The City of Hood River has had to delay a waterline improvement project in the Sherman and Serpentine areas after they only received one bid, and it came in well over estimate.  City Manager Steve Wheeler says the lone bid was $350,000 over the engineer’s estimate.  He noted an extremely busy summer construction season made it a difficult time to put the project before bidders.  Wheeler says the City will put the project out for a bid again next year.  In other business, the Hood River City Council picked Sue Powers to fill a vacancy on the municipal planning commission.

The City of The Dalles has secured a $2,000,000 low-interest loan from Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality for construction of a generator at the municipal wastewater treatment plant to utilize methane gas from plant operations to produce electricity.  Mayor Steve Lawrence says with the loan the generator can pay for itself within ten years, and eventually help defray operation costs for the plant through savings achieved by using the power from the generator and selling excess power.  Lawrence notes the generator is being installed as part of required upgrades to the plant that are already underway.

Contract negotiations for hatchery operations in Oregon have been extended.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will extend its cooperative agreements with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for up to 120 days, as the agencies continue negotiating contracts for the Corps’ fish hatchery services in the Columbia, Willamette and Rogue river basins.  The current agreements expire on June 30.  Corps Portland District Fish Section chief Tammy Mackey says they hope to sign contracts by July 31, and the extensions keep the hatcheries operating to avoid impacts to the fish being raised in those facilities.  Since the 1950s, the Corps has paid ODFW to manage hatchery operations and provide fish production services to accomplish required mitigation for impacts to habitat by the Corps’ dams.  A 2015 review of existing agreements and federal contracting laws and regulations determined a contract, rather than a cooperative agreement, is the appropriate legal document for the Corps to purchase hatchery services.  The Bonneville hatchery is one of the facilities involved in the negotiation.

A 66-year-old man from Brookings died Monday afternoon when the motorcycle he was operating crashed while he was attempting to avoid lumber that had spilled onto Highway 35 in Hood River County.  According to the Oregon State Police, David Bruce Hall was traveling north bound on Highway 35 near milepost 62.  A preliminary investigation found a Forest Service employee was driving a pickup with a load of lumber southbound on the highway and while negotiating a curve the lumber spilled out onto the road, partially blocking both lanes of travel.  The OSP says Hall attempted to avoid the lumber, which resulted in a crash.  Hall was wearing protective equipment and lifesaving efforts were made, but Hall succumbed to his injuries.  The accident occurred around 12:50 p.m. Monday.  The investigation is on-going.  The OSP was assisted on scene by the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, Parkdale Fire Department, U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and Oregon Department of Transportation.

Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler says two insurers have agreed to offer plans next year in Klickitat County.  Kreidler said Monday that Molina Healthcare of Washington and BridgeSpan Health Company will offer plans inside the state’s health exchange in Klickitat County.  14th District State Representative Gina McCabe’s office said BridgeSpan will also offer non-exchange plans.  McCabe noted plans inside the exchange, known as Washington Healthplanfinder will make qualifying consumers eligible for premium subsidies.  According to Kreidler’s office, more than 80 percent of Klickitat County residents enrolled in the exchange receive an average monthly subsidy of $369.  Klickitat County had previously been the only one in the state where no health insurance companies had offered plans for 2018.  All rates, health plans, and coverage areas are under review by Kreidler’s office and may change before the plans are certified by the Washington Health Benefit Exchange Board on September 14.  Open enrollment for the 2018 individual market starts November 1.

The Oak Springs Fire on the Deschutes River north of Maupin is almost out.  The Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center says this morning that resources were being released from the fire that began on Saturday, and those who remain on the scene are focused on mop-up and line patrol.  No containment figure for the 375-acre fire on the west side of the Deschutes River Canyon was available.  Firefighters on Saturday evening and Sunday morning worked to take advantage of favorable conditions knowing hot temperatures Sunday afternoon would bring significant drying of fuels, and those efforts seem to have paid off.  The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.  Fire officials are reminding the public to be aware that given hot weather conditions fuels continue to dry out rapidly, and over the next couple of days the potential for lightning with little moisture makes the possibility of additional fire starts very high.

With the Fourth of July approaching, fire officials are reminding people to be very careful if they choose to use fireworks.  Hood River Fire Chief Leonard Damian points out fire danger is high as we enter into July, with springtime precipitation helping grow flammable fuels.  Damian points out those who use fireworks should do so on concrete or asphalt and away from flammable fuels like grass, and have water available to extinguish any potential sparks.  Keep in mind state laws.  In Oregon fireworks are limited to items that fly no more than 12 inches off the ground and six feet through the air.

Both The Dalles and Hood River City Councils will meet Monday evening.  A light agenda for The Dalles Council is highlighted by a presentation on the façade renovation project for Cascade Square.  That meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in The Dalles City Hall.  In Hood River the Council agenda is busier, and includes interviews to fill a vacancy on the municipal planning commission.  The Hood River meeting begins at 6 p.m. in City Hall.

The Oak Springs Fire on the Deschutes River north of Maupin held within lines on Sunday, remaining at 375 acres in size.  The Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center says firefighters on Saturday evening and Sunday morning worked to take advantage of favorable conditions knowing hot temperatures Sunday afternoon would bring significant drying of fuels, and those efforts appeared to pay off. The fire is on the west side of the Deschutes River Canyon.  Resources on the fire included rural fire protection resources from Oak Springs, two helicopters, a 20-person hand crew, the Prineville Hotshots, and three engines.  The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.  Fire officials are reminding the public to be aware that given hot weather conditions fuels continue to dry out rapidly, and over the next couple of days the potential for lightning with little moisture makes the possibility of additional fire starts very high.

The Crystal Springs Water District has a 48-hour boil water notice In effect for upper areas of Odell after a large truck ran over a fire hydrant and damaged the main line.  Fred Schatz of Crystal Springs says the accident caused a large amount of water to come out of the main line and drain water supplies in the area of Odell to the point where state regulations mandate a precautionary boil water.  Areas  under the boil order include Shute Road…Gilhouley Road…Kollas Road…Furrow Road…Willow Flat Road from the 4200 address to 4500…Chamberlain Road from 4300 to 4600…and Summit Road from 4100 to 4600.  Schatz said the boil order will be lifted once they receive results from water samples submitted for testing.