BRIEFS

PSE Breaks Ground On Wind Project POMEROY - On Thursday, Puget Sound Energy officials will join representatives from Garfield County, the city of Pomeroy and the state to celebrate the start of construction for Phase I of the utility's Lower Snake River Wind Energy Project.

The luncheon will start at 11:30 a.m. and feature re­marks by PSE Pomeroy Office Manager Jay Takemura, Garfield County Commissioner Dean Burton, Pomeroy Mayor Alan Gould and PSE President Kimberly Harris. The event will be at the Garfield County Fairgrounds, 99 Fairgrounds Road in Pomeroy.

Blue Mountain Station Bids Call Early 2011

DAYTON - Site permits are expected to be ap­proved for the Blue Mountain Station in October and bids will go out on Jan. 1, 2011, for the infrastructure supporting Phase I of the development.

This includes water, sewer, several roads and a park­ing lot, said Jennie Dickinson, director for the Port of Columbia. The port will launch an aggressive market­ing campaign to get tenants lined up for the develop­ment.

Whetstone Opening Delayed WAITSBURG - The Whetstone Pub is expected to be open again this fall, owner Travis Larsen of Coppei Partners said. The reopening is taking longer than anticipated because the owners took advantage of the pub's tem­porary closure to rebuild the refrigerant system for the walk-in beer cooler and "tackle some other nagging maintenance issues that we rarely have the opportunity to address," Larsen said.

Charleen and Steve Taylor, who have moved to Pomeroy, will not be returning as managers, but Larsen said he has not yet picked their successors.

"We are still in the midst of a management restruc­turing and we are targeting re-opening the pub this fall," he said.

Local Winery Receives Accolades WAITSBURG - Dumas Station Wines received high recognition in September for two of its favored wine in the August/September issue of The Wine Advocate.

The Station's 2006 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon re­ceived 93 points and this review: "with dense fruit...suc­culent flavors, and impeccable balance, this outstanding offering willhellip;drink well through its 20th birthday," according to Dr. Jay Miller.

The 2006 Minnick Hills Reserve Cabernet Sau­vignon, which has now been retired to the library, received 92 points and this review, also by Dr. Miller: "Dense, rich, and layered, it has plenty of ripe tannin and will easily provide pleasure through 2026."