[Klickitat] 🍼 Childcare as "Economic Infrastructure" - Klickitat BoCC 4/21 & 4/28

Klickitat County is shifting how it views childcare, moving from a private family issue to treating it as critical economic infrastructure. We look at a recent site visit to Boardman, Oregon, to see how public-private partnerships might cure our local "childcare desert." We also break down the county's pushback against state energy codes, and why housing experts are warning that our regional fear of short-term rentals might actually be making the housing crisis worse.In This Episode:A $21 million state public health funding cut forces lean operations locally.The new "Frontier Defense" strategy against state energy mandates.How the Planning Commission is updating ADU rules, and the "Option-Value" catch-22 of missing middle housing.Bids awarded for Courthouse exterior stucco and painting.Resources & Links:Read the full written Dispatch at skamaniadispatch.comRead Nathan Wilson's reporting on the county's childcare desert in the Columbia Gorge News.View the official meeting agendas and packets at the Klickitat County website.Stay Connected with the GorgeThe Skamania Dispatch and The Klickitattler are community-led projects of OpenGorge.org.To stay updated on local news, governance, and community events across the region, you can sign up for both newsletters at SkamaniaDispatch.com. For real-time updates and to join the conversation, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OpenGorge.