News Briefs
- Adventist Community Services Opens in Dayton
- Blue Mountain Station Presentation February 4th
- Dayton Completes Blue Sky Challenge Successfully
- Marksmen 4-H Club Receives NRA Grant
- New Safety Beacons in Dayton and Starbuck
- Odako Club Celebrates 60 Years in Waitsburg
- PSE Submits Columbia County CUP Application
- Scouting for Food in February
- Waitsburg Rib Feed Tickets On Sale in February
- You Can Never Have Too Many Books
New Safety Beacons in Dayton and Starbuck
Several beacons like this one have been placed around the Dayton and Starbuck schools. They were made possible by a traffic safety grant obtained by the Columbia County Sheriff's Office, through the efforts of Deputy Richard Loyd. Columbia REA drilled holes for the poles and Rock Hill Concrete donated concrete.
Odako Club Celebrates 60 Years in Waitsburg
Odako Club is a women’s service organization in Waitsburg that raises and uses money for local activities. The group was formed in 1949 with 12 charter members. Two of those charter members, Sherrill Conover and Velma Sickles, are still active in the group.
Through the years, Odako Club members have taken on many activities, including helping with many youth groups in the area, the VA Hospital in Walla Walla and beautification of downtown Waitsburg.
The Odako Club also supports the Friends of the Library and donates books to the Waitsburg School library each year. Each year Odako Club also provides a scholarship to a Waitsburg High School Senior or graduate. This year, Odako Club made a donation to help defray costs for Pet Rescue Project at Waitsburg Hardware.
Officers for the current year are, President: Joan Helm; Vice President: Marianne Newell; Secretary: Doris Hulce; Treasurer: Velma Sickles; Corresponding Secretary: Ivadell Nordheim; and Historian: Shirley Burdine.
Odako Club meetings are held the second and fourth Thursday each month, from September to May, in a hosting member’s home. New members are welcome. For more information on Odako Club, contact Joan Helm at (509) 337-6318.
Marksmen 4-H Club Receives NRA Grant
Members of the Columbia County Marksmen 4-H Club proudly show off some of the equipment recently purchased with funds received from an NRA grant. Left to right: Bonnie Laib, Samantha Sweetwood, Alex Jenkins, Caleb Yeater, Zane Patton and Levi Laib. Members not pictured are Hannah Yeater, Connor Vincent, Kaitlin Robins and Keelin Hovrud.
The Columbia County
Marksmen 4-H Club was the only 4-H club in Washington to receive a National Rifle Association (NRA) grant in 2009, and one of only a handful in the U.S. to be so honored. With the $3,051 the club received, club leader John Laib purchased four Ruger .22 caliber pistols, four Savage .22 caliber rifles, a gun safe, four shooting mats and four red-dot rifle scopes.
The Marksmen Club boasts 10 members--half are young women. Members learn how to safely handle, load and shoot firearms under the direction of trained instructors who have completed a state certified course in each of the disciplines they teach. “We emphasize firearm safety first and always,” says Laib. “We encourage every member to have an adult supervisor present at every shoot.”
Youth interested in joining the Marksmen Club should contact Carla Rowe at the Columbia County Extension office at (509) 382-4741.
Waitsburg Rib Feed Tickets On Sale in February
Tickets for the Waitsburg Lions Club’s Second Annual All-You-Can-Eat Rib Feed will go on sale in February. According to Loyal Baker of the Lions Club, 600 tickets will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis.
The Rib Feed will be held May 1st at 6:00 p.m. It will again be held at the Don Thomas Community Building at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds, with doors opening at 4:00 p.m. Hill Meats Pork Baby Back Ribs will be served. Beer and wine will be available, and attendees must be 21 or over.
Tickets are $25, and are available at several locations in Waitsburg, Dayton and Walla Walla. For more information, call (509) 337-6633 or go to www.waitsburglions.org. See the Lions Club ad in this paper for ticket locations.
You Can Never Have Too Many Books!
The Columbia County Rural Library District added 78 new hardcover books to its children’s and young adult collection this winter. The acquisition was made possible by a $1,400 grant from the Libri Foundation’s Books for Children program in cooperation with the Friends of the Dayton Memorial Library. The Friends contributed $350, to which the Foundation added $700. An extra $350 worth of math and science books was awarded by Libri as well.
The Libri Foundation is a non-profit organization in Eugene, OR, started in 1989. Its sole purpose is to help small rural libraries acquire new, quality hardcover children’s books. Books are ordered from a list of over 700 titles.
“Ordering new Libri books is like Christmas shopping,” says librarian Sue Hagfeldt. “And I never get tired of seeing the delight in the children’s eyes when we put out all those new books.”
PSE Submits Columbia County CUP Application
Puget Sound Energy has submitted an application in Columbia County for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for its proposed Lower Snake River Wind Energy Project. The requested permit would cover the portion of the two-county project to be located in Columbia County.
According to Columbia County Planner Rich Hendricksen, the public is invited to comment on the project in writing by submitting comments to his office no later than February 17th. A public hearing in front of an independent Hearings Examiner is expected to be held in mid-March. Hendricksen says that the examiner will take testimony on the project from PSE and the County, and then accept additional verbal or written comments from members of the public. After the hearing, the examiner will make a ruling either approving or denying the permit. If the application is approved, there will be an appeal period before the permit is granted.
Portions of the planned Lower Snake River Wind Project will be located in both Columbia and Garfield counties. In December, the CUP for the portion of the project in Garfield County was granted by the county.
The lower Snake River Wind Energy Project is expected to include a total of approximately 795 wind turbines with a combined generating capacity of about 1,432 megawatts (MW). The portion of the project to be located in Columbia County will include approximately 351 turbines, with a generating capacity of about 632 MW.
PSE plans to begin construction on infrastructure for the Garfield County portion of the project later this year. Construction in Columbia County is expected to begin in 2012, with construction on the entire project lasting about five years.
Scouting for Food in February
The annual “Scouting for Food” drive is scheduled for the week of February 8th at participating grocery stores and businesses. The Dayton Scouts will be in full force during that week with information flyers and collection information.
Banner Bank will host collection bins in each branch lobby beginning Monday, February 8th. The goal is to collect 100 pounds of food for every scout involved in local scouting by Saturday the 13th.
For more information, contact Dave Rudie at (509) 525-7578.
Adventist Community Services Opens in Dayton
Shirlee Hunter shows off some of the merchandise in the new Adventist Community Services center.
Adventist Community Services (ACS) recently opened a center in Dayton at 305 E. Clay Street (near the Post Office). The center is staffed by volunteers and is open Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
ACS offers men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, shoes, coats, layette sets and small household items free to anyone in need. Requests for larger items such as furniture or appliances are taken and filled as available.
“We don’t ask people to justify or prove need,” says volunteer Barb Wright. “If someone says they have a need, we help.” Wright’s sister, Shirlee Hunter, is the coordinator of the Dayton ACS.
Clothing that is not given away locally is donated to Northwest Services in Yakima. They in turn distribute as much as they can to people in need throughout the state. What isn’t given away by Northwest Services is sent to Seattle where it is recycled. Only truly unusable torn or stained items are thrown away.
Most of the center’s start-up inventory came from Walla Walla’s City Church ACS center. Local donations are accepted on Tuesdays at the Dayton center during business hours. Donations on other days can be arranged by calling either the Dayton center on Tuesdays at (509) 382-2484 or Shirlee Hunter at (509) 382-2828.
Dayton Completes Blue Sky Challenge Successfully
In December the Blue Sky Challenge wrapped up in Dayton with 114 local Pacific Power customers signed up for its renewable energy program. That’s an increase of more than 80 from the beginning of the challenge in mid-2009.
According to Bill Clemens, Pacific Power regional community manager, nearly six percent of Dayton customers are now participating in the Blue Sky program. And that makes Dayton the Washington city with the highest percentage of Blue Sky participation. Clemens says that Dayton customers’ renewable purchases are offsetting 415 tons of carbon emissions and have the same effect as not driving 842,000 miles.
“We want to thank the City and the Chamber of Commerce for making this happen during a difficult economic time,” says Clemens. “And a lot of credit goes to small business owners and residents who saw the value of supporting renewable energy and made this commitment.”
Although the challenge is at an end, Pacific Power is still encouraging its customers to sign up for the Blue Sky Program if they haven’t already. Customers can get more information or sign up for Blue Sky renewable power by calling Pacific Power at (800) 769-3717 or by visiting www.pacificpower.net/bluesky.
Blue Mountain Station Presentation February 4th
On February 4th the Port of Columbia will hold a public presentation to introduce preliminary site plans for Blue Mountain Station. The presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Seneca Activity Center in Dayton. In addition to site planning progress, a marketing and business development progress report will also be discussed.
Blue Mountain Station is planned as a natural and organic eco-food processing park to be located on newly acquired Port of Columbia property at the west end of Dayton.
The presentation will include drawings of the business development/market center, architecture and engineering ideas and building and infrastructure placement. A consultants’ report from the recently attended Fancy Food Show will also be presented.
According to Jennie Dickinson, Manager of the Port of Columbia, site plans are still in the development stage and no work will be done at the site until they are completed. “This is the perfect time to share them with the public,” she says.
For more information, contact the Port of Columbia at (509) 382-2577 or visit www.bluemountainstation.com.