Expanded Service

AN OFFICIAL grand opening ceremony for Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue’s Station Two on Columbia View Heights was held Saturday and attended by officials from several different agencies. The open house celebrated the end of a 17-year hiatus with only one manned fire station. Wasco County Commission Chair Scott Hege, center, opened the fire hose barrier on Oct. 24 to mark the official opening. He was joined by MCF&R board members Tom Ashmore, left, Dick Schaffeld, John Willer, as well as Wasco County Commission Steve Kramer, former The Dalles City Manager Nolan Young, City Councilor Linda Miller, Mayor Steve Lawrence and Camille Terry, an ambassador for The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce. Station Two is close to the Oregon Veterans’ Home and Flagstone Senior Living, which generate a large volume of ambulance calls. The upgrade at the second station was paid with $558,000 of Google funding provided to the city and county. The northernmost fire bay of the facility was converted to quarters, and a new fire bay was added to the south side of the building. The exterior was repainted and the new siding was matched as closely as possible to the existing siding. Mark Roth photo