Attend Grape Escape
I write to you today with an invitation for parents and community members to join us, the White Salmon Valley Education Foundation (WSVEF), Saturday, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. for the Gorge Grape Escape! That’s right, it’s back! An evening dedicated to supporting our teachers, schools, and students.
This event hasn’t happened since 2019, and I’m happy to be ushering it back into social circulation this year. There will be games, fabulous prizes, a live auction, and so much more. All of this adds up to the main fundraiser for our organization. The WSVEF, an organization devoted to our schools.
Since 2006, the WSVEF has demonstrated its dedication to enriching the educational experience far beyond the classroom. It has played a pivotal role in supporting technology upgrades, teacher professional development, music curriculum and instruments, and the arts, all of which have contributed to the holistic development of our students. I know this because my three children have been the fortunate recipients of an education supplemented by the work of the WSVEF. For this, I am truly grateful.
Your support is vital in order to continue the important work of ensuring that future generations have access to the educational opportunities for a bright future. Join us!
The Gorge Grape Escape, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m., Best Western Plus Hood River Inn on. We are “Off to the Races to Support our Schools” with this Derby themed bash!
For tickets visit onecau.se/wsvef and for more information about us visit our website wsvef.org.
With gratitude, Kylie Uffelman, executive director, WSVEF, White Salmon
Vote yes for RFA
The formation of a Regional Fire Authority ( RFA) with White Salmon Fire Department and Klickitat County Fire District No. 3 will be on the ballot on Nov. 7. It has only been a few months since the Tunnel 5 fire threatened our community and the lives of our firefighters. Many of us will remember a similar fire that raced up the Underwood bluffs and burned homes approximately 10-12 years ago. It’s just a matter of time before we are again threatened by wildfires. An RFA will provide more resources for fire prevention and safety for our firefighters and our community. Vote YES for the creation of a RFA.
Deborah Olson, White Salmon
Vote no on bond measure
In November, residents will vote on a bond measure for the building of a new high school in The Dalles. I know if I say I will vote against it, I run the risk of being ostracized. First, let me be clear, we probably need a new high school. I have supported many school bonds in the past and will do so again if they are realistic.
My reason for voting against this bond is the numbers don’t make sense. In 2015, in Pendleton, a school was constructed at a cost of $240 per square foot. According to district officials, that included all soft and hard costs. Adjusted for inflation, the cost today would be approximately $310.
Another school was completed in 2017 in Pendleton for a total square foot cost of $260. Again, adjusted for inflation, the cost would be approximately $340.
The new Caldera high school in Bend was completed in 2021 with a 260,000 square foot cost of $434. According to administration and school board officials who were on KODL’s coffee break radio program on Sept. 21, $120 million of the $140 million bond measure will be for the construction of a new building. The proposed building will be 167,000 square feet and the cost per square foot $718. That anticipates a 65% increase in building costs in four or five years.
Additionally, the Bend-Lapine School District is working on a bond issue to tear down and upgrade the original Bend high school to be completed about the same time as the proposed new school here, 2028 or 2029. According to officials in Bend, they anticipate a square foot cost of around $500. Why then does District 21 need $718 per square foot?
My personal belief is that the new high school should not cost more than $75-$80 million, even allowing for a healthy amount of inflation.
Consider carefully your vote for this project as it will have a significant impact on your property taxes for the next 30 years. More than $50 per month for the average homeowner.
Chet Petersen, The Dalles
Please slow down
It always frustrates me when I drive to town later in the day. It seems everyone is in a hurry and there's no room for those of us who feel like we're going to be run over or have someone that drives right behind you like they want to read your bumper sticker. Well, I don't have a bumper sticker. I just want to say to them, "Just back off." This is especially true when drivers come barreling through, heading east on Cascade Street from the Exit 62 area. SLOW DOWN! When the traffic is heavy and busy, just SLOW DOWN!
We have become a driving society of being rude. Always in a hurry, with an "all about me" attitude. Be courteous, people. Share the road. Drive as if you don't want anyone to be hurt (or else), just because it's the nice thing to do.
We can all slow down and be more respectful of others that are around us.
I know this isn't going to matter for some people, but at least it might remind a few drivers.
Beverly Annala, Hood River
Support TD youth
I’ve taught in The Dalles High School building for the last 15 years. Yes, it’s an historic building and it looks pretty cool on the outside, but inside tells a different story. Anyone who is not inside that building everyday throughout the entire school year cannot begin to understand the variety of challenges we face. The problems that come with this very old building are numerous and have been written about previously, so I will ask some questions:
Is it too much to ask to have …
Climate-controlled classrooms for a comfortable learning environment and to be able to handle the more extreme temperatures we can experience here?
A cafeteria that actually accommodates the number of students we have at our school?
Common areas where students can sit and interact with each other instead of having to sit on the floor in the hallways?
Classrooms that have windows and natural light?
A safe school with limited and easy-to-secure entrances?
A high school that this community could be proud of?
A new high school would be transformational for our town and, of course, would serve not just our students, but be a resource and a source of pride for our community as well.
But ultimately, it’s our youth that will spend the majority of time in the building. Whether or not you have children in the district, please support the youth of our community. They are our future. They deserve better. A new high school would be a gift to our youth for generations to come.
Brian Greeley, The Dalles
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