Partly cloudy skies this morning will give way to cloudy skies and rain during the afternoon. High 48F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..
Tonight
Occasional light rain. Low 38F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.
GOLDENDALE — Public Works Director Jeff Hunter shared more potential hidden costs involving the giant flagpole at the March 3 Klickitat County Commissioners.
“We’re very concerned that they’re not going to be able to light that flag and make it work so it meets the city’s lighting ordinance,” he said. He reminded commissioners that Goldendale has a dark skies ordinance which mandates downlighting, and said the top of the pole would only be a foot wide, which would mean a downlight would only illuminate the part of the flag nearest the pole. If the flag couldn’t be illuminated, he said, it would have to come down every night and put back up in the morning. He called that option “a nonstarter,” because there just wasn’t the manpower available.
He also said there may be problems with the ground under the courthouse lawn. “When we put the parking lot in, we dug up a 55-gallon drum,” he said. “And when we drained the hole from the winter runoff, we found bones. So we had to bring the archeologist back in to prove the bones were not human.”
He said the agreement with the Ross Foundation would have to specify that any problems found in the excavation for the flagpole would be the sole responsibility of the foundation.
Commented