THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF KLICKITAT COUNTY
Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2022
RODGER NICHOLS FOR THE SENTINEL
CONTRIBUTED
NEW GOLDENDALE CENTER: A new drop-in center is soon to open on Main Street in Goldendale (see doorway on the right). Above, a view of a central space. The center is aimed at serving teens and young adults potentially on the cusp of homelessness. low young people to regroup, recharge, and refocus. Designed for ages 13 to 24, it offers a wide range of services, from helping find a safe place to live to providing a meal, laundry facilities, and a place to shower. Although the center is located in Goldendale, WAGAP covers all of Klickitat and Skamania coun-
ties to support homeless youth and encourages anyone in need to contact staff. They will work by phone, computer, and travel in-person to assist. Youth first check in with the
See Center page A8
Seniors seeking scholarships: read this It’s that time of year again: Goldendale High School seniors deciding what they are going to do after graduation and, if they are pursuing further education, how they are going to pay for it. Thanks to the generous donations and bequeaths from local residents and past graduates of GHS, the Goldendale Educational Fund can help. The fund, known as Klickitat Valley Education Trust (KVET), is a 501(c) (3) organization established in 1995 with the idea that over time it would grow to help fund any graduate of GHS with their post high school education. The most unique feature of this scholarship is that it does not
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City to consider new fire, safety program in wake of fatal fire
Drop-in Center serves teens, young adults facing homelessness For the past two years, Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) housing team has been developing services and a dropin center to support teens and young adults at risk of becoming homeless or who are currently homeless. The new center in Goldendale will open with an open house on June 3. A statewide effort assists the thousands of homeless youth in Washington who struggle each night without the safety, stability, and support of a family or home. The Washington State Department of Commerce funds this pilot program through the Office of Homeless Youth Prevention and Protection Programs. “Our staff is all people that have experienced homelessness as young people,” said Bobby Casey, the department supervisor for the Homeless Youth Housing Program. “We share many of the same experiences and offer a chance for young people going through these difficult times to find help, with no stigma or biased feelings.” Casey says the center will al-
Vol. 143 No. 18
just help those with the highest grade points. It is awarded based on the likelihood the student will succeed on their chosen path at any form of accredited post-secondary education, like vocational and trade schools, community colleges, and universities. Another unique feature is it is not limited to current graduates—any prior graduate of GHS can apply, no age limit. In 1995 the fund started with a grand total of zero dollars and with fingers crossed. It wasn’t until 2002 that the first deposit was made from a coin collection left to the fund by Marcelle Montgomery. Over the next few years there were other generous dona-
tions bequeathed in the wills of local individuals who wanted to give Goldendale graduates a hand up. By 2004 KVET was able to begin awarding scholarships. Thus far over $300,000 has been awarded in scholarships. According to the bylaws, the principal will remain untouched, and awards will be given from the investment income generated. That guarantees the fund will live in perpetuity. GEF has a six-member board that volunteer their time to serve. Current board members are Cheryl Woods, John Miller, Lori Anderson, Connie Pond, Carl Conroy, and Nancy Johnson.
The Goldendale City Council covered a lot of ground in its meeting Monday. In the business portion of the meeting, councilors approved accepting an $11,200 grant from the state Department of Ecology to update the city’s Shoreline Master Program. This state mandates periodic review of these programs, In the case of Goldendale, this concerns the flood plain around the Little Klickitat River. Fortunately, a Kirkland-based expert engineering firm, the Watershed Company, agreed to perform that update for the amount of the grant, and councilors approved that agreement as well. The big item on the agenda was a new collective bargaining agreement with the police union. The agreement is backdated as of January first this year and will run until December 31 of 2024. The agreement increases wages by 10 percent this year and includes automatic additional three percent increases on January 1 in both 2023 and 2024. During announcements, City Administrator Larry Bellamy stated that Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD), which covers Klickitat and Skamania counties in Washington, and Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, and Gilliam counties in Oregon, had completed their 2022 strategy project rankings. MCEDD prioritizes the top 10 projects in each state, and Bellamy announced that the Goldendale pumped storage project had been assigned highest priority project in Washington. The lists are consulted by various government agencies
for grants and support. And councilor Dave Jones happily passed on the news that this weekend’s Goldendale Home and Garden Show had sold out all their spots for vendors. “You can count on it being a really good turnout,” he said. “If you haven’t been to it before, this one will be the best one they’ve ever had, I imagine.” The show is held at the Klickitat County fairgrounds just outside Goldendale, runs from Friday through Sunday, and both admission and parking are free. The bulk of the meeting, however, was devoted to a discussion about the tragic April 23 residence fire that killed two Goldendale residents. Dave Johnson, who told councilors that he lived just 50 feet from the event and was concerned that single-wide trailers manufactured before 1976 were made of much flimsier and more flammable materials. This is exacerbated in cases where hoarders packed those places with material. He also expressed concern that the city didn’t have a program for residents who couldn’t afford to pay their water bill, with the resulting shutoff being a health and safety hazard. He noted that this had happened to neighbors, who would run a hose from his water system so they could shower. This stimulated a wide-ranging discussion on the council about possible updates to city ordinances. Currently, no new single-wides are allowed in the city, though existing units have been grandfathered in. There was concern not only for single-wide trailers but for stickbuilt homes that might not be
See City page A8
See Seniors page A8
SENTINEL FILE PHOTO
THE WALK RETURNS: The Goldendale Pregnancy Resource Center’s annual Walk for Life (last year’s shown above) returns next weekend.
Walk for Life theme is ‘Love Them All’ GOOGLE ANALYTICS REPORT ON GOLDENDALE SENTINEL
WHERE THE SENTINEL IS READ: A Google Analytics report Monday showed that The Goldendale Sentinel website—much to our surprise—was visited by people in 53 different countries, shown in the map above. Of course the majority of visits were in Klickitat County.
Sentinel website visited by people in 53 different countries
According to Google Analytics, The Goldendale Sentinel website had 15,200 unique visits in the past month. Particularly striking in the report of hits is the number of countries that have visited the website. According to the Google Analytics report of Monday, May 2, people in 53 different countries have visited GoldendaleSentinel.com. Of course the majority of users were in the U.S., and the majority of those were in Klickitat County. The countries include (roughly
arranged by geographic location): the U.S., Puerto Rico (counted as part of the U.S.), Canada, The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Barbados, Curacao, Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Venezuela, Guyana, Columbia, Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Great Britain, France, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Sweden, Serbia, Kosovo, Russia, Israel, Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Pakistan, India, Nepal, The Philippines, Australia, New
Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Egypt, Benin, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and South Africa. What, no one in Greenland? Some of these locales registered only one visitor during this time frame. Some registered hundreds. Google Analytics offers no explanation for the figures; it just reports. But it would be interesting if we got a call from, say, Hungary. “Listen, about your story on the family helping refugees in Poland…”
The Goldendale Pregnancy Resource Center (PRC) hosts its annual Walk for Life on Saturday, May 14. This year’s theme is “Love Them All,” to support and encourage dads, moms, and babies. The Walk is approximately two miles on level City sidewalks, so no matter your age or ability you can join in. Registration is at 9:45 a.m., and the Walk begins at 10 a.m. The PRC, located at 104 W. Allyn Street, has served Klickitat County for over 30 years. Begun as a Crisis Pregnancy Clinic, the organization has expanded its free and confidential services over the years to include pregnancy education and support, parenting education and support, family education and support, and it also offers post-abortion support services. The PRC Earn While You Learn program helps expectant and new parents to learn through an extensive curriculum and “earn” items like diapers, wipes, formula, clothes,
and more. The volunteer and paid staff enjoy building relationships with clients, some lasting many years. Since it is a 501(c)3 organization, all its funding comes from donations by people in the community. It also holds three major fundraising events each year: Baby Bottle Campaign (in January), Walk for Life (in May), and Dinner and Silent Auction (in November). Pledge forms are available at local churches, Sole to Soul Health Center, and The McCredy Company. Anyone interested in learning more about this community resource, or interested in volunteering, can contact Karen Austin at (509) 773-5501.