City sets 2016-17 goals

Investigate downtown public parking and transportation needs.

Work with Sunshine Mill to develop and implement a landscaping plan from the nearby freeway exit to the roundabout.

Publish a State of the City annual report to inform citizens about the status of projects and programs.

Support efforts by partners to complete development of the Mill Creek Greenway.

“I think we’ve made a lot of progress and hopefully we can do the same this year,” said Councilor Russ Brown about the continued focus on street repairs.

The city is in the second year of a three-year moratorium on constructing new streets in order to expend funds repairing degraded roadways.

During 2015, the Public Works Department chip sealed or patched 24 miles of streets.

Also high on the city’s infrastructure goal list for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts July 1, is initiating design work and pursuing funding for the Dog River waterline replacement.

Dave Anderson, public works director, told the council at the March 21 work session that the complex environmental permitting process was still underway to replace three and one-half miles of wooden line that is over 100 years old.

He said city officials should know by mid-May whether the municipality will receive a $4 million grant to help with the $7.8 million anticipated cost of replacing the line that runs from Dog River to the South Fork of Mill Creek.

The line provides about half of the city’s annual water supply but Anderson estimates it leaks about one million gallons a day.

He previously told the council that the line, which goes through the national forest, is in danger of being ripped out of the ground by root balls if any adjacent trees topple over.

Completion of the first phase of improvements of the wastewater master plan and transportation system plan also remain a priority.

Review of the water capital improvement plan and rate structure was taken off the list because it has become an annual agenda item.

Another item removed from the list was completion of the watershed post-fire rehabilitation project because replanting of the first batch of replacement trees that died, due to drought, is expected to be finished by fall.

Under the “Work with Partners” category, city officials revisited the difficulty of getting an expansion of the urban growth boundary due to its location in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, which is federally protected.

Although the council had earlier decided that, after a decade of inaction and expenditure of $1 million, they would take their case directly to Congress, Mayor Steve Lawrence said officials were told it would be best to continue trying to work out a solution at the local level.

It was determined by the council that the Community Outreach Team should take the lead on collaborating with the Gorge Commission to make the boundary adjustment.

Meanwhile, city officials said the state has agreed to hold off on its mandate that the city incorporate new property to meet 20-year growth projections due to the complexity of the situation.

The council also plans to continue working with North Wasco County School District 21 and Columbia Gorge Community College to improve school facilities and enhance the educational system.

Work will continue to make all city-owned properties more energy efficient with a focus on using renewable energy as a power source at some point in the future.

Support will be given to the Regional Solutions Team, Mid-Columbia Housing Authority and Mid-Columbia Economic Development District to establish housing for working professionals in the community.

City officials also hope to strengthen and maintain an on-going relationship with the four tribes in the area.

Removed from the “Work Partners” section was implementation of a maintenance and operation plan for the Lewis and Clark Rock Fort site. The city is working with Wasco County to take ownership of the site from the county, which Krueger anticipated would be done in the near future.

The city has also essentially completed its goal to participate in the Oregon Historic Highway Celebration. The municipality is partnering with the Discovery Center for an event on July 23.

The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce, which receives city funding from lodging taxes, is using a logo of the April Cherry Festival that ties in with the promotion.

It was decided to hold off on removing redevelopment of the Granada block and associated parking structure from the “Economic Development” portion of the list until Monday’s meeting of the Columbia Gateway Urban Renewal Agency board.

The agency’s advisory committee voted 7-2 last week to reject all proposals received for the Granada block properties and put three structures it owned back on the market.

That decision is a recommendation to the agency board, made up of city councilors, that will be considered Monday following the regular council meeting.

The city will continue its partnership with The Dalles Main Street to develop a business retention program.

Krueger is recommending that the city include an additional $25,000 to support Main Street plus $25,000 to fund a RARE (Resource Assistance for Rural Environments) student to assist with activities.

In addition, funding will be sought to retain the services of Gary Rains, business recruiter, and cover Riverfront Trail consulting work being performed by Dan Durow.

Staff will continue work to secure grant funding for installation of a bike hub in the Lewis and Clark Festival Park to bring more cyclists to town.

The Lewis and Clark fountain was removed as an accomplished goal because it is expected to be delivered by mid-April.

The council will continue its support for expansion of RV parking in the community, although an update to the land-use plan to accommodate that usage has been temporarily put on hold.

Staff was directed to continue seeking information from Union Pacific Railroad on right-of-way and safety issues related to possible rehabilitation of the Gitchell Building at the foot of Washington Street.

Krueger said a report about possibilities for the aging structure, formerly Waldron Drug, will be prepared once the railroad has weighed in.

The plan to develop open space or a park near the Wasco County Veterans’ Service Office on Federal Street remains in the exploration phase.

With the Washington Street Undercrossing scrapped due to railroad safety concerns and funding problems, the council has turned its eyes on possibly establishing a plaza area on Federal Street instead of Washington.

Under the “Balanced Budget” category, the city retains as a goal the development and implementation of a plan to lower its insurance rating for worker injuries through an incentive-based safety program. Krueger said the city is on the right track to have a $54,000 premium reduction during the next year.

The city plans to continue improving the view of The Dalles from the freeway by working on screening of the wastewater treatment plant and encouraging business owners to do the same.

Krueger and Izetta Grossman, city clerk, said the goal list will give staff direction about what projects to give top priority during the next fiscal year.