Christina Volnikovsky, executive director of the Columbia River Gorge Commission, and Michael Mills, chair of the commission, met with the Wasco County Board of Commissioners July 16 to discuss recovery from the Rowena fire and coordination under the existing 2022 memorandum of understanding.
Christina told the board the commission will devote its September meeting to recovery and to speeding reviews for affected properties. "We are going to be devoting our September commission meeting to talking about how we can be, in partnership with Wasco County, to really expedite as much as we possibly can so that people can get back on their property and rebuild," she said. She described existing emergency provisions in the management plan that allow expedited reviews and said staff are working with county planners to determine what can be adjusted immediately.
Christina and Michael said the commission is also coordinating with Oregon Emergency Management and the U.S. Forest Service on debris removal and post‑fire permitting; Christina thanked county staff for facilitating participation. Michael added the commission will tour the Rowena area July 30 to prepare for a September 9 commission meeting focused on recovery.
Tyler (staff) and county emergency staff reported cleanup status and public outreach. Tyler said the hazardous waste removal phase is nearing completion: "We're just about done with the hazardous waste cleanup," he said, and noted DEQ will make a public dashboard available to track cleanup and property status. County Planning Director Daniel Daugherty said planning staff have started preparing property background information and have received initial permit inquiries; one replacement dwelling application was already in the queue.
The board approved a consent agenda earlier that included an extension of the emergency declaration for the Rowena fire; commissioners voted unanimously to approve the consent items. County and commission staff discussed the need for flexibility on timelines (Christina said 56 homes were lost in the fire) and confirmed that temporary living in RVs on private property is allowed under current rules while expedited review and debris removal proceed.
No additional formal approvals were requested at the check‑in; staff said they will return with specific proposals for expedited review procedures, and the commission invited county officials to participate in the July 30 site tour and the September commission meeting.