The COVID-19 pandemic has backed up some projects for The Dalles Public Works Department, but others continue on.  Department Director Dave Anderson says they’ve been able to keep business moving forward, including their annual chip sealing project and work toward securing permits for the Dog River pipeline replacement.  But he also noted the project to upgrade and install sidewalk ramps to meet American With Disabilities requirements has been delayed for a year, with the money allocated to allow for more work to be done in 2021.  Anderson added they have needed to revise how they accept bids for some projects due to the pandemic.

The Port of Klickitat announced it has cancelled the annual July 4 do-it-yourself fireworks event at Bingen Point.  The event that allowed people to use fireworks in a safe, monitored location has been a tradition since it was established in 2004.  Crowds of over 50 people are not permitted in Washington until a County is placed in Phase 4 of reopening, and Klickitat County is in Phase 2 and could not enter Phase 4 by the Fourth of July holiday even under perfect conditions.  Port Commissioners also indicated a jump in new cases that appear to be the result of Memorial Day activities were also a factor in that decision.  Port of Klickitat Executive Director Marc Thornsbury did say they look forward to holding the event in 2021.  

The Oregon Health Authority over the weekend reported an addition of ten positive COVID-19 tests in Hood River County and one in Wasco County, with Wasco County officials reporting two more in their Sunday counts.  That moved Hood River County’s total to 81 and Wasco County to 41 for the just over three months since the pandemic began.  On Sunday the OHA reported 101 new confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19, bringing the state total to 5,636.  There were also two more deaths, upping that number to 176.  In Washington, Klickitat County on Monday morning went up to 47 positive COVID-19 tests, while Skamania County remained at three.  Statewide numbers on Sunday show Washington has had 25,834 confirmed coronavirus cases, and 1,217 deaths.

The toll plaza at the Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge was recently reopened.  Port of Hood River Executive Director Michael McElwee said to do it, they had to make some operational changes, most noticeably dropping the number of people in the booth from two to one with shorter shifts, plastic shields, and continuous cleaning protocols.  McElwee also said sign-ups for the BreezeBy electronic tolling system have gone up substantially during the pandemic.

Work this week on several pavement preservation projects in The Dalles have been delayed a day by rain.  Work will now take place Tuesday through Thursday.  The chip seal projects will require short duration road closures between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at each location on the date the work is scheduled to take place.  Detours will be in place during work hours.  To view a map of the work and learn more about the 2020 The Dalles Pavement Preservation Program go to thedalles.org/transportation.

Hood River County Commission Chair Mike Oates said he wasn’t surprised by Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s decision to put a pause on approving applications for further reopening on hold for seven days, leaving Hood River County’s application to move to Phase 2 in limbo, but he also didn’t feel it was fair.  Oates said he cast the deciding vote on the Commission to not seek the Phase 2 designation last week to make sure the County had the contact tracing in place to handle the Duckwall Fruit COVID-19 outbreak, and when he voted to proceed on Monday he felt the County was ready to go, noting Brown calling it a “pause” is a generic statement.  Brown said at a press conference Friday that a noticeable increase in COVID-19 infections was cause for concern and she wanted to give state public health experts time to assess what factors are driving the spread of the virus and determine if there needs to be an adjustment in the approach to reopening.

The long-discussed replacement of the Dog River water pipeline, a three-and-a-half mile wooden pipeline that carries over half of The Dalles’ water supply through the Mt. Hood National Forest and is over 100 years old, may be finally nearing approval from the Forest Service.  The Dalles Public Works Director Dave Anderson said the Forest Service has published a draft decision related to the environmental assessment of the project.  The draft is currently into a 45-day period for objections to be filed from those who have commented earlier, and Anderson said they are probably about 90 to 120 days from getting a final decision notice from the Forest Service.

Crews will work early next week on several pavement preservation projects in The Dalles.  Work will take place Monday through Wednesday.  The chip seal projects will require short duration road closures between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at each location on the date the work is scheduled to take place.  Detours will be in place during work hours. To view a map of the work and learn more about the 2020 The Dalles Pavement Preservation Program go to thedalles.org/transportation.

The Hood River County School District announced a pair of personnel moves.  Chief Financial Officer Saundra Buchanan is retiring at the end of the month.  Buchanan has been the district’s CFO for seven years, and has agreed to work back with the district as a retiree until a suitable replacement is found.  Columba Jones was named interim principal at Hood River Valley High School to take over for Rich Polkinghorn, who moves into the district superintendent’s role on July 1.  Jones has been an assistant principal at HRV since 2018, and prior to that was a teacher in the district and the principal at Stevenson Intermediate School in White Salmon.

The Oregon Health Authority reported 178 new confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday, marking the highest daily count in the state since the start of the pandemic.  Officials said part of the reason for the increased case number is due to the expansion of testing, contact tracing, and active monitoring of close contacts along with recent workplace outbreaks.  During a Thursday media briefing, OHA Director Patrick Allen says his biggest concern is that people are thinking counties moving into phases one and two of reopening can go back to life before the pandemic, but nothing could be further from the truth.  He says residents need to continue to cover their coughs, wash their hands, stay home from work when sick, maintain physical distancing, and wear face coverings.  Allen did say the hospitalization rate of COVID-19 cases is currently at 16%, below an earlier peak of 24%, and the percentage of cases without a known source and with full contact tracing are within their benchmark goals.  The OHA numbers added one additional case each in Hood River and Wasco counties, moving Hood River’s total number up to 68 and Wasco to 35.