Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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DAYTON—Garry Snyder, owner of Christy’s Realty in Dayton said local home sales remain strong, in spite of the state mandated restrictions on in-person meetings, put in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 . “I’ve had a very good year,” Snyder said. “It has been very busy. We’ve had a lot of sales under contract.” Snyder said there are fewer current listings, but that was true for this time of year even before the COVID-19 restrictions. Snyder has thirteen active listings with home prices...
DAYTON—Finances for the Columbia County Health System continue to be impacted due to the COVID-19 situation, which caused a significant reduction of patient services during the first months of the year, according to CCHS CEO Shane McGuire. An average of 771 patient visits were recorded at the Columbia Family Clinic, during the first three months of the year, but only 542 visits were recorded in May. However, the month of May saw an increase in patient volumes in several areas; including R...
DAYTON—Doug Johnson is a man who loves kids and he will be involved with them, in some way, even after he retires at the end of June. Johnson has been in the field of education for over 41 years, teaching history to middle school students, serving as a school principal, and as a school superintendent. For the past year, he has performed a balancing act at the Dayton School District, as school superintendent and principal of the elementary school. Johnson stepped in to fill the vacant e...
DAYTON—This is year two of the Dayton Country Club’s five-year strategic plan to achieve financial independence and sustainability for the Touchet Valley Golf Course, said Sean Thurston who has led the charge for securing grants for Club projects. The primary goal in year two is the installation of an underground irrigation system, which will reduce labor expenses and decrease electrical expenses for the County while increasing the quality of the golf course and fairgrounds. Saving water for...
DAYTON—The Board of County Commissioners on Monday announced the discontinuation of non-contracted services to the City of Dayton in the areas of Emergency Management and Dispatch and Law Enforcement for non-criminal and non-emergency calls. Non-contracted services include calls such as dog bites, abandoned vehicles, and city code violations. The reason the County gives for the discontinuance is due to unresolved contract negotiations with the City. The County claims fees to the city have not b...
DAYTON—The Columbia County Public Health Department has reported nine positive cases of COVID-19, stemming from the same household. None of the nine people are over 60 years of age, but one of them has been hospitalized. Of the nine cases, two live in Benton County, where they are being managed by the Benton Franklin Public Health Department, according to Martha Lanman, the County Public Health Director. There was an increase of testing by Columbia County Public Health staff after a man v...
DAYTON—Kim and Tracy Clark are shown with their 1960 Ford truck at the Dayton Sports Complex on South Cottonwood Street just before last Friday’s All Wheels Cruise. Dayton Chamber Manager Molly Weatherill-Tate said the idea for the cruise came from Jeff Jenkins and had the full support of the All Wheels Committee.The All Wheels Cruise was meant to be a local celebration marking the 26th annual All Wheels Weekend. That event had to be cancelled this year because of safety concerns due to the COV...
DAYTON—It could be the middle of August before a solid plan for reopening Dayton schools can be presented to the community. At last week’s school board meeting Superintendent, Doug Johnson said he and incoming school superintendent Guy Strot have been participating in many online meetings, including a meeting with neighboring school district superintendents about that topic. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction has released instructions for reopening schools throughout the sta...
DAYTON—Both city parks and the Dayton City Hall are now open to the public since the county has moved to Phase 3 of the governor’s plan to reopen Washington State. Mayor Zac Weatherford said social distancing regulations are still in place. “We are still practicing social distancing and protecting ourselves as best we can,” he told the Dayton City Council at their regular meeting last week. Weatherford ‘s report included an update from the public works department. He said the City crew has...
DAYTON-People shopping at the Blue Mountain Station Co-op market have been able to find some of the items they couldn't find at retail grocery stores, because of hoarding by panic-stricken shoppers reacting to the coronavirus pandemic. Market Manager Valerie Mudry said there were no impacts or disruption to their supply chain, largely because all products at the market are locally sourced. People are now consistently buying their meat, produce, dairy, and eggs from the Co-op, she said. Business...
DAYTON—Tom Dingus, owner of Dingus/Zarecor & Associates, Certified Public Accountants, presented the 2019 Basic Financial Statements, and Independent Auditor’s Reports to the Hospital District Board of Commissioners at a special meeting last week. 2019 Financial audit Dingus said the 2019 financial audit went smoothly. “Half the hospitals in your group are doing better and half are doing worse,” he pointed out. He said the Hospital District has the resources to pay its obligations, as they be...
DAYTON—At the Port of Columbia Commissioners meeting last week, the Touchet Valley Trail Steering Committee presented a draft trail concept plan, along with a recommendation to allow its use by Anderson/Perry & Associates, as they continue to study the feasibility of the trail and work on the preliminary design. Eighteen stakeholders on the steering committee signed the letter of recommendation and 12 people on the committee spoke about how organizations they represent support the project, a...
DAYTON—Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman and Governor Jay Inslee have approved Columbia County to move forward to Phase 3. Individual Phase 3 business sectors can reopen only after the state publishes its guidelines for the specific sector. Individual business is only allowed to reopen after it can implement those guidelines. Dr. Wiesman retains the right to revoke the approval and Governor Inslee retains the right to reimpose restrictions under his authority. Phase 3 went i...
DAYTON-New businesses opening in Dayton, despite the coronavirus slow-down, is a testament to a community that will step up and help each other. It also says a lot about the pluck and determination of three entrepreneurs who are opening or have just opened businesses in town The new owners of the Weinhard Hotel, at 229 East Main Street, are open to hotel traffic and have opened their new cafe, Jacob's Public House. "I love people, food, and hospitality," said Christina Dingman, who along with he...
DAYTON-Rancher Marty Hall will face incumbent Commissioner Mike Talbott, for Position 2 on the Board of County Commissioners in the November general election. "I want to do what I can to keep Columbia County a good place to live, to do business in, and to attract more families with good living wage jobs," Hall said. Hall said the most important issue facing the county is the budget shortfall because of damages to county from the recent flood, and from the consequences of the COVID-19 challenge,...
DAYTON-At the May 13 Port Commission meeting, Executive Director Dickinson expressed a desire for people to follow all the social distancing guidelines set forth by in the Governor's Phased Approach to Reopening Business and Modifying Social Distancing Guidelines, so the county can move from Phase II into Phase III more quickly. "For the most part it is going fine, she said. "I'm proud of our businesses and our community." Dickinson said the Lyons Ferry Marina Concessionaires are making great...
DAYTON-Vic Bottomly is a private practice attorney in Clarkston, Wash., focusing on Criminal and Civil Law for Asotin, Garfield and Columbia Counties. Bottomly said he never before set out to be a judge because he has been happy in his 27-year- career as a trial lawyer. But over the past several years the Superior Courts in the three counties have struggled with an increasing caseload and lack of resources. The courts have also had to "trudge" along without a sitting judge for over a year,...
DAYTON-Quality time together, learning from each other, the need for flexibility, and the importance of staying positive are common themes for parents and children as they navigate the new normal of virtual school instruction. Allicia Stapleton normally has her hands full during the school year as a full time cook in the Dayton School District cafeteria. Since schools closed on March 16, she finds her hands are still full helping run the District's food pick-up and delivery program, serving...
DAYTON-A hundred years ago it was a common practice to quarantine soldiers returning from war zones against diseases like yellow fever Private Wesley Dodge, 1st Regiment of Washington Infantry Volunteers, Company F, was quarantined in this 13 x 13 cabin when he returned home to Dayton from the Spanish American War in 1898. The cabin, built in the Dodge family backyard, met basic recommended quarantine practices. It was "discovered" behind a two-story home on West Richmond Street and donated to...
DAYTON— In her report to the Dayton City Council, City Administrator Trina Cole said the Army Corps of Engineers has been in touch with the city about the levee system rehabilitation. Because it is a federally classified levee system, costs are covered at 100 percent. However, there are caveats for the city to provide easement information, along with some other legal requirements, Cole said. Approximately, 2,000 lineal feet, in multiple locations, on both the right and left banks of the levee a...
DAYTON—Columbia County is one of five counties in Washington that has been approved to move from Phase I to Phase II of Governor Jay Inslee’s Phased Approach for Reopening Washington Plan. Eligible businesses on the list for Phase II may open only after the state publishes its guidelines for that specific sector. The state is working to complete the guidelines and will publish each of them as they are finalized. Individual businesses are allowed to reopen when they have the ability to imp...
DAYTON—Most of us are acquainted with the five stages of grief, which are; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, and most of us have experienced grief, firsthand, through the loss of a job, the loss of financial security, the end of an important relationship, or through the death of a loved one. Can the feelings we are experiencing about the reality of COVID-19 be thought of as a grief reaction? Chrisann Christensen, the Clinical Director at Blue Mountain Counseling thinks so, a...
DAYTON-On Friday May 1 Governor Jay Inslee announced a four-phase plan for reopening businesses in Washington state. That announcement included an opportunity for ten smaller, rural counties to apply for a variance to reopen certain businesses a few weeks earlier than other counties, and Columbia County is on that list. On Monday, Columbia County Public Health Director Martha Lanman presented the criteria needed to comply with requirements to apply for a variance to the Board of County...
DAYTON—Kari Dingman, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife assistant manager for the Wooten Wildlife Area said all State Lands will be reopened to the public for Day Use, only, on May 5. “Locally that will mean the Wooten Wildlife Area will be open for fishing in the lakes and for Day Use activities,” she said. She said the access roads to Spring, Blue, Rainbow, and Deer Lake, were not damaged by the February flood and the lakes have been stocked with fish. However, repairs have not b...
DAYTON—Columbia County Health System officials are working to shore up the system’s finances, which have been negatively impacted due to preparations required for a possible COVID-19 surge. There has been a loss of revenue from a decrease in clinic visits and fewer inpatient and outpatient therapies that depend on lab tests, x rays and other imaging services. In spite of that, CCHS Controller Tom Meyers had some good news to report to the Hospital District Board of Commissioners in April. He...
