The Hood River County School District is talking with the Hood River County Health Department and One Community Health about offering COVID-19 vaccination clinics as the vaccines become available for younger children. District Superintendent Rich Polkinghorn said there are no definitive plans as of yet. Polkinghorn adds a high percentage of the County’s students that are eligible to receive the shots have done so: 64% of those age 12-18. Polkinghorn says the Oregon Department of Education hasn’t yet issued any kind of guidance on what kind of metrics will be used to determine when school COVID restrictions can be eased.
The White Salmon Planning Commission will conduct a workshop Wednesday evening on short-term rental regulations. The White Salmon City Council last week extended a moratorium on new short-term rentals while regulations are developed. Mayor Marla Keethler noted STR’s have a place in the community and the local economy, but there is a necessity for some controls based on four key factors: location, duration, quantity, and occupancy. Wednesday’s Planning Commission meeting will be held on Zoom beginning at 5:30 p.m. Go to white-salmon.net for log-in information.
Regulated-Use Closure restrictions within Oregon Department of Forestry’s Central Oregon District will ease beginning at 12:01 Wednesday morning. There will be no change to the activities restricted, including prohibiting all open fires. The primary change to the Closure is restriction of activities such as mowing of dried grass and chainsaw use between the hours of 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. District Forester Mike Shaw said recent moisture and cooler temperatures has reduced fire danger across the District, but warmer than average temperatures are forecast for the next week or more with no expected precipitation. The lack of precipitation, combined with drought conditions and extremely dry fuels continues to keep the risk of wildfire ignition elevated even as we transition to fall. Fire Season remains in effect with debris burning, including burn barrels, not allowed at this time.
Mid-Columbia Medical Center has appointed Camie Overton as its chief operating officer, effective immediately. Overton joins the hospital’s executive leadership team and will report directly to MCMC President and CEO Dennis Knox. Overton brings to MCMC extensive hospital leadership experience, most recently serving as chief executive officer at Curahealth Tucson Hospital in Arizona. She previously served as vice president and interim CEO of Yuma Regional Medical Center where she led multiple service lines, including cardiac, orthopedics, women and children programs, oncology and all related ambulatory operations. At MCMC Overton will assume responsibility for all acute care and ambulatory care operations.
Hood River County Health Department Director Trish Elliott says they have seen a slight drop in the number of daily active COVID-19 cases over the last several days. Elliott told County Commissioners on Monday that they are hoping this is the beginning on a downward trend after dealing with a surge in cases dating back to July. Elliott said of the current 43 active COVID cases in Hood River County, 21 percent are people under the age of 18. Elliott added the health department is getting ready for a busy fall as youngsters become eligible for COVID vaccination, flu shots become available, and there is usually a peak of people seeking routine vaccinations at this time of year.
Meta Loftsgaarden will be the new Mt. Hood National Forest Supervisor. Pacific Northwest Loftsgaarden joins the Forest Service from the State of Oregon where she is currently the Executive Director for the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. Prior to that, she worked for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service on partnership and policy issues including farmland protection, working forestland easements, and strategic conservation. She will begin working in her new position in early October.
NW Natural crews this will be working this week and into next week on NE Tohomish Street in White Salmon between NE Estes and Main as phase two of a pipe system upgrade project continues. NE Church St, between Jewett Boulevard and NE Tohomish, will be closed during the remainder of the construction project. Parking access is for local tenants only. There will be intermittent single-lane traffic on Main at the intersection of NE Tohomish when crews are working there. Flaggers will be on site to direct traffic. Paving is scheduled for Thursday on Jewett Boulevard from Grandview to NE Estes, then up NE Estes towards NE Tohomish. Flaggers will also be there directing traffic.
The Port of Hood River is considering whether to install some kind of aviation tracking technology at the Ken Jernstedt Airfield to track takeoffs and landings at the airport. Port Executive Director Michael McElwee says their Airport Advisory Committee is considering doing a fairly informal tracking project, using available software that would track much of the activity, but not planes with certain types of transponders. McElwee said another element would involve setting up a small camera and use the images produced to get a sense of what kind of planes are using the airfield and whether they are local or from out of the area, and the times they are using the airport. He adds by aggregating the data over time, they should get a good idea of the kind of use the airfield is receiving, and the impacts from that.
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