Wasco County Commissioners met yesterday. Beyond routine housekeeping measures, commissioners voted to approve a lease agreement with Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District. In June this year, the county received a dump trailer, funded by a Community Wildfire Defense Grant, to support hazardous fuels reduction and wildfire mitigation activities. As part of the program’s implementation, Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District and Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue will provide the personnel for fuels reduction projects, and with this agreement it works well for all parties involved.
Commissioners also heard updates from the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District and the Columbia River Gorge Commission.
Gorge Commission Senior Land Use Planner Joanna Kaiserman spoke about a new Building in the National Scenic Area Handbook. It was last updated in 2005, in light of all that has transpired in the last few years, and update was due. She also mentioned what it is:
” It’s a guide for applicants and planners in the National Scenic Area for helping people to understand the types of structures and materials and colors that are allowed in the scenic area and all the nuances that go into that. And we also have lists of vegetation that can be planted. Basically, all of this was updated in this news version.”
As far as building materials are concerned, one question that comes up the most is: Are metal roofs allowed? The answer is:
“The answer is it kind of depends, where you are. Is it a highly visible property that is going to be seen a lot? We often allow metal roofs, but with the caveat that it needs to be, matte, non-reflective or lower reflectivity, darker colors. There’s also different types of coatings you can put on it to make it less reflective. So, we really work with the applicant to try to make it work with their particular building site.”