HEADLINES & HISTORY SINCE 1879 Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2024
Vol. 145 No. 23
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Council chooses new City logo RODGER NICHOLS FOR THE SENTINEL
FILE PHOTO
NEW DEPARTMENT: At a work session Thursday, Klickitat County commissioners formed a resolution aimed at creating a new corrections department and placing the county jail under it. The move would take the jail from under the Sheriff’s Office.
It was a quick and easy Goldendale City Council meeting Monday. Beyond routine reports of department heads and councilors, there was only a single item on the agenda. That was a resolution approving a new logo for the City of Goldendale. Mayor Dave Jones said the move to develop an updated logo was a project begun under former mayor Mike Canon. “The city entered into a deal with Felicia Gray, a local artist and designer,” he said “This year she submitted several drawings and logos. We assembled a team of people and picked the one that we have in
CONTRIBUTED
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW: The Goldendale City Council voted Monday to change the City’s logo. Left, the previous one used longer than anyone in the council could remember. Right, the new one designed by Felicia Gray. the packet.” The language of the resolution called the current logo “old, outdated, and not reflective of the city’s positive attitudes.” It also identified the members of the ad hoc committee as Mayor Dave Jones, Clerk-Treasurer Sandy Wells, Councilors Ellie Casey and Andy Halm, and Police Chief Mike Smith were involved with the decision. “The old logo was more about
the sun,” observed Councilor Theone Wheeler. “This one depicts our night skies more. I think Goldendale really is about the stars, with our Observatory and all.” No one at the meeting was able to identify how long the city had used the current logo or who had created it, but they lost no time in approving the new one, and the meeting as a whole clocked in at a scant half hour.
County moves toward creating new jail department RODGER NICHOLS FOR THE SENTINEL
Klickitat County Commissioners voted at their May 30 work session to eliminate half of the proposed four options for the Klickitat County Jail. Option 1, to contract with NORCOR and close Klickitat County Jail completely was eliminated, along with Option 4, which was to build a new jail. Still on the drawing board are Option 2, contract with NORCOR, but maintain a booking and holding facility in Goldendale open 24 hours, and Option 3, maintain the current jail, but under the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), remodeled, with a medical clinic onsite seven days a week. In either case, control of the jail would be taken away from the sheriff’s department and given to a new County Department of Corrections. At the end of the four-hour session, and following a pair of friendly amendments, the vote was unanimous for this motion by Commissioner Jacob Anderson: “Madam Chair, I would propose a motion to direct staff to prepare documents for the creation of a Department of Corrections via resolution underneath the control of the Board of Coun-
ty Commissioners. “Staff is directed to seek a consultant to continue the review of Options 2 and 3 of the corrections report without the directive of a jail closure from the previous motion. “We would also like to direct staff to prepare a supplemental budget removing the jail sub-department and moving the funds into a new department under the Department of Corrections. “Staff is directed to find an individual to serve as an interim jail manager. “And that the BOCC is requesting staff to proceed with all haste to accomplish this action.” Commissioner Dan Christopher prefaced his yes vote by saying this was the best option among the limited choices offered, and he strongly believed Option 2 would prove to be much more expensive than Option 3. Despite the many differences between the commissioners’ viewpoints, and the heat of the issue, the board was able to come to a collegial compromise. “These decisions affect the community; they affect staff; they affect us, and they are never taken lightly,” said Anderson. “We don’t do these in jest. I firmly believe that this is the
LOU MARZELES
MUSIC IN THE AIR: Last weekend’s Pickers Festival saw amiable crowds of live music participants gracing Ekone Park and enjoying the late spring surroundings.
See County page A8
Clarifications on town hall story RODGER NICHOLS FOR THE SENTINEL
Klickitat County Sheriff Bob Songer has offered clarifications regarding an article in The Sentinel on his town hall meeting on May 25, recounted here with additional reporting. Songer said: “The article stated that I asked the Klickitat County Prosecuting Attorney (PA) David Quesnel to issue a furlough from custody so Paulette George could be taken to a hospital and that the PA had refused, saying he never gave furloughs. The article reported, ‘Songer said Quesnel told him, “I do not give furloughs. If we give them a furlough, and they go to that mental facility, and they let them go, and they commit a crime, then it’s on me.”’ “I did not talk to Prosecutor David Quesnel about Paulette George getting a furlough. “What I said was, Under-
sheriff Carmen Knopes, Chief Loren Culp, and George’s attorney, Lori Hoctor, were the ones who talked to the PA about getting George a furlough in order to be sent to a mental hospital. The three of them informed me that David Quesnel told them he won’t give out furloughs and refused to do so. Quesnel did issue a furlough when George’s condition got bad and we took her to KVH for medical treatment.” The Sentinel has acquired a copy of a letter sent from Jail Chief Culp to Hoctor indicating a furlough was not what was requested. The letter, dated November 29, 2023, tells Hoctor, “Since she [Paulette George] has been in the Klickitat County Jail, she has been a problem. She has refused to shower or change clothes. When she does engage with staff, which is very rare, she is sometimes verbally abusive. Most of the
See Town Hall page A8
CONTRIBUTED: LAURIE WILHITE
FUN AT CAMP: Kieernalee Dwyer practices casting at the recent outdoor-school camp held at Brooks State Park.
Trout Unlimited and Discovery Center partner for outdoor school LAURIE WILHITE WCTU-KAEG COCHAIR
On May 22 through 25, students from Centerville, Wishram, Lyle, and Klickitat visited Brooks Memorial State Park for an outdoor school focusing on math, science, and conservation. This two-night, three-day camp was led by Danny Cosgrove, Gorge Ecology Outdoors (GEO) Program Director, from the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center. The outdoor school for Klickitat County kids was also funded in part with Environmental Science 5th grade monies
managed by the Washington State Principals Association. The Washington Council of Trout Unlimited—Klickitat Alternate Engagement Group (WCTU—KAEG) partnered with The Discovery Center for this outdoor school at Brooks. Trout Unlimited grant money, including a national Embrace A Stream grant associated with the Klickitat Mile One project, provided $4,000 of funding for the camp. TU volunteers led sessions on casting skills and leathercraft projects. One of the main goals of Trout Unlimited is to protect and en-
hance habitat for cold water fisheries including salmon, steelhead, and trout. Conservation continues to be a Trout Unlimited priority in Klickitat County. Pioneer Rock and Monument, located in Goldendale, donated slabs of granite to use for leather stamping. Tandy Leather, located in Portland, Oregon, provided supplies at a discount. Campers were able to make a keychain, bookmark, and other leather projects depicting the nine elements of a healthy stream for fish which include sky, water, riffles, short
See Outdoor page A8