The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON—The Dayton Kiwanis Club met via Zoom on March 10. The club meets every second and fourth Thursday of the month at noon.

The meeting began with an update from Public Health Administrator Martha Lanman, who spoke about Columbia County’s COVID-19 statistics and current standings. At the time of the meeting, Columbia County had not had a new case of the virus for 13 days, with Lanman saying that it is a “good sign of where the county was.”

She said case testing has dropped to less than half of what the rate was for February, which was a welcomed bit of data as the county approached the first anniversary of the very first positive COVID-19 case.

Lanman shared that she is on multiple calls each week, discussing what Phase 3 of the Roadmap to Recovery reopening plan will look like for Columbia County businesses. Governor Inslee announced last week that all counties would be advancing to Phase 3, effective March 22.

According to Lanman, the vaccination clinics that have been held at the fairgrounds are going very well. She shared feedback from the vaccination clinic staff who believe the clinic can give out more vaccinations if supplies were available. Beginning on March 22, eligible tiers will expand to B2 and B4, which include agriculture workers. Most of the Columbia Pulp and Seneca employees would be eligible for vaccinations, according to Lanman.

Booker Rest Home is one of only three long-term-care facilities in the state that did not have any positive COVID-19 cases. Lanman wanted to extend a big thank-you to Booker and the Columbia County Health System staff for the work they did to keep residents safe over the past twelve months.

The Kiwanis Club heard from successful master sculptor Keith McMasters as he shared his journey to becoming a successful, full-time artist and curator. Based in Hamilton, Montana, McMasters has close ties with the Dayton Area. In a separate story, Mastersculptor Keith McMasters speaks at Dayton Kiwanis Club, explores his story in depth.

The meeting adjourned following McMasters’ presentation and a handful of jokes from Club members.