An artist’s rendering of an Ape Cat.
Contributed imageBINGEN — The Bingen City Council held its first regular meeting of 2025 on Jan. 7 at City Hall. Topics included updates on various city projects, approval of wage increases for city staff, and a report from local businessman James Szubski.
The council unanimously approved the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the City of Bingen and Local 701 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, effective Jan. 1, resulting in a 5% cost-of-living wage increase for all city staff.
The City of Bingen continues to manage numerous infrastructure projects in 2025. Gray & Osborne engineer Jamin Ankney presented the council with a final billing for the newly operational Oak St. Reservoir. Mayor Catherine Kiewit reported that she’s waiting to meet with designer Tim Devries over the revised plans for the Cedar and Alder sidewalks. Construction on the community’s DC Fast Charger begins on March 3.
City Administrator Krista Loney reported on the start of phases 2 and 3 of the East Steuben waterline replacement, another grant and loan funded project.
Kiewit and Loney continue to work on the Middle Housing Study, and have set into motion the construction of three new bus shelters in Bingen, thanks to a State of Washington tourism funds grant.
Szubski, owner of The Gorge Outdoor Store, apprised council of recent plans to film a television series in and around Bingen based on the Klickitat Ape Cat. Fireworks Media created a sizzle reel and pitched a series to be aired on The Discovery Channel or a similar network.
Szubski explained he became concerned about the shape and scope of the project, and opted to create his own media company, Ape Cat Media, in order to produce the show. His concerns centered on the potential effects of the show on the tightly-knit community of Bingen, and he feels more confident that he can control those effects as the producer, he said.
Szubski has assembled a research team consisting of “a soldier, a psychic, a preacher, and a cowboy” that will investigate reported evidence of the existence of the Ape Cat in Klickitat County and the general area. He sees the show as “a love letter to the Gorge,” with the goal of generating healthy economic development for Bingen.
Szubski, an outdoor enthusiast with experience in marketing and the creative arts, also intends to pursue a Washington State grant that will fund an impact study on the community. He is the president-elect of the Bingen Chamber of Commerce.
The Bingen City Council is composed of Mayor Catherine Kiewit and council members Ryan O’Connor, Craig Trummell, Phil Jones, Michael Stahl, and Brittany Spratt. Kiewit’s, Jones’, and Spratt’s terms will expire on Dec. 31. The council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
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