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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 24, 2015)
A2 Hood River News, Saturday, January 24, 2015 CGCC, OSU host information night B RIDGE Columbia Gorge Communi- ty College and Oregon State University host an event on Jan. 28, 6 to 7:30 p.m. at CGCC in Hood River that will help students and their parents learn about OSU programs. Information will be provided for high school students and families, CGCC students con- sidering transfer options and community members looking for opportunities at both OSU campuses – Corvallis and Bend — as well as the growing degree options through OSU Ecampus. Continued from Page A1 edying the out-of-balance span was “too early to know, but much less than originally thought.” The port’s previous bridge contractor, HNTB, had given estimates that ranged from $50,000 to $500,000. McEl- wee said the port had allocat- ed $350,000 to fix the problem, but said the re-tensioning was “obviously going to be a lot less than that.” According to McCurry, the process to balance the lift span would require making slight adjustments to the cable connections and then check- ing the cable tension “until code specified conditions are met.” Although HDR is early in the design and planning process for the project, Mc- Curry expected that work on the bridge would begin in the summer and would involve “very minimal impacts, with the possibility of most of the traffic impacts occurring at night, and intermittent short delays during the daytime.” G ORGE Continued from Page A1 exactly what happened. In its budget request, the Gorge Commission asked that each state double its contribution to the agency’s funding so that it could rehire its plan- ners to reduce a backlog of scenic area permit applica- tions and complete other pro- jects that had languished due to staff reductions. The re- quest came armed with a joint study completed by Portland State University and the University of Wash- ington, stating that the Gorge Commission had only 25 percent of the resources needed to do its job. Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber re- sponded by increasing the commission’s budget by 89 percent, but Washington Gov. Jay Inslee committed to only a 7-percent increase in his proposed budget. Gorge Commission Execu- tive Director Darren Nichols has been critical of Washing- ton Gov. Jay Inslee’s budget — which he highlighted as an example of a “long term pattern of orchestrated dis- investment” in the commis- sion — as well as the “outdat- ed system” used to deter- mine the agency’s budget. Nichols welcomed Huffman’s bill, calling it an “unprece- dented and cooperative effort between the states to support the National Scenic Area and the commission’s work.” However, Huffman’s bill won’t go anywhere if its counterpart isn’t passed by the Washington State Legis- lature, where it is expected to be introduced by Rep. Liz Pike (R-Camas). Additional- ly, Pike has also introduced HB 1453, which would pro- vide funding for the Gorge Commission to hire two full- time planners to reduce the backlog of land use applica- tions, with the requirement that the backlog be eliminat- ed by July 1, 2017. In return, the commission must imple- ment improvements to its land use application review process, as well as provide progress reports to the state every six months. Huffman says the bills are part of a perennial battle to re- mind Pacific Northwest politi- cians of the importance of the Gorge and the federal legisla- tion that governs it. W ALDEN Continued from Page A1 Photo courtesy of HDR A WORKER from HDR uses a gauge to determine the cable wear on one of the bridge’s sheaves — essentially a pulley that carries the cables over the top of the bridge’s towers. “Nearly seven and a half years in legislature has con- vinced me that Salem and Olympia know little about the Columbia River Gorge Na- tional Scenic Area, the federal act, the work of the (Gorge) Commission, the Bi-state Compact, etc.,” he said in an email. “Every odd year we head into the long budget ses- sion having to educate our col- leagues about the commission and the work they have been tasked with and that defund- ing the commission is not only not an option, but would bring development to a screeching halt.” Huffman added that even those legislators who were aware of the Gorge and its ac- companying legislation often view the act through a “25- year-old lens” and could do with a refresh. “I believe things have changed, AND, the adminis- tration of the Gorge can be fresh and innovative, IF, enough of us will partner to change the old thinking that remains too prevalent,” he said in the email. The “old thinking” Huff- man is referring to are people — both politicians and pri- vate citizens — who view the National Scenic Act a “con- servation only” law, accord- ing to Huffman, and are miss- ing the other key provision of the law that requires “allow- ing future economic develop- ment consistent with re- source protection” as per the text of the act. Huffman hoped the taskforce could cre- ate a “framework for a plan and pattern of knowledge, communication, and collabo- ration” and help provide a foundation for the “develop- ment of transportation plans and other systems to keep the Gorge running smoothly…” The bills come at a time when an increasing number of public and private entities are banding together to pro- mote the whole Gorge not only as a geographic unit, but as a political one, with shared concerns and interests. An ex- ample of this is One Gorge, a new advocacy group The En- terprise reported on last month, whose goals are to in- crease lobbying efforts to “in- crease awareness of Gorge priorities in Olympia, Salem, and Washington, D.C.,” in order to help grow and sup- port the economy. During a joint meeting of the Port of Hood River and the Port of Cascade Locks that was held in Hood River this week, members of the respec- tive commissions echoed sim- ilar desires and concerns, fo- cusing on the need to work to- gether to further common in- terests — in this case, promot- ing both the Bridge of the Gods and the Hood River Bridge as essential to the re- gional economy. Both ports advocated work- ing with the Gorge Commis- sion on the issue, and Paul Koch, general manager for the port of Cascade Locks, noted that the commission needed to be better funded in order to adequately foster the econom- ic side of the National Scenic Act — something he felt had been neglected. “Stevenson has 16-percent unemployment — what are we going to do about that? Cas- cade Locks has 16-percent un- employment — what are we doing about that? Underfund- ing the one agency who could do a lot to help us? That does- n’t cut it,” he said. WALDEN ON STATE OF THE UNION “Having come off seven town halls this weekend in Eastern Oregon, I can tell you while the economy’s better, it’s not where it needs to go,” Greg Walden said following President Barack Obama’s Jan. 21 State of the Union ad- dress. “And people are expecting those of us elected to go to Washington and get the job done, to get America back on track. To pass policies that will actually grow jobs that in our part of the world will ac- tually improve forest man- agement, create jobs in our rural communities, help our farmers and ranchers, help those in timber communities, so that we can be self-sus- taining. “We need new, fresh ideas — not these old, top-down, Washington-knows-best, failed liberal policies that just haven’t worked. “The election in November was a referendum election on a lot of the president’s poli- cies, which were rejected. “Together, though, we’ve got to figure out how to make America stronger, how to help middle-class America get better jobs and move for- ward. So, you know, the op- portunities await us, and so are the responsibilities ahead of us.” “We will also discuss the Degree Partnership Program and how it can help students access services from both the community college and OSU as well as take classes at both schools,” said Ann Harris, OSU Open Campus Coordina- tor, who will be on hand along with a representative from OSU and CGCC representa- tives to discuss transfer de- grees, financial aid and schol- arships. Harris has been working with CGCC instruc- tors and administrators to transferable course offerings at OSU and other universities. This fall, CGCC added new bi- ology (BI 211, 212 and 213) and chemistry (CH 221, 222, 223) courses specifically for stu- dents who plan to transfer to STEM bachelor’s degree pro- grams. They have also in- creased the number of high- level math courses that are of- fered, according to Harris. OSU could be a great option and there is still time to make the Feb. 1 deadline to be con- sidered for scholarships and Fall admission, according to Harris. tion of SSA, saying that while it does not directly impact Hood River — “we’d love to have some of that money, but we’re okay,” Rivers said — several southwest Oregon counties are going bankrupt and eliminating virtually all services as their timber rev- enue sources dry up; Rivers noted that Skamania County is facing a similar dire out- look. The SSA legislation, which formally expired in 2014, provides federal school and public works funding to counties that traditionally had a heavy timber industry base. Walden led off with another forestry issue, and returned to it twice in the town hall, tying to climate change proposed legislation for expanded forest restoration and fire protection management. Walden believes the legislation is critical not only to Oregon’s forest and wildland health but that it would also be a significant economic boost to allow com- panies to harvest and process downed timbers and other biofuels. The materials are prevalent in private as well as public lands throughout Ore- gon, in many places acting as fuels for wildfires if left on the forest floor. According to Walden, managing these af- fected lands would do much to address fire dangers and re- sult in reduced potential for release of harmful carbons, the chief contributor to global warming. “Hopefully in conjunction with forest (management) leg- islation, which passed biparti- san, we can fund schools and roads, and deal with what I think is the underlying threat,” Walden said, refer- ring to the smoke from wild- fires. Later, junior Charley Boon- stra stood and told Walden that students are forming a Climate Action Club at HRVHS. With her were ju- niors Emilia Gendreau and Marelie Vorster, and Boonstra pointed to the silent standing adults, saying, “I stand with all my friends and all others who hold what they love. This is an issue that is not being talked about, that is being swept under the rug. We need to realize our earth is falling apart. Swing by for HAPPY HOUR 5-6 PM Every Day Grab gift certificates for your employees 541-386-3940 Stonehedge Gardens Cascade Yoga at Cascade Locks School 300 Wa Na Pa Street Intro to Yoga Gentle, beginner-level class. Tues. & Thurs. - 3:45-5:00 pm Yoga for Everyone All-levels Hatha Yoga class. Tues. & Thurs. - 5:30-6:45 pm Register at www.hrcommunityed.org (Classes/Adult/Health & Wellness) $72/month or $12/drop-in Tomme Fent, RYT-200 tommesyogaforlife@gmail.com 712-490-6417 Volunteers in Action - Providence Community Caregivers Volunteer Training 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015 Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital Top Dog Grooming VIA-PCC offers non-medical volunteer assistance to older adults and those with chronic illness in Hood River and Klickitat Counties. is BACK! If you have an hour a week or an hour a month, you can be someone’s “good neighbor.” $10 OFF Volunteer tasks might be taking someone to the doctor, picking up a prescription, friendly visits, grocery shopping and or other assistance. (New Customers Only) Call for Appointments 541-436-4253 1408 13th St. (Use Alley Entrance) www.ThePetbiz.com Call to register or find out more, call 541-387-6404 or email clare.black@providence.org APPLE VALLEY BBQ HOOD RIVER RESTAURANT RIVERSIDE AT THE HOOD RIVER INN Cherry wood smoked pulled pork, meatloaf, pork ribs, chick- en, burgers, awesome salads & vegetarian options. Smoked Prime Rib on Friday & Saturday night! Local draft beers, wine and hard cider. Full service catering available! Full menu online! Open Wed-Sun: 11-8 4956 Baseline Dr, Parkdale 541-352-3554 • AppleValleyBBQ.com Chinese and American dishes. Golden Rose Lounge with our Famous Scorpion! Try our lunch specials and great dinner combinations! Banquet facilities available. Open Every Day: 11:30 am to 10 pm 108 Second St., Hood River; 541-386-3966 • VISA, MasterCard Enjoy panoramic river views and casual dining from Chef Mark DeResta’s menus featuring fresh, all-natural ingredi- ents for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Live weekend enter- tainment and happiest hours in town, Mon. - Fri., 4-6pm at Cebu Lounge. BEST WESTERN PLUS Hood River Inn 1108 E. Marina Way, Hood River 541-386-4410 Open every day 6 am to 9 pm GRACE SU’S CHINA GORGE RESTAURANT HOOD RIVER TAQUERIA MEXICAN RESTAURANT Serving the best Szechuan and Hunan Chinese food in the Gorge. Healthy dining. All food prepared fresh, no MSG added. Lunch and dinner. Dine in or take out. Beautiful view & convenient parking. 2680 Old Columbia River Dr, Hood River 541-386-5331 Featuring fine authentic Mexican food and cocktails. Spacious outdoor seating. Open seven days a week: Sun. - Thurs. 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fri. - Sat. 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. 1210 13th St., on the Heights, Hood River 541-387-3300 ADVERTISE YOUR RESTAURANT HERE! Only $0.25 a word with a 25 word minimum. Contact your ad representative today! Jody, Liana, Kirsten or Chelsea Mon - Fri: 8am - 5pm 541.386.1234 • HoodRiverNews.com
