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Welcome to MCEDD’s May
newsletter! In an effort to keep you informed of regional
events related to economic development, we have included
news from across our five-county district. Have a great
month!
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Farmer's
Markets get Underway |
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Farmer's markets bring a wide
variety of plants and foods to our communities. They not
only add to the economic stability of the grower, but
deliver fresh, home grown products to the consumer.
Supporting the farmer's markets is a great way of helping
the local economy and yourself. Farmer's Markets are offered
in communities throughout the Mid-Columbia, including:
Cascade Locks. Farmer's market is currently
open Sundays in April through October from 11:30 a.m. until
3:30 p.m. at the Cascade Locks Pavilion
The
Dalles/Wasco County. Farmer's market is currently open
and will continue through October 15th. Stop by The Dalles
Chamber from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Fridays to enjoy the
bounties of this market.
Hood River. Saturday
market starts May 5th and runs through September. It is
located at 5th and Cascade, across from Full Sail and is
open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Gorge Grown market will
open with a plant sale on May 24th at Hood River Middle
School then continue on June 14 through October 4th. The
market is open Thursdays from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Goldendale. Saturday market offers produce,
baked goods, arts, crafts, and antiques from 9:00 a.m. to
3:00 p.m. at 903 E Broadway in Goldendale.
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Columbia
Gorge Regional Airport |
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Columbia Gorge Regional Airport is
jointly owned by City of The Dalles, Oregon and Klickitat
County, Washington and managed under contract by Aeronautics
Management Inc. with oversight by the Airport Board. Jim
Wilcox, The Dalles, is the current Airport Board Chairman.
This important regional asset has recently been the focus of
much attention and concerted efforts to bring about needed
infrastructure improvements.
An important first step
was recently taken when the Airport Board recommended a site
plan to both Klickitat County and City of The Dalles for
approval. Final approval rests with Federal Aviation
Administration. Tenneson Engineering of The Dalles developed
the various site plan options after consultation with
various groups including local pilots. Once approved, the
site plan provides a framework upon which aviation and other
related infrastructure investments may proceed.
A
notable first investment is an approximate half million
dollar well development project to be mutually financed by
City of The Dalles and Klickitat County. Underscoring the
regional importance of the Airport and the cooperation among
mid-Columbia entities, a portion of The Dalles financing
comes from Port of The Dalles.
-Denny Newell, Klickitat
County
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Northern
Wasco PUD grants applications available |
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Northern Wasco County PUD is
accepting applications for economic development grants until
5 p.m. on May 4, 2007. Grants are available to nonprofit
organizations located within Northern Wasco PUD's service
area. The PUD will consider grants for infrastructure or
property needs.
To pick up an application, visit the
PUD at 2345 River Road, The Dalles. For questions, call
Linda Wilson at the PUD at 541-298-3302.
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Port of
Klickitat Building Open for Business |
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Two buildings at the Port of
Klickitat, one at Dallesport Industrial Park and the other
at Bingen Point Business Park, are generating interest from
the community for the opportunities they provide to retain
and attract business.
The 101 Paralell Ave. Building
at Dallesport is a 30,000 square foot facility which has
become available again after a 30-year lease. The building
is one of very few large structures in the mid-Columbia
region available to house light or heavy manufacturing. With
access to rail, barge and highway transportation, and
heavy-duty infrastructure, the Port has high hopes for
sighting a new or expanding business in Dallesport.
Building 1E at Bingen Point is the newest of the
Port's buildings, opening with a ribbon cutting March 16,
2007. The 18,000 square foot building was constructed with
$575,000in CERB loans, $242,000 in CERB grants, $300,000
from Klickitat County and $1.2 Million in bonds from the
Port. Insitu Inc. has leased the entire building, which is
the fifth building constructed on Bingen Point in the last
twelve years.
For any questions about available Port
buildings or properties, please contact Jim Donnelly,
Director of Marketing and Public Affairs, 509-493-1655 or
jdonnelly@portofklickitat.com.
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Crop Hop
Includes Bio-fuel talk |
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Renewable Energy is a cluster
supported by MCEDD and an important part of our region's
economy. On May 22nd a "Crop Hop" will be held touring
mid-Columbia ranches and providing information on the
potential for biofuels in the region. For more information,
contact Wasco County Natural Resource Conservation Service
at 541-298-8559 or OSU Wasco County Extension Service at
541-296-5494
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Skamania
Performing Arts Series/Summer Concerts |
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Skamania Performing Arts Foundation
is pleased to announce their new Guest Artist Series and
Sunday Afternoon Summer Concerts. Beginning May 20th,
monthly performances will take place at Columbia Gorge
Interpretive Center Museum and Skamania Lodge Amphitheater
in Stevenson, Washington with a variety of talents ranging
from Portland Baroque Orchestra Chamber Players to authentic
Brazilian music and dance. For more information, visit
Skamania Art's website or call 509-427-7047.
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Learn more... |
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Skamania
Events |
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Spring brings the start of the 2007
sailing schedule for the Columbia Gorge Racing Association.
Check out their website at www.cgra.org for the full
schedule of regattas and races from April through September.
All events take place from Marine Park in Cascade Locks
which provides spectacular opportunities for viewing. Many
different types of boats compete throughout the summer
including Tasars, 49ers, 29ers, Melges-24, Laser, J-24, 505,
Hobie, Keel and Finn.
May 16th is the 4th Annual
Skamania Lodge Charity Golf Tournament. Proceeds from the
tournament benefit a variety of local organizations with the
main recipient being Columbia Gorge United Way. The
four-person scramble begins with a 9:00 a.m. shotgun start
at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington. The fee is $480
per team which includes green fees, cart, prizes and lunch
(rumor has it that steak and salmon are on the menu). To
register, call 800-293-0418 or e-mail
pdodd@destinationhotels.com.
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Washington
Community Resources Database: 2-1-1 |
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The Greater Columbia 2-1-1 system is
now online and offering a comprehensive information and
referral service for Washington State. 2-1-1 is a three
digit telephone number which provides access to information
about essential health and human services. There is some
consideration being given to offering this service in other
parts of the Mid-Columbia, but it is still too early to
determine if this will take effect.
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Learn more... |
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Is
bio-energy really a savings? |
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There is a lot of misinformation
surrounding bio-fuels. In one place you may read that
ethanol made from corn is our salvation, another writer may
claim that converting to bio-fuel will cause the world to
starve, and of course there is the claim that it takes more
energy to make a gallon of ethanol than you get as a net
usable output. This last statement needs to be put in
perspective. According to the Argonne National Laboratory,
it takes 0.74 gallons of equivalent energy to make 1 gallon
of ethanol fuel. i.e. It really does take ¾ of a gallon more
energy than you get because it takes that ¾ gallon of
equivalent energy to process the raw material to get 1
gallon at the pump. However, it takes 1.23 gallons of
equivalent energy to make a gallon of gasoline! So with
ethanol you put in 1.74 gallons of equivalent energy to get
1 gallon of ethanol at the pump, with gasoline, you put in
2.23 gallons of equivalent energy to get 1 gallon at the
pump. Ref: http://zfacts.com/p/83.html
As to the
second statement about diminishing the food supply, OSU
Extension is working hard to identify oil seed crops that
can be farmed in Wasco and Sherman Counties that will not
necessarily reduce food crop production. Bio-fuels will only
produce a fraction of the energy we need, it simply takes
too much plant matter to produce current energy needs. "Can
you imagine loading 40 acres worth of wheat - stalks, roots
and all - into the tank of your car or SUV every 20 miles?"
asks ecologist Jeff Dukes, whose study was published in the
November 2003 of the journal Climatic Change. "But that's
how much ancient plant matter had to be buried millions of
years ago and converted by pressure, heat and time into oil
to produce one gallon of gas, Dukes concluded."
"It took
an incredible amount of plant matter to generate the fossil
fuels we are using today," says Dukes. "The new contribution
of this research is to enable us to picture just how
inefficient and unsustainable fossil fuels are - inefficient
in terms of the conversion of the original solar energy to
fossil fuels. Fortunately, it is much more efficient to use
modern energy sources like wind and solar. As the reasons
keep piling up to switch away from fossil fuels, it is
important that we develop these modern power sources as
quickly as possible." - Link Shadley
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Gorge
Grown Food Network |
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Gorge Grown Food Network (GGFN) is a
citizen's group which seeks to increase access to locally
grown food. Their mission is to build an economically and
environmentally sound regional food system that engages,
educates and improves the health and well-being of the Gorge
community.
GGFN is a regional initiative including
both Washington and Oregon. They welcome all farmers, food
producers and consumers in the Gorge region to participate
in GGFN activities
In 2006 , GGFN had numerous successes
including starting the Hood River Farmers' Market, launching
a website, and hosting monthly community meetings. These
meetings bring together people who are concerned about food
issues in the Gorge. This citizen interest continues to
drive GGFN towards its ten year vision to build a web of
connections-social, environmental and economic.
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Learn more... |
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Memorial
Day weekend with Columbia Gorge
Winegrowers |
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"A World of Wine in 40 Miles"
Tasting rooms and wineries throughout the Gorge will be
celebrating throughout Memorial Day weekend with barrel
tastings, new wine releases, open houses, music, and food.
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Learn about local wine
events... |
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Columbia
Gorge Technology Alliance's new website |
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The Columbia River Gorge Technology
Alliance (GTA) has released a new website. Members and the
public can now learn more about high tech companies in the
Gorge, the lifestyle of the Gorge, and GTA initiatives. The
GTA uses the website to assist members and to brand the
Gorge for high tech. Watch the DVD on the website's
homepage!
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VIsit new GTA
website... |
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Oregon art
grant deadlines |
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Oregon announced deadlines for
Oregon Arts Commission and Oregon Cultural Trust grants.
Oregon Arts Commission
Due May 1, 2007:
Arts Services Grants supporting organizations providing arts
services that benefit Oregonians on a local or regional
level.
Due May 1, 2007: Grants for Art Learning in
K-12 schools and communities.
Due May 1, 2007:
Operating Support Grants for medium and large not-for-profit
arts organizations.
Due October 2, 2007: Arts Build
Communities Grants supporting community arts projects and
the involvement of the arts and artists in community
development.
Due October 15, 2007: Individual Artist
Fellowships honor Oregon's professional artists and their
artistic achievements. Visual artists, craftspeople,
photographers and designers are eligible to apply in this
round of funding.
Oregon Cultural Trust
Due
May 15, 2007: Oregon Cultural Trust grant supporting
Oregon's arts, heritage and humanities nonprofits. These
grants support projects of cultural significance taking
place between August 1, 2007 - July 31, 2008. Cultural
development grants are meant to bring cultural opportunities
to more Oregonians and to preserve and enhance important
cultural assets. Only Oregon 501(c)3 organizations, with
culture at the heart of their missions, are eligible to
apply.
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Calendar
of Events |
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5/3/07-5/5/07- Oregon Heritage
Conference in Pendleton. For more information visit:
http://egov.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD/OHC/conference.shtml
5/8/07- BizTalk Health Care Plans for Small
Businesses from 5:30 - 7:30 pm at Erin Glenn Winery, 710
East Second Street, The Dalles, OR 97058
5/10/07-
Oregon Investment Board meeting 10:00 a.m. More information
at http://www.mcedd.org/oib.htm
5/22/07- Gorge
Technology Alliance meeting at Oak Grove at 6:30 p.m.,
featuring Mary Merrill of the SBDC. More information at
http://www.crgta.org
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Submit
your News! |
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Reading this newsletter is a good
thing, having your news included is even better. Send it to
us! Items are required by the third week of each month.
Please send items to amanda@mcedd.org.
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This email was sent to powderriver987@hotmail.com, by mcedd@mcedd.org