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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (June 24, 2015)
Travelogue Community Solo to Malaysia – B1 Veggie Prescriptions, The Next Door, and more – A5 M IDWEEK E DITION Vol. 109, No. 50 HOOD RIVER, OREGON Official Newspaper, City of Hood River and Hood River County ■ 75 cents 2 Sections, 24 Pages WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2015 www.hoodrivernews.com City takes first look at housing ideas CL holds town By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA News editor The figure 2,000 hasn’t been as im- portant since we hit the millennium. That’s the projected number of new housing units needed in the city of Hood River in the next 20 years in order to keep up with growth and de- mand. The overall message on affordable housing is to make sure there is a mix of types within whatever number of units are built, City Council and Plan- ning Commission heard Monday. Planning director Cindy Walbridge and consultant Beth Goodman pre- sented a detailed and comprehensive Housing Needs Analysis to a joint meeting the council and commission. Nate DeVol The report follows a five-month process involving staff, Goodman ECONorthwest of Portland, and a citi- zen-based Technical Advisory Com- mittee (TAC). “Your existing need is big. Your fu- ture needs will be bigger. You need to do something,” said Goodman, who has done similar studies for more than 10 other cities. City Council in November 2014 iden- tified affordable housing as its top goal, and in January approved Good- man’s hiring. In May, it allotted $70,000 to next year’s budget to pay a consul- tant to work with planning staff in strategy implementation, which over- hall on Nestlé By PATRICK MULVIHILL News staff writer The city of Cascade Locks is hosting a town hall meeting Thursday, facilitated by a neutral party, to hear questions and comments from the public regarding Nestlé’s proposed water bottling plant. The meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. at the gym of City Hall at 140 SE WaNa- Pa St. in Cascade Locks. Nestlé’s proposed plant would bottle 100 million gallons of spring water annually from Oxbow Springs, east of Cascade Locks, and sell it around the Northwest. To make the deal possi- See NESTLÉ, Page A11 See HOUSING, Page A9 Heat is on: Local law, fire leaders urge safety By PATRICK MULVIHILL News staff writ er It’s going to be a scorcher. Highs in the 90s Thursday will climb into the triple digits over the weekend. Saturday will be the least merciful, with an expected high of 107 degrees. Even with that daunting temperature, Hood River is luckier than its eastern neighbors. The Dalles faces a predicted 110 degrees Saturday, an all-time high for June according to a Weather.com report. With an anticipated surge of locals and tourists hitting the Columbia River and other natural water playg rounds throughout Hood River County, local law enforcement and safety officials are urg- ing caution. Hood River County Sheriff Matt Eng- lish named water recreation safety as top concern marine deputies will be honing in on. English said the forecasted hot and windy conditions could draw in more vis- itors than usual this weekend. “There’s gonna be a lot of people out on our river, and on our lakes,” said Eng- lish. “We’re really making a push with the safety on non-motorized watercraft.” Many people don’t realize that water safety rules apply to kayaks, paddle- boards and surfboards as well as motor- ized boats. Life jackets or personal flota- tion devices are mandatory on all vessels, as are sound-making devices like whis- tles or air horns. On small boards and watercraft as well as motorized boats, all children 12 and See SUMMER, Page A11 Photo by Kirby Neumann-Rea. YOUNG SWIMMERS enjoy the Columbia River at a designated swim area on the Hood River Waterfront. Swim areas like this offer a fun escape from the summer heat, and a safe one. Busy weekend: Beach Bash, Sternwheeler, Garden Tour highlighted The Upper Valley Garden Tour is one of three big community events covering plenty of ground this weekend. Hood River’s waterfront, and other places around town, will fill up with “Beach Bash”, covering four days and including a free con- cert, gear demos, and “Beach Party” on Sunday. It all starts with Thursday’s “Pray for W ind” din- ner at Stonehedg e Restau- rant..Activities will include a fully catered dinner (tickets for sale at the door are $10-20), live music, cash bar, and loads of auction and raffle items to raise money for the CGWA kids pro g ram, Gorg e Groms. See page A12 for details on the Central Gorge Master Gardeners Upper Valley Tour. Cascade Locks celebrates its 40th annual Sternwheeler Days Festi- val, presented by the Columbia River Lions, June 26-28, celebrating the Gorge by showcasing vendors from local area and surrounding regions. Event times are Friday noon to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The rendezvous of the Mountain Men will be back on Thunder Is- land, depicting fur trading camps of the 1830s and ‘40s. There will be live demonstrations during the event, including firing the cannon and ax throwing. Live entertainment featuring Saturday night The Angle Bouchet band, food and craft vendors, Walk on Waterballs are also planned, and a dunk tank with the Hood River County Sheriff, Bingo, and the Ducky Derby; get your duck before See EVENTS, Page A11 Photo by LisaAnn Kawachi ‘WOOF’ FOR LIFE Colleen Mason from Dirty Paws Grooming pampers her dog Charlotte with a pedicure at Saturday’s “Bark for Life” ben- efit for Columbia Gorge Relay For Life at Hood River County Fairgrounds. Bark for Life, is a sub event for the Relay for life, the July 18 fundraiser organized by the American Cancer Society. All the proceeds of Saturday’s event go towards Hood River Relay for Life teams. An agility course, a scavenger hunt, pet portraits, a barbecue, costume and best trick contest, a silent auction and even a doggie boutique where dogs could get their nails clipped and painted were the activities pro- vided at the third annual Bark for Life held at the Hood River County Fairgrounds Saturday. According to Elizabeth Lynn, community manager for Portland’s chapter of the American Cancer Society, unlike the Relay for Life, the Bark for Life event allows participants to include their pets. “We understand the canine companionship aspect,” she said. “We want to honor the caregiving qualities that our pets provide and raise some money for the cause.” See page A8 for more about getting involved in Relay for Life. Submitted photo GARDEN TOUR on Saturday includes a stop at Jude and David Russell’s garden on Cunningham Road. (Details, page A12.) Four To Go ‘Ham’ field day June 27-28 Song Circles start at Rooster Rock KB4C returns July 10-11 County drought meeting is today Radio Amateurs of the Gorge is hosting a Ham Radio Field Day starting at 11 a.m. June 27 and running through 11 a.m. June 28 in the rear area of the Walmart parking lot. Members will be communicating with amateur radio operators in all states, Cana- da and Mexico. Kids are invited to bring their parents to get on the air and talk to kids and adults in many lands, or even at sea. Field Day is open to everyone — no li- cense required. Volunteers accepted. Oregon State Parks invites the public to enjoy all-ages campfire songs and stories this summer at a series of free Song Circle events on select Fridays at Vista House and Rooster Rock State Parks, starting June 26 at Rooster Rock, 7-9 p.m. These old-fashioned campfire events, hosted in partnership with Portland FolkMusic Society, will revive the art of communal song circles and story- telling. Sing along, play along, or just sit back and enjoy folk and campfire songs, es- pecially those relating to Gorge natural and cultural history. A special children’s sing- along event is scheduled for Aug. 28 with mu- sician Jory Aronson. Part endurance race, part festival, part fundraiser, Kiteboarding 4 Cancer (KB4C) presented by Patagonia is an action-packed event with a goal that lifts everyone’s spirits: Help young cancer survivors find hope and healing through outdoor adventure. Set for July 10-12, in Hood River, KB4C features something for everyone, including music, a pop- up art studio, local food carts, a beer garden hosted by Full Sail and of lots of kite- boarders showing off their moves. On July 11, the Columbia becomes the stage for the KB4C Kite Derby, North America’s largest amateur kiteboarding race, drawing 200 am- ateur and professional kiteboarders. The Hood River County Board of Com- missioners will meet Wednesday to con- sider making a formal drought declara- tion to the state. The public meeting will be held at 10 a.m. at Westside Fire Dis- trict’s Rockford Station at 4250 Barrett Dr., and will invite local leaders in water man- agement, forestry and fire. The goal of a drought declaration would be to increase flexibility managing local water supplies, and to qualify the county for state and federal emergency relief funds, said Hood River County Adminis- trator Dave Meriwether. 7 05105 97630 3
