Story by Rodger Nichols for Gorge Country Media
Rumors of a big development planned for Dallesport got a boost from Klickitat County Public Works Director Jeff Hunter at yesterday morning’s Klickitat County Commissioner’s workshop session.
“We’re looking at a development with a potential of, say, 500 people? When you have that many people in an urban setting like that, my experience is you’re best to have those owned by the government, just because they’re going to get maintained. If they don’t, you’ll have a mess.”
Hunter was referring to the roads and streets in the development, a sentiment that was echoed by Commission Chair Ron Ihrig, who emphasized that it was the responsibility of the developer to build the streets and roads to county standards, and that the whole development can’t be served by a street that is just a loop.
“This county’s not taking a road with a dead end. It would have to be a through road, built to the county standards and paved, at no cost to the citizens of the county.”
Hunter said he would be meeting with the developers today. Stay tuned on this one.
In other developments, new County Administrator Robb Van Cleave has been reorganizing county departments. He told commissioners he was ready to make one of those moves right away.
“There’s been various discussions in the past about moving the Emergency Management program from Emergency Management Department to Public Works. Public Works has prior experience years ago managing the emergency management program, and willing to assume that leadership today. Based on a critical staffing issue, vacation schedules and other issues, I’m recommending that the transfer be on or before January 16th.”
Van Cleave said he’d spoken to heads of both departments and both were committed to making it work. He would bring the specifics to next week’s meeting on the 13th to be voted on.