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