The Hood River County Commission is looking at holding in-person meetings at the County Fairgrounds in Odell.  Like nearly all governmental agencies, the panel has been conducting its meetings virtually since the COVID-19 pandemic began.  Commissioner Les Perkins said on the Mid-Columbia Today Show that with the County hoping to move to Phase 2 at the end of this week, they would have the ability to have an in-person meeting, but there would still be an Internet option available to the public.  Perkins said they were looking at the Summit building on the Fairgrounds to hold a meeting, noting it would provide sufficient room for physical distancing measures.  

A little over 52 percent of residents in Hood River and Wasco counties have responded to the 2020 U.S. Census by mail or online, but that’s under the nearly 61 percent nationwide.  Regional Census spokesperson Misty Slater said people can self-respond either online, by phone, or by mail through the end of October.  Slater says people concerned about privacy should know their personal information can never be released by the Census.  The Census process was extended by three months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  To learn more about the U.S. Census, go to 2020census.gov.

The City of Goldendale announced it has maintained its insurance rating with the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau at a Protection Class 6.  The classification follows an analysis conducted by WSRB, an independent, non-profit public service organization that has been serving the State of Washington since 1911.  WSRB uses a grading schedule and measures the fire protection capabilities of a community in four major areas by means of a point system: water supply, fire department, fire safety control, and emergency communications.  The Protection Class 6 rating will apply to all dwellings and commercial properties located within the City of Goldendale, that are within five road miles of the responding fire station and having standard fire hydrant distribution and water supply.  

Many health officials are emphasizing the need for people to stay home if they feel sick to help continue to prevent the spread of COVID-19.  Hood River County Health Department Director Patricia Elliott says that’s where they are seeing spread of the disease happen in workplaces.  She acknowledges economic stressors for the workforce is an issue as they try to change attitudes, but adds the federal government has put in place mandatory COVID-19 leave provisions.  Elliott did say they have received most of the test results taken after an outbreak at Duckwall Fruit, and now they are seeing people who were considered close contacts coming up positive.  She said those people were already counted as presumptive cases, so the total numbers don’t change.

Hood River’s Urban Renewal Agency board voted Monday night to approve a budget in the Fiscal Year 2020-21 that will not use tax increment funding as a revenue source.  Mayor Kate McBride said they are pausing collection of taxes for urban renewal from other districts for one year as many taxing entities face revenue drops as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Board member Erick Haynie noted by statue they can only do this one time, but this is the time to do it.  McBride noted Urban Renewal will collect the taxes at the end of its duration if necessary.  Hood River City Councilors also passed its municipal budget for 2020-21.

The Dalles City Council voted to move ahead with an application to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department for a grant to assist in development of a public plaza on Federal Street.  OPRD’s Local Government Grant Program allows the City to seek up to $75,000, with a local match of $30,000 required.  Applying for the grant would not compel the City to do the project, for which funds are allocated in both the City and Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency budgets in the upcoming fiscal year.  Community Development Director Steve Harris told the Council the state’s COVID-19 related budget issues make learning whether they would receive the funds an unknown.  Public design workshops were held this past February to solicit comments on potential design elements and programming needs for a public plaza.   A final design concept will come before the City Council and Urban Renewal at a later date.

Hood River County Health Department Public Health Officer Dr. Christopher Van Tilburg said increased testing is a big reason why its COVID-19 cases are going up.  Van Tilburg noted the number of tests they did last week were way up, and now they are testing asymptomatic patients.  He notes in a Facebook video the County has been working with agricultural sector businesses, and felt those employers have been doing a good job at efforts to minimize contagions.  Van Tilburg noted as the County looks at moving into Phase 2 of reopening, his biggest concern is social and recreational group gatherings.  Van Tilburg says people still need to wash their hands, wear a mask or face covering in public, keep practicing physical distancing measures with people not in your household, and stay home if sick.

The Dalles Public Works has begun installation of a stormwater sewer main on East 10th Street between Clark and J streets.  Construction is expected to take until next Tuesday.  Full road closures will be in effect 24 hours a day but, but the street will be open over the weekend.   No parking within the work area will be allowed during work hours due to heavy equipment use and the location of the trench.  A detour to East 11th Street will be in place when East 10th St. is closed.  Local access for homes within the work zone will be arranged.  Motorists are encouraged to minimize through traffic and use alternate routes when possible.  Construction is scheduled from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekdays.

By a 3-2 vote, Hood River County Commissioners decided to send a letter to Oregon Governor Kate Brown to request the County be allowed to move to Phase 2 of reopening on Friday.  The move was made in spite of a continued increase in COVID-19 cases in the County, with County Health Director Patricia Elliott putting the latest count at 61 positive tests and six presumptive cases.  But Elliott said all of the new cases in the last week have been connected to outbreaks at agricultural facilities, there still has only been one COVID-19 hospitalization in the County, and they have been able to keep up with contact tracing.  She felt there would be very little difference between being in Phase 1 or Phase 2.  Commission Chair Mike Oates, who had voted no on sending the letter last week, joined Bob Benton and Karen Joplin in voting yes on Monday, saying his concerns about being able to keep up with tracing have been addressed.  Les Perkins and Rich McBride voted no, with Perkins saying he was concerned about the gathering limitations being too high, but County legal counsel indicated if local officials tried to have tighter restrictions than the state they could be open to constitutional challenges.

Klickitat County officials say its jump of 16 COVID-19 cases in nine days are linked back to the Memorial Day weekend and increased community activity.  A statement from the County’s Emergency Management and Health Department on Tuesday said a few of the cases are linked to known outbreaks in Oregon as well.  They add the cases have been a low risk to the county based on rapid case investigation and management done early in Oregon and with the help of the residents choosing to isolate.            Some of the other positive cases have been linked to previous close contacts which were able to be addressed very quickly through contacting all close contacts and asking them to self-quarantine.  The other remaining cases have been traced to travel to other counties and states.  Klickitat County officials note they entered phase 2 in Washington just one week ago and have yet to see the impact on case activity from that factor.  They expect to see increasing case activity simply due to the increased risk of more businesses and activities opening up.  They also stressed the importance of taking proper health and hygiene precautions to reduce COVID-19 activity.