Story by Rodger Nichols for Gorge Country Media
Klickitat County Commissioners met yesterday, and despite a petition presented to them signed by 249 people, they declined to declare a last-minute complete ban on fireworks in the county. At a previous meeting, they heard from emergency management and some fire chiefs not to issue such a ban. They told commissioners that if fireworks were completely banned, people would go into remote areas to set them off so they wouldn’t get ticketed. And with the long dry spell, exposing the back country to the additional risk was not worth it.
But Commission Chair Ron Ihrig stressed that in allowing this safety valve, the hours would be strictly enforced:
“Just make sure people are clear that the different fire districts have got this out: It is only legal in the county on July 4th from 9 am to 11 pm.”
Jail Administrator Bill Frantz praised his staff for covering extra shifts while two positions remain empty, a problem that is compounded by the summer vacation season. And he said they had ben dealing with some difficult individuals:
“In the last seven days, we’ve had four spontaneous uses of force. In one case, officers were confronted with somebody coming at them. They tried to leave the cell and take over their part of the jail. In two of those cases, we had to put ’em in enhanced restraints. So while we can manage these behaviors at the jail, they re a consumer of time and resources for our staff.”
On the positive side, Public Works Director Jeff Hunter said the county had received a number of grants for upgrade work at the courthouse:
“We’ve been pretty fortunate at the courthouse. We’ve gotten the roof done with a grant. The front entryway with a grant. Uh, the doors and the windows were grants. So most of the
big stuff at the courthouse was done by a grant.”