With the Fourth of July coming soon, that means fireworks, and fire officials are reminding those who use them to do so safely.  Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue Chief Bob Palmer points out laws regarding to fireworks differ between Oregon and Washington, but adds they all can cause fires if not used properly, and can also result in injuries as well.  When using fireworks have water nearby, put pets indoors, clean up fireworks debris, and have adults light them.

The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission has endorsed a plan to build a 570-foot tunnel and trail through Mitchell Point that resembles the tunnel that existed on the Historic Columbia River Highway before it was destroyed in 1966.  The Historic Columbia River Highway Advisory Committee had recommended the plan last month.  Oregon Department of Transportation officials say the plan is to balance open-air experiences and views with the appeal of a tunnel that nods to the past.  Adequate light within the tunnel and protection for potential falling rocks remain top challenges for engineers.  Design work for the Mitchell Point Crossing will continue through 2019 and includes acquiring a Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area permit.  The tunnel plans currently include one arched window, and the design consultant will explore adding more windows to the tunnel, further mirroring the historic 1915 tunnel with its five arched windows.  The crossing will connect to western segments of the Historic Highway State Trail and east to Hood River and The Dalles.

Building on Hood River’s Children’s Park play structure are continue through Saturday.  The structure was 85 percent complete at the conclusion of seven days of work in early June. and the goal is to finish this week.  Work is continuing today (Friday) until 8:30 p.m., and will also take place Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and volunteers are needed.  For more information go to cityofhoodriver.com.  

There was still smoke Thursday night from a small fire in the Mitchell Point area west of Hood River, but crews expect to mop that up today (Friday).  Christie Shaw of the Oregon Department of Forestry said crews had hoped to finish mop up of the one acre fire on Thursday.  But steep and inaccessible terrain slowed work.  Shaw said ropes are being used to reach those locations.  The fire that was sparked during Wednesday evening’s lightning in the area burned about one acre.

The Port of Hood River Commission authorized a contract with a consulting firm to plan an infrastructure framework for Lot 1 on the waterfront.  That’s a key step to move toward a discussion with Hood River’s Urban Renewal Agency on whether there should be public investment to establish the infrastructure to allow development of the property.  Port Executive Director Michael McElwee says that will determine how development takes place.  McElwee says they hope to have the framework back from the Walker/Macy firm by the end of the year.

Crews are dealing with a fire that started overnight near Mitchell Point.  The Oregon Department of Forestry estimated the fire is less than one acre in size.  It is burning on steep terrain not far from the footprint of last year’s Eagle Creek Fire.  Spread of the fire has been stopped.  Two ODF engines responded to the fire along with a pair of engines from the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and an engine each from the Hood River and Westsde Fire Departments.  Cause of the fire is not yet known.  The Oregon Department of Transportation temporarily closed the right eastbound lane of Interstate 84 in that area as a precaution.

About 560 Klickitat PUD customers northwest of Goldendale were affected by an early morning power outage.  Klickitat PUD says an equipment failure at the L.E. Darland substation at around 2 a.m. Thursday caused the outage.  Crews were able to replace a high-voltage primary fuse in the Substation and restore power.  The cause of the equipment failure is under investigation.  As a result, Klickitat PUD is planning a scheduled power outage this coming from Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to complete transformer testing in the substation and investigate the cause of Thursday morning’s outage.  That will again affect portions of Highway 142, the Glenwood Highway, Garrison, Turkey Ranch, Cedar Valley, Fish Hatchery, and Block House areas.

A pair of experts talked to the Port of Hood River Commission and other area elected officials about the process for putting an environmental impact statement together and financing options for a new Hood River-White Salmon Interstate Bridge.  Angela Findley of WSP Engineering and Lowell Clary of Clary Consulting outlined the range of possibilities regarding the bridge replacement effort.  Port Executive Direcror Michael McElwee says two things stood out.  One is that a new bridge won’t happen quickly, and the other is that all entities in Oregon and Washington have to work together to make a new bridge a reality, noting the attendance of Washington 14th District State Senator Curtis King was significant.  McElwee says the next step is for the Port to finalize its contract with WSP Engineering to handle the environmental impact statement process.  He expects that to happen by a Port meeting on July 24.  

There has been no change in recycling markets over the past few months since China drastically reduced the amount of contaminants they would accept in any shipment.  Jim Winterbottom of Hood River Garbage and The Dalles Disposal says they have continued to collect curbside co-mingled recyclables…take them to the Wasco County Landfill, and handle them as if they are about to be recycled in hopes of a market rebound.  But he says that won’t be sustainable for much longer, given the financial impacts of paying increased tipping fees at the landfill.  He adds there will be conversations with the nine jurisdictions they serve to see how those governments want to go forward.  Winterbottom says one of the steps they are taking is to educate customers on what can and cannot be recycled and how items should be cleaned before disposal.  He says the hope is they can clean up the recycling stream to the point where they can get it back to market.

Another set of build days for Hood River’s Children’s Park play structure are set for Thursday through Saturday.  The structure was 85 percent complete at the conclusion of seven days of work in early June, and the goal is to finish this week.  Work will take place each day from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and volunteers are needed.  Sign up at cityofhoodriver.com. There is also a need for tools to help finish the structure.  Those willing to lend their tools to the effort can drop them off at the build site today between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.  A list of needed tools is located at cityofhoodriver.com.