HEADLINES & HISTORY SINCE 1879 Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2024
MEMORABLE PARADE: Community Days was last weekend, and there was a 45-minute parade Saturday morning. There was Grand Marshall Jim Allyn (below), the Don’t Mess With Our Kids float (center below), school classes of bygone years (Class of 1984, bottom), and more. See additional photos on page B8.
LOU MARZELES
RETIRING, INCOMING: It was July 1, 1975, that Dr. James Ogden first began practice as an optometrist, dressed in his Navy uniform. Yesterday marked his last day of practice, and he ended it the same way he began– in his same Navy uniform. It’s hard to imagine Goldendale without Dr. Ogden practicing his trade in town. Next to him is new KVH optometrist Dr. Kim Carr, relocating here from Olympia.
County: Dallesport water rates will go up RODGER NICHOLS
In some ways, the Klickitat County Commissioners’ July 2 session will be remembered for the things that didn’t happen. It was the first time in several months there was no new information on the county jail situation. That, in part, was expected because HR Director Robb Van Cleave said last week he wouldn’t have an update at this week’s session and possibly next week either. A planned public meeting for preliminary approval of a site plan and recreation park permit for the controversial Under Canvas upscale camping facility was pulled from the agenda. Public Works Director Jeff Hunter told commissioners that the applicants have not yet shown they have a supply for the 5,000 gallons of water per day the camp would need. And an item on the consent agenda that would have enacted a moratorium on permits for battery energy storage systems due to concerns about the fire danger from lithium-ion batteries was also pulled. Commissioner Dan Christopher said it didn’t go far enough. “That doesn’t address my worries that somebody goes into the recycled battery industry,” he said, “fills up warehouses full of recycled batteries somewhere, and then declares bankruptcy, leaving it to the county” to deal with. Staff will bring back an amended resolution at a later date.
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LOU MARZELES
End of an era
FOR THE SENTINEL
Vol. 145 No. 28
One item that did receive a lot of attention was the question of the Dallesport wastewater treatment plant. The plant was constructed 20 years ago by the county, following the failure of a number of septic systems. It was purposely built larger than needed at the time to accommodate future growth, which did not take place. The county contracted with Klickitat PUD to manage the facility. The utility owns and operates wastewater plants in Glenwood, Klickitat, Lyle, and Wishram. Due to the age of the Dallesport plant, the main systems are at the end of their useful life and will have to be replaced at a cost of more than $6 million. In order to cover the costs of improvements, sewer rates in Dallesport will have to go up. Some residents have argued that, in their opinion, Klickitat PUD hasn’t properly maintained or operated the facility and the utility should pay for the replacement systems. Alternatively, they say the utility’s liability insurance provider should bear the burden caused by the alleged negligence. But Public Works Director Jeff Hunter said his experience contradicted such beliefs. He said his department has never had a problem with KPUD and that when the residents asked the Department of Ecology to investigate their perceived problems, DOE gave the PUD a clean bill of health. “In fact, they win awards,” he added. That was a reference to last November, when Marcia Porter of the Washington State Department
See County page A8