The Hood River City Council received a report at their meeting this week on intersections in the community, and six were specifically noted for potential areas of improvement to address safety concerns.  The intersections are at 12th and Belmont, 18th and Belmont, 13th and May, 20th and Cascade, 2nd and Oak, and 2nd and Cascade.  Of those six, only 18th and Belmont is controlled exclusively by the City, with the other five involving state highways and belonging to the Oregon Department of Transportation.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says they are taking steps to address some of these locations, an application for a Safe Routes For School program grant for the 18th and Belmont intersection, and they hope to have enough funds available to do improvements on 2nd and Oak.  Wheeler added the City has $750,000 in funds from ODOT for a major realignment and signal light for the intersection of Rand and Cascade.  The Council made addressing intersection safety as a goal earlier this year, and asked the staff to do more survey work with citizens to find other potential intersection problems.

Crews on the Dry Creek Fire have finished building line around the entire fire and held previously built line.  Better mapping after an infrared heat sensing flight over the fire north of BZ Corners revised the amount of acreage burned to 322.  The containment level has edged up to 15 percent, but full containment is not projected until July 24.  Operations today will focus on securing fire line, cooling scattered heat spots, and mopping up from the outer edges of the fire into the interior.  Thousands of feet of hose line will need to be plumbed to accomplish these tasks.  Highway 141 has been reopened, with a pilot car in operation north of BZ Corners between mile marker fourteen and mile marker seventeen.  The Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office closure of recreational access to the White Salmon River from BZ Corner Boat Launch north to Warner Road and Sunnyside Road is still in effect.  All evacuation notice levels are still in effect.

Klickitat County Fire District #3 says sometime late Monday night or early Tuesday morning someone broke into the district’s Cherry Lane Station 32 and stole a number of pieces of equipment. District Chief Wesley Long says firefighters arriving around 4:20 Tuesday morning at the unoccupied station to retrieve trucks needed for a small brush fire found all three vehicles had compartment doors open, equipment strewn about on the floor, and several items missing.  Among the missing items are an MSA thermal imaging camera, a Physio Control automatic external defibrillator, a Dewault extrication sawzall, chargers, and blades, three portable flashlights, and a Stihl weed trimmer.  Anyone who has information about vehicles or pedestrians in the vicinity of the Cherry Lane station late Monday night or early Tuesday morning is asked to contact the Klickitat County Sherriff’s Office immediately.  Long notes  Fire District #3 is a small agency with limited ability to fund critical equipment, facilities and other items, and having life-saving equipment stolen is difficult to comprehend and has created a huge financial burden for the district.

Hood River City Councilors approved a one percent construction excise tax similar to one approved by Hood River County one month ago.  The Oregon Legislature passed a bill in 2016 that authorizes local governments to impose the tax to help support affordable housing.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says the City ordinance has a different definition of affordable housing than the County adopted, with the City using a definition of housing affordable for those with 80 percent or less of median income rather than the County’s 120 percent.  Annual estimated revenue from the construction excise tax in the City is $165,000, with about two-thirds of that to come from residential construction and the remainder from commercial and industrial developments.

The Dalles City Council approved an ordinance dealing with siting and odor control requirements for personal marijuana grow sites.  The ordinance requires marijuana to be located in a place where the grow site cannot be seen by normal unaided vision from a public space or neighboring property, and bars odor associated with a marijuana grow from entering another property.  The provisions had initially been part of a proposed ordinance that included new separation requirements for recreational retail marijuana outlets that the Council declined to adopt in May.  Mayor Steve Lawrence says he does not know when the outlet spacing issue will come back before the Council.

The Hood River Transfer Station is closed today after a large loader struck a support beam of the three-sided cover over the station’s pad on Monday afternoon, compromising the integrity of the structure.  Hood River Garbage District Manager Jim Winterbottom says until an engineer can evaluate the damage, they have to remain closed to the public.  He hopes to have an engineer’s estimate by the end of the day and be able to open the station in some capacity Wednesday, but stressed that has yet to be determined.  Because garbage trucks are having to go straight to the Wasco County Landfill rather than the Hood River station, Winterbottom says curbside pickups may be running late today.

Mop up work continues today on a 15-acre fire that broke out Monday afternoon on Hartland Road in the High Prairie area.  High Prairie Fire Chief Tim Darland says efforts to control the fire went as well as they could have, as High Prairie, Lyle, Centerville and Rural 7 District firefighters were joined by the ZigZag Hotshots crew, and the Washington Department of Natural Resources, along with aerial resources to get the fire contained at around 10 p.m.  DNR will have one overhead and a strike team of engines, a ten person hand crew, and a tender from High Prairie Fire to continue to mop up work.  People are asked to stay out of the area of Hartland Road as there will be several personnel and fire apparatus taking up much of the road.  Darland says the blaze started when a van caught fire.

Officials have revised the size of the Dry Creek Fire downward, but full containment is a long way off.   The fire was listed early this morning at 322 acres, and the containment level edged up to 15 percent, but the estimated full containment date is not until July 24.  The fire continues to back down into drainages and make short uphill runs, if material rolls down hill.  Night operations were to hold and patrol completed line.  The fire is expected continue to move northwest, and west, in the timbered drainages.  The fire is mostly wind and terrain driven at this time.  Highway 141 remained closed from BZ Corner north to Warner Road, with a detour from BZ Corner through Glenwood to Trout Lake.  Residents located along Highway 141 north of Meyers Road and south of Pine Flats Road remain on a Level 1 evacuation notice to be ready to leave if necessary.

Officials say the Dry Creek Fire grew by only 50 acres during the last 24 hours as winds were less active at the fire location.  The fire is now estimated at about 400 acres, mainly west of Highway 141 with only minimal spotting on the east side.  Fire officials say today’s operations will focus on checking the progression of the fire in all directions, building new and securing existing fire lines, reinforcing fire anchors, and scouting existing roads.  All of the fire perimeter east of Highway 141 is 100 percent mopped up.  Hot and dry conditions will continue through the next few days, though temperatures are expected to be cooler and less windy than yesterday.   Temperatures are expected to be in the mid 70’s, with relative humidity of 30 to 35 percent and winds of 10 miles per hour gusting to 25.  Highway 141 remains closed from BZ Corner north to Trout Lake, with a detour via the BZ Glenwood Highway.  Residents located along Highway 141 north of Meyers Road and south of Pine Flats Road received door-to-door notifications yesterday that the county has issued a Level 1 evacuation notice for this area.  A Level 1 notice gives residents advance notice that a fire is burning in the area.

The Indian Creek Fire continues to smolder on the cliffs west of Eagle Creek Trail #440, and a trail closure in that area continues.  Mt. Hood National Forest officials say the fire that started last Tuesday afternoon did not increase in size over the weekend and remains at an approximate seven acres.  Firefighters continue to monitor the fire and a helicopter continues to drop water on the fire as needed.  Due to the steepness of the terrain where the fire is burning, firefighters cannot directly engage with the fire.  The fire is expected to continue to burn for the foreseeable future.  Cause of the fire has not yet been determined.  The trail and area closure includes Eagle Creek Trail #440, from the boundary with the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness to the north to its terminus at the junction with the Pacific Crest Trail.  This means that Punch Bowl Falls and High Bridge are still open, but Tunnel Falls is closed.  The closure includes adjacent trails Eagle Benson #434, Indian Springs Trail #435, Eagle Tanner Trail #433 and Tanner Butte Trail, south of Tanner Butte.  Signs are posted informing visitors that these trails are closed.  The nearby Pacific Crest Trail remains open.