Story by Rodger Nichols for Gorge Country Media
The Goldendale City Council met last night and was able to wrap things up for their next-to-the-last session of the year, including passing the 2026 budget on its second reading with no changes from the first reading.
Dustin Conroy reported on two of the major projects undertaken by the city this year. The waterline project is all wrapped up, including the cleanup, he told the councilors. The city is only waiting for the final documents from the contractor to release the retainage. It’s a little more complicated with the Darland Street project. He said they were able to get the asphalt down on November 21st, but there was more yet to do:
“We have to come back in the spring and do the intersection there at Darland and Railroad Avenue. There’s some pieces of curb still missing around the catch basins and they plan on doing those next week. They’ll do the ADA ramps next week as well, but the main sidewalk will also be pushed off until the springtime. We’re still waiting on the rates for the catch basins. They’ve been backordered three times for the contractors.”
Councilors also approved a $20,509 contract with Facet NW, an engineering firm with six offices in Washington State, for consulting work on an mandated update on the city’s critical area ordinance.
And they also approved a fee schedule for the Goldendale Municipal Airport. Real property within the airport boundaries will be leased at 29¢ a square foot. That means a 50 foot by 50 foot hangar space will rent for $500 a year. Simple tie-downs will go for $5 a day or $35 a month, and the fuel flowage rate will be 7 cents a gallon. As airport manager Rick Lundin put it:
“Thank you for passing the ordinances, guys. It’s going to make a big difference.”
And councilors did give fair warning that for the last meeting of the year on December 15 that they were all planning to wear ugly Christmas sweaters.