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Commissioners press for Avarna ‘action items,’ schedule separate 2025–2027 work-plan discussion
Summary
At a brief workshop meeting, commissioners asked staff to convert consultant findings from Avarna’s first session into concrete next steps, moved the draft 2025–2027 work plan into its own agenda slot, and agreed to link state investment boards’ loan/project lists to the commission website; there were no public comments.
Commissioner Michelle Weisfeld urged the Columbia River Gorge Commission on Thursday to report back on concrete action items that emerged from consultant Avarna’s first session and to ensure the Commission converts paid reports and slides into an implementable plan. “I want to make sure…what our action items are from Avarna’s first session,” Weisfeld said.
Staff — speaking as the commission’s Executive Director — said the draft work plan originally listed for the Executive Director’s report will instead be a separate agenda item because it will require a longer discussion. “I will keep the Executive Director’s report pretty short, and then actually have the work plan as a separate agenda item,” the Executive Director said.
The exchange came during an agenda review for a second Avarna-led workshop the Commission is holding to discuss how historical factors influence current land management and land-use approaches. Commissioners said the goal of the next session is to surface findings from the prior workshops that could inform future Commission actions.
Weisfeld also asked staff to provide brief reports on recent county meetings, saying a short update on attendance and outreach (she noted Skamania County participation) would improve transparency. Commissioners discussed committee logistics as well, with staff confirming the draft 2025–2027 work plan will be circulated for Commission input before being finalized.
Commissioner Reynolds proposed a public-facing list of past revolving-fund awards and loans to demonstrate the Commission’s economic-vitality work. “Is there a possibility to assemble that kind of list out of the archives and then prioritize getting that up on the website?” Reynolds asked. Staff replied that the Washington Investment Board and the Oregon Investment Board already host comprehensive lists and that the Commission can link to those resources rather than upload decades of records itself, noting internal capacity limits.
Other procedural items included a request from Commissioner Nickley to allocate 15 minutes for his update and to correct an outdated staff title on the agenda (change the “NSA manager” designation to “supervisor”), and a brief scheduling note that committee reports could be used to discuss the Economic Vitality Committee’s scope. Commissioner Jeff said he was looking forward to the housing-related parts of the Avarna discussion.
The moderator opened the meeting to public comment, saw no hands raised and adjourned the session.
