A proposed assisted living facility in White Salmon has been selected to receive funding from the state of Washington.  The Washington State Department of Commerce picked Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation’s White Salmon Assisted Living Facility to receive $750,000 in the 2019 Housing Trust Fund application cycle.  That would be used to leverage private investments in the development of the 52 unit assisted living facility.  CCHC will now look to obtain a Conditional Use Permit for the project.  A public hearing is scheduled in front of the Klickitat County Board of Adjustment on January 6.

By a two-to-one vote, the Wasco County Commission approved an update of land use and development ordinances passed by the City of The Dalles that includes a state-mandated provision requiring multi-family “middle housing” to be allowed on properties zoned for single-family dwellings.  The County approves City land use ordinance revisions for lands within the urban growth boundary under a joint management agreement with the City.  A presentation from County planning staff indicated the new state law applied to UGB lands.  Commissioner Scott Hege, who voted no, disagreed with that interpretation.  Oregon legislators approved the requirement earlier this year for cities with a population over 10,000.

Hood River County Commissioners have asked Sheriff Matt English and County Administrator Jeff Hecksel to develop financial figures on what it would take to increase Sheriff’s Office patrol levels.  The request came after Commissioners learned the results of an online survey of County residents on public safety services priorities as the Commission prepares to seek a public safety operations levy sometime in 2020.  Patrol, investigations, prosecutions, and emergency management topped the responses.  English and Hecksel will present their information to the Commission at a worksession on December 30.

The White Salmon Valley School District will be seeking what is now being called a “replacement enhancement” levy in February.  The enhancement levy replaces what used to be known as a maintenance and operations levy, part of the Washington Legislature’s revamp of how education is funded in the state in the wake of the McCleary decision.  The district will be running a three-year levy that would start at $2.22 per $1,000 of assessed property value, and goes down to $2.19 and $2.16 in years two and three.  Superintendent Jerry Lewis says this levy would allow the district to get back to a stable funding picture after having to dip into reserves to balance the current school year’s budget.  The levy will be on the February 11 ballot.

The Klickitat PUD Board of Commissioners has decided to realign the utility’s net metering policy with the intent of state public policy and suspend implementation of an infrastructure fee.  Net metering is a billing mechanism that credits renewable energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid.  Klickitat PUD determined in early 2018 that there was a cost created to other customers and elected to pass those costs on to net metered customers through an infrastructure fee.  The utility says discussions with customers along with the Governor’s office and the group Solar Installers of Washington reinforced that the PUD has the legal authority to assess the infrastructure fee, but also that it was not well received by many.  Klickitat PUD will no longer collect infrastructure costs for net metered customers until the legislatively set cap of 4% or the year 2029 is reached.  The change impacts an approved electric rate so it will require a public hearing process to be scheduled in 2020.

Boys Basketball

Hillsboro 64, The Dalles 56:  The Spartans built their lead to 20 points by the midway point of the third quarter and cruised to the victory from there.  Spencer Taylor led The Dalles with 22 points.

Goldendale 77, Columbia 57

Corbett 82, Stevenson 76

Days Creek 39, Horizon Christian 35 (overtime)

Lyle-Wishram 48, Klickitat-Glenwood 38

 

Girls Basketball

The Dalles 51, Scappoose 40:  Kilee Hoylman scored 19 points and Raine Codding 16 to lead the Riverhawks.  The Dalles evened their record on the season at 2-2.

Goldendale 51, Columbia 47

Stevenson 62, Corbett 47

Southwest Christian 34, Trout Lake 26

Lyle-Wishram 48, Klickitat-Glenwood 46

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Columbia River In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Improvement Act, sending it to the president’s desk to be signed into law.  The legislation would enable the Bureau of Indian Affairs to make safety and sanitation improvements at the tribal treaty fishing access sites along the Columbia River.  The bill, authored by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley and Congressman Earl Blumenauer unanimously passed in the Senate this past summer.  The 2019 spending bill instructs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to uphold its responsibility to tribes that were displaced by the construction of The Dalles Dam and to mitigate the impact of that displacement.  The act calls on the Bureau of Indian Affairs to conduct a much-needed assessment of current safety and sanitation conditions at the sites, and authorizes BIA to work on structural improvements, safety improvements, electrical infrastructure, and basic sewer and septic infrastructure.

The Gorge Owned organization will dissolve in early 2020.  The board of the Columbia Gorge Earth Center, which has been doing business as Gorge Owned, voted to make the move.  Board President Becky Brun says while their programs have been largely successful, changes in leadership and staffing, difficulty recruiting new volunteers, and a growing landscape of similarly-focused Gorge-based nonprofits and programs led to the decision.  Gorge Owned served as a fiscal sponsor for numerous programs that went on to establish their own nonprofits, including Gorge Grown Food Network, the ReBuildIt! Center, Mt. Adams Institute and Leaders for Tomorrow.  Gorge Owned’s popular Sense of Place lecture series will continue into the future, with Mt. Adams Institute staged to host the program in 2020-21.

Bingen residents will see an uptick in their water and sewer rates in 2020.  The City’s new budget calls for a ten percent increase in water rates and five percent in sewer rates.  Bingen Mayor Betty Barnes says the water rate increase reflects work that continues on their municipal system, including replacement of the city’s water reservoir, and line replacement will be done on Humboldt Street to coincide with street repairs.  Work on both projects is planned to take place during 2020.

Girls Basketball

Columbia 56, Fort Vancouver 35:  A 21-5 second quarter lifted the Bruins to the win.  Sydney Aman scored 13 points, Mya Aman 11, and Maggie Bryan 10 to lead a balanced CHS offense.

Milwaukie 81, Hood River Valley 28