T RAVELOGUE
G AME C HANGER
PART 2
A7
HRV basketball upsets Pendleton
Series
continues
with trip to
Nepal B1
M IDWEEK E DITION
75 cents
Vol. 109, No. 8
HOOD RIVER, OREGON
Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County
■
2 Sections, 24 Pages
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015
www.hoodrivernews.com
Feds slash timber payments to counties
Funds greatly reduced as Secure Rural Schools ends
By BEN MITCHELL
News staff writer
Counties that have federal forestland
within their borders recently received
some bad news after the U.S. Department
of Agriculture announced that this year’s
federal timber payments to counties would
be drastically reduced due to Congress’
failure to reauthorize the Secure Rural
Schools Act.
The USDA says it plans to dole out ap-
proximately $50 million to be split
amongst 41 states this year as a way to sup-
plement the loss of the federal program,
which compensated states that have na-
tional forestland and have been financially
hurt by the decline of the timber industry.
That number denotes a drastic decrease
from 2014 when $300 million was disbursed
Fed cuts payments
to 41 states under the SRSA.
With the loss of the SRSA, federal tim-
ber payments are now doled out through a
1908 law that requires the feds to pay 25-
percent of national forest receipts to each
state.
The change in funding means less
money for county budgets, including Hood
River County — two-thirds of which con-
sists of national forestland, according to
Sheriff Matt English. Last year, Oregon re-
ceived $67.9 million from the SRSA, of
which Hood River County received
$884,000 to go to schools, public roads, fire-
wise programs, and the Hood River Coun-
ty Sheriff ’s Office for search and rescue.
For 2015, Oregon is slated to get less than a
Gorge
breweries
craft an
alliance
2014 payments:
$300 million nationwide.
$67.9 million to Oregon
$884,000 to HR County
Where the money was used
in Hood River County: $613,000
public works, $204,000 school
district, $67,000 search and res-
cue and wildfire protection, addi-
tional funds were used for Title II
National Forest projects.
■
■
■
■
2015 payments:
$50 million nationwide, $5.9
million to Oregon, amount to HR
County to be determined.
Please see TIMBER, Page A9
Economic
Priority
The Ale List
City council hears
detailed appeal on
affordable housing
By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA
News editor
Map, website, and cooperative
spirit blend in new group
By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA
News editor
The ale-liance is ready to pour together.
Breweries In The Gorge, debuting this
month is a formal cooperation among 11
Gorge purveyors of craft ales.
Eleven breweries on both sides of the river
have developed a map and website, are plan-
ning their first joint events, and members say
that collaborative beers are a likely result.
Breweries In The Gorge has also formed an
executive committee, with Christie Ellenberg-
er of Everybody’s Brewing serving as its first
president.
“It’s very exciting. We were already natu-
rally promoting each other,” Ellenberger said,
“So it’s fun to have everyone get together and
promote each other.”
Ellenberger said she sees Breweries In The
Gorge as “an opportunity to do some coopera-
tive things together, and give support for new
people, or the less established breweries, and
Photo by Kirby Neumann-Rea
FILLING glasses and filling seats is one goal of the Breweries In The Gorge alliance; Susan Lynch tops
off an ale at Big Horse Brewery, now in its 26th year, one of the oldest makers of ales in the Gorge.
do marketing as one voice, because we have a
unique area.”
“Given the density and diversity of beer in
the Gorge, we see the opportunity to really
draw people in and see what the Gorge is all
about,” said Ken Whiteman, Breweries In The
Gorge (BITG) marketing committee chair and
co-owner of pFriem Family Brewing. “We de-
cided to collaborate on it, and create this soon-
to-be non-profit,” Whiteman said.
The alliance got its start in casual conver-
sations over beers, naturally, and representa-
tives of several Gorge breweries held monthly
meetings since July 2014 – the first one at a
Waterfront Park picnic, and got the rest of the
breweries on board.
“I was having a beer at Everybody’s, and
Christie said ‘we want to get this thing going,
Please see BREWERIES, Page A10
At annual banquet, Chamber looks to ‘15
BY TRISHA WALKER
News staff writer
Hood River Chamber of Com-
merce members gathered at the Co-
lumbia Gorge Hotel on Friday for
the group’s annual Membership
Appreciation dinner. Many mem-
bers came decked out in their for-
mal best in keeping with the
evening’s prom theme.
As Executive Director Mike
Glover noted, the dinner is held to
thank Chamber members for
“being members and supporting
the business climate” of Hood
River.
In his opening remarks, Glover
recognized the Chamber Team of
Matt Werbach, Membership Man-
ager; Ashley Huckaby May, Events
Coordinator; and Kate Schroeder,
Visitor Center Coordinator, as “the
best team I’ve ever had, period,”
and the Chamber Board as being
the “highest functioning volunteer
board ever.”
Glover thanked outgoing board
members Lynn Harbor, Johnston
Dunn and Bob Fox, and outgoing
president Paul Robinson, for their
hard work and dedication. Robin-
son thanked the Chamber for giv-
Please see COUNCIL, Page A10
Three To Go
A2 — Greater Gorge
A3 — Entertainment
A4-5— Viewpoint
A6 — Obituaries
A7, 9 — Sports
B2 — Neighbors, Parkdale News
B3 — Happenings
B5 — Yesteryears
B7 — Classifieds
05105 97630
Photo by Trisha Walker
Please see CHAMBER, Page A9
LOOK INSIDE
7
SUZANNE and Aaron
Baumhackl, owners of
Solstice Wood Fire Café,
won the Member of the
Year 2014 Chamber
award at Friday’s mem-
ber appreciation ban-
quet.
The chronic issue of affordable
housing received a thorough airing
Monday at City Council, and a sense
of progress was evident to the council
and those who presented on the issue.
Dealing with the affordable hous-
ing issue was deemed a top priority
by the council in December 2014, and
Monday was the councilors’ chance
to hear a wide range of views on the
topic from seven separate speakers,
including County Commissioner
Maui Meyer and Joel Madsen, execu-
tive director of Mid-Columbia Hous-
ing Authority.
Meyer noted that a two-year study
by the regional Gorge Housing Af-
fordability group revealed that 45 per-
cent of workers in Hood River County
had to drive 15 minutes or more to get
to work. He said the basic goal of ad-
dressing affordable housing is, “if
you work in this community you
ought to be able to live in this com-
munity.”
“The goal of living where you work
is clearly not happening here,” re-
marked Steve Wheeler, city manager.
“I ask that the council look for
ideas on affordable housing so we can
get more people in these communities
living in safe, decent, affordable hous-
ing,” said Jim Slusher, director of the
Mid-Columbia Community Action
Council, which serves low-income
and homeless residents with heating
and housing assistance.
A total of $2.5 million in state funds
are poised to be spent in Hood River,
Wasco and Sherman counties on pro-
jects that create housing for low- to
medium-income workers. The city or
some other local jurisdiction must
agree to serve as lead agency to ad-
minister the funds.
“Housing is an economic priority
to all three counties,” Amanda Hooey,
director of Mid-Columbia Economic
Development District, told the coun-
cil.
The city has hired consultant Eco
Northwest to conduct a housing
needs assessment, to be managed by
Hood River resident Scott Keillor, and
the city is embarking on a “buildable
3
Blood Drive Jan. 28
New exhibit kickoff at Discovery Center
New Leaf Studio holds craft events
The American Red Cross will
hold a blood drive Jan. 28, from
12:30-6 p.m. at Oregon National
Guard Armory, located at 12th
and Belmont. All blood types are
needed. A blood donor card or
driver’s license or two other
forms of identification are re-
quired at check-in. To make an
appointment or for more infor-
mation, visit the Red Cross web-
site at redcrossblood.org or call 1-
800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum,
5000 Discovery Dr., The Dalles, will present “Braceros of
the Pacific Northwest” with Dr. Roberto de Anda from
5:30-8:30 p.m. on Jan. 31. An optional dinner ($15) will be
served at 6 p.m. with the presentation beginning at 7 p.m.
RSVP by Jan. 28 to 541-296-8600 ext. 201 or gorgediscov-
ery.org.
“Braceros of the Pacific Northwest” is a bilingual exhib-
it organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum and
examines experiences of bracero workers and families,
providing insight into Mexican American history and his-
torical background to today’s debates on guest worker pro-
grams. The show will run Jan. 31 through Feb. 15.
New Leaf Studio, a previous Gorge
Soup for Kids winner, is hosting two
craft events this week. The first, Friday
Craft Night, is scheduled for Jan. 30 from
6:30-8:30 p.m., and students will learn to
knit a hat, scarf or mittens. The second,
Painting from the Heart, is scheduled for
Jan. 31 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
New Leaf Studio is located at Oak and
Cascade Streets. There are some fees in-
volved, although scholarships are avail-
able. For more information, contact Amy
Zacher at 541-386-3996.