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Look inside Sor
the o~tcial Fair
Catch the excitement
the Klicleitat Countg
Fair & Rodeo
lib
SKINNER
News Reporter
brought the deadline for
of Lyle to accept or
offer from the Klickitat
District and the
state Department of
rebuild Lyle's ailing and
plant,
within 200 feet of the
~River.
the KPUD and are
pleased with the solution," said
Barbara Sexton, president of the Lyle
Community Council (LCC).
The $3 million treatment plant was
approved by the LCC after some
eleventh-hour concerns were brought
by a community task force. Mike
Groves, speaking for the task force,
outlined issues regarding budgets,
waste water manager, said the issues
posed by the task force have been
addressed and no irregularities were
found.
"We have asked the PUD to contin-
ue to look for alternatives but were
realistic about it," said Sexton. "If we
stall, it will cost more. We can't stop
now." The real dilemma for the LCC
rates and the real need for an entirely concerns action. "We can return it
new plant, issues that some say have [loans and grants] if we don't use it,"
driven people from the community, said Sexton. "But, we can't get it if no
Lorraine Reynolds, KPUD water alternative presents itself."
The KPUD is moving on the plan as
developed and will continue with the
sequencing batch reactor as planned,"
Re~aaolds said.
All that is left is to get Ecology's
final blessing, then the project goes
out for bid this fall; Reynolds said
there were little loose ends to work on
and that construction could begin
next spring.
Though the LCC is moving forward,
Sexton said, "It doesn't mean we're
not asking questions." She feels the
community can ask that the money be
returned to the granting and loan
agencies if the KPUD were to find
some alternative that Ecology would
accept.
Ecology said that money could be
returned only before the project
begins. Joye Redfield-Wilder,
spokesperson for Ecology, said that
once the project begins, only surplus
money could be returned. Money left
from a project coming in under bud-
get is one example, she said.
BAM LOWRY
,rter
Sports Car Club of
continues
for a race track
the county's
• be com-
Scrutiny.
action by the
Board of
means that the
currently have
to regulate race-
-- that noise levels
track, once it is
,Cannot be restricted.
of Adjustment's
also spark legal
county.
at a public hear-
last month to
use per-
issued for
motocross track
consid-
regulations as they
facilities.
the board
impose any limits
the track, find-
State law govern-
WAC 173-6o-o4o,
exempts "sounds
from motor vehicle
at existing
and that
County Code,
includes the
exemption, the
PaOtoeross track s
-~ voluntarily limit-
of noise they will
events at the
con-
they are
an appeal or
- against the
Still looking at the
said Mike
use attorney
who attended
on behalf of
who
objected to noise from
Eddieville. Wynn was contact-
ed by The Sentinel on Tuesday.
SCCA HAS NOT
YET APPLIED
At least two different issues
pertain both to the Eddieville
track and to the automobile
race track that SCCA has said it
wants to build near
Goldendale - although the rac-
ing organization has not yet
purchased land nor filed any
land use application.
One issue may swing on a
technicality.
"DOE should have reviewed
it," Wynn said, referring to the
county noise ordinance, adopt-
ed in 2ool. Apparently there is
some question as to whether
the ordinance received neces-
sary sign-off from the
Washington State Department
of Ecology.
County commissioners con-
firmed that Department of
Ecology review of noise provi-
sions has been a topic of recent
communication with County
Prosecuting Attorney Tim
O'Neill. Oq~leill was out of the
.office on Monday and Tuesday
and was not available for com-
ment.
Whether or not the county
ordinance is challenged, how-
ever, there is another, perhaps
more pressing issue concern-
ing the governing state law.
The state law, WAC 173,
specifies maximum decibel
levels for different kinds of
uses in different environ-
ments. Uses on "agricultural
and silvicultural property used
for the production of crops,
wood products or livestock"
are limited to 70 decibels.
Ex cept for racetracks, that
is - or one of several other
uses, such as safety devices
and emergency equipment,
covered by the blanket exemp-
See RACETRACK, page 12
BALING TIME
.... Photo by Greg Skinner
It's harvest time again in Klickitat County. Local farmers and ranchers are gathering in their crops and baling their hay.
The Klickitat County Fair and Rodeo begins this Thursday and runs through Sunday. The Harvest 2004 section, insert-
ed in this edition of The Sentinel, provides full coverage of the many events. It also contains harvest statistics and fea-
tures about members of the local agricultural community. See you at the fair!
I
By GREG SKINNER
News Reporter
The Klickitat County
Health Department has
rescinded its intent to pull
Tire Shredders
Incorporated's operations
permit Monday.
Kevin Barry, director of
KCHD, said he recently
wrote h letter to Tire
Shredders explaining that
KCHD had misinterpreted
new Washington
Administrative Code rules
that, when in effect, outlaw
the current standards under
which tire piles statewide
are regulated. Initially Barry
thought that Tire Shredders
would have to fit within the
new WAC, 17o-35o, by Aug.
15.
The new "350 regs"
require, among many other
things, that Tire Shredders
cut their tire piles near
Goldendale into smaller,
more dispersed clusters.
The changes intend to
reduce the fire dangers that
would quickly turn the site
into an environmental dis-
aster. Not to be in line with
the complicated changes
would have rendered the
8o-acre tire storage site ille-
gal.
What the Washington
State Department of
Ecology said should happen
this August is that a
"Facility needs to start
working toward the
Feburary 15 deadline." Joye
Redfield-Wilder, spokesper-
son for Ecology, said appli-
cants are to indicate if they
will continue to operate
after the February deadline,
or if they intend to close.
Certain things have to
happen between now and
February, said Redfield-
Wilder. A cash financial
assurance covering the esti-
mated cleanup of the entire
site must be in the bank.
Some estimates place the
cleanup cost of Tire
Shredders' piles somewhere
over $1 million. An opera-
tion must also offer its new
plan of operation by
February 15, said Redfield
Wilder.
Carter Fjeld, a Yakima
attorney retained by Tire
Shredders, sent a letter to
Barry on Aug 6. Field stated
that he was "unaware of any
circumstance under this
WAC or my client's opera-
tions that require the modi-
fication." The letter then
asked, "Under what specific
criteria the modification is
necessary."
Referring to the WAC
requirement as "nebulous,"
Barry said he accepts the
letter as fulfilling the
requirements as he now
understands them. "As far
as I'm concerned this letter
qualifies," said Barry.
Agreeing with KCHD,
Redfield Wilder said, "That
suffices."
Ty Ross owns Tire
Shredders, among many
other businesses. He said
taking in the tires was the
worst mistake he has ever
made. "I've lost friends over
this," said Ross. He main-
tains that the current issues
around the tires stored on
his land are unintended.
Ross still thinks State
Senator Jim Honeyford can
See TIRF~, page 12
¢ area
gain
s OK
Forester
has con-
Columbia
National
(CGNSA)
Plan revi-
by the
blarkenrider,
raanager for
Service,
the decision
use
regulations
;oo acre
area.
Forester's
Concluded a
that
60 public
Goldendale superintendent hopes horn
By SAM LOWRY
News Reporter
When Goldendale
schools' Superintendent
Marie Phillips worked in
Concrete, Wash., that dis-
trier offered its resources to
45 home-schooled students
and their parents.
She hopes to give the
same opportunity to her
new district's home-sehool-
ers, too.
"They do pay taxes. There
are some things a district
can provide, and they are
entitled to them," Phillips
said.
Last month, Phillips sent
a letter to every local parent
she could identify who has
chosen to home-school,
inviting them to a meeting
to discuss her concept.
Several attended, and a cou-
ple of those who did, signed
up.
It is a start, Phillips said.
MARIE PHILLIPS
It is also, she emphasized,
pretty much up to families
whether there is any specif-
ic need that the district can
help with, and how much
time they and their children
care to devote.
"We have a great deal of
latitude in what we can
offer," Phillips wrote to the
parents. "We are limited in
what we teach [only] by the
schoolers will look her up
people available to teach." and find takers, but didn't
Her letter said that stu- think it would be right for
dents would attend five them.
hours per week; she later "I am very impressed that
made clear that the sched- Marie set [the meeting] up,"
ule is flexible and part-time said Susan Liening, who has
participation is welcome, taught her children at
There are few other con- home, and who attended the
straints: The district hopes July 29 meeting. "The pro-
for at least 20 students, to gram seems good if families
make it worth the organiz- are willing to... abide by the
ing effort, and the program rules. But that's the great
is limited to committed thing abouthome schooling
home-sehoolers, the letter - you set your own rules.
said. There is no cost to "To go [take classes at the
families. Parents and stu- school] somehow defeats
|
SUSAN LIENING
dents develop course selec- the purpose," said Trisha
tions or tutoring areas Wall, another Goldendale years.
based on need, and they parent who home-schools. Phillips, meanwhile, is
~ B "
attend together, ut if there is something just thinking about serving
"When programs are that we cant teach, it could the community.
more directive, it doesn't be useful," she added. "I "It's our obligation," she
work. Concrete's succeeded appreciate Marie's effort."
because it wasn't directive,"
Phillips said.
Some local home-school
parents who received
Phillips' letter thought the
program could be useful
Wall also noted that most
local home-school students
she knows of are younger,
and that supplementary
curriculum could become a
need later, in students' teen
said.
Anyone interested in
more information about the
Goldendale School
District's proposed Home
School Enrichment
Program may call 773-5177.