Songer addresses Hannah Walker case

“We have our $3.4 million dollar project going for the taxi lanes and south apron rehab,” he said, “which has led me down the path of trying to figure out how to put revenue-generating property and assets on the airport, which are hangars.”

Renard said he had a waiting list of 40 people who would rent hangar space if available. He proposed building two 10-unit hangars, which he said would fill up immediately at $400-$450 a month, generating nearly $100,000 a year in income. He told commissioners that Oregon has a new $40 million fund to grant for transit projects, and since the airport is jointly owned by the county and the city of The Dalles, he hoped to have a good chance.

Cost for two hangars is estimated at $2.4 million, and the grant requires a 30 percent local match. That would be $720,000. The good news, he said, was that The Dalles had agreed to provide half of that amount, $360,000, with $180,000 as a grant and $180,000 as a loan. He said the county had certain funds that could be used to match The Dalles, and that paying back the loans would be easily done with the hangar rental revenues.

Building Department Director Lynn Ward provided an update on adoption of the state building codes amendments to Titles 15 and 16. That includes a new Title 15.30 dealing with industrial scale solar projects, and a new 16.32 (F) section requiring various inspections before final approval of the installation of a new mobile home or manufactured home.

One key point, she said, was that the state required counties to adopt minimum state standards, but counties could, if they chose, adopt standards that were more restrictive. One example that was discussed was the 100-foot setback from property lines the state requires for industrial solar projects. The county could choose to make that setback larger.

The adoption is set for March 15, but she said details from the state could change as late as March 1, with the legislature in session.

Sheriff Bob Songer reported on two press releases he had sent out earlier in regards to two widely publicized cases. In the case of Hannah Walker, a young woman who was found dead in Trout Lake Creek last October, Songer laid out the facts of the case and concluded, “Based on available information and evidence, it appears that Hannah Walker’s death was accidental drowning, though foul play cannot be ruled out completely. There is no evidence or probable cause to believe that a crime was committed. Should new information become available that is reasonable and credible, the case could be reopened at some point in the future.”

In the case of Tanner Carrico, who had been convicted as a sex offender, Songer said it was discovered that he had been living in Klickitat County for a year without reporting to the sheriff’s office.

“Carrico has multiple previous sex offense convictions,” he told commissioners.

“Many in Wasco County for sodomy, sex abuse one, public indecency felony, and sex abuse three misdemeanor. Mr. Carrico is considered the worst of the worst and is a potential danger to the citizens of Klickitat County in my opinion,” said Songer.

Songer said that he had received a memo from the Prosecuting Attorney’s office to release Carrico immediately, without conditions.

“To release somebody from our jail that may end up seriously hurting one of our citizens is unbelievable,” Songer said. “My job is to protect the citizens safety of this community and I will stand up to that prosecutor every time that happens. And I apologize to Mr. Quesnel if that upsets him. Bottom line is, my job is to protect the public. He, as a prosecutor, has every right to either file, not file, or dismiss. That’s his lane of travel and I understand it. I have a different lane of travel: Protect the citizens we serve.”