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About Columbia Gorge news. (The Dalles, OR) 2020-current | View Entire Issue (June 2, 2021)
8 Wednesday,June2,2021 Columbia Gorge News www.columbiagorgenews.com Community Cleanup a success Jacob Bertram ■ By Columbia Gorge News At long last, the Rotary Club of Bingen and White Salmon and Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce held the 2021 Community Cleanup event last weekend. The cleanup event, which ran Friday and Saturday, saw volunteers at drop-off sites greet visitors, lift and carry materials as well as make their way through the com- munity, hoisting unwanted items to drop-off sites — and saw visitors to the event dropping off bulky waste or recycling items and gathering such materials for repurpos- ing or reusing. The cleanup event had stations for yard waste, electronics recycling, scrap metal, and among others, “freecycling,” which allowed visitors to grab items they felt were able to be repur- posed or reused in some way. Bingen-based thrift shop Second Hand Rose as well as the Gorge Rebuild-It Center provided valuable support, organizers said, by picking through materials to identify which could be reused or repurposed and sold, in an effort to ensure valuable items don’t just go to waste. Said organizer and Rotarian Tammy Kaufman, " We want to thank every- one who participated in this year's event! It was amazing to get back to business fol- lowing last year's cancelation due to the pandemic. We were all happy to help clean the community and have the opportunity to see one another in person again." Organizer and Rotarian Pamela Zachary-Morneault said that the event was designed to provide people a place to bring items for which they no longer have a use, and for community mem- bers to come together and identify what materials can be reused or repurposed so that it doesn’t add to common waste. “So much of what comes in comes out,” Zachary- Morneault said. Bicycles for example, are a common item that organizers see each year dropped off by community members, which gives anyone a chance to dig through and find any that can be repurposed or repaired. “It’s just a random array of things that come down there, but so much of it does find a new home instead of going into the landfill, and that’s just the bottom line,” said Tammara Tippel, organizer and Mt. Adams Chamber of Commerce executive director. It was the first year since 2019 that the cleanup com- mittee was able to organize and host such an event; last year’s program was can- celed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The cleanup committee met Tuesday to discuss some preliminary findings from last weekend. Tippel told the group, including Rotarians Zachary-Morneault, Dale Connell, Bruce Bolme, Shari Bosler, and Kaufman, that the group recorded 690 volunteer hours between committee meetings and volunteer work through the weekend, a num- ber which was at the lower end of her estimate. While the results from last weekend’s program are still being processed by the orga- nizers, Tippel did have some interesting insights to share at the meeting. Tippel said 158 tires were donated to the program, a vast increase from 47 tires collected in 2019. Funnily enough, Connell noted that this year was the first year that the cleanup crews did not hoist away a box TV set. Through their work last week- end, so many items were able to find a new home, from an old point of sales system donated by Everybody’s Brewing to sound systems and everything in between. Tippel said she is planning to release a survey, coming soon, to send to partici- pants to record feedback on multiple aspects of the event, including whether to continue organizing future programs to be held in May, or to plan for a return during April, when it was tradition- ally held. All together, the event raised around $5,600 for the Rotary club, Tippel said. Food for volunteers was provided by Ayutlense Family Mexican Restaurant, El Valle Mexican Restaurant, and EAT 14. Sponsors for the program included Beneventi's Pizza, Mt Adams Orchards, Harvest Market, Everybody’s Brewing, Taqueria el Rinconcito, Feast Market and Delicatessen, North Shore Cafe, Pixán Taqueria and Cantina, Carmen’s Kitchen and Murphy’s Family Watering Hole. "Community Cleanup is the largest annual hands- on event for our White Salmon - Bingen Rotary Club. Proceeds from the event support our direct costs and planning for next year. Any remaining funds go to the club's other community service areas like our literacy programs, youth exchange, and the holiday Tree of Joy," said Kaufman. "We wel- come anyone interested in participating to contact us at rotary.club.323@gmail.com or join us for a regular weekly meeting held on Tuesdays at Noon." Above, volunteer and Bingen City Clerk/Treasurer Cheyenne Pantoja-Wright operates an excavator last weekend at Community Cleanup. Middle left, volunteers at the yard waste station load up a trailer Friday afternoon. Middle right, volunteer driver Dale Connell guides volunteer Travis Cieloha to a drop-off site. Bottom left, volunteer Rick George greets a visitor. Bottom right, Pantoja-Wright stays cool, calm and collected while volunteering with Community Cleanup. Photos courtesy Tammy Kaufman/Rotary Club of Bingen-White Salmon HRVHS instructor receives statewide community works award Hoppe ■ By For Stephanie Hood River County program, started with School District a remod- el project Peter Lawson, Hood River where Jack Valley High School (HRVHS) Miller, a pro- community works instruc- gram volun- teer, taught tor, received the Statewide Peter Lawson students Excellence Award at the construction skills. At that annual Oregon Statewide time, the program included Transition Conference in six students, compared to the May. Lawson has led the community works program at current 89 students. Lawson said one key HRVHS for the past five years, component of the program’s building a classroom with success has been getting students from a decommis- students off campus and sioned fire station. applying what they are The Community Works learning. The community Program at HRVHS, which works program resides in a is a part of the Career and city-owned building on the Technical Education (CTE) Home is where you feel it. Independent Living Assisted Living Memory Care Respite Care 541-298-5656 3325 Columbia View Dr., The Dalles FlagstoneSeniorLiving.com Heights in Hood River. The fire department occupied it but was not using it. The City of Hood River, Hood River Fire Department, and Hood River County School District (HRCSD) worked together to create a Maker’s Space for the students to learn and apply what they are learning. HRCSD provides trans- portation for students from HRVHS to the firehouse building each day. There are three class periods offered daily, and some students at- tend two of those three class periods depending on their course schedule and require- ments. Students enrolled in these courses range from at-risk to high-achieving. Community volunteers are an important part of the program, offering their time and expertise every week. Students identify both indoor and outdoor projects they are interested in, includ- ing building skateboards, making stained glass, learning how to stucco, basic electrical, making jewelry, screen printing, and building garden beds. Lawson said the community also helps by donating supplies for stu- dents to use as a part of these projects. Lawson began his career in education as a special educa- tion teacher. He has worked for three school districts, including HRCSD. At each of these school districts, his focus has been on helping students build vocational skills. To learn more about the Hood River Valley High School career and technical education program, includ- ing the community works program, please visit sites. google.com/hoodriver.k12. or.us/hrvhs-cte/home. is Hiring Mt Hood Forest Products compensation and benefits include: Competive wage Paid Time Off Medical/Dental/Vision/Prescription Insurance offered Life Insurance 401K Traditional/Roth Up to 4% 401K company contribution match Mt Hood Forest Products LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer Mt Hood Forest Products lumber facility in Hood River, Oregon is expanding additional shift production. We are looking to fill multiple positions in our fast paced lumber mill for both day and night shifts. If interested in any of these positions please apply: • • • • • • • • • DLI Operator Twin Horizontal Gang Gang Edger Operator Single Resaw Single Resaw Helper Tipple Operator Tipple Helper Hula Saw Planerman • Planer lnfeed Helper • Sorter Bin Chaser • Stacker • Strapper • Forklift Driver • Log Yard Operator/ Equipment Operator • Millwright/Mechanic • Chain Puller Full job descriptions and required application can be obtained at the main office located at 4865 Hwy 35 Hood River, OR 97031. Job postings can also be found on Indeed.com