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Newspaper Archive of
The Goldendale Sentinel
Goldendale , Washington
November 18, 2004     The Goldendale Sentinel
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November 18, 2004
 
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SUBJECT TO LICENSE AGREEMENT. REPRODUCTION, DISSEMINATION, STORAGE, DISTRIBUTION PROHIBITED. Great things to read in this Letters ... page 4 Giving thanks.., page 8 Volleyball ... page 9 week's paper II -- Price 50¢ Thursday, November 18, 2004 • Goldendale, Washington 98620-9526 One hundred and twenty-fifth year-- No. 47 By DAN SPATZ for The Sentinel plan to be filed will maintain Golden Aluminum's smelters in and Goldendale for a restart, and allow contin- growth of the alu- plant in The said in a release 0n Thursday. Northwest announced its major creditors to reorganize its opera- very pleased that after work with our cred- new investors we have on a plan to restructure our debt and on new financing operations. Subject to this plan will allow from bankruptcy early ? said Golden Northwest's officer, Brett Wilcox. very much appreciate the support," Wilcox said "With continued support, get the plants as soon as conditions Photo by Sam Lowry Many times on Saturday the Lady Timberwolves found fresh strength as they huddled to talk strategy. After brilliant victories on Friday to reach first the championship bracket, then the state quarterfinals, Goldendale High School's varsity volleyball team faced the year's toughest test. They lost to LaConner and Onalaska on Saturday, bringing home the sixth-place trophy. Head coach Jodi Bellamy (CENTER LEFT) and assistant coaches Joelle Balcom and Kristi Siebert led their team to an undefeated league season. See story, page 9. 's audit of county: still some concerns By SAM LOWRY News Reporter Klickitat County's state audit for 2003 is dean, mostly. The Washington State Auditor's office, which recently completed its annual audit of the county's financial statements and compliance with federal laws, made no "findings" - a term for the severest violations - but did cite five areas of concern in a "management letter" dated Oct. 29. The Public Works department was cited for not following state bid laws when it executed a $318,ooo "change order" in late 2002 for the $4.7 million Dallesport sewage treatment plant, then under construction. 'l'he County did not separately bid this new project," the letter said. "State bid laws require any significant departure from the original bid specifications to be separately bid." A similar transgression was noted in the previous year's audit letter dated Sept. 15, 2003. See AUDIT, page 3 hinges on three factors, added: the refnancing itself, which is now very completed; the world the raw material for which stands at record will and file cost of elec- score, Wilcox said at the end of the tun- to plans being devel- the Bonneville Power for the region's alu- industry. Wilcox said he see those plans completed meantime, he said, the direction. Northwest owns in The Dalles at John near Goldendale, as well Aluminum an aluminum recycling facility in The Dalles. were shut down in to high energy forced to file ," 11 bankruptcy in December were unable to debt during the l in his state- Northwest has agreed Creditors to form a new See WILCOX, page 3 By SAM LOWRY News Reporter As the likelihood of gas-fired power plants in the EOZ ebbed away on Monday evening, debate turned to turbines and birds. The Klickitat County Planning Commission took no action at its final public hearing on the county's pro- posed energy overlay zone (EOZ), continued frorrf Sept. 2o. The nine-member commission did hear from 19 citizens, many of whom had testified previously; then at 8:2o p.m. chairman James Dean closed public testimony and the commission began deliberations. Nine speakers favored the EOZ and nine opposed it; unlike most previous meetings on the issue, more than one addressed the idea of consensus. Moving the discussion from gas to wind made that seem almost possible. "Common ground is the basis for getting the EOZ through," said Bob Gritski of Goldendale, the last to tes- tify. Gritski said that as a citizen and bird-count surveyor, he had been involved with the successful develop- ment of a wind energs overlay zone in Umatilla Oregon. County, The secret, in Gritski s opinion, was bringing all parties to the table and working collaboratively. "We did it in two days," he said. The EOZ has been in fl~e works for several years. The current hearings were convened to consider a final em4ronmental impact statement (EIS), completed this fall after nine months of work by consultants fop lowing public hearings in 2oo3 on a hotly debated draft EIS. The zone's stated goal is to hasten and simplifi/the energy-project siting process in the count?'. Dawn Stover, long an opponent of gas-fired plants in the EOZ, also spoke more hopefully where wind was concerned. "It's not a question of whether [the count?, should have wind power], but how and where," Stover said. There was still contention, howev- er. Several landowners who favored the zone, most of them east-count3' farmers and ranchers, discounted biologists' fears that wind farms could harm migrating bird populations, expressing concern that such fears could hinder wind development. "I don't like birds being used to stop wind projects," said Cheryl Davenport of Goldendale. "It reminds me of the spotted owl." Photo by Sam Lowry The Klickitat County Planning Commission finished the public comment period for the proposed energy overlay zone at Monday night's meeting. "I love my windmills," said do consider passage of the EOZ to be the VanHoy of Centerville. best way to ensure wind develop- Stover - along with a majority of ment. other opponents - felt there was cur- Very few citizens even bothered to rently no roadblock to wind projects. Participants on a recent tour of lands east of Goldendale where PPM Energy of Portland proposes the extensive Bighorn wind farm, Stover said, "talked with representatives from the company about good and less-good places. That's part of the CUP [existing conditional use permit] process, and it seems to be working." Landowners, however, appeared to speak of gas plants. One was worried that statements by county commis- sioners Don Struck and Ray Thayer against gas plants in the EOZ had been only electioneering. However, even county economic development director Dana Peck said he felt gas plants would be excluded. "Anybody support gas plants? Can we exclude them?" asked planning See EOZ, page 2 injury collisions week on Hwy. 97 due to slick roads; bridge at mile- near Maryhill, was for two hours last when a south- car driven by ,75, of Pordand, spun road, crossed the and struck a north- head-on. The a double tanker of milk, was driven by of Selah. to Washington (WSP) troopers, knee, arm aod injuries but was in stable condi- Gheorghe of Portland, suf- spleen; Ames were wear- morning, WSP, Sheriff, VII and Goldendale and units responded injury colli- 30 near Satus 8teinert, 47, of Contributed photo Rescue units from Klickitat and Yakima counties respond to a three-vehicle injury collision near Satus Pass Tuesday morning. Puyallup, negotiating a fight- hand curve while traveling southbound in a 2002 pickup ptflling an enclosed box trailer, also crossed the centerline according to WSP's report. Steinert collided with a north- bound 2oo5 pickup driven by Bruce Decker, 49, of Hood River. Ramiro Oregel, 33, of Southgate, Calif., was in a com- mercial vehicle driving north- bound behind Decker at the time of the collision; Otegel hit Steiner's box trailer. The two pickups came to rest See WRECKS, page 2 City council applicants must file by Dec. 1 The City of Goldendale will interview candidates for a vacant city council seat on Dec. 6, the city announced this week. The seat on the six-mem- ber council was vacated last month when David Rising, elected in 2003, moved out of the area. "Persons interested in applying for the vacant councilmember position are requested to present a letter of intent to City Hall," said the city's announcement. The deadline for submit- ting a letter of intent is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 1. The council will review letters and interview candi- dates at its regular meeting on Monday, Dee,6 at 7 p.m. The person chosen to fill the vacancy will serve the remainder of Rising's unexpired term, to end after certification of the November, 2005 general election. Reports on Tuesday in regional newspapers said that the Yakama Indian Nation has decided against siting a destination resort on the southeastern slopes of Mt. Adams. After review by the tribal council and several resource departments, council officials announced that the Yakama were unwilling to sacrifice an area of "extreme cultural significance" for a "very large sum of money," one report said. Tribal officials had not returned the Sentinel's calls by press time. According to the same report, the resort's promot- er, Mount Hood Meadows of Oregon, was not yet pre- pared to take no for an answer. "In my mind, it's still up in the air," Meadows' man- ager Mike Riley was quoted as saying. Still waiting for governor Another week of trading tee and provisional ballots leads, accurately foreseen came in throughout the last week by state elections officials, saw Democrat gubernatorial candidate Christine Gregoire leading Republican Dino Rossi at press time on Tuesday by 89 votes out of nearly three million cast - that's three thousandths of a percentage point. Counties' counts of sever- al hundred thousand absen- week. Counts from pro-Rossi eastern counties put him up a few thousand votes by Thursday; Gregoire inched ahead only Tuesday morning thanks to provisional ballots from King and other majori- ty-Democrat counties. Counties' final tallies are due on Wednesday, Nov. 17; a recount is likely.