There was a very brief pandemic update at the Wasco County Commissioners meeting this morning, as members of the North Central Public Health District were not able to attend. Commissioner Kathy Schwartz, who is a nurse, gave an abbreviated report. The key facts were that Oregon residents are now 68 percent vaccinated, and once that reaches 70 percent, most state restrictions will drop away. Also, she reported vaccinations are now taking place locally at a portable vaccination setup:
“The FEMA trailer is up and running. It’s now at St. Mary’s Academy in the parking lot for walk-ins, drive-ins and whatever. That’s a trailer supplied by the federal government. It’s also got OHA staff out there, as well as some Peace Corps volunteers and we’re very, very fortunate to have it, given that it’s one of only three in Oregon and only 30 in the country.”
Also at the meeting, Wasco County Administrator Tyler Stone reported this information at the meeting of the Wasco County Commissioners:
“We’ve had some significant turnover in our planning department, and as a result of that, the workload that is there, sitting on the remaining planners, is going to be a challenge for us. So I just wanted to let the public know that we’re working as hard as we can to get through those, but there will likely be some reduced office hours for in-person visits.”
He said he didn’t have details yet, but assured the public that staff will still be monitoring emails and phone messages.
That prompted Commissioner Steve Kramer to make this request of local media attending the meeting:
“Maybe we could call on all of you to ask our constituents to please phone ahead and make appointments with out planners so they will have plenty of time for those conversations. I think that would greatly help everybody out if we could make appointments as we try to make this all work.”
The message is clear. If you have business with the Wasco County Planning Department, call ahead and save yourself a lot of time.