Serving the Mid-Columbia region of Oregon and Washington, providing regional economic development and business assistance.Mid–Columbia Economic Development District

Mid Columbia Economic Development District strives to promote the creation of family-wage jobs, the diversification of the economic base, and the growth, development and retention of business and industry in Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Klickitat and Skamania Counties

MCEDD is organized as a government non-profit in Oregon as an ORS-190 and in Washington through RCW 39.34.010.

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Hood River Valley Adult Center Receives Grant Funding for Kitchen Remodel

June 30, 2022 – Congratulations to Hood River County on their successful application to the Oregon Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program!  In June, the County was awarded $987,299 to fund kitchen renovations at the Hood River Valley Adult Center. The Adult Center’s Meals on Wheels program is the primary source of nutritious, daily meals for low-income seniors and homebound adults in Hood River County. The Center has been preparing meals for seniors for 30 years, both in-house and through Meals on Wheels deliveries. The Adult Center’s kitchen has reached the critical point where their kitchen must be updated: the equipment is old, the layout is inefficient, and the physical space itself is starting to fail. With production more than doubled during the pandemic, the kitchen has been pushed past its useful working capacity.  An updated, more efficient kitchen will help reduce food insecurity for hundreds of seniors and homebound community members every year. The County has worked with the Adult Center, Paul Lindberg of Hat Creek Consulting  and MCEDD staff to submit a complete grant application to the CDBG program. Dollars contributed towards the Center’s fundraising campaign to support renovation costs are matched by the CDBG grant funding that has been awarded to the County for this project.  The project is expected to start immediately, with initial focus on meeting funding requirements before moving into renovations. Hood River County will be utilizing MCEDD’s grant management services throughout the project to ensure that the funding requirements are met.   [Continue Reading]

Regional Broadband Speed Survey Begins in the Mid-Columbia Region

June 27, 2022 – Accessible, affordable, and reliable internet is an essential piece of infrastructure for residents, communities, and businesses.  To fulfill this goal, Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) has been working closely with the Wasco County Broadband Action Team to develop the Mid-Columbia Broadband Speed Survey. The Survey is now open and available for public participation for residents and businesses in Hood River, Wasco, and Sherman Counties in Oregon and Klickitat and Skamania Counties in Washington. Take the Survey Here Responses to our local regional survey and taking the Washington State Broadband Office Annual Speed Test or Faster Internet Oregon speed test shows what broadband service is available at your home or business. This information will help partners clearly identify gaps in high speed internet services, ensure funding decisions can be made based on accurate service information, and learn more about how our communities and businesses are using broadband today. “Ensuring we have accurate information on who has true broadband internet access today will better enable our local partners to access the significant state and federal funding becoming available over the next several years to help close the broadband gaps in our region,” says MCEDD Deputy Director of Economic Development Carrie Pipinich. Local and regional partners are coming together through broadband action teams made up of community organizations, local governments, elected officials, and internet service providers to better define gaps in broadband service and explore strategies to improve those services. “Much like rural electrification in the 1930s, we are today beginning a ‘rural broadbandification’ in the United States,” said Lee Weinstein, president of Q-Life. “We ask for everyone’s help in completing this easy speed test. We need to understand more about the service challenges in the five-county area so the Columbia Gorge area can be ready to pursue state and federal grant monies that are coming available. Please help us and complete the survey!” Currently, the Federal Communications Commission defines broadband internet as a minimum of 25Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds. However, the State of Washington has defined a goal of 150Mbps download and upload speeds available to all residents and businesses by 2028. Because of the significant impacts that quality, affordable broadband can have on access to education, health care, and the local economy, Q-Life Network (which serves The Dalles and Wasco County) has defined a similar goal for services in Wasco County in its most recent strategic plan. Please take the survey here: https://bit.ly/Speed-Survey If you have any questions regarding the Broadband Speed Survey, please contact Natasha Blaircobb at Natasha@mcedd.org.   [Continue Reading]

MCEDD

802 Chenowith Loop Rd,
The Dalles, OR 97058
Phone: (541) 296-2266

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