Hood River city and county officials are exploring the possibility of partnering on a facility that would replace the County Courthouse as well as provide a new headquarters for municipal police.  The City is planning to put a proposal before voters in November 2021 to build a new police station, while the courthouse graded out as the worst in Oregon for safety in a study by the state a few years ago.  Assistant City Manager Will Norris made a presentation at the County Commission’s Monday meeting, and the panel was receptive to exploring it further.  County Administrator Jeff Hecksel said staff will continue the dialogue, and provide a cost estimate to further planning work on a combined facility.

A memorandum of understanding between local agencies in Oregon and Washington should be ready soon to address replacement of the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge.  It will formalize the working arrangement between the cities of White Salmon, Bingen, and Hood River, Hood River and Klickitat counties, and the Port of Hood River.  Port Executive Director Michael McElwee says they’ve been meeting about every two weeks to work through the time frames for various requests that will be made to state legislatures.  That panel would become the lead group in achieving a replacement of the bridge.

Hood River County Commissioners think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to add a ballot box or two in the Mid- or Upper Hood River Valley, but there isn’t the time or resources to do it for the upcoming election.  The County received requests for additional ballot drop boxes in the Parkdale and Odell areas.  County Records and Assessment Director Brian Beebe told the Commission it was the first time in his eleven years to receive such a request, but in a report pointed out numerous logistical challenges and expenses that would be required.  Commissioners felt there was not time to add ballot boxes for November, with Commissioner Karen Joplin saying rushing such a move could cause more problems.  Commissioner Les Perkins said it’s always a good idea to look at how to make voting easier for people, but it’s too close to the current election to try to add locations.  

The Big Hollow Fire in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest about 15 miles northwest of Carson was remained at 15% containment as of Tuesday morning.  It has burned 24,788 acres, but over the last 24-hours the fire has shown little movement.  Slow creeping along the slope and ridgeline above the Wind River Highway has been observed.  All other portions of the fire are in the patrol and monitor stage, with clean-up still being conducted.  At Government Mineral Springs, where a Level 3 evacuation order remains in effect, fire crews were continuing to patrol and monitor the situation.  Light precipitation is expected over the fire area Tuesday afternoon.  Closure orders on National Forest System lands, roads, and trails within the Mount Adams Ranger District and the Siouxon Block and Merrill Lake Natural Conservation Area remain in effect.

Hood River County reopened its forestlands for all recreational uses on Monday, with the exception of those prohibited under Oregon Department of Forestry regulations.  The County closed the forest on September 11 in the midst of extreme fire danger.  County Administrator Jeff Hecksel said County Forester Doug Thiesies made the recommendation to reopen, based on cooling weather patterns and forecasts for precipitation this week.  Hecksel did emphasize a fire ban remains in effect for the County forestlands.

The Oregon Health Authority is planning a trio of COVID-19 testing community events in Hood River County next week.  County Health Director Trish Elliott told County Commissioners during a report on COVID testing that the events are planned for September 29 in Cascade Locks, September 30 in Parkdale, and on October 1 at River of Life Assembly in Hood River.  Some Commissioners have pushed for more testing, even though on a per-capita basis Hood River County has some of the highest testing rates in Oregon.  County Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg said as far as the availability of tests, the County is in a good place, but added while testing asymptomatic patients is a good thing, it’s not his top priority, saying ideally you have to test people after they’ve been infected and replicating the virus, which is about four to six days after exposure.  Elliott pointed out there is work taking place on a statewide level on a regular testing framework.

The Washington State Department of Transportation says travelers who use Washington Highway 14 near Carson may experience delays with the start of work to improve the stability of two roadside slopes.  Work began Monday to stabilize two separate slopes located alongside SR 14, just west of Wind River Road, in Skamania County.  A large rock about three feet in size fell from one of the slopes in December 2013, blocking both lanes of the highway.  Crews will perform debris and tree removal, rock scaling, and installation of rock dowels into the hillside to secure the face of the rock slopes.   Once the rock dowels are in place, crews will add a layer of a concrete material against the surface of the slope.  There will be daytime, single lane closures on both directions of Highway 14 throughout the project, which is to be completed this fall.  During late September, there will be full roadway closures of about 45 minutes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for rock scaling work, beginning at the top of each hour, with a 15-minute window to clear stacked up traffic.  

Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day, as people are encouraged to vote in the upcoming election.  Wasco County Clerk Lisa Gambee says one of the easiest ways in Oregon to register to vote is going to the state’s election website, oregonvotes.gov.  Deadline to register for this year’s election is October 13.  Gambee is emphasizing people should check their registration and make sure they have the correct address.

Fire crews in The Dalles area dealt with a pair of fires on Saturday afternoon.  Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue, Mosier Fire District, the Oregon Department of Forestry, and Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area firefighters dealt with a brush fire on Seven Mile Hill near Mountain View.  Forward progress of the fire was stopped fairly quickly.  The fire was under investigation, but MCFR said it is not considered suspicious in origin.  Meanwhile, MCFR and Dallesport-Murdock firefighters responded to a reported structure fire on West 10th near Walnut.  Crews attacked the fire from both 9th and 10th Streets to suppress it.  MCFR says neighbors helped evacuated the home before firefighters arrived, and no injuries were reported.

The City of The Dalles is addressing properties with dry vegetation issues that could be a fire hazard. City codes enforcement officer Nikki Lesich says they will continue to send compliance letters to property owners within 24-hours of properties identified with overgrown, dry vegetation that are a fire hazard on both commercial and residential properties.  When removing weed vegetation, property owners should remove the vegetation first and then apply chemicals for weed control, as spraying chemicals on tall, dry vegetation prior to cutting increases fire hazards.  Puncture vine, also known as goat head, also is a problem.  Property owners are asked not to mow or use a weed trimmer to remove puncture vine as it will spread seeds and increase growth of this noxious vegetation.  When removing puncture vine dig up and bag plants carefully, dispose of them, and then spray with a chemical control for puncture vine to reduce spreading.