The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON—In late March, the Columbia County Commissioners met with WSU Extension Agent Paul Carter, who presented 2017 annual report. “It’s a bleak picture,” Carter said about cuts to WSU’s budgets, and possible regionalization of extension agents.

Columbia County could lose its local extension agent if regionalization of services is put in place by WSU, said Carter. In that case one agent could be serving several counties remotely, Carter said.

He said that despite the uncertain future, “It has been a pretty good year. We focus on the needs of the community, Ag, 4-H, food preservation, and the Weed Board. I think I’ve stayed on top of it.”

Carter said Lorna Barth is the new county 4-H program director in training. Donna Hangar is helping with training.

WSU is now requiring an enrollment fee of $25 for participation in 4-H activities, and the fee is having an impact on enrollment in certain regions, he said.

“I’m really pleased with the way things are going here,” Carter said. Last year 90 kids participated in 4-H activities, and enrollment fees were paid by a concerned citizen, he said.

The public hearing for fairgrounds fee schedule amendments was well attended. The Columbia County Friends of the Fairgrounds had asked the BOCC to take another look at the 2018 Equine Rental Fee Schedule. The BOCC adopted the following changes to the fee schedule:

The monthly stall rental for both the white and red barns, including tack stalls, with no arena use, is $70. The stall fee per night is $10. The damage deposit per stall is $70. The stall and arena late payment fee is $15.

The commissioners agreed to lower the monthly fee for the Arenas, which includes indoor, outdoor and track use, from $60 to $50, for non-exclusive use.

The non-exclusive use fee per day per person is $12. The exclusive per-hour fee for indoor or outdoor, is $10. The outdoor arena exclusive for the day and indoor arena exclusive for the day are both set at $125.

“We will have security and cameras at the fairgrounds so we can really track who is coming and going,” said Commissioner Norm Passmore. “This keeps everybody honest. Our goal is to reduce costs, keep track of everyone down there, and keep track of the numbers, to show the public and go after grants.”

Passmore said the commissioners will revisit the fee schedule at the end of the year and make revisions as necessary.

At the end of that discussion, Facilities Manager Dave Finney passed out volunteer applications to the people on the Friends of the Fairgrounds committee.

The BOCC was also visited by Kathy Covey from the Blue Mountain Action Council, Elizabeth Garrett for the Coordinated Homeless Grant, and Ted Koehler, Housing Services Director in Walla Walla.

The commissioners decided to commit $40,000 to the minor repair program to address home repairs for qualifying low-income homeowners in the county in 2018.

In 2017 the BOCC committed $20,000 to the Minor Home Repair Program, and Koehler said those funds helped two homeowners in Dayton with repairs to roofs, porches and for updating electrical and heating.

Funding is through revolving loans, and when there is a change in use of the homes, the money that was invested is returned to the program to help other homeowners, said Koehler.

“It’s a good idea to keep people in their own homes,” said Commissioner Mike Talbott.

Koehler said four to five additional homeowners can be helped in 2018.

County Public Health Administrator Martha Lanman said she is working on a grant through Puget Sound Energy for funding to replace pads and batteries for automated external defibrillators (AEDs) located in the schools, the hospital, the Sheriff’s Department and at the Last Resort.

Lanman also said that three-and-a-half years of attending regional Accountable Communities of Health meetings are about to pay off. She is beginning to prioritize Columbia County’s four ACH projects, along with others, and submit them for approval. Funding will begin in August. Some of the projects can be implemented in the county in the near future, she said.

Lanman said Leslie Sweetwater is working on a plan to place fruit at the high school sometime after the April spring break. A study ranked 10th graders in Washington lowest for getting enough fruit in their diets, she said.