220 Jewett Blvd, PO Box 218, White Salmon, WA 98672 | 509.493.2112
At the end of a special filing period, nine candidates stepped forward to compete for a total of five spots on the proposed Mount Adams Park & Recreation District Board.
The three-day filing period, from Aug. 23-25, was for positions that will only be created if voters approve a proposed parks and recreation district -- a measure that will appear on the Nov. 2 general election ballot.
If the measure wins backing by the voters, the Mount Adams Park & Recreation District would cover a wide geographic area that encompasses White Salmon, Bingen, Lyle, Trout Lake, Klickitat, Husum, Snowden, Appleton, BZ Corner, Glenwood, and Dallesport.
Candidates from several of the towns within the district filed to serve on the board -- if the district is created in the first place. The candidates come from White Salmon, Bingen, Trout Lake, Klickitat, and Lyle -- a relatively strong representation of the overall district.
These are the candidates appearing on the Nov. 2 ballot:
Cheryl Steindorf,
Klickitat
Shane Hearn,
White Salmon
Park & Recreation District,
Position 2:
Stephanie Irving,
Trout Lake
Park & Recreation District,
Position 3:
Meghann Dallin, Bingen
Marcia Buser, Lyle
Michael Solbach, Lyle
Park & Recreation District,
Position 4:
Dana Scheffler,
White Salmon
Vern Harpole, Lyle
Park & Recreation District,
Position 5:
Hugh Whitson,
White Salmon
If formed, the district would provide for the building of a new swimming pool/aquatic center in the White Salmon area (a site near Columbia High School is being proposed) as well as offer a framework to support a wide variety of recreational activities, such as hiking, biking, horseback riding, and skiing, among others.
One of the potential district commissioners explained that he was running because he believes in the need for a regional parks and recreation district.
"I worked with the district formation committee for over a year," said Hugh Whitson, who is running unopposed for the district's Position 5 seat. "I support the idea of creating a parks and recreation district; I think it's important going into the future. There are things it could do that we haven't even envisioned yet."
Whitson added that he firmly believes the district, if approved, must equally serve all the residents within the boundaries, and avoid being primarily for the immediate White Salmon area.
"This is not just a White Salmon board," Whitson said. "As a commission, it's important to remember there are parts of the district beyond White Salmon. We have to listen and be responsive. If someone comes in with an idea, we need to give it complete consideration. And we can't focus just on an aquatic center. I strongly support the aquatic center and I want to get that initial project going, but that is just the initial project. Then I want to go on to bigger and better things."
