Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG-Coming out of a pandemic has been no match for Waitsburg's Christmas spirit. With Hometown Christmas, typically held the second weekend after Thanksgiving, on hold, due to the pandemic, community members have come together to bring plenty of Christmas sparkle to our little town. A little later than normal, the Waitsburg's heARTfelt Christmas celebration will take place on Saturday, December 18. Enjoy local shopping, food, libations, Santa, and a parade through town. Be sure to take a...
DAYTON— The Dayton City Council held a special meeting at 6 p.m., November 23, 2021. All city council members were in attendance except Byron Kaczmarski, who was excused. The council approved the agenda unanimously. There was no public comment. Paul Ihle presented a daycare facility update. Ihle sits on the standing committee studying childcare issues for the Columbia County Health System (CCHS). The committee is working to identify a suitable location. The architect used by the CCHS has been advising on the project and drafting drawings. Once...
DAYTON—In small communities, heroes come from all backgrounds, and they almost never wear capes. They live quiet lives, hiding in plain sight, taking their satisfaction in a job well done. They may be thanked for each job, but not for the bigger impact they have on their communities. That’s not the case for Dayton, however. At least, not if Gordon Gerlitz can help it. “We have to recognize people while they are still going,” said Gerlitz. “Oftentimes, we recognize people after the fact, but...
WAITSBURG-Over the past month, City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe has been helping the City of Dayton with budgetary tasks, filling gaps left after former Administrator Trina Cole was dismissed from her position. Hinchliffe said that he had approached Dayton's mayor, Zac Weatherford, shortly after three employees were fired abruptly in June. He offered to help the city to bridge administrative gaps. "I reached out to Zac (Weatherford) and said, 'hey, if you need anything, just let me know. I'm...
WALLA WALLA/PRESCOTT—The Walla Walla Valley doesn’t miss a single opportunity to spread a little Christmas cheer. This weekend’s lineup of events is sure to make Scrooge smile! Light up the Avenue Kick Off starts the weekend in College Place on Thursday, December 2. The evening kicks off with the official holiday season with the annual Municipal Campus and light pole lighting, followed up by a parade. Stick around after the parade for a giant fireworks show at the old Rogers Lot at 4th and Davis...
WALLA WALLA— The Say Yes! COVID Test At-Home Testing Challenge provides households with access to free, rapid COVID-19 test kits that they can self-administer and is now available in Walla Walla County. Say Yes! COVID Test encourages residents to use the tests to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and keep the community healthy. Walla Walla County residents can now order testing kits online for free home delivery. “Children, adolescents, and adults who are not yet fully vaccinated or at hig...
Lillian Ray Dixon, a 15-year-old female, was last seen on Friday December 3, 2021 at Lewiston High School. According to posts made on social media, Dixon's family believes she is with Jonathon Wayne Bowles, a 36-year-old male, who has lived in Waitsburg, Prescott and Pomeroy throughout his life. Bowles is a registered sex offender with warrants for his arrest out of Garfield County, WA. Bowles and Dixon are believed to be in the Walla Walla or Columbia County area. Bowles' vehicle was abandoned...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg City Council met for a regular meeting on November 17, at 7 p.m. During the public comment portion, resident Joy Smith thanked the council for all their work during their terms. The council held a public hearing regarding the city's property taxes. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said the city property tax base was assessed at $78 million last year. That figure jumped to a $90 million valuation this year due to new housing builds and sales. The city currently...
DAYTON-The Dayton School Board held their regular meeting on November 17, 2021, at 6 p.m. This week's board meeting began by conducting interviews with the candidates for the vacant board position. James William Wyant, Jr. removed himself from consideration, so only two interviews were conducted. The board interviewed Bryan Martin for about forty minutes, and Zac Fabian's interview lasted less than 15 minutes. After the interviews were concluded, the board moved on to approval of the consent...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School Board met Wednesday, November 17, for its regular meeting. The meeting was led by vice-chairman Ross Hamann, following the resignation of former chairman Pam Chapman earlier this year. Secondary Principal Stephanie Wooderchak reported that grades 6-12 had completed the year’s SBAC (SmarterBalanced) testing. She said that the fall testing was a shortened version and that students will return to regular testing schedules in March. Students in grades 3-12 will tak...
WAITSBURG-At the Nov. 17 Waitsburg City Council meeting, City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe reported he had purchased the components needed for a splash pad. The pad is being constructed at Waitsburg's Preston Park, so area youngsters have a place to cool off this summer. A splash pad at Washington Park in Walla Walla has become very popular with parents of young children in recent years. Splash pads consist of a concrete pad embedded with various sprinklers, jets, and other water features....
DAYTON-Listening to a veteran's story was the perfect topic at the November 11 Dayton Kiwanis Club Meeting. Kiwanis members invited Eric Thorn, a local veteran who served in Vietnam, to share his experiences as a Chinook pilot during the war. "It's coming up on almost exactly fifty years since I got back from Vietnam," Thorn began. "I think it's in another month." The United States became involved in Vietnam when President Eisenhower declared support for South Vietnam in 1955. President Kennedy...
DAYTON-Sleep off all of the Thanksgiving turkey, and head to Downtown Dayon on Friday, November 26, and Saturday, November 27 for the annual Christmas Kickoff festivities. Belinda Larsen, Executive Director of the Dayton Chamber of Commerce, said she started getting inquiries as early as June, from vendors and other interested parties, as to whether they would be hosting a full weekend. Last year, the event went virtual amidst COVID-19 closures and restrictions, and was significantly smaller....
WAITSBURG-Tucked away just before the intersection of Preston and Main, the volunteer-run Waitsburg Resource Center has been quietly and compassionately helping families in need. While her mother and grandmother have been volunteering for a while now, Jesse May Brown decided to offer her assistance about one month ago, when she recognized the need for social media pages. "My mom was talking about some of the events coming up, and I was like, 'you guys really need a Facebook page," Brown said....
Port of Columbia Commissioners met at 3:30 p.m. on November 10, 2021, for their monthly meeting on Zoom. All the current commissioners were in attendance, Shawn Brown, Genie Crowe, Sean Milligan, and the executive director, Jennie Dickinson. At various times, about eight members of the public were in attendance. The commissioners accepted the minutes of the last meeting without comment. During the budget report, Dickinson said tenants of the Port's properties are up to date on rent. The Port has received its tax revenue for October and...
DAYTON—American Rescue Plan Act funds, and how to spend them, have been on the Columbia County Commissioners’ minds for months. Earlier this year, the Port of Columbia approached the commissioners about the funds, requesting a financial contribution for the ongoing broadband infrastructure project, which would provide reliable, high-speed internet for Columbia County businesses and residents who fall within the project’s service area. The perimeter was recently extended to areas surrounding Dayton, including Huntsville. Commissioners Rundell an...
Washington State Parks held a public meeting on November 8, 2021, at 6 PM in Dayton Elementary School multipurpose room. Although the public sparsely attended the meeting, the topics covered will affect many in the Touchet Valley. The representatives from Washington State Parks presented preliminary recommendations from the Land Classification and Long-Term Boundary planning for Lyons Ferry State Park, Palouse Falls State Park, and Lewis and Clark Trail State Park. These recommendations are from...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council met on November 3 for a special meeting to review the preliminary budget for 2022. Before discussing the budget, the council set a public hearing date for the surplus of City Hall, at 147 Main, for November 17. It will be held at the same time as the regular city council meeting at 7 pm at the Lions Club. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe said the appraisal for the building had not yet been completed. He said that the necessary city property from 147 M...
DAYTON- The Dayton School Board held its work session meeting on Zoom at 6 p.m. on November 3, 2021. The first agenda item addressed by the school board was to review the strategic plan. The first aspect of the strategic plan the board looked at was the Board Operating Protocol. Using the protocol adopted by the Reardan-Edwall School District, which Superintendent Strot provided, the board members began a preliminary discussion. The Times intends to cover the proposed strategic plan in greater depth at a later date. The second agenda topic was...
DAYTON-Superintendent Guy Strot has begun the implementation of a plan to improve the Dayton School District. The district has recently lost far too many students to surrounding school districts, particularly in the secondary school. He hopes to stem or even reverse this exodus from the Dayton District. The first step is to determine why students are leaving. This process has begun and continues through exit interviews with students and teachers who have already left. The Center for Excellence...
DAYTON—The Economic Development Steering Committee met via Zoom on November 2. Jennie Dickinson kicked the meeting off with an update regarding a grant from the Innovia Foundation for startup businesses. Two businesses in downtown Dayton, Table Rock Meat and Main Street Marketplace, have benefitted from the grant in the past. This year $5,000 has been awarded to Annie’s Attic, a new cafe and a vintage furniture business coming to Dayton, both owned by Laura and Tony Auckerman. A second sta...
DAYTON—The Columbia County Commissioners met on Monday, November 1. They discussed multiple resolutions, set a date for a public hearing regarding levy certifications, and discussed a behavioral services contract. The commissioners discussed Resolution 2021-48, Award 2017 Bridge Rail Update. This is a federally funded resolution aimed at fixing bridges, including the Turner Road Bridge. They were unsure of when the work would happen. The commissioners awarded the contract to Frank Gurney, Inc. The commissioners then discussed Resolution 2...
DAYTON-The sprawling Blue Mountain Station has become a key player in Dayton and Columbia County's economy. It provides production space for fine candy makers, craft spirit distillers, soap crafters, and growers of organic produce. The road to success has been long and, at times, rather difficult. The idea for the Station first came to light in 2007, when Jennie Dickinson was hired as Executive Director of the Port of Columbia. "When I moved from the Chamber to the Port, it was June of 2007,...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council met on October 13 for a regularly scheduled meeting. Before the approval of the agenda, Mayor Marty Dunn added an item regarding the Touchet River Levee Repair project, which was accepted by the council. During public comment, former council member Terry Jacoy said that in the past, the City of Waitsburg published the status of the municipality around election time. “The elector was able to see the financial status of the municipality,” Jacoy said. “I do...
DAYTON- The Dayton School board held its regular School Director’s meeting at 6 p.m. on October 20, 2021. The board approved the consent agenda, which consisted of the minutes for the September 15, 2021 Board Meeting, a donation from Walla Walla Toyota of $2000 to the Associated Student Body (ASB), hiring both Owen Lanning as Middle School Boys Basketball Coach and Jeannie Walter as Freshman Class Advisor. Also in the consent agenda was the recommendation to hire Melanie Morgan as Senior Class Advisor and finally, a recommendation to accept D...
