MCEDD Recent News Items

Pharaoh’s Family Farm Grows Legacy for Next Generation

November 20, 2020 – Pharaoh’s Family Farm is a new business introducing DairyGrow, an organic OMRI certified premium fertilizing compost.  Pharaoh’s Family Farm is a family business with Pharaoh Skinner at the helm. Her business concept came from the realization that a narrowed focus could allow her family of four to build a sustainable future with a product that is both locally-sourced and mindfully-produced. “Our mission is to create a sustainable future and a legacy for the next generation,” Pharaoh said. Pharaoh’s Family Farm contracts for the Stevenson Farmers Market as well as participating occasionally as a vendor selling her family farm’s bounty.  Pharaoh has leveraged the knowledge gained from her two-acre mini-farm in Stevenson to introduce DairyGrow to the retail market. With funding support from Mid-Columbia Economic Development District, Pharaoh will purchase the bags and secure a lease from the Port of Skamania in North Bonneville for her operation. Pharaoh’s takes a long-term view of the farm by generating soil fertility through natural cycles. Their first product, DairyGrow, is an organic, non-GMO compost, free of heavy metals, litter debris, fillers, seeds, pathogens, and sewage. It is totally clean, safe to touch, and free of exotic imports. “Many composts and potting soils include nutrients and fillers harvested and mined to the detriment of delicate ecosystems. Not ours. Our DairyGrow helps us too because we use it,” Pharaoh said. The family behind Pharaoh’s Family Farm “Our farm operation is a lot of work, but we approach this work knowing how important it is. We have farmed our Columbia Gorge-area land since 2015. In the years since settling here, we have started growing our family. We always knew how special it was, but along the way, we realized we didn’t want to keep it to ourselves. Our journey has led us to bringing DairyGrow to share with you. The joys of our hard work reward us every day, and we love what we do,” she added. Pharaoh’s Family Farm is starting with a small operation but has plans to grow into a national market and diversify their product line to include products targeted at the organic backyard gardener. You can learn more about DairyGrow at DairyGrow.com.   [Continue Reading]

MCEDD Mobility Manager Awarded 2020 Public Transportation Hero Award

November 18, 2020 – Congratulations to Kathy Fitzpatrick, who was awarded the 2020 Public Transportation Hero award by the Oregon Transit Association. The Oregon Public Transportation Awards are intended to recognize those individuals and agencies that have made significant contributions to public transportation in Oregon. Kathy accepted the award, but noted that she was accepting on behalf of the five transportation providers that she serves: The Link Public Transit, Sherman County Community Transit, Columbia Area Transit, Mt. Adams Transportation Service, and Skamania County Transit. “These five transit agencies are the everyday heroes, making sure that our families and neighbors can access medical appointments, groceries, school, work–many times bringing food and prescriptions to the door of those who are especially vulnerable.” Kathy said in an award acceptance video.  You can watch the video here.   [Continue Reading]

MCEDD Recognized With Two 2020 NADO Impact Awards

November 18, 2020 – MCEDD has been recognized with two 2020 Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Awards from the National Association of Development Organizations for work on Economic Resiliency Resources and the Gorge TransLink.com Website Project.   Economic Resiliency Resources: Over the last several years, the Mid-Columbia region has seen increasingly frequent economic shocks resulting from natural disasters, specifically wildfire and winter weather events, major accidents, and business shifts. In 2019, MCEDD began a focused effort to review the region’s responses to recent economic shocks to identify gaps in support for small businesses and develop more focused strategies to support long term economic resiliency in the region. MCEDD and its partners have begun working on several key initiatives, which have been critical during the pandemic response.  For more information about MCEDD’s Economic Resiliency Resources, visit: https://www.mcedd.org/ready/.   The Gorge TransLink.com Website Project represents the many years of hard work, partnership, and coordination required to build a truly seamless and connected regional public transportation system. This website is the digital hub of the regional system, highlighting the individual transit services and their connectivity using accessible and innovative rider-facing tools. The technology is open-source, WordPress-ready and compatible, and available for any transit agency to build a similar website at very little cost.  This project impacts the entire region, giving all residents access to the essential mobility benefits of public transit.     [Continue Reading]

Wasco County Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan

November 2, 2020 – Wasco County is updating the 2020-2024 Wasco County Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan.  The draft document will be available for public review from November 2-November 20, 2020.  Comments can be submitted to Kathy Fitzpatrick, MCEDD Mobility Manager at kathy@mcedd.org.  Hard copies are available at The Dalles Transit Center (The Link) or on request by email here.  Click here to access the draft Plan.   [Continue Reading]

Sherman County Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan

October 26, 2020 – Sherman County is updating the 2020-2024 Sherman County Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan.  The draft document will be available for public review from October 26-November 6, 2020.  Comments can be submitted to Kathy Fitzpatrick, MCEDD Mobility Manager at kathy@mcedd.org.  Hard copies are available at the Sherman County Community Transit office or on request (email kathy@mcedd.org).  Click here to access the draft Plan.   [Continue Reading]

Buck Jones Nominated as Inspiring Rural Northwest Leader

September 25, 2020 – Photo of Buck Jones, Courtesy of Friends of the Columbia River Gorge RuraLead is a collaborative effort led by Rural Development Initiatives with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and multiple regional partners, hosting learning journeys and conducting interviews with rural leaders, leadership practitioners, and philanthropists that bring to light conditions and programs that support and impact rural leaders across the United States. MCEDD board member Buck Jones was nominated as an inspiring rural Northwest leader by MCEDD, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Gorge Grown Food Network, and The Next Door, Inc, with the support of MRG Foundation Since Time Immemorial Fund Grant Committee, Northwest Tribal Food Sovereignty Coalition, and Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance.  Read more here. Buck will be featured in a video for the “Leaders in Transitioning Rural Economies” session of the Northwest Learning Journey. He will share stories about the communities he works with and the economic transitions taking place at this time. Join Buck in this virtual learning session on October 9, 10-11:45 am by registering here.   [Continue Reading]

Annual Report Highlights – Year in Review

September 25, 2020 – For 51 years MCEDD has supported economic vitality in the five county bi-state region, focusing on opportunities to build our economy and support business and entrepreneurs. This year, MCEDD continued to deliver high quality technical assistance, business assistance and industry support through its core programs, while also expanding service offerings. Significant milestones and accomplishments in fiscal year 2020 include: Supporting economic resiliency as a result of COVID-19 with information and resource sharing, trainings, loans and grants responses to a myriad of economic shocks in 2018. Providing technical assistance for our members accessing federal economic disaster funding for public works projects. Implementing the regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, in coordination with our members, and hosting a sold-out Economic Symposium to build connections across the region. Launching the Gorge Regional Transit Strategy to support the regional Gorge TransLink public transportation system. Expanding the LINK transportation system, providing over 22,000 passenger trips. Providing direct business assistance through our loan programs, providing almost $1 million in funding this fiscal year to businesses.   FY20 Annual Report   [Continue Reading]

MCEDD Offers Business Resiliency Training Sessions

September 23, 2020 – MCEDD, in partnership with the Columbia Gorge Community College Small Business Development Center, Sherman County, and The Dalles Area, Condon, Hood River County and Maupin Area Chambers , is hosting a series of business resiliency training sessions through May 2021. Funding support is provided by Business Oregon’s Rural Opportunity Initiative program and USDA RD Rural Business Development Grant program. All events will be online, free, and open to all participants, regardless of where your business is located. The first session, Digital Marketing Strategies, will be on September 28, 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm. In this session, participants will learn ways to reach their audience by strengthening their online presence and online communications with SEO, email campaigns, social media, and PPC ads.  Click here for details on all of the sessions, the schedule and to register.   [Continue Reading]

Proposed New Bus Route, Public Meetings

September 2, 2020 – Starting October 5, The LINK Public Transportation is offering an additional deviated fixed route, serving key stops in The Dalles circling the city on a one-hour loop on Monday through Friday 7:00am to 6:00pm. Riders can get on stops at The Dalles Transit Center, Seufert Park, Water’s Edge, East 12th Street and Dry Hollow Road, Mid-Columbia Medical Center, East 11th Street and Kelly Avenue, and the Veterans’ Service Office downtown. Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD), as operator of The Link, has scheduled two public meetings, VIA ZOOM, to solicit public feedback and respond to questions and concerns about the additional deviated fixed route. Session one is scheduled on September 15 (5:00pm to 6:00pm) and session two is scheduled September 22 (9:00am to 10:00am). ZOOM information is outlined below and connecting 10 minutes prior to the scheduled meeting time is suggested. September 15 (5:00pm to 6:00pm) Session Meeting Identification: 968 3557 2674 Passcode: 919306 Dial-in: (253) 215-8782 https://zoom.us/j/96835572674?pwd=Ym1WYkhJU25OTlNYeDlBdk5jYXpPUT09 September 22 (9:00am to 10:00am) Session Meeting Identification: 920 0803 4243 Passcode: 299070 Dial-in: (253) 215-8782 https://zoom.us/j/92008034243?pwd=ZmVrVGV0VS9NMEhzUGt3MXdmZWozQT09 Similar to The LINK’s dial-a-ride service, which is still available for everyone, rides on the route are $1.50 each way. As an incentive to encourage the community to try out the new service, all rides on the new deviated fixed route are free for the first two weeks of the service through October 17. The bus operates along a route with a regular schedule, but is called a “deviated” fixed route because it can also leave the route to accommodate requests for “off-route” drop-offs or pick-ups. The number of deviations per loop is limited and must be scheduled in advance by calling The LINK at 541-296-7595. Only deviations within 1/4 mile of the route are allowed. Time is built into the schedule to allow for deviations. This means the bus may get to the stops earlier than the scheduled time if there are no deviations, but the bus will not leave that stop until the time posted in the schedule. As operator of The Link Public Transit service in The Dalles, Oregon, Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) is committed to ensuring that no person is excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of its programs and services on the basis of race, color, sex, or national origin, as protected by Title VI in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Circular 4702.1.B. For more information please visit The LINK’s pages at http://mcedd.org/link or call The LINK at 541-296-7595.   [Continue Reading]

Deadline Extended: Business and Nonprofit COVID-19 Grants

August 27, 2020 – Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) announces the extension of the application period for their grant program until September 13. MCEDD received $250,000 from Business Oregon to distribute COVID-19 Emergency Business Assistance Grants in Hood River, Sherman and Wasco Counties. At the end of the original application period, funds were still available, so the program has been extended by 30 days. 20 entities in Hood River County have received over $58,000 in funding, over $96,000 has been granted to 37 entities in Wasco County and $10,500 has been disbursed to 4 entities in Sherman County.  Funds went to businesses, nonprofits and independent contractors in the counties, and just under $85,000 is still available. “These funds provide small businesses across the three county region with the necessary capital to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic and, in turn, create a stronger and more resilient regional economy for the future,” said Jessica Metta, MCEDD Executive Director. Small businesses and nonprofits with 25 or fewer employees that have been adversely affected by economic conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and have not received federal emergency assistance under the federal CARES Act, the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance Program or other federal emergency pandemic assistance funding may be eligible to apply. Full details available here.   [Continue Reading]