The Dalles Public Works crews next week will be cleaning storm water catch basins in the downtown area.  Cleaning catch basins allows for fast drainage into the storm water conveyance system.  Crews are scheduled to work on First, Second, Third and Fourth Streets from the west side of Lincoln Street to the east side of Taylor Street.  Work will occur between 9:00 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. each night.  The overnight schedule will cause the least disruption to traffic and businesses.   The City is asking motorists to park so that the catch basins are accessible during the night work hours.    

The Columbia Gorge Education Service District has received a $100,000 grant from Google to support creating and increasing school-based mental health services for students in Wasco County.  With the grant funds from Google and additional private and public funding sources, the Columbia Gorge ESD plans to expand the role of the Whole Child Nursing Administrator to connect with outside providers to continue to expand telehealth services for students.  It will also offer a mobile health clinic in partnership with One Community Health that will visit schools in Wasco and Hood River Counties with licensed clinicians providing physical and mental health care to students   A third goal is to build an on-site school-based health center at The Dalles High School.  The ESD says surveys they have conducted found students and parents identified mental health services as the top health concern with cost, transportation, and services being too far away as the largest barriers.  

Amanda Evans has been appointed as executive director for the Mid-Columbia Health Foundation.  Evans is a lifelong resident of the Columbia River Gorge and has worked at the Foundation since 2005.  Mid-Columbia Medical Center executive director Dennis Knox says Evans brings to the role 16 years of hands-on experience managing both fundraising and operational functions at the Foundation.  During her time at the Foundation, Evans has had responsibility for development and implementation of all Foundation programs including donor recognition, communications, marketing, scholarships, financial reporting, donor relationships and staff management.  She was named Interim Executive Director in December 2020.

The Hood River Urban Renewal Agency will be considering a Westside Urban Renewal District in the next few weeks.  With two districts, Columbia-Cascade downtown and the Waterfront, expiring over the next three fiscal years, adding a Westside district would become possible under state law limiting a City to having only 25% of its land in urban renewal at one time.  Interim City Manager Will Norris says the district would follow plans for the Westside area already in place.  A consultant will do a preliminary financial analysis of what a Westside urban renewal district would bring in, and give a report to the URA board and its advisory committee on November 18.

The Port of Klickitat will hold a ribbon cutting and open house on Monday for its newly constructed building in the Dallesport Industrial Park.  Port Executive Director Margie Ziegler says they don’t yet have a tenant for the first of five buildings planned for Lot 39 in the 660-acre industrial park, but they are excited about getting some construction going at the location.  She adds they also now have a $50,000 Washington Community Economic Revitalization Board grant to conduct a feasibility study for the park, and the Port has received a $99,000 grant for water system improvements.  Monday’s open house will run from 10 a.m. to noon, with a ribbon cutting at 10:30.

While Hood River County has seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases, there has not been a spike in cases leading to hospitalizations.  The County reported 99 COVID cases for the week that ended October 8, up from 60 the prior week.  County COVID-19 coordinator Daron Ryan says the County is following national trends in seeing fewer cases resulting in hospitalizations, a sign vaccinations are preventing serious conditions.  The County is starting to plan for when COVID vaccine shots are authorized for those five-to-11 years old, and for booster shots for the Moderna vaccine when they become available.

The Strategic Investment Program proposed for Google’s construction of a new data center on former aluminum plant property in The Dalles is tentatively planned to be on the Wasco County Commission agenda at the panel’s meeting next Wednesday.  Commissioner Kathy Schwartz says that has not been finalized yet.  Schwartz points out it’s a different arrangement than Enterprise Zone agreements reached with Google on its previous three projects in The Dalles, with monies going to all of the applicable taxing districts.  Once Google had the data center completed, it would be paying up to 50 percent of the taxes that would normally be duem which Schwartz says is more than the previous Enterprise Zone deals called for.  The County Commission will post its agenda for the October 20 meeting later this week, and the SIP will also eventually go to The Dalles City Council.

Hood River County Commissioners will hold a public hearing this Monday evening on Zoom on an ordinance that would establish six staging areas for trails on Hood River County forestlands as fee parking areas requiring a permit.  Fees would be $30 for an annual pass and $5 for a daily permit.  County Forester Doug Thiesies says the parking permit plan came from the recreation trail and forest advisory committees, and is to generate revenue for continued maintenance of the trails.  There would be six parking locations the permits would cover:  Post Flats, Seven Streams, Family Man, Binns Hill, Kingsley Reservoir, and Pinemont.  The hearing will part of this Monday’s County Commission meeting, beginning at 6 p.m.

NORCOR Corrections Deputy Alicia Talley was honored by The Dalles City Council for her heroic efforts to save a young boy who was being swept away by strong Columbia River currents in July.  Talley was fishing with her daughter when she heard cries for help.  She jumped into the river and brought the boy back to safety.  Councilor Tim McGlothlin said it was an honor to make the virtual presentation to Talley.  The City of The Dalles presented Talley with a certificate of recognition and a commemorative coin.

The Dalles Main Street is being re-organized.  New Main Street Executive Director Victoria Davis told The Dalles City Council says the group’s objective is to implement a practical business plan driven by a new strategic model.  Davis said she has been going business to business to find what business owners are needing, from technical support to problem solving.  She added Main Street is also now accepting applications for new board members.