Local Leadership in Action

Our February class day was very cool! We started out at the Hood River County School District office where Dr. Pat Evenson-Brady gave us an education about (among other things) how schools are funded. We looked at how Hood River measures up to other schools across the state in various categories - drop out rates, academic achievement, etc. With the Bond Measure on the May 20 ballot, we talked about why the moneys are needed and how rapidly the school age population in our area is growing.

The next stop was the Hood River Fire Station... also very cool! We got to see all the equipment, walk through the ambulance, and have our picture taken on the old fire engine... with a hand-crank siren! The firefighters are constantly training and honing their skills. All the paid guys are paramedics and most of the calls that come in are medical. The fire season (summer) changes that a little but, for the most part, they are responding to car accidents and medical emergencies. They are a very skilled and dedicated group and are invaluable to the health and safety of our community!

After lunch at Taco del Mar (always the favorite part of the day), we hit the City of Hood River Police station. We toured the new place and got to see where they keep all the paperwork - and there is a LOT of that! Since we don't have a city jail (they all go to NORCOR), we ended up asking the officer practical questions like "how many mph over the speed limit can I go without getting pulled over?" and "what's the scariest arrest you've ever made?" Apparently, these things are critical to the survival of our youth?! ... I guess?!

Last stop - Port of Hood River! Mike Doke told us about the role of the Port and the various properties they manage. The big news was the "Breeze By" system on the Hood River Bridge. It uses a sticker with an electronic chip that signals a receiver to allow quick passage through the toll gate. Breeze-By subscribers put money into an account and with every trip across the bridge, the appropriate toll is automatically deducted from their account. It's very high tech and the first one of it's kind in Oregon! We are SO cutting edge!