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By Jessica Ruffcorn Dayton Chronicle Reporter DAYTON-–City Council discussed multiple local projects in process and soon to begin, the Wastewater Treatment Plant Project, and a fireworks ordinance complaint expressed during the meeting August 13. Public Works Director Ryan Paulson advised the Council that the first phase of the OTTA Seal Road project was fifty percent complete and was going well. He stated that the 4th Street project is moving along at a steady pace and estimates work will begin this fall to make the sidewalks ADA compliant. O...
DAYTON–The Port of Columbia Director Jennie Dickinson advised the Port Commissioners the entity will undergo a federal financial audit in September. This will be the first federal audit during Dickinson's tenure as executive director. Dickinson has done many state audits before but wanted to let the Commissioners know what to expect from the federal audit. She has started gathering the information that has been requested so that she is ready when they meet in September. She has also begun w...
DAYTON–The Parks and Rec District Commissioners met to work on the upcoming levy and grant opportunities at a work session on August 15. The commissioners are currently writing a grant application to Blue Mountain Foundation Discretionary Grant which the award is up to $20,000. Commissioners Terry Hessler and Katie Leid are working on this application. The board will need to approve the application before they can send it in. Their next board meeting is August 29 which is the same date the application is due. A decision on this grant is expecte...
oard held a special meeting on August 1 to approve the selection of a new history textbook for the 6th grade class. There were three textbook options to choose from, but according to Superintendent Jeremy Wheatley, what made this one stand out from the rest was the readability and age appropriateness. The board chose "US History American Stories Beginnings to 1877" published by National Geographic. The book has been made available to the school and public over the past few weeks, for those who...
DAYTON–Columbia County Parks and Recreation District Board (Pool) heard a presentation from Lyle Smith, CEO of WMS Aquatics at the July 25, 2024, meeting. WMS Aquatics is a family-owned company that sells and builds pools primarily to commercial entities such as YMCAs, hotels, HOAs, and Parks and Rec Districts. They are a worldwide sales company but offer building services to Washington, Oregon, and Idaho and offer maintenance services to Washington. Board members learned about the company t...
DAYTON–A Kansas City, Mo., woman was found guilty of a gross misdemeanor for phone harassment of Columbia County residents Bret and Judith Strode following a Columbia County District Court trial here July 9. Jody Brunsvold, who has no apparent ties to the Strode family or other local residents, was charged by Columbia County Prosecutor C. Dale Slack after she allegedly telephoned the victims in August of 2023 and made harassing statements. Brunsvold allegedly placed three calls around the d...
DAYTON–The City Council held a special meeting on June 26 to discuss the qualifications of the paper of record; to discuss a resolution to create an agreement with Express Employment for seasonal workers, and to approve a public works pre-construction loan application of one million dollars. Mayor Rodger Trump stated that the City Council had used the same request for qualifications that they had used in the past, but that by doing so this left out vital information the council needed to d...
DAYTON–The School Board approved the 2024-25 budget and several housekeeping matters as the administration transitions from outgoing superintendent Rich Stewart to incoming Supt. Jeremy Wheatley. In addition, several personnel items were handled at the regular meeting last week, including Anna Fortier as an Elementary Teacher, Shannon James as the Annual Advisor, and Sam Korslund as Special Education bus driver. They also approved the renewal of spring coaching contracts for Andee Thurston, M...
DAYTON–The City Council heard discussion and awarded the city legal contract; and approved Resolutions 1542, 1545, and 1546 at the June 11 meeting. The City granted the 2024 public notice publishing contract to the Dayton Chronicle, the newspaper of record for Columbia County, after a hearty discussion over requirements and access. The Council awarded the City legal contract to the Dayton Chronicle by a 4-2 vote. Bids were submitted by two area newspapers, Dayton Chronicle, the Columbia C...
DAYTON–The Port of Columbia Board Commissioners were advised of Lyons Ferry Marina concessionaire future succession; and updates on Portway properties, Mainstem Malt grant, CWW Railroad appraisal; and graffiti issue. Lyons Ferry concessionaires Wally and JoAnn Knoufs, plan to retire at the end of this summer which will succeed to Tim and Susan Dewald. "Tim and Susan joined our management team May 1, and we are doing a transition where we are cutting back our hours and they are taking on more a...
DAYTON–The Columbia County Commissioners (BOCC) heard a presentation to put a waste processing plant out at the rock quarry; consideration of the concept of framework pay; potential bear lawsuit; and approved a liquor license. Dave Dressler, who owns and operates Bio-Environmental Resource Recovery International, known as BERRI LLC, transforms hazardous landfill materials into safe, nutrient-rich dirt. According to Dressler they can take food waste, yard clippings, diapers, tires, leather, p...
DAYTON–During the regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation District on May 30, the commissioners discussed the first draft of the proposed budget and plans to seek voter approval for their first levy. Commissioners Katie Leid and Dianne McKinley put together a preliminary budget for the board to review. The budget accounts for income of approximately$200,000, which would be acquired if voters pass the levy in November for the maximum allowed of $0.20 per thousand dollars of assessed property...
DAYTON–The District School Board heard reports on both a school counselor framework, and on policy governance; and approved a teacher retirement at the meeting on May 22. The counseling staff have been working on the school counselor framework project throughout the year, and passed on a 30-page document detailing a framework plan of role description, mission, and goals of counselors. The counselor team believes this plan was tailor made to the needs of the Dayton School District and follows t...
DAYTON–The City Council heard the update on the Wastewater Treatment Plant Project and investigation into new property; approved the city and school district lease agreement; the American Rock Products OTTA Sealroad project; the contract between the City and Washington State Department of Corrections work crew; recommendation to dissolution of standing committees; the council’s procedures and ethics handbooks; and Anderson Perry’s ADA sidewalk designs on 4th Street; and the OTTA Seal project at the meeting on May 14. Public Works Director Ryan...
DAYTON–Would you know what items in your teen's room might indicate drug or alcohol use? The Coalition for Youth and Families, in partnership with Columbia County Health Department, hosted a public event at the Liberty Theater on May 15, to learn more about youth substance abuse. The event began with a mock set of a teenage girl's bedroom. People were instructed to walk around and search for substance items hidden in plain sight and some tucked away in inconspicuous places. There were 100 i...
DAYTON–The School Board were advised of Hot Poetry winners; approved the CTE plan; High school English teacher Martin Surridge announced that out of five winners, three Dayton seniors, Justina Abrahamson, Solomon Brenner, and Logan Berg, won the Pacific Northwest Hot Poetry Contest. The other two winners were Washington University students. Their poems brought awareness to the cleanup efforts at the Hanford Nuclear Site. You can read their poems on page 7 of the Dayton Chronicle. Sam Korslund announced that six student athletes have q...
DAYTON–The Port of Columbia Board will move forward with applications for Lyons Ferry and Mainstream Malt. The Recreation and Conservation Funding Board (RCO) application for funding to upgrade Lyons Ferry was turned in. There will be a chance for the Port to give a presentation for review to make their application stronger, before filing a final application. Director Jennie Dickinson stated that the concessionaires did a good job finding match funding for this project, and she feels good about the application she submitted. “I felt really goo...
DAYTON–Laughs, whoops, and hollers of joy were heard across the front lawn of the Dayton Elementary school during their Cinco De Libro Event on May 1. The event featured multiple bounce houses, games, books, music, face painting, and a nacho bar. This event was one of three large events sponsored by the Title 1 funding program, to engage and collaborate with families and the community. Elementary Teacher; Jaimie Rushing was credited for planning the event. "These events are designed to foster p...
DAYTON– The Columbia County Parks and Recreation District Commissioners (P&R) discussed the upcoming levy proposal at the recent board meeting. P&R are working toward a levy budget plan to set before the voters in November. Currently the district is operating in a deficit, as well as a feasibility study, until a levy is passed by the voters. In addition, the board passed resolution 2024-02 and 2024-03. Commissioners Katie Leid and Terri Hessler will work together to create a budget to determine the dollar amount needed for the levy. P...
By Jessica Ruffcorn Dayton Chronicle Reporter DAYTON–Dayton Schools' Athletic Director Sam Korslund reported remarkable success in spring sports to the Dayton School Board of Directors at their April 17 meeting. "Both our baseball and softball high school teams are 99.9% sure going to qualify for district playoffs," said Korslund. "The impact that this spring has had on the kids has been immeasurable. Because as we all know they took plenty of lumps in the fall, more lumps in the winter, and n...
DAYTON– The Columbia County Parks and Rec District hosted a public forum focusing on the type of pool that would benefit the community. The April 18 meeting was informal and allowed the audience to converse back and forth with the commissioners, and was well received by those in attendance. Approximately 12 community members attended the forum. They provided input and had an opportunity to ask the district commissioners questions about the plans moving forward. The board gave a brief p...
DAYTON–Port of Columbia Commissioners approve resolution 2024-03; signed a one-year lease for new business; and were advised of lighting program cost during the meeting April 10. Executive Director Jennie Dickinson and the Lyons Ferry concessionaires gave a presentation to the board with the recommendation to apply for a RCO Grant. The board approved Resolution 2024-03 to authorize Dickinson to apply for the grant with a unanimous vote. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $1.3 m...
DAYTON–The City Council voted unanimously to not place the library annexation on the November ballot at their regular meeting. Dayton resident Katie Roughton had made the request to the council back in January in hopes that city voters would have the opportunity on how taxes directed to the library are spent. The city council has met several times to discuss and research the topic at meetings and workshops and ultimately decided that the request did not have enough support to show the need f...
DAYTON–The Parks and Recreation District Pool Board (PB) is planning a community meeting for April 18 at 6 p.m. at the Elementary School multi-purpose room. They are seeking public input on what is needed and wanted for a community pool. The board would like to encourage the public to come out and participate and express what is important to them, but also understand that at this event they will add some parameters to keep expectations realistic. "Everybody gets to have a voice, but then it d...
DAYTON–The Dayton School Board unanimously approved a three-year contract with Jeremy Wheatley for the superintendent position during a special meeting on March 29. During the "Meet The Candidates Forum" at the beginning of March, Wheatley, a 1994 Dayton High School graduate, stated he was "itching to get back here, and that he believed the timing was right for his family to make the move." "There is the challenge of getting the job done; there is always something," said Wheatley. "But, as f...
