By the
Trout Lake Newswriters
Pat Arnold, 395-2233
Shirley Keran, 395-2559
Sandi Thygesen, 395-2318
Terry Scott, 395-2760
The Trout Lake Community Council at its Oct. 10 meeting heard local proposals for community project monies to be funded by the EDA, perhaps as early as mid or late March.
The council will make decisions about which two of the proposals it will recommend. Please contact council members and/or attend the next monthly meeting, Nov. 14.
The council needs to know which projects seem most important. Tom Seifert of Klickitat County Research and Development team answered questions on funding procedures. He commented that about $27,000 per community seemed a fair estimate for the year 2001 dollars to be allocated; 17 communities are to be considered in Klickitat County. "The EDA," he said, "is not interested in funding for grant writers or feasibility studies; it wants ready-to-go projects, broken down into parts accompanied by dollar estimates."
Here is a brief summary of projects presented at the October meeting of the Council.
--TROUT LAKE SCHOOL PROJECT. $100,000 for a rubberized track. $30,000 for outdoor rest rooms, and to finish one of two unfinished classrooms.
These projects would benefit the community as a whole by facilitating, for example, a rubberized track to allow Trout Lake to host "Home" track meets, and provide a healthy, safe place for community residents to exercise. With support, some creative fundraising would allay part of the cost.
--TROUT LAKE FIRE DEPT. $22,000 (2,200 each) for 20 self-contained breathing apparatuses for our firemen. $36,000 for backflow prevention devices and to pay down the loan on the new fire truck in the amount of $30,000. The new fire truck should be arriving by the end of this year.
--TROUT LAKE WATER BOARD $16,000 to complete the Wood Road loop line and $35.000 for the Plenty Pines to Sunnyside loop line. This project assures water availability for resident usage,and also heightens neighborhood protection in the event of fires, and allows alternate routes for water delivery throughout the system. As of the meeting, Tom Siefert was not able to say for sure if the county thinks it is legal to fund private water association projects.
--SENIOR PROJECT. Nate Johnson's goal is to have a Trout Lake Recreational Park, a place for kids to recreate in safety. As is, they have Highway 141, side roads, or a drive to Hood River or elsewhere to, for example, skate board or race bikes. Such a park could be for adults as well as kids. Nate's appeal sparked interest and, to his modest request for "any amount" to get things started, $5,000 to $10,000 found favor among those in attendance. Seifert reminded Nate that he has just 30 days to 1) work out the what-where-and how of his project; and 2) get his proposal in before the Nov. 14 meeting. (Dear Readers: By the time you read this, seven of Nate's days will have passed. Eager to help out with ideas, labor, land, dollars? ?Hope so!)
A Reminder to VOTE: For the Nov. 6 General Election, we have four candidates on the slate for four positions on the Trout Lake Community Council: Jeff Baker, John Dean, Ray Thygeson, and Jim White. Watch for candidate statements in next week's column.
Four candidates are running for two positions on the Trout Lake School Board: David Woodruff and Sundee Yarnell, and Cheryl Mack and Denise Heard. Jim Wells runs unopposed. A School Board Candidate Forum will be sponsored by the Trout Lake Grange on Thursday, Oct. 25, 7:30 p.m. Candidates will present their views and answer your questions.
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