Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
The extensive renovation of Dayton General Hospital was completed last year, and the ribbon cutting ceremony was held in February. The renovation included major upgrades to the physical therapy dept., the pharmacy and labs. And a brand new main entrance and admitting area was built on the north side of the hospital.
Construction was nearly complete on the new Columbia Pulp plant in northern Columbia County, near Lyons Ferry.
State Representative Terry Nealey, R-Dayton, retired after nearly a decade serving Legislative District 16 in the Washington House of Representatives.
After a strong campaign, the Columbia County Permanent EMS Levy passed in August. It will help support ambulance and emergency medical services in the county.
Columbia Straw Supply, LLC. Purchased 140,000 tons of local straw in 2018.
DAYTON-Voters in Columbia County were busy this year, with the passage of two levies, along with an election that will result in changes to key positions, in Columbia County.
In February, the Dayton School District passed another two-year capital-projects levy. This year the levies paid for new asphalt on the elementary playground and at the bus loading zone, a new heating system, the upgraded communication system, and repairs to the flat portion of the HS roof. The entrance to the elementary school was also redesigned and rebuilt to provide greater security when school is in session
Seventy-one percent of voters in the county said "yes", in August, to the permanent EMS Levy for ambulance service. The levy raises $458,794 for the three fire districts and the Town of Starbuck to help with training and hiring staff and replacing aging equipment. Now more fire levy dollars can be used on fire-related expenses instead of ambulance services.
In the November general election, there were contested races for Columbia County Sheriff, Columbia County Treasurer, and Position 3 on the Columbia County Board of Commissioners.
Chief Deputy Joe Helm defeated Narcotics Deputy Jeff Jenkins, and he will replace Sheriff Rocky Miller in January. Local businesswoman Carla Rowe defeated Chief Deputy Treasurer Cathy Shochet in the treasurer's race. Rowe will replace retiring Treasurer Audrey McLean. For the commissioner position, Chuck Amerein defeated Dain Nysoe. Amerein will replace Merle Jackson, who is also retiring this year.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dale Slack ran uncontested in the general election for prosecuting attorney. He will replace retiring PA Rea Culwell.
Anne Higgins, who also ran uncontested, will replace Sharon Richter as the new Columbia County Assessor.
Others who have voluntarily left key positions in the county include Brad McMasters who was the Port's Economic Development Coordinator, and whose position is now filled by Kathryn Witherington.
Melissa Bryan is the new director for the Dayton Chamber of Commerce, and a Charles Eaton is the new county Public Works Director.
State representative Terry Nealy is retiring at the end of this year. Nealy has served in the state legislature since 2009. Republican Skyler Rude defeated Democrat Rebecca Francik to replace Nealy in the state House of Representatives
With the conclusion of the final phase of the Dayton General Hospital Renovation and Enhancement Project in December 2017, with the ribbon cutting ceremony held in January.
Columbia County Health System officials have been hard at work this year improving existing services and creating new services. New services include the addition of Palliative Care, Telemedicine, Hydrotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Massage Therapy, Acupuncture, and the creation of a state-of-the art Wound Care Facility with two Hyperbaric Oxygen Chambers.
Dayton is also becoming a Dementia-Friendly Community due to another CCHS initiative, and CEO Shane McGuire said he is looking into dental services for Medicaid patients.
Excavation began in earnest at the $184 million Columbia Pulp Straw Pulp Mill near Lyons Ferry in August, 2017. The facility is expected to be fully operational in the first quarter of the 2019.
This year the focus has been on getting the infrastructure in place. Hiring is currently taking place and skilled craftsmen are still needed. At full production, the mill will run 24/7 and employ around 100 people, according to Tony Waldo, Operations Manager for Columbia Pulp LLC.
Waldo said the first customer trial took place this month. A customer was provided with wet lap straw pulp to make 3-ply paper. The straw pulp was sandwiched between traditional wood pulp to make sheets that will be converted into paper products such as paper cups and plates, he said.
Jobs also opened up at the Columbia Pulp Pilot Plant in Pomeroy, this year. The pilot plant is a smaller training facility for employees working at the Lyons Ferry plant.
Columbia Straw Supply, LLC, which is the straw supplier for the mill, purchased 140,000 tons of local straw from the 2018 harvest to be used at the Lyons Ferry facility.
After more than 75 years with its headquarters in Dayton, Columbia REA closed its main office in Dayton in April. All administrative offices are now located at CREA's Walla Walla Facility. In February, CREA announced that it had sold it's Dayton office to Columbia Pulp, to house its senior management.
In 2018 the Dayton Development Task Force began its project to revitalize Caboose Park, along Commercial St., between N. First and N. Second Streets. It also awarded Façade Grant Program Awards to the Liberty Theater, My Dad's Place, Inland Cellular Building Owners, and The Dayton Chamber of Commerce.
The Task Force has provided wayfinding signs on Main Street and Welcome to Dayton Signs on the East and West ends of historic Main Street.
Also, the Broughton Land Co. Building Mural at Main and S. First Streets has been fully restored to its original glory.
After much back and forth discussion, early in 2018, the Dayton School District and the Waitsburg School District agreed to implement a full district combine for sports. The full combine began in September, for all middle school and high school sports and athletic activities. This was done to ensure adequate numbers of participants, and for student safety.
The after school program, called The Club, opened its doors on Sept. 4 to about 40 youth. Local boosters Dan and Ginny Butler have spent countless hours seeking grants and donations to transform the former bowling alley on W. Cameron St, and for operations of the program.
The complete Plan for the Blue Mountain Regional Trails-Ridges, Towns and Rivers was unveiled to the community at the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds in January. The BMRTRTR trails Plan shows trails connecting Dayton and Columbia County, Walla Walla and Walla Walla County, and Milton Freewater and general environs.
Community Connection 3, the 9.7-mile walk/bike trail between Dayton and Waitsburg has since been placed at No. 8 on a list of 22 projects the state legislature will look at in 2019 for funding, for design.
A proposal to put a Bitcoin data mining center on Patit Creek, next to the Columbia REA substation was turned down after plenty of vocal opposition to it and a Planning Department recommendation against it. Excessive noise was one of the determining factors, and Planning Director Meagan Bailey characterized the proposed data center as "not a good fit" for the county.
The Dayton City Pool was closed for the summer because of major problems with the infrastructure. The city completed a facility condition assessment this fall, and the consultant's report stated the cost of replacing the pool with a "like" structure would be around 2.5 million. The pool remains shuttered and talks continue on what to do and how to proceed.
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