaro were picked to the second team, and Lilly Adams was tabbed for the third team. The Dalles will host Scappoose in a first-round match in the Oregon Class 5A playoffs on Saturday. Game time has not yet been announced.

The body of a 33-year-old old Camas trail runner was found early Sunday at the bottom of a cliff.  The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office said searchers had been looking for Nicholas Wells since his wife reported him missing Friday evening after he had gone on a run on the Pacific Crest Trail and not returned.  The Sheriff’s Office says due to the terrain, cell phone tower data on Saturday was not able to provide a narrow search location, leaving searchers working a wide search area including both the Pacific Crest and Ruckel Creek trails.  But more precise location information provided late in the evening by the family allowed searchers to locate Wells at about 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning at the bottom of an 80-foot cliff, about a mile from the freeway.  Searchers confirmed he was deceased, and his body was recovered on Sunday.  The Hood River Crag Rats, Portland Mountain Rescue, Pacific Northwest Search and Rescue, Clackamas Search and Rescue, Oregon Air National Guard, and the Sheriff’s Office all took part in the search.

Fire Season for lands protected by Oregon Department of Forestry’s Central Oregon District terminated at noon Monday.   This includes lands protected under The Dalles, Prineville, and John Day Units.  Recent rain, combined with cooler fall weather has improved fuel conditions and moderated fire behavior, but ODF officials warn changing fall conditions such as dry periods and variable winds can still create circumstances where fire danger is increased, and the public is reminded to use caution in activities such as debris burning and mowing of dried grass.  Burning of slash piles or other debris from forest operations or fuels treatment projects will not be permitted until additional precipitation is received.   All slash burning from forest operations requires a permit from your local ODF office.  Check with your local fire district or ODF office for burning regulations in your area, to see if debris burning is allowed or not, including restrictions on campfires and recreational fires.  In The Dalles Unit, a burn permit from ODF or your local fire department is required for burning yard debris or using a burn barrel.

Klickitat County is closing in on having its new crisis behavioral health services program in place.  County Commissioner Jacob Anderson says they have the elements in place, waiting only on the state of Washington approving the County’s status as a behavioral health agency to move forward.  Anderson says all of the job descriptions and positions are in place along with an agreement with Beacon Health, which brings the money from the state to fund this.  Anderson adds they expect to have designated crisis responders on staff on November 7, with triage still being handled out of Vancouver.  Anderson notes in 2023, they will potentially move into substance use and outpatient treatment.  A building in Goldendale is being revamped by County Public Works for the program to be housed in.

The Hood River City Council has put out a survey seeking community input and ideas as it prepares for its annual work plan session in December.  Mayor Kate McBride says the survey is something they have been doing for some time before the annual work plan is developed.  McBride said they are holding the session so they can have both new Councilors elected in November and outgoing Councilors take part in the work plan session.  The surveys are available through November 13 on cityofhoodriver.gov, at City Hall, or by calling 541-387-5212.    

The intersection of 10th and Trevitt in The Dalles will be closed on Tuesday along with those at 11th and 12th and Trevitt that are already closed.  It’s part of the utility upgrade project on Trevitt Street that started in mid-September and will continue into November.  Throughway detours at 9th and 13th streets will remain open on Tuesday.  Crestline Construction is the contractor for The Dalles Public Works Department on the project.  The work involves replacement of sewer and storm main lines on Trevitt between 9th and 12th.  People should use detour routes for local access, and to get to Sorosis Park and Colonel Wright Elementary School.  

In celebration of Oregon State Parks’ 100th anniversary, Western Rivers Conservancy has created a new overlook installation above the John Day River at Cottonwood Canyon State Park.  It’s called Reflection Point, honoring Jon Roush, one of West’s most influential conservationists and an integral force behind the creation of Cottonwood Canyon State Park.  The site was unveiled last week and is now open to the public.  Reflection Point is a composition of inscribed basalt boulders set within the sagebrush on a rise above the John Day, with sweeping views up and down the river.  Basalt is the definitive rock of the John Day River basin, and the stones blend into the landscape, etched with words that encourage people to reflect on the importance of place and to become active participants in saving the landscapes that matter to them.