A2 Hood River News,
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
G REATER G ORGE
www.hoodrivernews.com
Council takes bold step toward managing Underwood Community Center
By THE SKAMANIA
COUNTY PIONEER
Editor’s note: This story
was originally published in
the April 15 edition of the
Skamania County Pioneer.
Community members in
Underwood plan to roll up
their sleeves and get down to
brass tacks now that they’ve
secured an agreement with
Skamania County to operate
the Underwood Community
Center.
Skamania County plans to
turn over management of
the building when the coun-
ty commissioners approve a
license agreement Tuesday,
April 14, as part of their con-
sent agenda.
The council began negoti-
ating with Public Works Di-
rector Larry Douglass with-
in several weeks of learning
that the center would be
closed, effective Jan. 31. A
meeting by the council on
Jan. 15 galvanized residents
to seek the agreement to
manage the building.
Council Vice Chair Darla
Johnston signed the agree-
ment on Tuesday, April 7, fol-
lowing a brief workshop by
the county commission to go
over the details.
The agreement calls for
the community council to
pay the county $1 per year in
rent for the next two years
with a provision that the
term could be extended an-
nually. The council would
have complete control over
rates, scheduling, mainte-
nance and billing. However,
the county could use the
building for public meetings
without charge.
The agreement doesn’t in-
clude the post office, rental
house and community gar-
den, which will each contin-
ue existing agreements or
leases with the county.
The council plans to ex-
plore options for raising rev-
enue to operate the facility,
such as seeking voter ap-
proval of a parks and recre-
ation district, Johnston said.
Community council past
president Sally Newell said
the organization plans to cel-
ebrate the new licensing
agreement sometime in the
coming months. One resi-
dent has already donated
workers to prune fruit trees
on the site as well as do other
spring cleanup.
“There is an enormous
outpouring of support by
our community and the vol-
unteers are anxious to work
together to make this adven-
ture highly successful,”
Johnston said.
The community council
was scheduled to meet at 6:30
p.m., Thursday, April 16 at
the center. Johnston said at-
t e n d e e s wo u l d h e a r a
progress report on the tasks
assigned volunteers and the
details of the agreement.
She said more volunteers are
being sought for the effort.
“The Short-Term Commit-
tee is setting up committees
to oversee the various tasks
with volunteers initially, but
we hope to be able to hire a
paid administrator soon,”
Johnston said. “The Long-
Term Committee is already
at work planning the next
steps for sustainability.”
She said Community En-
richment for Klickitat Coun-
ty (CEKC) has been an in-
valuable asset by putting the
UCC under its 501c (3) non-
profit status. The council
will be able to use its liabili-
ty insurance. Douglass said
that was a significant issue
for the county.
Johnston said the council
plans to have a website de-
veloped so people can re-
serve the building for their
events. The council will also
need to determine rental
fees and other details.
“We still have a lot of stuff
to figure out,” Newell said.
The center was closed ef-
fective Jan. 31 in response to
a budget shortfall. Douglass
said turning the center over
to the council will not only
save the county money but
the effort could be used as a
framework for other commu-
nities to manage county
park facilities.
“We’re working to get the
building up and going,”
Johnston said.
The building has only
been used by the council for
meetings focused on the
m a n a g e m e n t a g re e m e n t
since being closed in Janu-
ary.
The agreement with the
county requires it to do any
major maintenance and re-
pair work, including struc-
tural, roof, plumbing and
electrical work. The council
would be responsible for all
regular maintenance of the
building and grounds.
The agreement also in-
cludes guidelines for ap-
proved uses of the building
such as for aerobics classes,
craft shows and educational
classes. The council is pro-
h i b i t e d f ro m ap p rov i n g
rentals of the building for
certain activities such as
boxing events, amusement
r i d e s a n d p ro f e s s i o n a l
wrestling tournaments.
The council wanted a two-
year lease with an option to
extend year to year so it
could seek approval of a bal-
lot measure to create a parks
and recreation district.
Upon formation of the parks
district, it could enact a
property tax to support the
management of the facility.
“The community is really
gungho and really volunteer-
ing to help,” Johnston said.
In other community news,
the Underwood Community
Gardens hosts its third an-
nual Open House, 8 a.m. to
noon, Saturday, April 25. The
gardens are located behind
the U.S. Post Office in the
Underwood Park on School
House Road at the corner of
Cook Underwood Road.
The event includes a plant
sale and seed swap. Bird
house painting and sidewalk
chalk drawing will be avail-
able for kids. People will also
staff small farm and garden
booths. Some of the farm
and garden vendors include
Blue Moon Garden, Gaiter
Creek Gardens, The With-
Washougal mayor to camp by railroad tracks
Sean Guard will
gather data about
train frequency
By DAWN FELDHAUS
Camas-Washougal Post-Record
staff writer
Editor’s note: This story
was originally published in
the April 14 edition of the
Camas-Washougal Post-
Record.
Washougal Mayor Sean
Guard plans to spend a
week camping at 32nd and
Main streets, to record the
number of trains that travel
through the city.
He will arrive in a travel
trailer Friday by noon to
also observe the type of
freight the trains carry and
how long they block and
back up traffic onto state
Route 14.
“Much of my concern is
with how many long trains
of coal and Bakken crude
oil are passing through our
city, but this is also just as
much about the increasing
train traffic itself, regard-
less of their loads,”
Guard said. “Washougal
is literally split, north and
south, by the Burlington
Northern Santa Fe rail line.
“When long trains are
passing through, they can
block all of our at-grade rail
A Washougal City Coun-
crossings at the same time,” cil resolution, approved in
he added. “This just under- February, expresses con-
scores our need for a second cern to Gov. Jay Inslee and
railroad overpass.”
the Washington State Ener-
Guard, who has invited gy Facilities Site Evalua-
BNSF Chair man
tion Council about
Matthew Rose to
oil export facility
join him during the
projects and an in-
week, has received
creased risk of cat-
a call from Gus Mel-
astrophic accidents
onas, BNSF region-
and train traffic.
al director of pub-
It also authorizes
lic affairs, in Seat-
the city attorney to
t l e, t o m e e t i n
i n t e r ve n e i n t h e
Washougal.
EFSEC process “for
Guard said he
the
S o u t h we s t
Sean Guard
has per mission
Wa s h i n g t o n p r o -
from a land owner next to posed project or any other
the tracks to stay on their oil terminal project under
property.
consideration.”
“It was purely my idea, to
The resolution says the
get accurate information on safety and traffic impacts of
what is passing through our oil trains on the City of
city and what the impacts Washougal must be mitigat-
are,” he said.
ed by measures such as
Guard will welcome vis- eliminating at-grade cross-
its from local residents, ings and providing funding
business leaders and other for an incident response
elected officials who want p l a n , e n h a n c e d s a f e t y
to talk about rail safety and equipment and safety train-
other issues facing the city. ing.
Rep. Liz Pike (R-Camas)
told Guard she would like to
HOOD RIVER NEWS (ISSN 07465823) is
camp for 24 hours in a tent
published twice weekly, every Wednesday
by the tracks this weekend,
and Saturday. Subscription rates: $42 per
unless there are votes to
year prepaid ($36 for senior citizens, 65
and over) in Hood River County and west-
make in the State House of
ern Wasco County, Oregon; and Klickitat
Representatives. The legis-
and Skamania counties, Washington.
lature’s regular session is
Elsewhere, $68 prepaid per year. Known
expected to end Sunday,
office of publication, 419 State Ave., Hood
April 26.
River, OR 97031-2031. Periodicals postage
Kayaker drowns on
White Salmon River
A kayaker lost his life
in the White Salmon
R ive r o n Ap r i l 1 2 .
Sergeant Joe Riggers of
the Klickitat County
Sherif f ’s De par tment
took the call at 1:44 p.m.
A kayaker was report-
ed stuck in the water
and people at the scene
were unable to free him.
Rescuers eventually ex-
tracted the man and per-
fo r m e d C P R , bu t at -
tempts to revive him
were unsuccessful.
T he man has been
identified as Dennis
Brown, 63, from British
Columbia.
paid at Hood River, Oregon. POSTMAS-
TER: Send address changes to HOOD
RIVER NEWS, P.O. Box 390, Hood River, OR
97031-0103.
Vancouver Energy, a joint
venture of Tesoro Refining
& Marketing Company LLC
and Savage Companies, is
proposing to accept and
ship crude oil that origi-
nates in North America and
arrives at the Port of Van-
couver by rail.
Photo by the Skamania County Pioneer
SALLY NEWELL, left, watches as Darla Johnson, vice chairperson of
the Underwood Community Council, signs an agreement with Ska-
mania County to manage the Underwood Community Center.
ered Herb and Quercus
Farm.
For more infor mation,
email underwoodcommuni-
tygardens.ucg@gmail.com
or check out its Facebook
page.
The Underwood Fire De-
partment also holds its an-
nual pancake breakfast, be-
ginning at 7 a.m. Saturday,
April 25.
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