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[Date: November 5, 2025]

Safety Meeting Notes
(Thank you Victoria Purvine)

Date: November 5, 2025

Multnomah County Roads: T. Kunter
Stark Street Bridge- the truck that hit the bridge didn't slow down for the turn, also didn't take it wide enough - shredded two rims and went over the wall and onto the railing.  Engineers did not find any structural damage to the wall so the new design did what it was supposed to do.  (The new design had the wall built in two segments, one with rebar and concrete, the second as a facade to make the wall look like the original wall.  The shotcrete was lost, but the structure held.) The wing wall was built to separate from the other structure and it did, pulling away as designed.

The semi was cited for three different infractions, including being overweight, a claim has been turned in to the truck company. It took three hours to lift the truck off the wall and the repair work will be done in the next one to two months.  The bridge will again be shut down for the repair work, including some repairs found by ODOT during the inspection work done the prior week that had nothing to do with the semi-truck.  (Notice will be given once contractor is in place.)
There was a lot of vitriol given to the crew while they were doing their work.  Secondary traffic accidents happen when people stop to see what is going on, stop to take pictures, stop to walk out in the road, etc.  This can be scary for those working the original accident and for others in the traffic, please keep moving.  Thank you to Deputy Kaiser for all the work he did to keep the traffic moving and protect the crew.

Work going forward between the County and ODOT is to get a weight limit of 40 feet, put in a three way stop at the bridge so traffic has to slow down before turning, put restrictions in place so truck will not be allowed to make a right hand turn on to the bridge.  The approach was not able to be changed under the emergency fund that repaired the prior damage since you can't purchase land with emergency funds.  The wall was moved out a little with the new build, but the pinch point remained the same.  
There have been fire and MCSO calls, including multiple incidents with power lines and trees down across the road and the County is not being notified.  In one case there was a semi that took out part of a barricade for a bridge and the County was not notified and the damage was left for two weeks until a crew member saw the damage when inspecting other issues.  What the County is seeing is comments on facebook pages discussing issues and the poster is saying the County has been notified. This has not been happening and Roads would like to see a review with BOEC, Fire and MCSO.

Roads has switched over to Fall maintenance, doing ditching, pothole repair, hazard tree removal, crack sealing.  Haines has been done, working on Larch Mountain.  Deverell and Gordon Creek will be worked on mid-November, Thompson Mill has asphalt repair being done on the back curves.  There have also been guard rails hit and they are working on repairing the damage that has been done.

The yield sign coming down Corbett Hill has had some issues with people not stopping for those crossing left coming up hill.  This will be addressed.
The water is coming across the road at Nielsen and the Old Scenic Highway again.  ODOT and the County will work together to get the ditch cleared.


Historical Society: M. Fruend
Good turn out at the last Sunday Open House.  There will be another Open House on the first Sunday in December from 10-3.
* New dates added. Visit https://.cpchs.org

Friends of the Sandy River Delta & 1,000 Acres: B. Adams
Forest Service fiscal year is October to September, during this past year the Friends have donated 700 hours at the Sandy River Delta.  One of the items being done is repainting of the cross walks by Dave Adams.  Department of State Lands started October 1st working on the land along the river, they have made a huge commitment down there, working every day and it is greatly appreciated.

ODOT: T. Lingley
Kent Kalsch has retired and will be missed.  
McCord Creek Bridge has I-84 down to one lane each direction and that will continue as long as the weather holds.
East Bound side of Moffett Bridge was replaced about ten years ago and they are looking at doing the same work to the West bound side in the future.  More information to come.  
Multnomah Falls Viaduct East of Multnomah Falls is closed will doing repairs. The contractor is looking to pour concrete the second week of November on the deck.  The closure is expected to last until Mid-May of 2026.  There have been parking issues during this repair work, with people parking in the lanes of traffic.  ODOT and MCSO are aware and are addressing the issue with what resources are available.

There is no funding available to address the congestion issue at Multnomah Falls next year.

Next advisory meeting is December 18, 2025.  There is a spot available for those who would be interested in serving. (Copy and paste below link)
https://oregon.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Boards/details/Historic-Columbia-River-Highway-Advisory-Committee---Board-Member_REQ-97999?q=hisotric
The plans for the pathway to go over the bridge from I-84 to the Sandy River Delta is at the procurement office.  

The Mitchell Point Gap contract has been awarded and work will start soon.  This will take approximately a year and there should be no traffic impacts.
Larch Mountain slide has been repaired and the road from Larch to the Vista House reopened the end of September.

ODOT is in the loop with the Stark Street Bridge and the new request for signage changes is on the radar.  The County intends to replace the bridge in the long run so right now everything is a temporary fix.

ODOT: R. Houston
There will be some intermittent single lane closures from Larch to the Vista House to get some base line readings for moisture on the slide area.
Guard rail repair is being done, also culvert and ditching, mostly on I-84.  
Staffing levels are low, moving into winter they will be adding three people to assist with the winter weather impacts but there will be some training required.  


Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management: L. Ledgerwood-Eberlein
County is partially activated to deal with the SNAP reduction.  Looking at mapping pantries and who can offer assistance.  
Multnomah County Commissioners meeting the following day to discuss funding to assist.  
Looking for information on local formal and informal pantries to share to those in need.

Grange: S. Grigsby
November 15 will be the annual pie contest and variety show
November 23 will be BINGO, all proceeds to the Benevolence Committee.  Gifts have been donated and its only $5 a card, you can play all night on that one card if you'd like!
The Grange donates a Benevolence Bag to those new to the area, both home buyers and renters.  Would like to know the best way to connect to those who are moving into our community.
Craftsfaire will be December 6 and 7 from 10-3 at the school.

Corbett School District: D. Fialkiewicz
The District has hired the firm of McPherson & Jacobson to facilitate the new Superintendent search.  The first meeting will be November 8 at 7p and the steps will be planned out at that meeting.
ICE activity near to other schools had the district sending out the protocol to all students.  To speak to a student there must be a court order signed by a judge.  MCSO has been turned away because they didn't have one.  
SNAP- MESD put out a food bank list, it is out on the website and in the newsletter.
No school on Veteran's Day, there will be school on Friday the 14th.  There is no breakfast for Veterans this year, the Kiwanis intend to have it back next year.

Menucha:  D. Vasen
Received a grant from PGE (thank you to the school for all your help in helping with the grant writing).  
Adding electric charging units and getting an E-transport van.  This will help get people out to Menucha.
A PeacePole has been erected on the grounds overlooking the Gorge.  This is an emotional area where you can stand and get connected to the peace of the Gorge.  There will be access during public events, and you can make an appointment to come out, but it is not open all the time as the grounds are reserved at times for private gatherings and their time needs to be respected.

Menucha sometimes has extra food and they invite the community to reach out to them at hello@menucha.org and be added to their list of those who would like to be contacted if there are supplies available.  This is not consistent but only when their is a surplus.

Corbett Water District: A. Dirks
Main line repair at Larch and Louden has been completed.  There was a seven foot section in the ten inch line that had to be replaced. The line was flushed above and below the leak. A boil water notice was issued as a precaution since the reservoirs was unable to provide enough water during the shut down due to use.  
The District is preparing for winter, getting saws on the trucks to handle down trees, heaters placed in buildings, chains for vehicles, etc.  
The District has applied for four grants, Michael Arion will be speaking to one of the grants each meeting for the next four months.  This month the System Optimization Review grant was discussed.  The $50,000 grant comes from the Bureau of Reclamation and will be used to gather information on the system and help the district prioritize capital improvements and come up with a plan to reduce leaks, provide water for fire safety and improve the systems reliability.
Come to the meetings, attend by zoom if you prefer, go to the website, come to office and talk to staff, they are looking for input on what you consider the top priorities.

Oregon Parks and Rec Department: J. Starr
Budget is struggling.  There was a change with pay equity for seasonal staff that was then applied retroactively.  There was also a COLA adjustment and all of this impacted the staffing budget.  There has also been a change that projects in the region have to be submitted and advocated for, following that the region decides priorities.  
Currently short staffed, the crews have been out clearing up storm damage, thankfully only one building was hit by a tree.
The 400 State Trail race is coming up
Fees at two of the park properties on the East side (Lewis & Clark and the Parking lot at the Vista House) have been implemented.  The passes purchased for the day at the other locations work at these two locations, also the annual pass.  Annual pass will be $25 in December for In-State and make a great gift.
This is an attempt to right the ship - day use fees have not been covering the cost of operations and the lottery dollars are down since Parks had to increase their giving from 12% to 25% of collection to the municipal park systems, which was also retroactive for the biennium.  
Winterizing is being done. Campgrounds are closed, winterizing some of the restrooms.  

Forest Service: D. Mysinger
Running on a skeleton crew without pay.  There have been a couple trees down on the trails, these have been taken care of  by crews.
The Visitor Center can not be used during the shut down so they are operating out of the restroom lobby.  Normally see 10% of the visitors, seeing a bit more in this location.

NEMCCA: V. Purvine
Christmas Tree Lighting will be held at the Corbett Fire Station on December 6, 2025 from 5-9 pm with the tree lighting happening at 5:30pm.  Again, we'll try to have a bonfire weather permitting, but a BBQ will be fired up and ready to go either way.

Multnomah County Land Use:  A. Howard

Corbett Fire Station Land Use Hearing
Staff will be recommending approval of the fire station expansion. The public hearing is scheduled to start at 9:00am on Friday, November 14th and will be held via Zoom. To review the application materials and register to attend the hearing, please visit: https://multco.us/info/36930-e-hist-columbia-river-hwy

Fee Waiver Authority
The Board passed a Resolution granting the Land Use Planning Director the authority to reduce or waive Land Use Planning fees in limited instances. Now that the Resolution is passed, the Planning Director can adopt internal procedures for applying for a fee reduction or waiver. Applications to waive or reduce fees must be in writing. Resolution attached.

Zoning Code Presentation to the Board of County Commissioners
The Zoning Code Improvement Project (ZCIP) team provided a briefing to the County Board of Commissioners. See attached slide presentation.
The project is at the end of Phase 2 - which is the culmination of engagement activities, identifying problematic code and developing proposed solutions.
Next, the project team is beginning Phase 3 - which involves drafting the proposed code amendments. There will be many more opportunities for public input throughout that process, which will continue throughout 2026.

New Staff Start on November 18th
We completed our recruitment processes and will be welcoming three new planners (two Planner 1s and one Planner 2) to the team. We are excited to fill the two vacant positions, and greatly appreciate the addition of the new position in this year's budget. We will focus on training up staff through the end of the year. New staff will help us answer questions and complete applications faster, and will create the opportunity to offer more appointments and in-person service opportunities.

In-person Appointments Now Available on Wednesday Mornings
Last week we began our return to in-person service. We now offer in-person appointments on Wednesday mornings. In-person appointments are scheduled through the same portal as our virtual and phone appointments.
A link to the appointments calendar can be found on our Contact Us page - https://multco.us/info/how-contact-land-use-planning#section-2

Upcoming Planning Commission Meetings
December 1st: The Planning Commission is scheduled to discuss concepts for amendments to the Full Compliance and Nonconforming Use provisions in the Zoning Code.

BOEC:  M. Grimm
 Call answering update
Call Statistics
We upgraded our call answering software in September and we are close to completing the merging of data from before and after the upgrade. We expect call answering data to be available next month.
Technology updates
We are working with all our fire partners, including Corbett, to update our Emergency Fire Dispatch protocol. This includes agencies determining the appropriate response for thousands of call types and customize responses to best meet the needs of their communities.  This is a huge collaborative undertaking, and we’re grateful to all our partner agencies for their input and active participation. These changes will roll out in stages beginning on November 18, 2025.  The last state is projected to be completed in Spring, 2026.
 
Quality Assurance
Staff continues their progress on accreditation level performance and recently passed their third straight month of hitting that target on Medical incidents.
 
Recruitment and Training
December Academy –
We started with 200 applicants; after several phases of interviews and a pre-employment evaluation, 10 have moved through to background check phase.
Hiring process: Application, Typing Test, CritiCall – Hands on multitasking evaluation,
First Interviews, Second Interviews, Background Checks, Psychological Evaluations
Approximately 1/4 of our staff is in some form of training (academy, call taking, police dispatch, fire/medical dispatch)
 
 

Calm, mild-mannered 58 yo gentleman wishes to live in Corbett/Springdale/E Troutdale. Many reasons for this, hoping someone out there happens to be seeking a tenant. Ideal arrangement would be a one-bedroom or studio space in a house with modicum of privacy. Considered monthly rent range $1,300 - $1,500 for starters. Responsible and respectable, always willing to pull my weight with maintenance and upkeep. Please contact Rod: rod.owre1@gmail.com

Due to the high number of spam registrations on this forum, please use the form on the following page to request registration and you can be manually added and sent the login instructions via email.

https://www.corbettoregon.com/contactus/

Sept 3, 2025

NEMCCA

Safety Meeting Notes

 

Historical Society: M Freund

Open House went very well.  Good attendance.  Lots of positive comments.

Following the Pioneer Picnic on Sept 7, 2025 the museum will be open for those who couldn't make it in August. The picnic will be starting at 11 am and lunch will be served, cost is $8.00 to give a time estimate for open hours.  The museum will be officially opening in the Spring.

 

Latourell Area:  J. Parker

The area has their own water district and recently had a break in a mainline.  This was fixed by the community, they are looking for funding for future upgrades.

The road to the East that comes in to Latourell is failing, a recent tourist to the area popped a tire and it had to be changed by a community member.  The stop signs that are supposed to be located on that road are also missing, tourists are running the stops since they are not there and recently a couple of the local children on bikes had near misses.  Replacing the stop signs has been an on-going issues with Multnomah County Roads for the past two years.

 

MultCo Land Use Planning: A. Howard

Alex joined the County as Land Use Deputy Director in April and will be joining the meetings to hear about what concerns are in our area, and give us information.

Discussion touched on the recent Zoning Code change meeting and the current full compliance practice the County has been using.  There has been a change issued in the County and going forward the practice will be to look at the request that has come in, not the entire site.
Another area touched on was ADUs that are in the area.  We know they are out here, but they are not legally allowed, what changes may occur around this topic.  That is a long term item that could take a few years, but is being reviewed.

Code Compliance is being directed by Kevin Cook, you can file a complaint at: https://multco.us/programs/code-compliance.

The County is in the process of hiring another staff member and they are looking to get through the back log.

 

Friends of the Sandy River Delta: B. Adams

The area has been packed, lots of very nice dogs out walking and exercising, if you're a dog lover, this is the place to see them.

Would like to commend the Corbett Fire Department for their quick responses to the recent fires at the Delta, the most recent being car that was burning behind the 1,000 acres road gate.  The other was the fire started when two individuals who lived in the area had a dispute and one set a fire before leaving.  The area down there is a dangerous one for fires since they can spread quickly into populated areas and there have been challenges put out by those living in the camps that have made it difficult to fight the fires.  Thank you to Corbett Fire for putting up the drone and watching to make sure the fire was put out.

A  padlock has been reinstalled on the gate.

 

MultCo Emergency Management:

R. Higgins,  L. Ledgerwood-Eberlein

The Wireless Emergency Alert Test went out to around 800,000 people in Multnomah County and around 300 people outside of the County.   The team heard back from 8,000 people saying they had gotten the alert, 324 who said they did not, a full report will come out next week on their website.

Some of what was learned from this test:  The bleed over into other counties was small, the outer areas had some gaps in coverage, (Sauvie Island had a good response from the lower elevation, but not the higher up areas,  Corbett was hit and miss which was expected due to spotty cell coverage) and there needs to be more education around phone settings.

Different phones will have a shut off on the notifications as their default setting, so people need to go in and turn the notifications on.  Also, alert overrides can be turned on so emergency alerts will go through even if the phone volume is turned down or notifications are turned off.

The FCC does not require cell carriers to send out any notifications except for Presidential Alerts.  The carriers MCEM was working worth were all very helpful and worked with the team.

In case of an emergency this would not be the only way to reach out to people, Public Alert, news outlets, etc would also be used.  Education will need to continue around the difference between a Public Alert (you register your address or up to five address to get notifications for alerts) and the WEAs, where the alert goes out to all cells in the coverage area whether you live in the area or are passing through.  Phones have different abilities and it will be up to the users to make sure they have the proper settings turned on.  One piece of information is there is a tendency for those who live in areas with a lot of Amber Alerts, the phone owners tend to turn off the alert notifications.  This was found to be one of the issues in the recent Texas weather event.  There tend to be a lot of Amber Alerts in the State and people had turned off the alert notification, also, there was an issue with getting the alert out to those who did have the notification turned on.

A red flag warning had been issued for the Mt Hood area.  PSPS zone one in the Mt Hood corridor was at enhanced power outage levels (lines would not allow a second chance to turn off the power and they would have to be visually checked before being reset) so if the power goes out expect it to stay out a little longer.

Evacuation notice packages are ready to go to MCSO for leaving on homes where evacuation levels are in place.  They will provide information regarding what level of evacuation the property is in, and information on what you may want to get prepared depending on that level.

 

MHCC Bond Oversight Committee: D. McKeel

The bond oversight committee is still being formed and there is a lot of interest, because of this there will be an application available on the college website soon.

Work is already starting on several projects, including the closure of the outdoor pool while the dome is installed.  The pool is estimated to reopen March 1, 2026.

 

Oregon Historical Society Oversight Committee: D. McKeel

The tour of the museums had to be rescheduled due to conflicts with other events.  The committee will be coming out soon to see the new museum.  The annual report will be going to the County Commissioners in Sept 2026.

https://multco.us/info/ohs-levy-oversight-committee-meetings

 

BOEC: S. Koss

Call answering: Average call answer time is 3:41; down from 7:48 in 2024

Call Statistics: 395,270 911 calls this year; 4.5% lower than last year.

Average call answer time is 25 seconds; down from 43 seconds in 2024.

151,407 Non-Emergency calls this year; 19.10% increase likely due to turning off Case Service.

Quality Assurance: We are working with all our fire partners, including Corbett, to prepare for Emergency Fire Dispatch version 8.0 update.  This includes determining the appropriate response for thousands of call types.  Implementation will roll out in stages, beginning November 1st.

Recruitment and Training

We celebrated four certifications in August: One Senior Dispatcher, two Police Dispatchers, one Call Taker

December Academy –

We started with 200 applicants; 19 have moved through to background checks

The process includes: Application, Typing Test, CritiCall, First Interviews, Second Interviews, Background Checks, Psych Evaluations

Approximately 1/3 of our staff is in some form of training (academy, call taking, police dispatch, fire dispatch)

 

District 4 County Commissioner: V. Jones-Dixon

Working on the Code changes with Land Use.  Following the transportation package at the State level.  Looking in on the pre-school for all, checking on investments and outcomes.

Discussion:  Issues with code enforcement and the impact it has on those who see others not having to follow code requirements, and those who are being hit with thousands of dollars to get into compliance.  If you're going to have codes, make sure the department is being funded to a level they can also do compliance.  If you're not going to enforce the rules, get rid of those rules.

 

Corbett School District: D. Fialkiewicz

School is in full swing with around 1,200 students in attendance.  This is 20-25 fewer students than hoped for and there is a $300,000 shortage that will impact the budget due to the lower enrollment.  This will be addressed throughout the year.

Traffic was bad this first week, and was to be expected since it was the first week of school and that is historically higher traffic, and they added 100 students to the mix.  This is getting better.

There is school on Friday since there was no school on Monday.  Watch for traffic.

The Governor's cell phone ban has the Board working on the cell phone policy, and they have until September 15, 2025 to come up with that policy so it can be on track for implementation on January 1, 2026.  The Board went with the approach that it would be easier to start the new year with the restrictions in place, rather than change it halfway through the year, so they began the year with the restrictions.  The change in the halls and on the grounds has been great to see as the students are actually looking at each other and talking, rather than just looking at their phones.

CSD purchased some land behind the Mershon's place West of the school and have cleared out the blackberries and will be turning that area into youth soccer and football fields.

Two home games are coming up (9/12, 9/19) and homecoming on October 3, 2025.

 https://www.maxpreps.com/or/corbett/corbett-cardinals/football/schedule/

The district had a leak detective company out and they found the water line leak in a T prior to the brick layout.  This has been fixed.

Discussion: Busing for the students at Latourell.  Is there any information on the bus going out to pick up or drop off the students?  This is going to be checked with Todd and information will be provided.  Also a discussion on the DQ buses, there appears to be a wait list for students coming in.  One bus has been added to the DQ run at this point.

 

CWD: S. Young

Mr. Young is the district's cross connection specialist and the district has sent Alivia (field staff) and Kelsie (office staff) to be trained on the topic.  The district is aware that they need to have someone in the office who can answer questions since the workers may not be available in a timely manner, so they are working to improve their customer service.

The District received from FEMA the full amount ($57,000) they requested to cover the cost incurred during the ice storm of 2024.

The oil tank next to the office building has been removed, the asbestos floor has also been taken out.

The workers have been busy, fixing leaks and putting in new water services.  On August 25, 2025 the UPS driver spotted a leak on Lucas and called it in, he had also spotted one on July 29, 2025 off Mershon which turned out to be an old service line that had not been fully decommissioned.  (Thank you Mark!)

New service lines or replacement lines have been installed on Knieriem, Smith, Benfield, Louden and a meter that was under water off Howard Road had a riser placed and was lifted out of the wet.

There are three slow sand filter ponds at the treatment center and they are in need of replacement sand.  A month ago the district took one pond off line to see if the remaining two could handle the water flow requirements.  There were no issues, the two remaining ponds stayed consistent at 750 gallons per minute of flow, so the district will begin replacing the sand in pond three.  Once that is done they will do the same with ponds one and two. The District treated 26 million gallons of water this past month.

(If you would like to have a tour of the treatment plant, the district is still offering tours, just call and set up a time.  503- 695-2284)


   
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There have been no after hour call outs to the District since February of 2025.

Discussion: PRV installs.  Corbett is a gravity system so the pressure coming to your house will vary based on your location in the system, how much water is being used by others, and if your home is on a rise or sitting lower on your property. The suggested psi is between 60-80, but numbers can range over 100 in our area.  A PRV may be at the meter, in the house, or both, and should be checked regularly to make sure it is working properly.  It was suggested these PRVs be changed every 4-5 years.

The District can not tell you to put one on your system, but they can strongly suggest you have one.  If you are wondering what the psi is at your house you can contact the district office.

Back flow preventers are required on some properties in the District based on if you have livestock, live on a hill, have a pool or spa, or have a situation where non-potable water may flow from your property into the water district system. This is mandated by the District and you have to have your system tested yearly and a report filed with the District.

(https://www.corbettwater.com/cross-connection-and-backflow-prevention-programs/)

 

Corbett Water District: A. Dirks

Introduction to the community as the new manager of the Corbett Water District.  He will be attending the meetings going forward.

 

MCSO: Lt Kramer, Deputy Kaiser

Department of State Lands owns the land alongside the 1,000 acre property where there has been camping and are moving closer to a date of resolution with the camps.  MCSO will be participating but are not in charge and will be in a supportive role as OSP is the primary on enforcement.  State laws will be followed on notices but no additional information is available at this time.

The situation at Lampert and Seidl is being monitored.  There are approximately 25-30 cars showing up in the evening and leaving behind a mess.  With the Vista House being closed due to the road those who gathered at the Vista House have moved to other locations.

Larch Mountain and the Old Scenic Highway stop sign.  Yes, its still a stop, even though the old highway is "closed".  Several tickets have been issued, including one where the person passed another vehicle that was stopped at the stop sign.  These are locals that are failing to stop.

Another "Mannthey" situation was starting off Woodard and that property owner was contacted and made aware they can not park trailers on the property.  A recent check shows all but one of the trailers is gone.

Speed trailers will be going out, one will be placed in Latourell to help with the recent traffic issue.

It has been noted that some parents are allowing their underage students to drive vehicles to school with no license.  Those vehicles will be towed.

 

ODOT: K. Kalsch, T. Lingley

The elephant in the room is the current funding situation the failure of HB2025 to pass during the regular session and the postponing of the next vote for another two weeks.

Right now there have been eight positions cut, leaving six people to handle the roads from Troutdale to Hood River.  This means that if funding stays at current levels, you might expect one pass of the snow plows during a storm, or no snow plowing until the storm is over, rather a closing of the roads.  This also means there won't be enough people to staff the barricades so you can expect people to go around the closed roads, possibly getting stuck or injured, requiring a first responder to go out.

If the funding bill gets passed, you will see a reduction in the cutting of maintenance stations from 17 to 13, but you will see cuts.

ODOT is short 3.4 million dollars for staffing, and the recent order by the Governor has delayed the layoff date from September 15, 2025 to October 15, 2025.

Discussion: how to talk politics without talking politics.  If the gas tax brings in $100, $50 of that immediately goes to the Counties and Cities for their projects.  The remaining $50 can go to "other projects", maybe upgrades to someone's residences, or go to homeless services, or someone may decide they are going to sue an Administration and that money has to come from somewhere, so $47 dollars of that $100 goes to those projects, leaving $3 for ODOT for maintenance on the roads.

In addition, COLA was not figured in to the budget when the costs were arrived at for needed staffing dollars, so even if the bill is passed there won't be enough money to fill the vacant positions or have enough money to do everything that is needed.

Also, there is lot of "bumping" going on.  This is what happens when people who had their maintenance stations closed but had more seniority than others who didn't have their job lost, "bumped" that person to keep their job.  This has created a lot of re-arranging of staff and morale is very poor.  To add to the bumping, others haven't waited to have their position removed and have sought jobs in other agencies or companies, and that has created more bumping as people seek a new position, or the vacancies are being left as people go.  Vacancies that have not been filled in the past are now abolished.

Work currently being done by the crews are those that will not require money, such as sweeping and cutting of brush.

Any cost over $250 has to be sent up for approval.

Salt and sand are stockpiled due to the milder winter last year so there are some supplies available.  Mag has been placed on the roads at all critical areas, in the past it was only used on hills and corners, the current funding may change the use back to corners and hills.

Federal funds are used to build or replace projects, they can not be used for maintenance.  Construction funds for existing projects are in the bank, such as the McCord Creek bridge work.  I-84 will be down to one lane East of Multnomah Falls at the McCord Creek project area.

Time use permits have ended at the I-84 parking lot at Multnomah Falls.  It is not clear where the funds for the traffic control requirements at the Falls will come from next year.

Discussion: ODOT can not increase the cost of the permit at the parking lot to help cover the traffic control.  They do not own the parking lot and the fee that is collected right now goes entirely to the vendor who handles the permits.

The Advisory Committee will be meeting virtually on September 18, 2025 from 9-12.  This will be on line only due to budget constraints.

Larch Mountain slide is still under construction.  They have finished excavation and are building back up.  This is being done in layers with drainage and soil nails, a piece that was not included in the prior repair.  This is not a permanent fix, but should hold for several years.

East Viaduct will be closing on October 1, 2025 until March 2026, the same work will be done that was done on the West Viaduct.

The pedestrian trail from I-84 to the Sandy River Delta is in the procurement process, should start construction this fall.  This is being done with Congressional funds.

They are still looking for funds to finish the final 1.3 miles of the Mitchell Point trail.  There is an estimate of 4 million for the design and 35-40 million for construction.

Discussion: the falling rocks at the Stark Street Bridge area.  The geo-hydro went out and checked the hill.  They may need to put more chain mesh up but that will need to be State funded.

 

 

Safety Meeting Notes
Northeast Multnomah County Community Association
NEMCCA
May 7, 2025

Corbett School District: D. Fialkiewicz
School year wraps up on May 30th, that will be a half day getting out at 12:30, please be aware as traffic patterns will be different.
As you are aware there has been a posting on the local facebook page, the school is doing its own investigation into the accusations. They are working with Vice Chair Leah Fredericks and will come out with a statement once their investigation is concluded.
Rhiannon Young has been named as one of the finalist for the On-Point teacher of the year.  The winner will be announced at the end of the month.
There has been a great partnership with the Springdale Job Corp, also with Menucha.  Thank you.
The first electric bus has arrived.  This bus was obtained with a grant from PGE and a rebate from the EPA.  The original grant was for two buses, but the EPA rebates are gone so they will need to a different source of funds.  These buses did not cost the school or the community any money.

Historical Society: M. Fruend
There will be an Open House and auction on August 23, 2025.  There is no information yet on if they are looking for donations but that will be shared out later. 
Interior work is on-going.

Friends of the Sandy River Delta: B. Adams
The Friends have purchased $3,900 in 3/4 minus gravel for work on the trails to get them ready for the summer. Thank you to the volunteer who mowed all the trails and didn't charge anything!  The members donate a lot of time and personal money to keeping the organization together and it is greatly appreciated.
Restrooms need pumped.  The Friends are being told all of the supplies are being run/approved through the GSA and that includes pumping.  Right now they are being told there may only be one pumping of the toilets. 
Intake from fees at the Delta run around $45,000 a year but this has not been translating to services at that location.
For example, dog bags to pick up after your dog at the park are almost out and are part of the supplies needed to be approved through the GSA.  Estimation is that will be $1,500 for a year.  That isn't a large amount for the Forest Service, but its a large portion of the SRD budget.  To make sure the bags will be available the Friends will be purchasing three months of supplies.  (The Friends operate on donations and volunteers, their annual donations run close to $4,000 and the majority of that goes to gravel purchase.)
Information that came in Thursday:  Please let everyone know 30 rolls of dog bags have shown up at the Delta, and the restroom will be pumped today. 





Multnomah County Transportation: E. Nilenders
Transit is looking to get out information their Dial a Ride program.  This program is free to those who use it and is open to all but will prioritize the elderly and disabled.  The ride needs to be arranged three days in advance and they can take you shopping, to medical appointments, etc.  If you are able to ride transit the program will take you to the nearest transit hub or to your destination, whichever is closer.  If you are unable to ride transit they will deliver you to the requested location.  (The airport was discussed, looks like you can get delivered to the closest transit hub that will take you to the airport.)
This program has been in effect since 2020 but the implementation was impacted by Covid.  Eve has presented at the Senior lunch at the Grange.
The agency is looking to add a couple shopping shuttles a month to the area and want to know what people would like to see on the schedule.  A central location will be arranged for the shuttle pick up if you want to use the shopping option.
(Follow up after the meeting showed these locations as places of interest:  Chase Bank, OnPoint ,Oregonians Credit Union, Umpqua Bank, BofA, Legacy Mount Hood, Fred Meyer, Walgreens, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Kohl’s, BiMart, Natural Grocers, Coastal ,Winco, Harbor Freight, Walmart ,Medical Center,EyeHealth NW.
Overall observations: 257th & Stark was the biggest location requested, Travel for medical appointments and banking is important. Interest in travel to Washington for recreational)
You can go to the website to give input:  https://multco.us/info/rural-shopping-shuttle 
For those who may be driving an elderly neighbor to appointments or to shop, there is a program called Ride Together and you can be reimbursed for your expenses.  Contact Eve for more information: eve.nilenders@multco.us

Mt Hood Community College: D. McKeel
Busy getting out the vote for the bond, (5/20/25).  Their students have been working hard to get the word out and she will be meeting with students today May 7.  (The Board meets twice a year with their students.) The college believes they have been on point with their message and thank you to everyone who has been supportive of their efforts.
Last Saturday the college celebrated 50 years of Head Start at their event center.  They celebrate it every year, but this year was a major milestone.
The college has received the 2025 Exemplary CEO/Board Relationship Award from the American Association of Community Colleges, highlighting its strong leadership and partnership with the board.
The student art exhibit began May 5, 2025 and will run until May 29, 2025.  The opening reception will be May 8 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.   
Ms. McKeel will be presenting scholarships at the Corbett graduation the end of this month.  The college has raised over $250,000 for scholarships to their students.






Grange: S. Grigsby
Thank you to the fire department for letting the Grange use the reader board, it really helps to get word out about their events. 
Currently there is a message regarding the Plant Share that will be happening on May 10, 2025 from 10-2.  Bring your starts or extras in and swap for plants you don't have or want more of.  Do not bring in invasive plants please.
It was a good Meet and Greet of the school board candidates and the contested Water District position. 
Senior Lunches are held at the Grange on the last Monday of the month.  This month it will fall on Memorial Day (5/26) and they will be offering Memorial Day food.  It will be open to Everyone this month, not just Seniors.
The State Grange Convention will be held at the school from June 21, 2025 to June 26, 2025. (Thank you Derek for all your help.) There will be approximately 175 Grange Members attending from all over the State.  Part of the events will include an Ag Tour (two small buses, five or six farms in the area), and some contest. 
Contests are open to members and non-members with registration beginning in June. All contests are open to members and non-members. Each contestant can have on one entry per category:  Baked Goods, Preserved Foods, Crafts, Textiles.  Fill out the form that can be found here
https://orgrange.org/res/info/awards/OSG_Awards_GWA.pdf
There will be a blood drive at the Grange on August 15, 2025, it may be a mix of drop in and appointment, more to come.

Menucha: C. McHill & D. Vasen
There will be a work party Saturday May 10 from 10-3.  Volunteers will be fed! Email Debbie at hello@menucha.org if you have any questions.
Flower walk will be May 17 from 1-3.  No pre-registration necessary, just check in at the greenhouse for maps and then wander where you will.
Sunday 6/29 there is an Open House from 11-3.  This will be an Annual event. Come down, see the grounds, bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the time. Ice Cream will be provided.
Menucha is working with PGE to get a grant for electric vehicles.  They are in the running.  Thank you Derek for your help.
There is a Survivor Path being installed with art for visitors to walk and enjoy.  The path will be open June 1 to thank donors and will be ready for everyone by Open House time.
Lots of programs are coming up.
Menucha is partnering with Write around Portland (https://www.writearound.org/)
Bluegrass in the Gorge will be May 29- June 1 with a  Bluegrass Concert on May 31st at the Grange.  https://menucha.org/programs/bluegrass  Cost is $20 for non-Grange members, $10 for Grange members and starts at 7 pm.





Multnomah County Emergency Management Services: L. Lledgerwood-Eberlein
The hot, dry weather is here and the forecast is for greater fire potential.  EMS is getting ready for fire response.
The Genasys system for fire evacuation is getting closer to being on board with hopes it will be ready to use this year. (https://genasys.com/wildfires/)
Lydia is available for community outreach.  That includes meeting with groups for preparedness presentation, training, print materials, or a tabling event.  You can request any of these trainings at:  https://multco.us/info/operations-division-staff
Evacuation route presentation is approximately 90 minutes, trainings take longer.  NEMCCA will work to coordinate a presentation.

American Red Cross:  R. Gutierrez
National Sound the Alarm campaign is in effect right now.  You can reach out to have the Red Cross come in and install free smoke alarms in your home.  They will also help draw up escape plans with you and offer you fire safety tips.  Volunteers are needed to help implement this program.  (https://www.redcross.org/sound-the-alarm.html)
The Red Cross is also available to help with Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation.  The Red Cross is available to come to your property, walk the exterior and give you ideas on how to provide defensible space, and then come in and do the interior with smoke alarms.
Sign up at www.redcross.org/local/Oregon
The Red Cross would also like to reach out to student communities and Spanish speaking communities.  If you know of a community that would benefit from this, please reach out to Rafael at: rafael.gutierrezbara@redcross.org
Volunteers are also needed for evacuations, deployments and assistance with sheltering facilities if you, or anyone you know, are interested in volunteering.

Firewise: R. Uleners
Corbett is being recognized as a Firewise Community for the third year now.
In July there will be a chipper day, exact date and time to follow.
If you are working on your property please put in your hours!  This helps us to maintain our Firewise designation and helps get grants (like the chipper) and might help with our fire rating through the fire department.
Hours can be logged at: https://www.corbettfirewise.org/
Activities that count toward hours are anything you do to reduce fire potential.   (Examples include: removing pine needles and leaf litter from roof and gutters, replaced vinyl gutters with metal gutters, ignition-resistant exterior improvements, installing screening on vents, flammable items removed from under decks and porches, inspect roof and replace missing shingles,  installation of hardscaping, replacing combustible mulches with stone/gravel options, tree and shrub removal, raking and removal of pine needles, leaves, ground litter/debris, tree trimming/limbing, moving firewood, lawn and native grass maintenance.)





MultCo Roads: T. Kunter
Vegetation control is being done now, you may have seen the mowers out in your area.  The two new machines for mowing/ditching have arrived and will make ditching easier as it can be done by one person. 
Spraying will be starting, this is the first time they have been out in four years and they are working with the vegetation specialist to get the work done with the least amount of chemicals. 
Owner maintained segments.  This is a program offered by the County and if you are registered a sign will be placed to show where the county will stop and start the road care.  Everyone is welcome to apply, but there are requirements and you must do the work yourself.  https://multco.us/info/owner-vegetation-maintenance-agreement
The County crews have been doing a lot of ditching in the Gordon Creek/Trout Creek area ahead of the PGE crews undergrounding the power lines.  This will establish the placement and depth of the ditches so PGE can be sure to get their lines deep enough there won't be concern about exposing the lines when doing maintenance ditching later. 
This work has gotten the vegetation back from the roads and you can now see the fog line on Trout Creek Road.
Surface work will be happening on Howard sometime between July 30 and August 30.  This will be where the road has been ground and other spots that have been noticed when doing inspections.
Patching on Larch is being scheduled due to the road being heavily traveled with the log trucks. Gordon Creek and Hurlburt will be worked on, some areas with breakdown but not all the way to potholes may receive an overlay.
Clara Smith and Reed will be having grind in place done this year similar to what happened on Howard Road.  The goal is to have the paving done this year but if that can't happen they will come back next year to finish. 
Pounder is on the schedule for next year.
The sinkholes on Mershon have been fixed.
There has been a lot of dumping in our area and the crew tries to get out as quickly as possible to clean them up as one dump site tends to bring in more dumping.  Thank you to Dave Mysinger for all the work he does with picking up litter.  (Dumping tends to be locals.)
There have been a lot of vehicles, boats and items such as basketball hoops in the County road right of way and this is impeding the work the County is trying to do.  Do not leave items in the road right of way, if you do your area may be skipped, or if the machinery hits something and is damaged you may get stuck with a large repair bill. 
Driveway culverts:  There has been several driveways with water running off them and coming on to the County road.  It is the responsibility of the property owner to make sure water does not come on to the road, and if you do not have a culvert, or if it is plugged, you either need to install/clean it, or contact the County regarding having them put one in when they are working in the area.  This may be the less expensive way to have the work done.
Signs have been installed at Lampert/Seidl where cars have been going through the guardrail and ending up in the pasture.  The guardrail has been removed.  Stop signs and dead end signs have been added.
Roads is hiring seasonal workers - go to Multco jobs, and maintenance workers.  There are nine openings for maintenance and four seasonal.  https://multco.us/programs/jobs 
County Roads would like to come out to community events, please let them know if there is anything planned.

Springdale Job Corp: R. Morris &  B. Schindeldecker
There is a new work based learning coordinator who is getting up to speed so there may be a short lag in responding to request. 
The Job Corp is planning on being in the 4th of July parade again this year.  They haven't heard from the 4th of July committee but they won't be allowing any staging on the property this year, if someone can let them know.  (Mentioned MCSO also hasn't heard from them.)
Looking for pharmacy tech partners if anyone knows of possible partnerships.  Really would like to have them get hands on experience before they leave the center. 
Asplundh has been housing their equipment on site and are doing some clean up in exchange for space. Its been a win/win.

Sasquatch Shuttle: K. Krumpschmidt
They have started running the double decker buses, look for them on the roads.
The Waterfall Loop is $79 for adults, $59 for children and includes a $20 credit per ticket to the Fork Food Carts or the Sasquatch Adventure store in Fairview. 
You can still purchase a $5 round trip day pass for the Multnomah Falls Park and Ride. 

Oregon State Parks and Rec: J. Starr
Jami has been named the new Parks Manager, filing the position left vacant by retiring David Spangler.  Her prior position is now vacant and they will be recruiting internally to fill.
There were eleven park ranger assistant vacancies, six have been filled with seasonal help, two are tentatively filled and three are still open.  One of those is a temp position.  Wages is around $20 an hour, but those hired qualify on day one for medical, dental, vacation time and you can vest in PERS if you are in the position for at least six months. 
There will be two student positions posting this week for work at Rooster Rock, one for booth attendee and one for working at the front entrance of the office building.  With the increase to $10 for a day pass it is expected there will be a higher demand for an annual $30 pass and they are staffing to try and handle that demand.  You can purchase on line but they may be delays in processing, so plan accordingly.
Vista House is closed, they are working to alleviate the water infiltration problem and closed the building on April 29 and will reopen on May 22.  The property is open to visitors, just not the building.
The budget biennium is coming up and Parks is looking at ADA improvements on the Ainsworth bathroom.
First Saturday of June is State Parks Day.  Camping and day use will be free that day. Typically this is done in partnership with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife with free fishing day.  Check with ODF&W regarding licensing requirements.
Once the Vista House reopens hours will be 9-5, four days a week.  There has been discussion around opening it six days a week depending on volunteers, but that will also depend on if the road is open.

ODOT: T. Lingley and K. Kalsch
Summer congestion has started, to help with mitigation the timed permits are being used at the I-84 parking lot at exit 31. Sasquatch shuttle has the contract for permit checking.  There is a two dollar processing fee if you reserve on line, there are tickets available for free for those who want to pick them up at Gateway to the Gorge Mall or at the Cascade Locks Museum. 
There is not currently enough money to pay for a crosswalk flagger at Multnomah Falls.  The County is still working on their budget so it is unknown if they will have money to contribute, ODOT will know more in June.
West viaduct work is on schedule to be done and is set to open next week.  This means the turn around areas will now be open for parking. 
Larch Mt land slide is being monitored daily while the contract is put in place.  It is estimated to take two months to complete repairs once the project is ready to go, so the road will most likely be closed July and August of 2025.  There is an expectation that the same issues being seen at Wakheena will be seen at Larch/Old Scenic Highway once work starts.  Be aware there will be NO traffic going through, no vehicles, bikes, pedestrians, emergency responders.  There will be a forty foot hole and no one is getting by.
ODOT is aware that with the Wakheena closure people are parking in the travel lanes.  This issue has been raised with Law Enforcement.
The Eastbound bridge work at McCord Creek will have minimal impact this year but will have some full closures of I-84 during the 2025-2026 year. 
Bridal Veil bridge rehab work is complete.
Sweepers just came through on their way to Latourell.  Spraying and mowing will be coming back this way with the expectation to be in Corbett just before the 4th of July. 
The budget is tight, construction you see now was already funded and started and is not from the maintenance monies so they are not on hold.  Staff is back up to full strength but the dollars for supplies are not available. 
Litter patrol on the Old Highway.  You can fill out the form for ODOT and get the signs, vests, bags and pick up sticks. 

MCSO: Deputy Kaiser
There have been a lot of dumped vehicles lately.  Some have been removed, others have had owners contacted to haul out.  One on upper Larch was shoved further down the embankment by some individuals which is complicating the removal.  If the vehicles are not in the road they may sit for a while before being removed, but if they are in the will be removed immediately.  Please email Deputy Kaiser if you see any of these vehicles and if possible send a picture of the plates so he can run for stolen.  joe.kaiser@mcso.us
Extra patrols are being done at Vista House when staffing allows.  These will be on going over the summer and will be random.
For Everyone's Information:  Spinning out tires is considered speed racing and if you do this and are caught your vehicle may be towed.
The manager of the logging operation on Larch has been contacted regarding speed of trucks and patrols are monitoring throughout the hours of operation. 
Budget so far is good.  MCSO is opening up for some lateral transfers, there are some members in the academy and also have some recruits coming up that are looking good.
Deputy Kaiser is still on patrol rather than CRO and is working with Community Patrol.  The group is a lifeline to the community and he really appreciates all they do.

CWD: L. Ronell
District Manager job position is open until May 30, 2025.  Information is available on the district website: https://www.corbettwater.com/job-opportunities/
Ana Linden headed up a fundraising for the Springdale Job Corp students to attend the CPAC play.  The Community donated around $600 and monies not spent will be given to the Job Corp for future use.
Larch Mt Reservoir, workers are digging out the overflow line, the District is waiting for a response from FEMA regarding funds.
There was a mainline leak last week on Knieriem when a homeowner failed to call Locate prior to digging.  Workers had the line fixed in 2.5 hours.  The District will be using a new emergency notification system, Everbridge.  This will show calls coming from CWD and will use all methods for contact: phone, email, text. (Side note: make sure you've updated all of your contact information with the  District if you aren't getting notified.) There is at least one more training session scheduled before implementation but it should be done this month.
For Community members interested in learning more about the District there are tours offered, lead by the utility workers.  Please reach out to the office to schedule a tour. 
Two story map pdfs will be going up on the website that provides a nice overview of the district.

Safety Meeting Notes
April 2, 2025


County Commissioner D4:  V. Jones-Dixon
Chair is working on the County Budget, will be sharing at the end of the month. 
Following up on the Bull Run water filtration project.
Looking at how to get funds for infrastructure and how to prioritize to get funding from the Feds to address the roads, looking at the Corbett area.

Discussions:
School speed signs at the Middle School on Woodard.  What assistance can the Commissioner give to get the speed reduced?:

ODOT and MultCo Roads were part of the discussion.  ODOT is responsible for the school speed signs (school zone signs are in place at each end of the property, the one to the West will be pushed back to 400 feet from 100 feet to expand the zone), but there are steps necessary first that have to be done by both the school and the County.

School speed zones are meant to encourage walking and biking to the school, and Woodard road is not set up for these events. 

Normally a pedestrian protection plan would be submitted prior to the development of a school, but the Corbett School District stated they would not be having any walking, biking, or drop off traffic at the Middle School.  Students would be transported by bus to the location, so the district did not submit a plan, and the road does not qualify for a speed reduction for the school based on it not being set up with sidewalks and a place to safety travel by foot or bike.

There are some background forms that need to be filled out by the school to get a review started.  The talk was walking the students between the Middle School and the Springdale CAPS campus, which would involve additional studies and work by ODOT regarding having a safety corridor for walking between the campuses. 

This was mentioned as an eight foot wide expansion on the North side of the road (keeping the improvements to one side) and then who would be responsible for cost.  Typically the work would have needed to be done with construction upgrades to the property, and would be the cost to the District.  Maintenance would be done by the County.  But now there isn't money in MultCo Roads budget, and its not in ODOT's budget, so finding the money would need to come from the State or Feds and the County Commissioner might be able to help with funds.

Historic Columbia River Highway work:  The Larch slide area will be most likely need to be shut down for two months prior to the Fall. 
The timed entry permit fee at Multnomah Falls parking lot will be staffed as there is funding, but the agencies that are trying to keep the flagger at the crosswalk are falling short of funding.  If the crosswalk isn't funded there tends to be chaos with traffic, as people don't keep moving, and this impacts the flow of personal vehicles, buses, shuttles and first responders.  It would be helpful if the Commissioner would assist with funding to reduce the congestion and keep traffic flowing.

Stark Street Bridge:  The County is working on putting up length restrictions for the bridge and that will be included on the signs with weight limits.  This has gone to engineering and we should expect to see the signs in the next couple months.  This doesn't mean oversize truck drivers won't still try to take the bridge, but once it is posted law enforcement can issue tickets for violations.

Looking in to cameras for the bridge to help with ticketing of violators.  Also may be able to help with ticketing of those bringing out trucks and trailers of garbage to dump in the area.  There has been an increase in this behavior.

Corbett Water District: Thank you to the Commissioner for sponsoring Corbett Water District with FEMA.


Corbett Water District: A. Linden

Steve Young will be attending the Safety Meetings in the future as this may be Ana's final meeting.  She has turned in her 30 day notice.  Steve is a lead worker and has received training for PRV maintenance and has started working on them, with a goal of working on one a month. 

CWD is gearing up for Spring maintenance.  Erika Bronson presented to the Water District and gave them an Operations and Maintenance Manual that they will be adding to their existing manual.  Erika did this as part of her final project to complete her bachelors degree, she is a water operations manager at Wood Village and is running for a seat on the Water Board.  She is also a local in the community.

The district has been working on a GIS hydraulic model that will show how the system will respond to a heavy fire or a leak somewhere in the system.  This will help with future hydrant placing and assist with showing where to prioritize work.

There has been an application submitted for a grant for hazard mitigation funding.  This funding would be for replacing the Larch Mountain tank, moving it away from the slide area and breaking it down to two tanks, increasing the holding capacity from 300,000 gallons to 500,000 gallons.  The tanks would stay on the Schmidt property, but would be away from the house and they would no longer be sharing an access road.  Should the district get the grant the district would need to come up with $250,000 for their portion, it is a three million dollar grant.  Thank you to Angie Kimpo who did a lot of work on this application.  It will be three to twelve months before they know if the grant will come to the district.

Menucha:  C. McHill
Easter Sunrise Service will be April 20, 2025 at 6:30.  All are invited to attend.
Volunteer Day is May 10, 10-4, and all are welcome to come help.  There are jobs available for those of all abilities, please contact Debbie Vasen at hello@menucha.org

FireWise:  T. Kurkinen
There will be a FireWise meeting at Menucha on April 24, 2025. 
FireWise website: https://www.corbettfirewise.org/aboutfirewise-1

Emergency Management Services: L. Ledgerwood-Eberlein 
EMS has been busy with exercises and training.
The agency is continuing to look at Genasys for wildfire evacuation and Multnomah County is very enthusiastic regarding the system but are still working their way through the process to get it implemented .
(https://genasys.com/wildfires/ )
One exercise the agency is doing is terrorism training which will be in the middle of April.  This will be identifying who will be able to step up and how they can support the community. 
Another training was the water system exercise.  Corbett Water District participated in this training which was regarding water filtration.  There will be a larger community water filtration training in the future for those who would like to attend.
A disaster response training at the Airport will be in May.
They have a new Red Cross Community Coordinator.
If anyone is interested in having training done for their organization please reach out the EMS and they will be happy to meet with you.


BOEC: S. Koss
First quarter statistics are out and BOEC answered 137,826 for 911 in January, February and March.  They are down to only four vacancies and that is improving their answer times for 911, with 60% of the calls being answered within 10 seconds. 
BOEC currently has 85 senior dispatchers, 41 members in training who should be fully trained in one to two years, and ten people attending the training academy that started in February.  There are also 15 people who have gone through background checks and are heading to psych testing for the next academy, starting in June.  The intent is to over hire to keep ahead of normal staffing changes.

BOEC hosted the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials conference the first weekend in March focused on wellness and health for dispatchers.  One of the lead speakers was Elisabeth Smart, who survived an abduction.
AI routing for non-emergency calls is being put out for bid, with the agency looking for three competitive bids.  The first meeting with a supplier of this technology will be next Tuesday.  This AI product will enable callers to be walked through the process without needing to repeat their information and provide them with the assistance they need.  It is hoped to have this process in place by July.
GovWorks is another AI process that will be a keyway for police dispatch, and will also work with Fire and Medical.  This product will be for quality assurance, identify training calls, and will make it easier to find calls as they can use keywords to narrow down the specific call where information is being requested.  This has just been procured, its too soon to say when it will go in to effect.
Discussion:
Is BOEC coordinating with ODOT and MultCo roads with road closures?  Yes, but the information has to be input by hand, so if you don't see the update please contact them to let them know.
(March Directors Report Link: https://www.portland.gov/911/documents/directors-report-march-2025/download)

Grange: S. Grigsby & C. Mitas
The Grange will be removing all of the trees along Grange Hall Road for hazard mitigation sometime in the next couple of months.  They are looking for a matching grant through the State to help with the cost as it can be expensive.  County Roads said to please contact them prior to cutting and they will shut down the road for safety.
There will be a Meet the Candidates for the eight candidates running for the school board on April 27, 2025 from 2-4.  This is a chance to walk to different areas set up in the Grange to talk with the candidates, not a debate forum.  (Discussion: asking the two candidates running for the Water Board to attend too).
Last Monday of the month there is a Senior lunch at the Grange.  This is from 11:30 to 1:30 and they serve homemade soup and bread, along with coffee and cookies.  Please share out to your Senior friends. Helping Hands will be doing a free Easter Egg hunt on April 19, 2025 starting at 1 p.m. sharp!

Forest Service: L. Cary
The 100th anniversary of Multnomah Falls is this year and there will be small events to celebrate over the year rather than one large one. 
Dog Mountain permits will be needed starting April 26th and required through June 15, 2025 (weekends only except for Memorial Day Monday).  One fee covers everyone in the vehicle.  Half of the permits will be available now on line at rec.gov, half will be released three days before each weekend.  This does not guarantee a parking spot.
There is a free shuttle from Stevenson

"Columbia Area Transit (CAT) provides shuttle service from the Skamania County Fairgrounds gravel parking lot at 518 SW Rock Creek Drive in Stevenson, WA to the Dog Mountain Trailhead on weekends during the busy season. If you plan to access the trailhead via the shuttle service, they will provide you with a free daily permit for the Dog Mountain Trail System (and you do not need to purchase one through this site). Well-behaved, leashed dogs are allowed on the shuttle. Additional information about shuttle operations can be found at https://www.ridecatbus.org/dog-mountain-shuttle/ "
https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10091444

Timed permit usage at Multnomah Falls I-84 parking lot will look similar to prior years.
Permanent seasonal employees are returning, its good to have them on board.
Campgrounds are opening May 1, 2025, they will be open for reservations starting April 2025.

Coverage at 1,000 acres is difficult with the majority of staff working out of Hood River. Maintenance of the bathrooms will be a couple times a week, but not daily.  They are aware the toilets need pumped more often, and are working with Trail Keepers of Oregon to set up ambassadors with tents to maintain a presence in the area.

Corbett School District: D. Fialkiewicz
First budget meeting will be April 9, 2025.  The proposed budget is on the school website. This year there is a zero ending fund balance, but they are looking to have $100,000 next year and building back up to a five to seven percent balance by 2028-2029. There is a plan in place.

The district added students this year, but will slowly decrease the number back down over the next ten years by lowering the number around 10-15 students per year.  This is done with the desire to meet the request of the community. 

Shout out to the Job Corp who has been doing spectacular work with the district.  They have students interning in the district and its very exciting to have the coordination between the agencies.

CPAC will be doing Godspell. April 4, 5, 11, 12 at 7 p.m.  April 5, 12 at 1 p.m.  April 6 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors. Reserve tickets at: cpac14info@gmail.com

There will be a whole Corbett schools event on May 3, 2025 at CAPS.  There will be booths available for people to sell their product, food carts and a May pole.  Contact Derek if you'd like a both at: dfialkiewicz@corbett.k12.or.us

The Robotics Team (Cardinals Dynamics 6696) is competing at the Pacific NW District Championships this weekend. They are ranked at 22 in the region and if they qualify this weekend they could be heading to the worlds competition in Houston, TX.  We'll be seeing some hard fundraising if they make it!

Springdale Job Corp: B. Schindeldecker
The Job Corp has been affected by the Federal Spending issues and there is a hiring freeze in affect, along with a stop on purchases.  In addition, student enrollment is heavily impacted as background checks are frozen and they can't get new students processed in. 
On March 25, 2025 there was an active shooter drill with MCSO Deputy Kaiser.  The student did very well and they had the lowest casualty number with only three being documented.  They are learning with each drill and are continuing to improve each time.
The center has a new contract with the Whole Foundation and are placing students for their work experience through them.  They are still in need of work places for pharmacy students to get their experience. 

All recreational events have been cancelled with the funding freeze, unless the event is free.  If you know of any events students 16-24 would enjoy in the area, please let Brittney know and she will make arrangements to get students there (with staff chaperones).  They have 77 students at this time. 
Discussion: There is a play being put on by Corbett Students, if tickets were provided for students and chaperones would that be something the center would be interested in?  Yes.

Sasquatch Shuttle: K. Krumpschmidt
Sasquatch Shuttle has opened a retail location at the Columbia Outlet Mall and the buses and tours will be leaving from that location.  Tours will be going down the Old Scenic Highway (contingencies in place if the highway shuts down), and the Express buses will be three, double-decker buses.  The changes to the Shuttle will allow them to move 3,100 people per day, with the goal of keeping individual cars off the road to reduce congestion.  The shuttle will be opening earlier in the year than before, starting with a soft opening this weekend and expanding to full weeks next week, and will continue into November.  The cost is $5 per person per day to ride and the trips from the Outlet will match up with Tri-Met times so you can come in from out of the area without having to drive.  There are 1,100 parking spots at the Mall and there is an overflow area available if that is required. 
They will be continuing to charge for parking at Multnomah Falls as this help fund the buses.  The parking lot will be staffed, seven to eight personnel at a time, and they are pleased to say there were no break ins last year within the lot. 
Sasquatch does not charge for tour providers, as they support tours that help reduce the congestion in the area.  Studies have shown we don't have a people problem at the Falls, its a parking problem. 
The flagger for the Falls crosswalk is a big issue, as its important to keep the traffic moving, not only for personal vehicles, but first responders. 
Buses leave every 45 minutes and Sasquatch has partnered with some of the local restaurants for a discount on food purchases.  Check the website for more information.
Discussion: Can people who take Uber out purchase tickets for the bus to get back in to town?  Yes.  They can purchase through Clover. 

ODOT: K. Kalsch
The Larch Mountain closure area is inspected daily, and while its open right now, that could change at any time.  Currently there are two lanes open, but if there is a significant change noted it will be shut down.  The goal is to keep it open until the contractor is ready to come on site, and they are looking at three different repair options at this time.  The last major repair was done in 2007 and if you look at the pictures you can see the gabion wall has tipped out and is giving way, with the guard rail below the road.  Plans and designs are being considered with the request to have plans ready to go out for bid by mid-May.  This work will be a repair, not a fix, as FLAP money is currently being directed to finishing the trail from Troutdale to Hood River. 
Discussion: fixing would involve drilling down to solid material, the expanse is too wide for a viaduct, there have been issues with that area since it was built, and it would be a major closure when the fix is done.  Timing shows it is faster for the fire department to go down the freeway and back up from Latourell rather than going down the curves. Bridal Veil restoration is coming along.  Will be done by mid May.
West viaduct is continuing with their work. The plan was to pour the deck today but the weather isn't cooperating.  Still looking to be done with the West viaduct by May 20, 2025.

East viaduct will have work going on from 5-9 a.m. during the summer, it will be shut down during the fall/winter like the West side is now.
Mitchell Point Tunnel Trail had a soft opening.  You can now visit but keep in mind there are only 19 parking spaces and you will be towed if you park on the on ramp.
Budget wise no one knows what will happen at the end of this budget cycle.  Regardless to what you may have seen in the paper, ODOT did not lose a million dollars.  Five years ago there was money set aside for some projects and when it turned out they would be short on funding to finish the projects they were halted.  ODOT made the proper notifications.  We'll be waiting to hear on the budget on July 1, 2025, but until then they will be doing spring maintenance. 

MCSO: Deputy Kaiser
Still no CRO in the area but the department is short of staff, once staffing levels change that may change.  Right now he will be out here as much as possible. 
Larch Mountain closure: Even when the road is closed a Stop Sign is a Stop Sign, do not blow through it.  Some of you have found out its a heavy ticket, more will if you don't stop.  Also, the place to stop is at the white line equal with the stop sign, not past it.  If you need to creep out to see down the road, then come to a complete stop and then move out until you can safely see down the road.
Discussion:  Speeders in town.  As much as people want to believe its people from out of town, the majority of those speeding in our area are residents.  Slow down, talk to your family members.

Multnomah County Roads: T. Kunter
After listening to the discussion about the stop sign running at Larch he will look at getting STOP put at the line next to the sign. There will be a one lane closure on the Stark Street Bridge on Friday, staring at 6 a.m. and going until 10 a.m. This work is weather dependent.  The stripes are engineered to help buses and box trucks with turning radius.  There was a trailer semi turning right on to the bridge and he stopped and talked with him, was told the driver has been coming this way for a long time and never had a problem.  He gave him directions to where he needed to go based on the truckers g.p.s. and the gentleman said he would do that in the future.  He also warned him he would be waiting on the other side, and if he hit the bridge there would be a different conversation....   Everything went fine.

Cameras are under consideration for the bridge, which would help with charging on bridge hits, and also help track down dumping, which is increasing.  The vector team is being notified of the dumps, he is going through the garbage and finding names and addresses for those who are leaving the messes, and he'd like to thank Dave Mysinger who walks Corbett Hill regularly with his wife to pick up the trash. 

New mowers will be arriving this month.  These are purpose built mowers, not the John Deere tractor with attachment.  These mowers have ditching attachments and will have a burrowing/snow blower motion that will put the debris next to the ditch, rather than having to haul the material out.  With the DEQ regulations it can be expensive tracking and hauling the material.  This mechanism can also reduce the job from six people to one, which is a benefit as he is running 25% low on staff. The money is there, but not the people.  He is looking for four seasonal workers and eight permanent staff. 

Roads will be doing a lot of ditching in the Gordon Creek/Trout Creek area as they need to meet PGE's requirements for their undergrounding of power.  PGE will be placing their lines under the ditch so they need to establish the depth prior to line placement or they will end up with shallow ditches.  PGE will also be out on Brower, but not until later.

Howard Road had potholes filled last week and in the areas that grind in place were done last Fall.  They will be meeting next Wednesday to pave the grind in place areas, approximately 1,700 feet total.

As mentioned earlier the school zone signs at the Middle School are being moved back to the 400 feet on the West side. 

Driveway run off has been an issue in the area, both water and gravel coming down and getting in the road.  After talking with the County attorneys for clarity,  residents who have this situation will be notified they need to control their run off.  This will most likely involve installing a culvert.  If the roads department is in the area they can do the work and then charge the cost back to the owner, or the owner may get a permit and do the work themselves. (Or hire their own contractor).
Striping will be started soon. 

Discussion: Can you sweep first?  Speeds for the sweeper, speeds for the painting, can't slow down the striper as it needs a consistent speed for putting down paint.   Because of the lack of spraying and mowing for four years, there is a good chance miscellaneous items may be painted.  (Vegetation, squirrels).  For those of us who have a bit of overgrowth along the fog line, it would be good to take your broom out and sweep the debris out of the way. 

NEMCCA would like to have a Community Pick Up Litter Day where residents sign up their address and then pick up the trash that has been left along their property line.  NEMCCA would pick up the bags and take them to the County shop for disposal. 

NEMCCA:  Thank you MCSO and MultCo roads for getting the car out along Larch.  Also to MultCo for getting most of the garbage out that was thrown over the hill at the gravel pull out.  Happy to hear they are tracking down owner. 
 

[April 26, 2025 from 10 am to 2 pm]

The Columbian Garden Club is hosting its Plant Sale on Saturday, April 26, 2025 from 10 am to 2 pm at the Corbett Fire Hall, 36930 E. Historic Columbia River Highway, Corbett.  Please note new open hours. Treasures from members' gardens include: perennials, shrubs, natives, vegetables and specialty items.  Proceeds from the Sale benefit Club civic landscape projects, educational programs and a horticulture scholarship. Free parking behind the Fire Station and limited on-street parking.  See also attached flyer.  Thanks for your support!

Community invited to Stark Street Bridge reopening celebration

Multnomah County, Ore. (March 5, 2025) — On Monday, March 10, Multnomah County invites the community to celebrate the reopening of the Stark Street Bridge.

Come learn about the crucial emergency repair work of the north bridge approach that collapsed in September 2024. The bridge is expected to reopen in the afternoon on Thursday, March 6.

"The Stark Street Bridge serves as a critical connection for East County residents and access for those visiting our scenic areas," Multnomah County District 4 Commissioner Vince Jones-Dixon said. "Thank you to the East County community for enduring the closure while these emergency repairs were made and a tip of the hat to our Multnomah County crews and project staff for a job well done!"

WHEN: Monday, March 10

TIME: 12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

WHERE: The event will start on the southeast side of the bridge and continue to the northwest side. S.E. Stark will be closed at S.E. Kerslake Road. Please drive to that closure and tell staff you're arriving for the event. You'll be ushered through the closure. Drive all the way until you see the bridge and park near the Riverview Restaurant. Please pull as far off the road as possible. A parking map is attached.


SPEAKERS:

Multnomah County Project Manager Sara Jeffrey

Multnomah County Commissioner Vince Jones-Dixon

East County community member Victoria Purvine

RSVP:  Community members and news outlets please RSVP to: pressoffice@multco.us

Note* The event will close the bridge for a few short hours.


Background: 

On Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024 the Stark Street Bridge in the Columbia River Gorge closed due to a supporting stone wall that partially collapsed. It remained closed until March 6, 2025. The Historic Columbia River Highway entrance to the Stark Street Bridge where the wall collapsed was structurally compromised, was unsafe to put vehicles on and needed to be replaced. The County started work the minute the bridge wall collapse was discovered, working non-stop with engineers, biologists, historical resource experts and a contractor to evaluate the situation and figure out the best way to repair the bridge.

The partial collapse was caused by a series of crashes by vehicles and large trucks over the last decade that weakened the supporting wall. The County also discovered 6 to 8-inch holes in the bridge deck, which were easier to detect with traffic off the bridge. The County also found that the opposite side retaining wall was in danger of collapse.

Multnomah County secured an under-deck unit to fix the holes in the deck and worked with a contractor to replace and rebuild the north bridge approach.

What we are doing longer term

The County was already working on the preliminary steps to replace or significantly rehabilitate the bridge because of its condition and lack of capacity. In the future, the County will need to make more permanent repairs either as part of a bridge replacement or through a project to build a new permanent approach.

Funding shortage

The Association of Oregon Counties released The 2024 County Roads Needs Study on September 26, 2024 and presented the report to the Joint Legislative Committee on Transportation. Overall, Oregon counties face a shortfall of $834 million annually primarily for operations and maintenance. Multnomah County manages 269 miles of roads, 21 bridges, 1700 culverts and six large bridges over the Willamette River. 47% of the County's road surface area is in need of replacement to remain functional long term. The County will continue to share concerns, priorities and ideas for solutions to help state legislators build a transportation funding package in 2025 that will support the needs of local communities. 

Multnomah County maintains the Stark Street Bridge on the Sandy River. For information, visit: https://www.multco.us/bridges.

--
Sarah Hurwitz
Multnomah County Communications Office
Transportation Public Information Officer
cell: 971-500-3311

[Resources for residents :]

Multnomah County, Ore. (Dec. 6, 2024) — TRAFFIC ALERT: Next week, construction begins on the north Stark Street Bridge approach. Expect traffic delays on the Historic Columbia River Highway.

A contractor hired by Multnomah County will be working to repair and replace the north approach for the Stark Street Bridge. Due to tight space near the repair site, contracting equipment will take up some space in the roadway. During construction, there will be a 24-hour single lane closure on the Historic Columbia River Highway near the bridge. Two temporary traffic signals will be set up within a couple hundred feet on either side of the bridge to control the flow of traffic. The single lane reduction will remain in place for the duration of construction. Speed in the work zone will be reduced to 45 miles per hour.

Pending weather, the bridge is expected to partially reopen to one lane of traffic by the end of February.
To learn more about the repair process from Transportation Road Maintenance, watch this video:
https://youtu.be/Tpljvj9vzZ8?

Resources for residents :
Every week throughout the duration of these emergency repairs, Multnomah County will post an update on repair progress on its project page.  
For questions related to the repairs, contact:
Ken Bossen, Multnomah County Transportation Road Maintenance Supervisor
ken.bossen@multco.us.  

Detours
Vehicles will be rerouted to use the Sandy River Bridge in Troutdale.
Initial closure
On Tuesday, Sept. 17, the Stark Street Bridge in the Columbia River Gorge closed due to a supporting stone wall that partially collapsed. Since then, the bridge has been closed. The County started work the minute the bridge wall collapse was discovered and has been working non-stop with engineers, biologists, historical resource experts and a contractor to evaluate the situation and figure out the best way to repair the bridge. The partial collapse was caused by a series of crashes by vehicles and large trucks over the last decade that weakened the supporting wall. The damage is structural and significant, requiring the complete reconstruction of the bridge approach on the Historic Columbia River Highway side of the bridge.

Work leading up to construction
In the last two months since the retaining wall failure in September, the project team has been working with a design consultant, utility companies and a contractor to design the repairs. While the community may have not seen crews out at the site during that time, the project team has been hard at work every day working on those designs. There's a lot of work that has to happen behind the scenes before construction. This is a very complex location to build a new embankment on that will support traffic and meet all regulatory requirements. The repairs won't restrict or change the vehicle capacity on the bridge.  

Communication, power, water and gas lines are now either cut out or moved out of the way of the construction work zone so that the contractor can maneuver and complete the repair work safely.

Emergency repair work is on the Historic Columbia River Highway as well, which is owned and maintained by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). In order to move forward with the repair, the County is required to get a permit from ODOT. This also requires federal and historic review and approval due to the location, further complicating the process. The County needed final ODOT approval before construction could begin.
What we are doing longer term

The County was already working on the preliminary steps to replace or significantly rehabilitate the bridge because of its condition and lack of capacity. In the future, the County will need to make more permanent repairs either as part of a bridge replacement or through a project to build a new permanent approach.
Multnomah County maintains the Stark Street Bridge on the Sandy River. For information, visit: https://www.multco.us/bridges.

Dec 4, 2024

Safety Meeting Notes

 

Historical Society: M. Freund

The stumps have been ground where the long house is going.  Insulation, framing, sheet rock, electrical inspections are done.  Interior is being painted, now they are looking at getting the generator pad poured and the flooring started.

 

BOEC: M. Payne

Have been with the Bureau for 18 years, this is the first NEMCCA meeting.  There are currently 82 certified dispatchers with the Bureau and 38 in training.  At this time last year they had 95 certified dispatchers, this year they are increased to 108.

 

Friends of the Sandy River Delta: B. Adams

There have been a lot of cars in the Delta in strange places, locations they should not be found in.  The gate has been hit by vehicles both from the inside of the fence, and the outside. Also had calls from people living in the Delta who were upset because they were stuck behind the gate and couldn't get out.

The Forest Service was able to get the gate straightened and locked in a way that people can't just open it and get behind the gate.
(Discussion: The people living in the Delta had all been offered a free place to live for a year.  A lot of them did not take the offer.  Bollards that had been removable have been changed to cemented, permanent ones as the old ones were regularly being cut and removed. The agencies have been working to change the traffic flow to access from behind the outlet mall.)

Multnomah Falls is the most visited location, Sandy River Delta is the second.

 

Corbett Water District : A Linden

Gearing up for Winter, doing prep, testing generators, making sure chains are ready, etc.

The District is looking at a Hazard Mitigation Grant to move the tank located on Larch Mountain. This location had damage done last year during the bad weather when the valve froze open and needs remediation work.  The District would like to look at repairing the area, moving the tank, or digging the tank down and locating it around 20 feet in the ground.  (Discussion:  What about getting it through the NSA.  Is it reasonable to think the project could go through the County and NSA and get completed in three years.  What has been the experience for those who have been doing projects. Can we get the County Commissioner to help get some changes in the process, not the Federal side of the issue, but the County interpretation of the process.  There is going to be a staff change with Adam Barber retiring, who to talk with at Land Use (new Director is Megan Gibb) and suggested contacting Margi Bradway with the Chair's Office.  Also coming to the Planning Commission meetings and voicing specific concerns.

District is looking at the budget, the budget process, what is being looked at, and what isn't.  Making sure everything is being covered.

 

Corbett School District: D. Fialkiewicz

Fox 12 December teacher of the month is Mrs. Karki.  Congratulations.

Shout out to Community Patrol, great to see Ron back and have him and Rick out there helping with the traffic.  They've been wedging themselves against things to keep from being blown away these past couple days.

The District is starting the budget process, and there are three open seats on the budget committee if anyone would like to be part of the process.  Please contact the District Office if you're interested.  There will be an information video put out from the Superintendent regarding what will be expected from the budget committee, the process will start in January.

There is a PTA meeting tonight at the Corbett Community Church to talk about the current budget situation, what can be done.

On December 5th there will be a High School concert starting at 6 pm

Saturday December 7th there will be several events going on:  Donuts with Santa being put on by CHAMPS, Grange Craft Fair (both at the school) and the Tree Lighting and Bonfire from 5-8 at the Fire Station.

A band concert will be held December 11 at 6 pm.

Winter break will start on December 20 and continue until January 6th.

 

Forest Service: L. Carey

The Horsetail Creek trail has been reopened after being closed since the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire.

There has been a large slide on the Larch Mountain Trail.  TKO is working on repairing the damage.  With the wet Winter weather we need to expect some trail damage and the Forest Service has reduced trail crews right now.  Repair time may be delayed, or take longer to get accomplished.

Campgrounds are closed until May 1st, and the flush toilet use areas have been winterized.

The Multnomah Falls Lodge and Visitor Center designs are 90% complete.  They are not currently ready for public viewing.  (Discussion: The Forest Service is having budgeting issues and they are running on skeleton crews, where is the money for renovations coming from for the work?  This money is from the Great American Outdoors Act and has been in the process for the past several years.)

 

Firewise: R. Uleners

The Corbett Community has been certified as a Firewise Community again this year.

 

Grange: C. Mitas

Carlyn publishes the CorbettArea Newsletter online, if you want to get her any information to be included please send it to her before the 15th of each month.

corbettareanewsline@gmail.com

The Craft Fair will be at the Corbett School on December 7th and 8th from 10-3 in the Multi Purpose building.

The State Grange convention in June is 99.9% set to be held at the Corbett Schools in 2025.  Thank you to Derek for working to help make this happen.

A Swing Dance is being planned for February.

The last Monday of the month there is a soup and sandwich Senior lunch being offered at the Grange. Due to the holidays there will not be one in December.

 

Springdale Job Corp: R. Morris

The roof project is half way complete!  The end date has been pushed out to January right now with the high winds and cold affecting the work days.

Winter Break will be December 19- January 1. There will be four or five students remaining on campus due to family circumstances.

(Discussion:  What can we as a Community do to help make the holidays better for the students who will have to remain behind.  Can they be invited to people's homes for dinner?  Can they have gifts donated to them? What can we do?  There are a lot of regulations and requirements around this issue, it will be looked into and they will get back to us.  Students can attend public events that staff can take them to, so if anyone is doing a public event from 12/19 to 1/6 please let staff know and they will see what can be arranged.  They are planning on bringing interested students to the Tree Lighting on December 7th).

A couple trees fell down on the back of the property, they are working on cleaning that up.  Back flow testing was done, winterizing is in progress to avoid broken water and fire lines.  They have contacted places that were suggested at last month's meeting for places to park the bus during freezing weather.  The School District and Springdale Pub have offered their parking lots, they will contact a couple other property owners as well.

 

MCSO: J Volker

Last week was the toy drive,(thank you Walmart, Kohls and Fred Meyer) they received 1,278 toys and 2,000 stocking stuffers.  The Troutdale office leads in the paper wrapping donations.  Distribution of the gifts will be on December 14th from nine to noon at the Wood Village Baptist Church.  Doors open at 8 in the morning.

Las Posados will be held December 20th at Reyolds High School from 6-8:30.  The event is free, there will be lots of good food!

https://www.woodvillageor.gov/calendar-events/las-posadas-24/

The department is hiring to fill positions, there are also some lateral transfers happening.  Captain Bevens is retiring in seven days, it is not know who will be filling his spot.

Former CRO Kaiser is currently working Friday through Mondays until January 15, 2025, then will be returning to regular patrol duty Monday-Thursday. (Discussion: It would be nice to see Deputy Kaiser return to being the CRO.  Without him we are seeing a drop in Community Patrol training, work, ability to recruit and CP needs to be able to do this actions.  In addition, the website is currently down as the process to fund the website has changed as Deputy Kaiser is not the CRO.  Not everyone is aware there is no CRO, but those who are aware are surprised when they see him.  The CP repeater has been renewed as that is very important to keep current.  The HOPE team is also shut down and doing patrol right now (vacancies for various reasons created a lack of staffing) but may be returning in the new year.
More will be known once the new Captain is announced.

 

MHCC: D. McKeel

(Discussion: not MHCC, but relating to the CRO position.  This position comes on the block frequently, because people don't understand that Corbett and Sauvie Island are unincorporated and don't have any income to pay for a CRO.  At one point the CRO positions were considered part of the essential budget, but they became more of a political item, where they had to be fought for every budget cycle to keep.  It is surprising that the Chair and Sheriff are not funding this position as a permanent one, since they have spoken to our Community saying they realize we need that position filled.  In addition, we aren't receiving the funding and attention that we should being on the edge of the County.  There is an Office of Community Involvement that use to make organize to have budget committees for different departments, these need filled.  We also should consider being on the Charter Review Committee when it comes up again and get a change to having a County Manager, not have the Chair in charge of the budget.  Make all Board members equal.)

MHCC - its the end of Fall term, break for the college is also coming up.  On 12/14 there will be a fundraiser for transitional youth, Patrick Lamb will be playing for the event.

The State Community College Conference was held in November, there are three categories that receive awards: Legislator Advocate, Board Member and President.  Dr. Skari with MHCC received the award this year, we're very proud of her achievement.

There is on-going board discussion regarding going out for a bond in May.  There are a lot of events being held for the holidays and board members will be showing up to many of them to give information.  The Board will decide in January if they will go out for the bond.

 

Community Patrol: R Cannon

Good to be back, thank you to Derek for holding down the fort while he was out.  The CP is currently down to 10 members so they are limited in what they are able to do, looking forward to Deputy Kaiser back.

 

ODOT: K Kalsch

Terra is at a conference and unable to attend today.

Start Street Bridge is going forward, working on the design concept for the one way traffic which will come up when the bridge is being worked on.  Right now they are looking at solar panels that will have delay signals on them so traffic approaching will have a stop, and the alternate side will have a green light that will "read" cars and will then stop traffic, delaying the time for as long as the slowest traveling car will be estimated to cross the area.  This design will direct traffic on to the one lane away from the bridge that will be open, and allow workers some protection with distance from the job.  There will be on alternative route suggested, it will create additional pressure on Woodard as people take that road instead of working with the delay.  You should start seeing the signal system around January.

Repairs to Bridal Veil bridge will also begin in January.  Original plan had the work being done under the bridge with minimal traffic impact.  The contracting company has presented a plan with flaggers working daily, this is being studied.  The work will happen between January 1 and May 15.

Viaduct work is happening on the West viaduct.  Weather permitting they will be pouring the new deck before long.  This deck will go over the existing deck to increase the strength and improve weight limits.  The work will be continuing until May 15.

The tunnel project has seen extensive delays.  Two weeks ago there was a Grand opening with approximately 500 people shuttled in, but then it was closed again to continue work.  It is not expected to be fully open for a while.

The Governor came out with her budget for and there are some contingencies for ways to get funding to ODOT, but that won't be in effect before June, if they do pass.  ODOT will be running with 2/3 of staffing and the Old Scenic Highway will have work focused from Troutdale to Larch. This means plowing to Ainsworth may not happen, or may be delayed.  This has raised concerns for the Fire Department and Emergency response, but they can only do what they can.

ODOT does not expect to have additional money this winter, to prepare they have stocked up on Magnesium, salt and gravel.

They have received the concern regarding the water coming out of the ditch at Nielsen, they will address it when they have staff.

 

Multco road: unable to attend, sent email T. Kunter:

Just an update that both Evans sinkholes were repaved yesterday, crews will be back to seal the edges on the pavement patches today and then will be moving to Woodard to seal some prior work on the hill to the HWY from Seidl and then do some asphalt edgework on the eastbound route on Woodard from Ogden to Neilson. This edgework will bring back the road where there is a large section that has broken off over the year

We have a meeting on the Stark Street bridge on Thursday and I'll bring up the detour routing to them to see if we can get some signage placed on 257th for that request. I don't want to put out a VMS board at this location as we get a lot of theft on those units but we could make some hard signage to place out. I'll check in with them and get back to you on the detour route signs next week.

We are currently holding on ODOT to approve the traffic control plan for a lane closure at the bridge which will bring it down to one lane for a section near the bridge. ODOT has had that paperwork for a few weeks now so just waiting on their approval. The overhead and other utilities have been relocated, so we are just waiting to begin demo work once we get that approval from ODOT on the traffic control plan. The work here will require us to close the south lane of the HWY near the bridge for a period of time to place equipment and provide a safe buffer for workers, I am not sure on yet on the duration this will be closed and likely will be pending based on what is found during demo. Our traffic control plan which again is being reviewed would add a temporary traffic signal to this section to control that lane closure.

 

Oregon Parks and Rec: D. Spangle

Unable to attend, preparing for winter