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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (June 24, 2015)
www.hoodrivernews.com S UMMER Continued from Page A1 younger must wear a life vest. Failing to wear a life vest can get you a fine. English said marine deputies have required some people to turn around and go back to shore when they don’t follow the rules. “It’s been a constant edu- cation process. Particularly on non-motorized stuff,” said English. Another concern English pointed out was boaters “consuming alcohol on the river.” According to the state marine board, intoxicated boaters could face fines of up to $6,250 and up to a year in jail, as well as suspension of their boating privileges. The river is not the only dangerous waterway in Hood River County. The USDA Forest Service of the Columbia River Gorge Hood River News, Wednesday, June 24, 2015 and the Sheriff ’s Office put out a notice two weeks ago urging safety at the lakes, creeks and swimming holes throughout Hood River County. Especially danger- ous is Punchbowl Falls on Eagle Creek, where people il- legally jump off the 80-foot waterfall every year — and often suffer neck and back injuries. The Sheriff ’s Office re- sponds to an average of 10 search and rescue calls to the area every year. In 2013, the total was 17 calls. “Jumping from Punch- bowl Falls is prohibited for good reason,” English said. “Yet we continue to see trag- ic, avoidable accidents that location every year.” The Sheriff ’s department will be increasing weekend patrols through July and Au- gust. Local fire departments are also encouraging safety pre- cautions in the face of a blis- tering summer. The fire dan- ger level had been raised to Photo by Kirby Neumann-Rea. NOT SO SAFE, kids jump from the Mt. Hood Railroad trestle into the Hood River. The spot is private property and is off limits. E VENTS Continued from Page A11 the race Saturday afternoon. Also featured this year will be a beer garden all week- end. The parade will be Sat- urday morning at 11 a.m. down WaNaPa, and the 5k and 10k walk/run will be at 9 a.m. Saturday morning and Church in the park at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. The Lions club will be giv- ing away free Sternwheeler ride tickets every two hours during the Ster nwheeler Days Festival; you don’t need to be present to win, sign up at the Lions information booth near the pavilion. Overnight camping spots overlooking the Columbia River are available through the Port of Cascade Locks. Call 541-374-8619 for more in- formation. Cruises on the Ster n- wheeler “Columbia Gorge” will be available all weekend. Call 541-374-8427, 800-643-1354 or visit www.sternwheeler.com for more information. If you would like to spon- sor the event, sign-up for a vendor booth, get more infor- mation, or volunteer at the Sternwheeler event please contact Samantha Ver- schuren at 971-258-7348 ■ “Beach Bash,” the annual celebration of the Gorge wind and water lifestyle, cov- ers four days next week with events including a concert, barbecue, swap meet, and, of course, racing. Columbia Gorge Wind- surfing Association (CGWA) presents its new and im- proved four-day festival Thursday through Sunday, Event Basics Garden Tour – June 27 – upper valley beauty, see page A12 for ticket information. Beach Bash – June 25-28 – water sports for all levels, music and more, Event Site Sternwheeler – June 26-28 — parade, music, history, Marine Park, Cascade Locks June 25-28. The popular windsurf event will include a live con- cert, a community barbecue, an all-sports gear swap, the “Never Ever Windsurfed Be- fore Race” and fun relays, plus two days of watersports gear demos. CGWA offers two different watersports hands-on gear demo days for windsurfers, StandUp Paddle boarders (SUP) and spectators. Throughout the weekend, CGWA hopes the events will “high” in most of Hood River County, and a bur n ban comes into effect on July 1. Starting then, campfires and controlled burns will only be allowed in protected areas, and even then only with a burn permit. West Side Fire Marshal Jim Trammell said a lack of rain or moisture has raised concerns. “The biggest fear is dry lightning. Generally, on human caused fires they’re somewhere you can drive to. But Mother Nature — she’ll put it somewhere it’s hard to get to,” said Trammell. The fire department draws from the local domestic water supply, with about 170 hydrants in the West Side district — a 25-square-mile patch with 3,000 residences. That water comes from un- derground springs, so this year’s drought, and lack of snowpack and river water levels, haven’t endangered the fire department yet. Local fire officials report- ed a lack of any major fires thus far. “So far it’s been fairly quiet,” said Trammell last week. The Hood River Fire De- partment responded Satur- day night to a brush fire along Interstate 84 west- bound, nine miles west of Hood River. T he blaz e prompted Oregon Depart- ment of Transportation offi- cials to close off the right lane at 9:21 p.m. Though it burned roughly 500 feet of ground and foliage along the Columbia River, no struc- tures were harmed. ODOT reopened that lane at about 11 p.m. The lane closure wouldn’t have been a traffic concern if it weren’t for a deadly crash on the other side of the Co- lumbia that night. A pickup and a minivan collided on Washington State Route 14 in Stevenson around 8 p.m., killing four and injuring two. While emerg ency crews cleared the wreckage, traffic was diverted to I-84 and sy- phoned through one lane for an hour and a half span. appeal to everyone, from those who have never surfed or SUP’ed to those with plen- ty of experience. “Beach Bash is all about having a good time in the Gorge, on and off the water,” said CGWA Executive Direc- tor Greg Stiegel, “This year’s event builds on the legacy we have built with Windfest and is designed to include more of the community, so every- one can have a good time, We’ve rebranded and rein- vigorated the lineup this year.” More Beach Bash events include: ■ June 26 — New this year from 6-10 p.m., is a live out- door concert at the Hood River Waterfront Park’s newly built amphitheater, featuring Tim Snider out of Portland, with Smoke on the Water opening. Presented by 10 Barrel and supported by Naked Winery. Free entrance and open to all ages. ■ June 27 — The Beach Party, hosted by Big Winds. This is an action packed day of fun in the sun for the whole community. Activities include windsurf and SUP gear demo (the latest and greatest gear) at the Hood River Event Site for $5-10 all day. For up to date information on Beach Bash visit GorgeWindsurf- ing.org/events/beachbash. UNIQUELY GORGE ADVERTISING WORKS Thank You for choosing LAKE TACO. The Uniquely Gorge Coupon Book has worked great for us and has brought us new customers! Reserve your space for the summer edition now! Your ad reaches 12,000 homes Gorge “Give me a call today and let’s work together to find the best advertising for your business.” 541.386.1234 ext. 220 lstegall@hoodrivernews.com COOL WATER flows for Jeff McCaw of Print It/SignMedia, right, and Shortt Supply’s Brian Shortt. Any- one may come into the store and fill their cup or bottle during business hours. ‘Hydration Station’ opens downtown By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA News editor Water pours freely at the new “hydration station” at Shortt Supply at Second and Oak streets. It’s the second new source of public water to open in downtown Hood River in re- cent weeks, along with the drinking fountain at the new public restroom/bicycle hub facility at Third and State streets. Owners Brian and Karen Shortt opened hydration sta- tion Friday, and hope that not only will people come in and use the service, but that other businesses might fol- low suit. Hydration Station is a sen- sor-activated water dis- penser built into the wall at the front of the store. Any- one may come in during N ESTLÉ Continued from Page A1 ble, Cascade Locks and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife filed a cross water rights transfer with the Oregon Water Resources Department in mid-April. If approved and finalized by the department, the city would transfer 0.5 cubic feet per second (cfs) — 225 gal- lons per minute — of its mu- nicipal ground water right in exchang e for 0.5 cfs of ODFW’s water right to Oxbow Spring, located near Oxbow Hatchery on the east side of Cascade Locks. The city would then sell the spring water to Nestlé for bottling in its bottling facili- ty. For the town hall discus- sion, Barbara Briggs will be the facilitator. Briggs, a long- time Hood River business consultant and former Hood River County commissioner, will lead the public comment portion of the evening. “This is a listening session for the (City) Council and store hours and fill up their cup or water bottle at no charge. Bottles are available for sale, including powder- coated versions that carry the Shor tt Supply lo go, etched by engineering de- partment students at Hood River Valley High School. The Shortts contracted with the department to etch the bottles using a laser-etcher at the school; a portion of each sale goes to the program, and the students who did the labor will also get a cut. Hydration fits the store’s mission of promoting fit- ness, according to Brian Shortt. Asked why they de- vote valuable store space to a free service, Shortt said: “There isn’t a physician or personal trainer out there who will say Americans drink enough water. Here’s a way to promote that with easy access to water. It helps promote digestion, keeps the body fluids going. This whole area (of the store) is about flexibility and balance, and flexibility is based on hydra- tion, and without it you are basically a set of tires on brakes.” He said the amenity has an environmental component, reducing the number dispos- able bottles, and an economic component. “We sell more water bot- tles, so it’s good for the store, but we have the relationship with the high school and it helps the students. We look at this as g ood for the econo- my, and about health and awareness.” The water dispenser is flanked by two chalkboard surfaces, installed by Print It/Sign Media of Hood River. Port Commission to hear what the concerns are,” said Gordon Zimmerman, Cas- cade Locks City Administra- tor. “There will be other town halls as we try to an- swer those concerns.” The cross water rights transfer and proposed plant have drawn concerns from environmental g roups across Oregon. Members of local environmental groups, including the “No Nestlé in Cascades Locks” coalition and the Local Water Al- liance, are planning to attend the Thursday meeting, ac- cording to their public Face- book pages. The groups have argued that state water resources should not be sold into cor- porate ownership, and that the plant could increase truck traffic and pollution from discarded plastic bot- tles in Cascade Locks. The first item of discus- sion Thursday will be the city’s current Water System Improvement Project. Zim- merman said the project in- volves building a new water storage reservoir on Moody Street and installing a main 12-inch water passa g e throughout downtown and down a portion of Forest Lane. “We will also put in a 12- inch main into the industrial park for future g rowth there,” said Zimmerman. The industrial park is where Nestlé hopes to set up shop. After reviewing the water project, Zimmerman will give a presentation about the City’s status regarding the Nestlé project, and lay out “what we know at this point.” Briggs will then open the floor for questions. Atten- dees will be encouraged to write down their questions and post them on a series of posters about the different topics. For years, City and Port leaders in Cascade Locks have attempted bring the Nestlé plant to town in order to boost the local economy with a fresh source of jobs and tax income. Nestlé has said that the deal would cre- ate up to 50 jobs, and boost the city’s total tax revenue by 67 percent. The city’s unem- ployment rate is nearly 19 percent. Create to Heal Workshop Wednesday, June 29, 10:30 am with lunch at 12 noon Please join us for a creativity class that uses art, music, creative writing and meditation to explore your journey with cancer. Family members are welcome! (Facilitator: Patricia Varga) Classes are FREE and sponsored by Providence Hood River Cancer Services For more info or to RSVP please contact Patricia Varga (626) 403-7575 or pv@womenwwings.org hoodrivernews.com April 2015-July 2015 541.386.1234 Liana Stegall 419 State Street • Hood River, OR 97031 • 541.386.1234 hoodrivernews.com A11 Providence Hood River 810 12th St. Please check in at front desk for Conference Room 9 Lunch will be served, family members are welcome
