The Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency board formally declared an emergency to authorize staff to proceed with the partial demolition of the westerly portion of the Recreation Building in downtown The Dalles.  Under the declaration, the board directed staff to select a contractor with experience in this kind of controlled demolition.  The URA has received three bids that were solicited by Todd Carpenter, who was attempting to rehabilitate the building.  Two were from residential contractors and one was from a commercial contractor.  The declaration also calls for a two million dollar liability bond and a performance bond.  The roof of the western end of the building, which was the portion that housed a bowling alley, and its supports have buckled.  Community Development Director Steve Harris said the roof would be removed in segments, and take the building down to street level.  He added engineers agree the main floor at street level and the basement are in good condition.  Chuck Gomez, owner of the adjacent Granada Theatre, asked for some relief from the barricades that have closed the sidewalk on that side of 2nd Street, noting he has had to close the theatre’s café, and a show scheduled there Saturday night’s needs access to the alleyway that is currently blocked.  Harris said that issue will be looked at.

The City of White Salmon will institute a water usage moratorium next Thursday, September 19 to facilitate water main repairs.  The moratorium will be for 13 hours starting at 8 a.m. on September 19.  The water moratorium does not affect drinking, cooking or water for flushing toilets.  It will include irrigation, car washes, laundry, and showers.  All irrigation systems need to be turned off by Wednesday evening, September 18.  Water should be used for essential purposes only.  Restaurants and other commercial establishments that use water for their business are asked to reduce water where possible.  The City of White Salmon is repairing the city’s 14-inch water main that brings water to the city from its water sources. This line needs to be shut down for repairs.  For additional information, please contact City Administrator Pat Munyan at 509-493-1133, ext. 202.

Cross Country

Columbia finished third in both the boys and girls standings at the LaCenter Jamboree to kick off the season.   The Bruins’ Jacob Lockman won the boys’ race, while Joules Hope finished fourth for CHS in the girls’ run.

Boys Soccer

Columbia Adventist 1, Trout Lake 0

Army Corps of Engineers officials in Portland say the Bonneville Dam navigation lock will allow vessels to pass through the lock beginning at 10 a.m. on September 30. The navigation lock was closed last Thursday after lock operators detected problems with the lock during operation. Engineers “dewatered” the lock on Friday and discovered the downstream concrete sill, a structure against which lock gates create a water-tight seal, had cracks. The Corps then closed the lock to vessels on the river. According to the Portland District engineering team, the damage they observed was unusual, and the annual inspections of the dam, last performed January 2017, did not reveal any abnormalities. Work on the lock will include demolition, drilling holes for rebar, forming the new sill structure and allowing time for the concrete to cure. The Bradford Island Visitor Center and recreation areas on Bradford and Robins islands are closed due to the lock issue. The fish hatchery at Bonneville is unaffected by the navigation lock and open to visitors, and the Corps’ Washington Shore Visitor Complex is also open. Corps’ Portland District Commander Col. Aaron Dorf says teams will work around the clock to construct the new sill and reopen the lock.

The Port of Hood River is considering ways to make the dock system in the Nichols Basin safer and more efficient.  Currently the dock is comprised of two separate floats purchased by the Port when Maritime Industries declared bankruptcy in 2012.  Port Executive Director Michael McElwee says the basin is heavily used in the summer, and this project entails a longer, wider, and safer ramp with a stronger attachment to the seawall.  The Port has budgeted $60,000 for the project in the current fiscal year’s budget, and McElwee says early quotes they have received have been well below that figure.

When The Dalles Community Action Team will be headed to Washington, D.C. next week for its half-yearly visit, one of the topics will be the long-discussed issue of allowing for an expansion of The Dalles urban growth boundary within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.  Wasco County Commissioner Scott Hege says the need for it is greater than ever, especially with a focus on buildable land to create employment.  He notes a 2013 study the City of The Dalles had done showed they were short of the state-required 20-year supply then, and Hege adds they are in a tighter squeeze now.  Hege says they will be asking the area’s representatives for help to move the issue through the Columbia River Gorge Commission.

The removal of a sunken tug boat on the Columbia River just downstream of Bonneville Dam will begin on Friday and continue through the weekend.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving will take part in the work.  A crane barge will be anchored and set-up on Friday, and divers will anchor the barge on the upstream side of the Tug DIANE and lower a current screen in place to protect divers from the high current.  Divers will remove any remaining fuel on the DIANE and install lifting chains on Saturday.  The crane will lift and remove the Tug DIANE on Sunday.  The Coast Guard will establish a safety zone around the operation and will have two boats on site during removal efforts to monitor operations.  The Bonneville Power Administration will be reducing daytime flows out of Bonneville Dam during the work.

Mid-Columbia Employment First is planning a community carnival next week for employers, future emploees, and agencies who support people with barriers to employment.  Mid-Columbia Employment First is made up of a group of agencies that partner with the state of Oregon to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities find employment in their communities.  Eastern Oregon Support Services Brokerage executive director Laura Noppenberger says they hope to bring together potential employers and employees in a fun environment with food, games, and music.  The event will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 19 in the Sorosis Park Pavilion.

Boys Soccer

Milwaukie 2, The Dalles 1

Volleyball

Goldendale def. Columbia 25-17, 25-18, 25-22

Echo def. Dufur 19-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-18, 15-11

South Wasco def. Sherman 25-16, 25-14, 25-19

Hood River City Councilors approved street and pedestrian frameworks for the Westside Area Concept Plan along with municipal planning commission recommendations that would allow staff to begin an update of the city’s transportation systems plan.  City Planning Director Dustin Nilson says the next step is to take the recommendation list and go through a scoping process involving the City Council, Public Works, the Oregon Department of Transportation, and the Department of Land Conservation and Development.  For the Westside Concept Plan itself, the next framework to be addressed will be parks and open space, which Nilsen says is in line with the parks master plan process currently involving the City, County, and Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation District.  The land use aspects of the concept plan will come after that.