HEADLINES & HISTORY SINCE 1879 Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2025
Vol. 146 No. 25
$1.00
LOU MARZELES
SEVENTEEN AND A HALF TONS OF RAPTOR BEAUTY: This majestic sculpture of an eagle with talons extended is titled “Freedom.” It will be on display in Goldendale for about another week or so before heading off to points yet to be determined. And it’s for sale–if you’re interested, call (509) 250-2700. The sculpture was commissioned by Ty and Barb Ross and was created by Cascade Locks artist Heather Greene, tasked to create the largest bronze eagle in the world. Greene’s husband Richard and several talented welders contributed to its construction. There are 800 pieces in the sculpture, which weighs 35,000 pounds and took nine and a half years to complete.
What happened to the newspapers at Holcombs?
A guide to community volunteering
For decades The Sentinel was easy to pick up at Holcombs Market in Goldendale. But lately readers have been surprised, and often disconcerted, to find they’re not as readily found. A spokesman for Holcombs spoke on the matter but said his comments could not be on the record. We can only say that with the new check-out counters at the store, The Sentinel can now be found only on two of those.
TOWN TAKE Melissa Uhles
For The Sentinel With so many demands on time, energy, and resources, are there compelling reasons to volunteer (or essentially work for free)? It is a question worth considering. Three years ago, when my family moved to Goldendale, we wanted to figure out a way to get plugged into the community. Volunteering seemed like a good way to meet new people and be of service. Although our volunteering has been occasional and sporadic over the last few years, I have been so moved by all of the people we’ve met who give hours of their time to make this community a better place. My son and I recently volunteered for a shift to prepare the community meal at the Goldendale Community Kitchen, located downstairs in the Goldendale United Methodist Church. The meal site makes hot meals to
CONTRIBUTED: HAYLEE MADRID
HELPING HANDS: Volunteers at the Goldendale Food Bank. serve those in need on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. and on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. It was hard work getting 80 lasagne and salad meal boxes prepared in time to serve everyone. But the program is well-staffed with volunteers and seems to work like a well-oiled machine at this point. Sharon Carr was managing
the night we volunteered. When asked to comment about her volunteer work, Carr said, “As part of the committee and head of one of the teams that cook and provide meals for those in need, it has created so many opportunities to meet new people, make new friends, and give back to my community. I have come to know
See Volunteer page A8
EFSEC adds qualifiers to Carriger RODGER NICHOLS FOR THE SENTINEL In a surprise move, the Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) on Monday issued an 11-page “revised mitigated determination of non-significance” for the proposed Carriger solar project and battery energy storage system (BESS) just two miles outside Goldendale. The project boundary covers 2,108 acres of privately owned land, of which 1,326 acres would be used for the placement
of solar photovoltaic panels. The project has been opposed by the Yakama Nation and a number of neighbors, the latter represented by C.E.A.S.E., an antisolar group spearheaded by Greg Wagner. The move appears to be an attempt to deal with some of the concerns raised by the two groups. The document contains the following updates: • A requirement that when the BESS is due for replacement, the Applicant must assess all battery chemistries that are widely com-
mercially available for BESSs at that time and submit a recommendation for EFSEC approval. • The Applicant must avoid (as opposed to being prohibited from) placing laydown yards and parking areas containing more than 20 percent of equipment and materials closer than 1,200 feet from the nearest non-participating location and those with less than 20 percent closer than 800 feet. • The Applicant must install a “10,000-gallon, opaque water cistern” to help with fire suppres-
See Solar page A8
We can add too that the change is not a reflection on the paper, only on a new policy at the store. The policy does not appear to be headed for any change. Where once close to 200 papers were sold at Holcombs, that number is now down to about 45, and readers are telling us it’s because they can’t find the paper. The inconvience to readers is regretted by The Sentinel.
Sheriff’s Office funding errors revealed RODGER NICHOLS FOR THE SENTINEL
Last week’s Klickitat County commissioners meeting started with some good news regarding jail updates from Public Works Chief Jeff Hunter. He told commissioners that cameras were being installed in jail cells that week and that the jail generator had arrived. He said getting it set up involved a lot of coordination. “You’ve got to coordinate with PUD, you’ve got to coordinate with an electrician, with our people and on top of that, you also have to have Cummings [the generator manufacturer] come out so they can bring it online,” he said. “It’s quite a coordination, but we’re going to try and get that one done as soon as possible.” The morning session also saw Planning Director Scott Edelman explaining a misconception that has grown up around a public hearing held on June 16. He said people thought it would be a hearing on the final solar ordinance. That will take time to process through the Planning Commission before it can reach the commissioners. But, he said, the committee was concerned that there could be a new solar farm application filed before the ordinance could be enacted. “They wanted to compose an interim measure for the commission to consider,” he said, “which includes two major components, and one that’s a bit more vague. One is that any solar project, industrial scale, is a conditional use. It doesn’t change standards, just adds another level of review. The other one is clarify that BESS (battery energy storage system) is not a supplemental use. They also get
a regular conditional use permit.” Conditional use permits require applicants to prove why they should get an exception to the rules for the zone in which they are applying, and provides for public hearings. Hunter said the third component would be a definition of what constitutes a large project. The afternoon session brought a revelation. As commissioners considered a supplemental budget for this year, County Auditor Heather Jobe told them of a problem last year while preparing the 2025 budget: “It does appear that there were some technical errors in the spreadsheets,” she said. “So while I don’t believe it was anybody’s intention to reduce the wages and benefits for patrol, ultimately, it did happen. If they weren’t inadvertently removed, what would have been in the Sheriff’s wages and benefits budget for this year would have been an additional $246,000.” The sheriff had been asking for a supplemental budget of $382,020, which would include the funds for jail administrator transferred from the Sheriff’s Department to the Corrections department when the jail was moved, and that’s what was presented to the commissioners. Sheriff Bob Songer gave a forceful statement in which he said the lack of deputies could endanger those who are now serving, who face dangerous situations such as domestic violence calls, and could be hurt or killed without timely backup. Ultimately, the board voted to reduce that request down to the $246,000 that should have been there at the beginning of the
See County page A8