INDEPENDENCE DAY
Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022
Vol. 143 No. 26
$1.00
Firm offers onsite update on energy project RODGER NICHOLS FOR THE SENTINEL
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n a ridge 2,000 feet above the Columbia, Erik Steimle gestures to the John Day Dam down below, where all the spillways are running wide open, frothing white on the blue river. “We normally see this in April,” he tells the reporters on a media tour last Wednesday, “but the Columbia is so high right now that they have to operate at the maximum.” All around us on the ridge, vanes are turning on lines of wind turbines, but despite a brisk breeze, they aren’t producing any electricity. “With the dams running at capacity,” Steimle says, “there’s no place to use the wind turbine output, so the operators decouple the generators. The blades are freewheeling, not producing any electricity.” Steimle represents Rye Development, a U.S. hydropower developer with a current pipeline of over 22 projects in eight states. He’s talking to reporters about the proposed Goldendale pumped storage project, owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP). Call it “green gravity.” It’s a way to stop wasting all that unused capacity. Though The Sentinel has carried stories on the project before, the basics bear repeating: the project would construct two 60acre ponds, one on the western edge of the former Goldendale aluminum plant site, the other just beyond the ridgetop, more than 2,000 feet above the lower pond. Engineers will dig a 30-footwide tunnel between the two. Instead of letting turbines spin uselessly as they are now, they will be put to work pumping water from the lower pond to the upper pond through the tunnel
ON HIS WAY: Like others in his graduating class, James Hastings has chosen to go into the military, in his case the Navy.
Some grads choose the military TAYLER BRADLEY FOR THE SENTINEL
ABOVE: RODGER NICHOLS. RIGHT: COURTESY RYE DEVELOPMENT.
THE BIG PICTURE: Above, Erik Steimle of Rye Development points to the proposed lower site of the Goldendale Energy Storage Project during a media tour last Wednesday. Right: at the Project, a 30-foot diameter pipe installed underground will connect an upper reservoir with a lower reservoir 2,000 below. The system acts like a giant water battery using water and gravity to produce renewable energy on demand as needed.
(or penstock, to use the technical term). And at times when the wind doesn’t blow and the electricity is needed, the water will be sent back down through the penstock and power three 400-megawatt generators. This is power as green as it gets. The closed-loop pumped storage system is completely carbon-emission free. It doesn’t harm fish, raise the temperature in the river, snag predato-
ry birds, or give off any kind of pollution. And since the working parts are all underground, there’s no scenic impacts. The only things visible on the surface will be the two ponds. As an added benefit, Steimle says, digging the lower lake will require removing the pollution left behind by the aluminum smelter from the western edge of the site. The project owner, CIP, plans to spend $10 million on that
cleanup alone. “This site has been studied for years,” Steimle says. “It has a number of advantages.” Geographically, he says, it’s rare to have such a difference in height available in such a short horizontal distance. Using major onsite power lines that once supplied power to the aluminum smelter means that the company won’t have to spend millions
See Energy page A8
Wrighting on the wall When city life becomes too overwhelming with hustle and bustle, and the hankering for sunshine becomes irresistible, what alternative is there but to move to the country? Michael and Sherry Wright of Master Craft Coatings did just that. After starting their business in 1997, their exodus out of Vancouver, Washington, began about 15 years ago in 2007 when, feeling the pull of sunnier skies and more personal space, they purchased some property north of Goldendale off Jenkins Creek Road. As often as possible, Mike and Sherry would make the trek through the Columbia River Gorge, up Maryhill, and north on 97 towards Status Pass to their beautiful portion of peace to commence building their dream home in the woods. It wasn’t until a little over a year ago they were able to finally make the break, load up the moving van
ABOVE: CONTRIBUTED. RIGHT: PEGGY WOODARD.
MASTERS ON THE WALL: Above, Michael and Sherry Wright started Master Craft Coating in Vancouver and migrated to Goldendale. Right, the company at work cleaning and painting the wall on the Goldendale Pharmacy building. for the final journey north, and move into their awaiting residence on Bubble Creek Road. The Wrights are delighted to now have their home and Master Craft Coatings based in Goldendale and were just recently called by our local Chamber of Commerce to wash and paint the Columbus Street side of Goldendale Pharmacy in preparation for Art of the Heart to begin the second
See Military page A8
of four murals on the Main Street and Columbus intersection. Jacqueline Eide, owner of the pharmacy, decided freshening up the Main Street side of the building as well would be the thing to do, so she hired the crew to continue around the corner with their sprucing up project. Painting jobs throughout southwest Washington keep
Mike, Sherry, and their painting staff busy, so busy in fact, they are seriously searching for another employee who would like to help the team bring refreshed beauty to peoples’ property. “They don’t even have to have experience—we will train them,” says Mike. “We just need someone who wants to work.”
See Wright page A8
City still looking for new time capsule items RODGER NICHOLS FOR THE SENTINEL The Goldendale City Council met on June 21, a meeting postponed from their normal Monday meeting time because of the new Junteenth holiday. An item on the agenda concerning policy for water hookups for homes outside the city limits was tabled for more staff research, and the other main item, adding air ambulance service for city employees, councilors, and mayor,
received its second reading and was passed unanimously. Under department reports, fire chief Noah Halm had this caution about wildland fire season, which is now upon us. “I know it’s rained quite a bit, but it’s gotten warmer,” he said. “It’s going to dry out quickly, so be careful.” He reminded people that the burn ban is in effect in the city limits of Goldendale and noted the Fourth of July is near. State law says fireworks can be sold
Well, summer is in full swing now, and Goldendale High School seniors are making plans to spend time with their friends before they head off on their new adventures that await them. There are some whose new adventures are going to take them places they have never been before, as the college route just wasn’t the right fit. Some need a more hands-on, physical take on learning with a bigger end game than just getting a 9-5 job. Six young men from this year’s graduating class chose to enlist in various branches of the military, including the Navy, Army, and Marines. Four of them decided to enlist in the Navy—Myles Lee, Austin Neil, Jakob Stanbrough, and James Hastings—and all will be heading out to for basic training in Chicago later this year. Blaise Payne opted to join the Army, and Preston Briseno will be going into the Marines. Each one chose to go with their respective branch for multiple reasons, but some of the main ones were wanting to travel, wanting to be part of something bigger, schooling opportunities, and helping others. The opportunities are endless for these six, and they seem to be raring to go. “I am most excited for my schooling,” Jakob says, “getting to learn advanced electronics and computer skills.” Although they look forward to the experiences, there will be many challenges. The physical aspects will be very different for them and something they will have to work hard to gain. “Being away from family and friends will probably be the most challenging,” declares Austin, “but it’s time to start my life and meet my
from June 28 to July 5, but a city ordinance passed this year only allows their use in the City of Goldendale on the Fourth itself, and only from 6 p.m. to midnight. Councilor Dave Jones added that Community Days takes place the weekend after the Fourth and that the city will be opening the time capsule from 1972 and will bury a new capsule destined for 2072. He is in charge of that new capsule and says he’s still looking for items to add.
“If anybody has any good ideas to put in the time capsule, drop them off at the library, or you can get ahold of me or Ellie [Casey] or Andy [Halm], and we can make it happen,” he said. Duiring the public comment period, Gary Anderson was concerned because he’d been issued a citation for parking a camp trailer in his side yard, violating a city ordinance. “I didn’t know the ordinance was there,” he said, “because so
See City page A8
LOU MARZELES
HONORING SERVICE: Tori Bean has worked for Klickitat County for 20 years—all of them at the Auditor’s office. Last week Auditor Brenda Sorensen and Tori’s coworkers presented her with a special gift (that she’s holding in the picture) commemorating her years of faithful service.