Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg Community Health and Protection Committee met Tuesday, January 18, with discussions centering around flood preparedness and response. Chairman Jillian Henze gave a brief report on the current COVID-19 situation in the area. As of Monday, January 17, there were 1,216 active cases in Walla Walla. Of those cases, 1,208 were in-home isolation, while eight were hospitalized. As of Tuesday, St. Mary Medical Center had only one ICU bed open and had implemented visitor r...
WAITSBURG-As area residents start to monitor the river every morning on the way to work, Pastor Cameron Hedges has been busy preparing for his first flood season in Washington. Hedges has been going through various FEMA training. He is learning how to prepare for and navigate a natural disaster, document volunteer efforts, and communicate with other response divisions. The pastor of the Waitsburg Christian Church, Hedges, said that there was no hesitation to say "yes" when the City of Waitsburg...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council will move meetings from the Lions Club building hosting an Open House before the regular meeting on January 19 at the new City Hall. Join the council at 106 Main at 6:30 p.m. to check out the new space and stay for the 7 p.m. regular meeting. City of Waitsburg staff moved to the new space in November 2021, after purchasing the space earlier that year. The new City Hall has dedicated office space, ample storage, and a small, attached shop where small machinery will be stored. Light refreshments will be a...
WAITSBURG-It's been a chilly past couple of weeks, with temperatures dipping into the negatives and the National Weather Service reporting as much as 18 inches of snowfall at the end of December. As a result, the streets of Waitsburg became packed with snow, which eventually turned into ice, making it difficult to leave the driveway and navigate the roads. According to Waitsburg City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe, the city does not provide snow removal services for several reasons. One is the...
WAITSBURG—After almost two years of inactivity, the Waitsburg Commercial Club (WBCC) is taking steps to return to business, acting as the city’s Chamber of Commerce and encouraging economic development. The club held two meetings in December. In March 2020, just before COVID-19 changed the way the world does business, Commercial Club members gathered and held an election for officers and board members. Club members present at the meeting elected new officers for president and vice president, secretary, and second vice president. Two new mem...
WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg City Council met on December 15 for the year’s final meeting. This was the last meeting for outgoing council members Karl Newell and Karen Gregutt. Roughly 15 community members attended the meeting. During public comment, library board member Marie Gagnon provided an update on the Weller Public Library improvements. She shared that a ceiling project was nearly done, and a wiring project that was started last month was nearly halfway complete. All wiring work is being don...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg School Board held its final regular meeting of the year on December 15, 2021. Board member Stephanie Cole was unable to attend. The meeting started with the newest board member, Dr. Carol Clarke, being sworn in by Superintendent Mark Pickel. Clarke will hold the seat formerly filled by Pam Chapman through the remainder of the school year. Secondary Principal Stephanie Wooderchak reported that two Waitsburg High School students, Megan Forney and Brayden Mohney, were...
WAITSBURG—A worldwide pandemic, heavy flooding, staff shortages, supply chain issues, and a shortage of funds made for a difficult past two years for the City of Waitsburg. Mayor Marty Dunn and City administrator Randy Hinchliffe sat down with The Times to reflect on the last two years and plans for the next. This year began with public meetings restricted to Zoom or other virtual matters, something that Mayor Marty Dunn said was a learning experience. He said the city council handled everything well and adjusted to the situation as it c...
WAITSBURG-Kindness is alive in Waitsburg. It seems like a prerequisite to becoming part of the community. It comes in all shapes and sizes, in acts big and small. From receiving an unexpected smile on a bad day or heading up an event, kindness is everywhere. The year started strong, with more than 2,000 pounds of food distributed to Waitsburg and surrounding community members. The Waitsburg Christian Church, then led by Pastor Matthew Wyatt, helped organize the day-long event, partnering with...
WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg School Board met Thursday, December 2 for a special meeting. Immediately after adopting the agenda, the board broke for a 15 minute recess. The board recognized long-time member and chair, Ross Hamann, who announced earlier this year that he would not be running for re-election. Hamann served on the board for nearly 20 years. Superintendent Mark Pickel presented Hamann with a plaque that featured the Cardinal logo that Hamann drew years ago. The Cardinal has since become...
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...
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...
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....
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....
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...
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...
WAITSBURG-It's the season of change and improvement on Waitsburg's Main Street, and the city's library will not be left out. The Friends of the Weller Public Library was recently awarded $7,000 from Columbia REA's More Powerful Together community grant program. Earlier this year, the City of Waitsburg considered surplusing the building which houses the Weller Public Library, citing lack of ADA accessibility as one of the main reasons. After hearing community feedback, the city opted to keep the...
WAITSBURG—The Columbia-Walla Walla Fire District 2 Commissioners met on October 13 for a regular meeting at the Waitsburg Fire Station. Interim fire chief Colter Mohney asked that a vote regarding a policy update to reflect the statewide vaccination mandates be held either at the meeting or within the next couple of days following the meeting. The mandate, Proclamation 21-14.1, announced on August 20, requires all health care providers, including licensed health care providers and all e...
WAITSBURG-Whether you're a soup-season person or a spooky-season person, there's no arguing that autumn is here! If you're a spooky-season person, it is time to head down to Mr. C's Smoking Co. or Nancy's Dream Garden Center. Each business received plenty of Schulke Pumpkins to go around. The Schulke Pumpkin Fundraiser is in its fourteenth year of fundraising for the Ronald McDonald House in memory of Cooper Schulke, who passed away in 2002 after a long battle against a brain tumor. In 2007,...
WAITSBURG—A letter signed by the Waitsburg City Council and the Mayor was published in The Times and sent out to residents of Waitsburg last week. The letter referenced the 2020 flood and the city’s need to make repairs to the affected areas of the levee within city limits. The letter said the city could not make the necessary repairs unless they received approval from all property owners in the affected area. The letter said that while 75% of the property owners in the area had agreed to gra...
WAITSBURG-Efforts to repair the Touchet River levee that runs along Preston Avenue could be moot if the City of Waitsburg does not get 100% approval from homeowners, including private and state, to repair the existing levee. In September, the Waitsburg City Council, joined by Senator Perry Dozier and John Wells, Senior Engineer at Anderson Perry & Associates, held a second informational meeting for property owners on rearmoring the existing levee. The city contacted private property owners...
WAITSBURG-Fifteen-year-old Makenna Barron is a busy gal. A sophomore at Waitsburg High School, she plays volleyball and basketball, is involved in speaking and livestock FFA projects and chapter leadership, serves as the Associated Student Body Secretary, and has been active in 4-H for nearly eight years. She loves theater and will play the part of Liesl in the upcoming production of "The Sound of Music" at the Liberty Theater this fall. If she's not doing something mentioned above, you can...
Cameron and Angelica Hedges are new to Waitsburg and are wholeheartedly embracing small-town life. "I love it out here, so far," said Angelica Hedges about Waitsburg. "It's much slower paced than what we are used to." The Hedges family moved to our quiet little town from Los Angeles County in California after Cameron accepted the lead pastor position at Waitsburg Christian Church. The couple moved to Waitsburg roughly one month ago, with their daughters Abigail and Avah and their niece, Shylo....
WAITSBURG—Plenty of new Waitsburg business owners attended the regular Waitsburg City Council meeting last Wednesday. Recently sold buildings along Main Street, include the former Anchor Bar and the Whoopem Up Hollow Cafe. Tom and Judy Bennett purchased the former Anchor Bar at 128 Main and attended the meeting to introduce themselves to the council. Bennett said the couple had received a very warm welcome from community members since purchasing the building earlier this month. Mauro and Connie Golvani who recently purchased the former W...
