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Thursday, January 8, 2004 • Goldendale, Washington 98620-9526
One hundred and twenty-fifth year- no. 2
DAN RICHARDSON
Publisher
Goldendale School
and a citizens' commit-
have hammered out a pro-
two-year levy that asks
;95,000 for two years.
2005-06 operations and
would be sev-
hundred thousand dollars
than that for 2003-o4,
would also make up for
in state money lost in
to the district's
tax base, according to
officials.
essentially has a
Calpine, which owns the
plant on the edge of
Feb. 3 is the date for district
residents to vote on the levy.
Voting may take place by mail
(ballots are expected to be sent
out by mid-January) or in per-
son, with all precincts casting
ballots at the middle school.
District officials stress that
the levy" proposal would not
raise new money, given the
loss of state funds.
"We have been conserva-
tive ... in terms of what we
think the community can
belly up to the bar for," said
district Superintendent Ian
Grabenhorst.
Some of what the proposed
levy. would pay for includes:
• $565,ooo for utilities, insur-
ance and annual buildings and
grounds maintenance.
• $327,ooo for classroom
equiplnent, books and athletic
programs.
• $173,ooo fore school nurse,
a career counselor, a physical
educator at the middle school,
and school-to-work programs.
According to Grabenhorst
and business manager Kay Hill,
the district has been thrifty with
the money it has now. They
noted, for instance, that the levy.-
in past years comprised about
m percent of the district's total
budget, compared to a '5 per-
cent average in the state. Local
per-pupil levy. spending stands
at about $78L versus a $,,226
state average.
More importantly, they said,
the district has taken the neces-
sat5, belt-tightening measures in
the face of declining enrolhnent,
trimming staff rather than ask-
ing for the additional funds.
"Mso," said Grabenhorst,
"the district has been real
aggressive in seeking state and
federal grants," such as the
$110,OOO, three-year rest
CentuD~ learning grant it has
won.
One unheralded district
effort scored $26,0oo from sev-
eral private companies in the
area, fined by the state's
Department of Ecology; a little-
known state program allows
companies to donate money in
lieu of paying a portion of their
fines. That money, said
Grabenhorst, went to pay for
fiber optic cable to increase the
'S " ~ " "
dL tnct s technologwal capacW.
TAX RATES AND THE
ENERGY PLANT
Calpine's ener~" plant on the
edge of town, with its high-dol-
lar propert?' value, introduced a
complex factor into Goldendale
dishict school taxes.
The plant's value is estimated
to enhance the district's tax base
as much as $5¢) million when
it's fired up this summer.
Already, even under construc-
tion, the Calpine plant's added
value has meant a nearly
$2oo,ooo drop in state equal-
ization. State aid to schools is
See LEVY, page 8
Small communities
seek levy support
All small towns' school levy
elections, like Goldendale's,
will be held on Tuesday, Feb.
3. Klickitat County elections
supervisor, Dawn Weaver,
said that absentee ballots for
all districts will be in the mail
by Jan. '4.
CENTERV1LLE
CenterviUe School District
officials are asking their
neighbors to vote in a
$n5,ooo maintenance and
operations levy for 20o5-o6.
(The amount is an annual fig-
See SUPPORT, page 8
By SAM LOWRY the Lyle tunnels were the
News Reporter worst he'd heard about.
Eric Olsen, transportation
As the temperature shim- manager for Klickitat County
left and right of freez- Senior Services' Mt. Adams
last weekend, following a Transport, said they'd had
Year's Day storm that one bus stuck, but were still
9ed seven inches of available for emergencies,
on the Goldendale val-
sledders hoped for more
business people await-
melt-off.
The sledders got their wish
fresh snow resumed
continuing off and
Tuesday as tem-
dipped as low as
one late Sunday in
Goldendale.
to whom s-n-o-w
w-o-r-k - road and
and to offer rides for gro-
ceries and medical needs.
Meanwhile, city road crews
had quite a week of it.
"We're surviving," said
Goldendale's public works
director, Dave Griffin. "We
started plowing at a a.m.
Friday." The city's two articu-
lated plows, road grader,
front-end loader and back-
hoe had major streets in good
shape by start-of-business
crews, towing compa-that day, with an impressive
visitor services, winter berm running the length of
managers, search Main Street.
rescue - just thanked Griffin said he appreciated
lucky stars that people residents' patience, although
smart, there were some complaints,
Washington State mostly about driveways
blocked by snow from the
(WSP) reported only a
number of accidents passing plows. "We'd like to
mostly in the clear all driveway entrances,
part of the county, and but we just can't," he said.
City crews - a bit short-
By Tuesday, despite heavy handed, with some workers
on all roads, luck was out this time of year -
~holding up. According to removed the berm Saturday
P trooper Gavin March, before dawn, creating a moun-
non-injury collisions on tain of snow in E'kone Park.
14, a jack-knifed semi Good thing, too. By
two, and drifts blocking Sunday, they had to start all
over again.
Grifffin
, excused himself
' early from
Monday'scity
Photo by Sam Lowry
SATURDAY, 4 A.M. "- City crews have been hitting the streets before dawn to remove
pile-up snow. Here, a front loader operator cleans Main Street.
through entire reg"
Motorists advised
to stay home
Despite.heavy snow, high
drifts, and occasional bursts of
strong wind, Klickitat County
Weather and
road information
in Oregon and
Washington
• For Washington state
driving conditions, road
reports and mountain pass
information, including web
was doing a good job on
Tuesday of riding out the third
winter storm since Christmas.
Elsewhere in the region,
though, there was greater dam-
age and discomfort.
On Tuesday at 12:10 p.m.,
officials shut down Interstate
84 from Troutdale to Hood
River, due to blizzard condi-
tions.
"It set in pretty darn quick,"
said Dave Thompson, a
spokesman for the Oregon
Department of Transportation.
"We don't know how long it will
last. For now it's indefinite."
According to meteorologist
Mark O'Malley of the National
On Jan. 3, icy. conditions on
H~VY. 35 between Hood River
and Mt. Hood resulted in the
death of a 22-year-old Parkdale
man and his 13-year-old pas-
senger, and injuries to four oth-
ers.
A rockslidejust west of Hood
River had previously dosed
one eastbound lane of
Interstate 84, on Dec. 31.
In eastern Washington, the
New Year's storm blew cars off
of icy Hwy. ,2, just south of
Walla Walla, said meteorolo-
gist Diann Coonfield of the
National Weather Service in
Pendelton. Walla Walla report-
council meeting,
anticipating ,acams, go online to Weather Service (NWS) in See REGIONAL, page 2
short night s www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffie. Portland, it was
sleep. "If we get • For road conditions by the first time any-
what they're talk- photo, call 1-8oo-695-ROAD body there could
ing about" - still • In Oregon, a road infer- remember the
more snow, fol-marion Web site is local office having
lowed by freezing www, tripcheek.eom, and ,- issued a blizzard
rain and melting 8oo-977-6368 from within warning.
- "we're going to the state.
have a mess," he ° The long-distance num- By Monday at
said. ber to call from outside noon, the Oregon ~ ",.-.,
.... Mailmen and Oregon is 1-5o3'588-2941. State Highway
garbage collee- • The Oregon Department Patrol's office in Photo by Jim Somlor
The Dalles had A major rockslide durin9 last week's
tors had theirof Transportation has also reported x7 storms temporarily blocked both east-
share of compiled a Winter Travel wrecks, just since bound lanes of Interstate 84 at milepost
Photo by ann mchardso, headaches, too. Survival Kit that is available New Year's Day 60 last Wednesday morning. Cleanup
i~ Scarola shovels out the sidewalk in P o s t m a s t e r on the Web at:
of the Golden Gallery in downtown See LOCAL, www.odot.state.or.us/com when the second crews were able to clear one lane in a
le. page 2 m/winter/htm of three storms short while, and predict the rest won't be
had hit. cleared until sometime this week.
Council
contemplates
water rates,
storms, jobs
By SAM LOWRY
News Reporter
A $2.50 monthly water rate
increase is in the works for nmst
Goldendale customers.
With that and other pro-
posed changes, such as gradu-
ated hookup fees, the city would
raise about $60,000 a year for
water and sewer projects, city
administrator Larry Bellamy
told the city council on Monday.
An ordinance to effect the
change, and another to shift, for
two years, 40 percent of city
sales tax revenue from the fire
department into water and
sewer projects, received the
council's approval at their regu-
lar meeting.
A second, final public hear-
ing on the rate changes will be
held Jan. 20.
The city has spent several
hundred thousand dollars on
water system improvements in
recent years, much of it due to
regulatory requirements.
Grants and low-interest loans
have helped keep rates below
the state average, Bellamy said,
and among the lowest in the
gorge area.
But there is more work to do.
The fire department's coffers
are fuji by comparison, ,which
made diversion of sales tax dol-
lars an option. Still, to keep up
with costs - to service loans,
attend to failing pipes, and
replenish reserves - it was time
for the small increase, Bellamy
said.
It is the city's first water rate
increase in six years.
Goldendale resident Ken
McKune w-as not pleased. With
a rate increase, he said, the city
would be breaking a promise -
in exchange for allowing the
Calpine Corp. energy plant at
the edge of town, the city had
said utility rates would stay low.
Officials responded that
through the sales tax and in
other ways, Calpine has in fact
contributed a windfall. The city
also hopes to start receiving
large water payments from the
company, if the plant starts
operation next July, as planned.
New councilman Tom Cuff
had a different concern: Might
a clause allowing water service
outside city limits under certain
See COUNCIL, page 3
Wanted: a few Klickitat County
and women to be the communi-
ears."
Southwest Washington Agency
Advisory Council
which advises the
agency, is looking
new members to speak for the
seniors and adults with dis-
have had good representation
Kliekitat County," said the
director, Pat Janik. "But
are a few people going off the
as the'andyre most have served as long
allowed to." Advisory coun-
cil members may serve up to two
three-year terms.
Said Janik, it's very important that
members come from each of the
agency's five constituent counties:
Clark, Cowlitz, Wahkiakum,
their communities to the need for
quality home and community-based
long term care services. They help the
agency identify needs, goals and pri-
orities, ensure accessibility to services
and resources for the aging popula-
Skamania, and Klickitat. The agency tion, and review and develop data and
considers its advisory council mem-
bers to be "the eyes and ears of the
community."
Meetings are held once a month in
Vancouver. The agency reimburses
for mileage, said Janik, and council
members often earpool - "and you get
to go shopping!" she said.
Members educate themselves and
information used in planning, service
delivery, and advocacy.
The Southwest Washington Agency
on Aging advocates for long-term care
services for seniors and adults with
disabilities in the five-county area.
Klickitat County Senior Services,
which provides a wide range of
sevices locally, is the agency's subcon-
tractor.
Adults who are interested in issues
related to aging, senior services, and
long-term care are invited to repre-
sent Kliekitat County on the
SWAAAC. The council meets on the
third Wednesday of each month, from
m a.m. to ~2 noon at the Human
Services Council, 74'4 NE Hazel Dell
A reader contest
Ave. in Vancouver.
For more information call program I yOU can't ,
manager Klaus Mieheel at the I iSee The Serltinels
Southwest Washington Agency on
Aging in Vancouver, (360) 694-6577 loal "greatest films" feature t
I-- and the contest -- on I
ext. 232.
-- Sa= Lowry [ :page 12. j