News Briefs
- Dayton Library District Annexation Passes
- Grant and Nealey Advance to General Election
- Health IT Levy on November Ballot
- Local Coalition Receives Health & Wellness Grant
- Dayton West End Work to Begin Soon
- Dayton Art Walk: Call For Artists
- National Library Card Signup Month
- Dr. Schuck Opens New Eye Clinic in Dayton
- Historic Pathway Nears Completion
- New Playground Equipment in Waitsburg
- Historic Barn Workshop to be Held in Dayton
- Tumac Introduces On-Line Store
- Watershed Ecology Degree Program at WWCC
- Heather Stearns to Attend Library Conference
Heather Stearns to Attend Library Conference
Heather Stearns will miss the Columbia County Fair this year. That's because the Columbia County Rural Library District employee will be in Gatlinburg, Tennessee with ten other rural community librarians from across Washington.
The group received all-expenses-paid scholarships to attend the national conference of the Association of Rural and Small Libraries September 10th – 13th. The scholarships were awarded by the Washington State Library and funded by the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), a part of the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
"I'm excited about meeting other small town librarians, exploring the vendors' area and basically soaking up as much information and inspiration as I can," says Stearns. "And since I've never flown in a big plane before, even the trip there and back will be new experience."
Stearns is eager to take part in the workshops aimed at rural libraries, because she knows they will benefit the CCRLD and the services it provides to the residents of Columbia County—a very rural county by any standard. Workshops include, "Creating a Space for Teens in Your Library on a Shoestring", "Web 2.0" and "Think Outside the Barn @ Your Library".
Watershed Ecology Degree Program at WWCC
Walla Walla Community College is inviting students to enroll in a new Watershed Ecology Degree Program. Students completing the two-year program will receive an Associate in Applied Arts and Sciences Degree.
During the program, students will learn to identify and assess natural habitat needs of fish and wildlife in relation to healthy ecosystems, with emphasis on the restoration and management of aquatic environments. Potential careers for students with Watershed Ecology degrees include Fish and Wildlife Technician, Habitat Specialist and Water Quality Technician.
For more information on WWCC's Watershed Ecology program, contact Jaime Clarke at (509) 524-5192 or Jaime.clarke@wwcc.edu.
Tumac Introduces On-Line Store
Tumac Outdoor Equipment has expanded its product offerings with the introduction of its new e-store, tumacoutdoorsupply.com. The on-line store offers a wide range of products not available in its retail stores in Walla Walla and Dayton, including clothing and footwear, equipment, tools and many other items.
According to Tumac co-owner Tim Larkin, products purchased from the on line store will be tax free, and the store will offer free shipping for orders over $50.
Larkin says that Tumac wanted to offer an expanded range of products to its customers, while giving them the confidence that they're shopping on line with a company they are familiar with and trust. An added advantage of shopping at Tumac's e-store, he says, is that if customers have a problem with any products they buy on-line, they can go to their local Tumac store to resolve it.
Tumac's Dayton store is located at 218 W. Main Street, and can be reached at (509) 382-2501.
Historic Barn Workshop to be Held in Dayton
The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation will host a free workshop for owners of historic barns to learn more about the Heritage Barn Preservation Initiative. The workshop will be held Thursday, September 3rd from 2:00 to 3:30 pm in the Delany Room of the Dayton Memorial Library.
The Heritage Barn Preservation Initiative is a program of the Washington State Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation. This initiative established the Heritage Barn Register, a statewide list of historically significant barns.
Owners of historic barns over fifty years old that retain a significant degree of historic integrity can nominate their barn to be designated as a Heritage Barn and be included in the statewide register. Moreover, owners of designated Heritage Barns are eligible to apply for matching grants available to assist with barn stabilization and rehabilitation projects. Nomination forms along with application materials for the grants can be downloaded at www.dahp.wa.gov.
Chris Moore, Field Director with the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, will be on hand at the workshop to answer questions about the initiative and discuss the process for completing program documents. The next deadline for nominating a barn to the Heritage Barn Register is September 25, 2009, with the deadline to submit applications requesting barn rehabilitation grant funds set for November 4, 2009.
For more information about the workshop or the Heritage Barn Preservation Initiative call Chris Moore at (206) 624-9449 or visit www.wa-trust.org.
New Playground Equipment in Waitsburg
New playground equipment has been placed in the Preston Park, thanks to funding made available by the Waitsburg City Council. "This had been an ongoing need in the community," says Mayor Markeeta Little Wolf, "and it was a welcome addition to the 20-plus year-old swings, jungle gym and merry-go-round." The funding was approved by the council in May.
Waitsburg City Council members, Bart Baxter , Ken Lenhart, and Leroy Cunningham (Photos Courtesy of City of Waitsburg)
Council members Ken Lenhart, Leroy Cunningham and Bart Baxter volunteered their time to erect the playground equipment. Public Works Director Dan Katsel and the Waitsburg City Crew assisted with construction and installing pea gravel underneath the equipment for safety.
"The playground equipment will bring many hours and years of enjoyment to the children, parents and grandparents of our City," says Mayor Little Wolf.
Historic Pathway Nears Completion
Work on the Historic Pathway along Commercial Street in Downtown Dayton began in late July, and workers hope to complete pavement of the walkway by early September. Here, workers place boulders in a retaining wall behind the Columbia REA office.
When pavement of the trail is complete, a statue of Sacajawea will be placed on the southwest corner of 1st and Commercial Streets. The sculpture, by the late Carol Grende, was purchased in 2008 after an extensive fundraising campaign by the Blue Mountain Heritage Society (BMHS).
In October, the BMHS hopes to move the Smith Hollow School House to its new location at the west end of the Historic Pathway.
(Photo by Ken Graham)
Dr. Schuck Opens New Eye Clinic in Dayton
Dr. Catherine Schuck awaits a patient. (Photo by Ken Graham)
Dr. Catherine Schuck is opening a new full-service eye clinic in Dayton on September 15th. Blue Columbia Eye Care, Inc. will be located at 215 E. Clay Street.
Catherine is the daughter of Mark and Carolyn Schuck of Dayton. She is 2000 graduate of Dayton High School and a 2005 graduate of Washington State University. She recently received her Doctorate of Optometry Degree from Pacific University College of Optometry in Forest Grove, OR.
The new business will be co-owned by Catherine and her business partner, Dr. Kelly Cochrane, of Kennewick. Dr. Schuck will initially work two days per week in Dayton. She also shares office space with Dr. Cochrane in Kennewick.
Catherine says she's always known she wanted to work in the medical field. "I've always been fascinated with the brain," she says, noting that she majored in neuroscience at WSU. "The eyes are about as close to the brain as you can get."
National Library Card Signup Month
September is National Library Card Signup Month. This is the time when our local libraries remind parents and kids that a library card is the most important school supply of all.
Library cards are free to anyone living in the city or library district boundaries of their local library.
Most libraries in the 21st century offer much more than books to read. Public-use computers offer internet access and a variety of software applications. Programs promote early literacy and lifelong learning. A library card number allows access to website-based library services such as online book holds and renewals, research databases, 24/7 reference services, online book clubs and helpful website links. Not all libraries offer the exact same services, so be sure to ask.
Dayton Memorial Library
111 S. 3rd Street
(509) 382-4131
Weller Library
212 Main Street, Waitsburg
337-8149
Prescott Library
103 S. D Street
(509) 849-2411
Walla Walla Public Library
238 E. Alder
(509) 527-4550
Please call any of these libraries if you have questions about getting a library card.
Dayton Library District Annexation Passes
In August, voters in Dayton overwhelmingly approved a measure annexing the city into the Columbia County Rural Library District (CCRLD). More than 74% of voters cast ballots to approve the measure.
Under an annexation agreement with the City of Dayton, the Library District will assume ownership of the Dayton Memorial Library building and all of the library assets on January 1, 2010. The City of Dayton will continue to pay a contract fee to the Library District to provide library services to city residents until 2011 when the CCRLD receives its first tax money from Dayton taxpayers.
"I'm so proud of everyone who helped with the campaign," says CCRLD Board Chair Tanya Patton. "They believed in the benefit of annexation and worked long and hard to get the information out to the voters."
Dayton Mayor Craig George says that, with no longer being responsible for providing library services, the city will save money and will be able to focus more on providing basic services. "This is something the City Council felt strongly would benefit Dayton," says George. "Library services in Dayton have improved tremendously with the creation of the District, and we fully support that."
The Columbia County Rural Library District is the newest library district in Washington State, formed by voters in the unincorporated area of Columbia County in 2005. The CCRLD Board has been managing the Dayton Memorial Library under contract with the City of Dayton since January 2008.
Grant and Nealey Advance to General Election
Laura Grant
Terry Nealey
Laura Grant and Terry Nealey received the most votes in the August special primary election race for the state House of Representatives position in District 16 currently held by Grant. They will face off in the November general election.
Just over 23,000 votes were cast in the district, with Grant, a Democrat, receiving 46 percent of the vote and Nealey, a Republican, getting nearly 38 percent. Of the other challengers in the race, Kevin Young received just over ten percent and Dave Roberts got about six percent.
In March, Grant was appointed to the position, which was vacated when her father, Representative Bill Grant, passed away. The winner in the general election will complete the current term, which will end in December, 2010.
Health IT Levy on November Ballot
The Columbia County Health System (CCHS) will ask local voters to approve a tax levy on the upcoming November ballot. If approved, the $795,000 one-year levy will allow CCHS to establish a new electronic medical records system for all of its facilities.
According to CCHS CEO Charlie Button, the levy funds would be used to purchase new hardware and software to run the electronic medical records system, and it would also pay for staff training on the system. "Right now, all of our records are paper," says Button. "Moving to electronic records is an important step that will allow us to meet upcoming federal and Medicare requirements." Button says the new system will make a patient's records available to medical staff in all CCHS facilities.
If approved, the tax levy would be for 2010 only and would amount to $1.29 per thousand dollar valuation for property owners in the Columbia County Hospital District.
Local Coalition Receives Health & Wellness Grant
Kids enjoy the skate park demonstration in Dayton. (Photos courtesy of CCHS)
A coalition of local government and civic organizations called Columbia Cares has been formed to promote a healthy environment for youth and families in Columbia County. The group was organized by the Columbia County Health System (CCHS).
Columbia Cares was recently awarded a $42,000 "Healthiest State" grant from the Washington Health Foundation (WHF). The grant funds will be used for a number of projects to promote healthy and active living in the community, including building a skate park and upgrading other equipment at the Dayton City Park, establishing a teen summer recreation program and establishing local pool and trails programs.
"Committee members were convinced that the Columbia Cares project is a solid step in creating an environment in Dayton that promotes community health and wellbeing," says CCHS's Jody Martin, referring the WHF grant committee.
In May, a skate park demonstration was held in Dayton to show some of the equipment that will be installed in the skate park. The new park will be located at the site of the old city tennis courts in the park.
For more information about Columbia Cares and the "Healthiest State" grant, contact Jody Martin at (509) 382-2531.
Columbia Cares Partners:
Columbia County Health System
Columbia County Health Department
Columbia County Commissions
City of Dayton's Mayor and City Council
Dayton School District
Columbia County Sheriff's Department
Community Network
Dayton Chamber of Commerce
Curb Stomper 4-H Group
Dayton West End Work to Begin Soon
Landscaping work in front of the State Department of Transportation property on Dayton's West Main Street is slated to begin in September. The project is the first step in a long-term West End Beautification Project, which has been taken on by the Dayton Development Task Force. The work will be done on the south side of Main Street on the property which lies between the Dayton Motel and the Ameristar driveway.
The project is being funded by a $148,000 grant that was received from the Washington State Department of Transportation, as part of the federal stimulus package. The funds are being used for both engineering and construction work on the project.
According to Jennie Dickinson, who is leading the West End Beautification project for the Task Force, the engineering work for this portion of the project has already been completed by Anderson Perry Engineering, of Walla Walla. Barker, Inc., of Dayton, was chosen as the contractor.
An underground irrigation system will be installed at the site and new pavers will be laid from the street to the fence. The area will then be landscaped.
This is the first step in the long-term project taken on by the Task Force to make improvements to Dayton's Main Street from the Touchet River Bridge westward.
Dayton Art Walk: Call For Artists
Local area artists are invited to show their work during this year's annual Dayton Art Walk, which will be held on Saturday, October 10th. After the Art Walk, the artwork will remain on display and for sale in the Dayton Historic Depot through the end of 2009, including Christmas Kickoff. The Dayton Art Walk is sponsored by the Dayton Chamber of Commerce.
Artists interested in displaying their art for sale at the Dayton Historic Depot should contact Cheryl Ray (509-382-2995; cheryl@ameninc.com) or Monica Stobie (509-382-4096; mstobie@monicastobie.com).