From the Desk: Banking, Education & Rule Makers

Orchardist Ben Synon with property on Mill Creek works with Elda Dorado as they load donated desks into his F-150 outside of WaFd bank, 115 E. 4th Street.

From the Editor - You never know what you might find out when you ask several people why they’re taking desks out of a bank and loading them in a truck. We grabbed this little story that ranges from banking to educating the children who are moving from job to job with their parents to understanding the hardship of what some would say is an over-reaching rule that does more harm than good for migrants.

By Tom Peterson

The Dalles, Ore., Feb. 25, 2025 — There’s some education coming out of the new construction of the Washington Federal or WaFd Bank on west Sixth Street in the Dalles.

On Tuesday morning, an orchardist and two employees of Columbia Gorge Education Service District were at the old WaFd bank on at 115 E. 4th Street.

They were loading desks into a Ford F-150.

“WaFd donated them,” said Elda Dorado. “We're going to use them for the kids to learn Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.”

Baker Construction and Development Superintendent Jason Richards of Spokane was all smiles this afternoon as he is working toward completion of the new WaFd bank at 1014 W. Sixth Street. WaFd will move to this new location sometime in April.

WaFd is preparing for its move to its new location at 1014 W. Sixth Street - the former site of the Miracle on Sixth Street used car lot. Rumor has the new bank facility will open in mid-April.

And don’t forget Columbia Gorge ESD’s Veronica Quintero. She was also helping to load desks this morning.

CCCNews is looking into what will be done with the former bank building on 4th Street once it is vacated.

Dorado was loading the desks with workmate Veronica Quintero into Orchardist Ben Synon’s pickup. They were doing some heavy lifting.

The Desks will aid the migrant education program for children who come with their parents who pick cherries in the summer.

The school, organized by the ESD, is held in June and July and gives the kids a chance to further their education while their parents greatly benefit our regional fruit industry in Wasco County.

Children under 12 are not allowed to work in the orchards. Those 12 and older are allowed to work with their parents to harvest fruit.

Both Dorado and Synon said the desks would be helpful in creating a classroom at the orchard, but they also decried new Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration's rules regarding the number of people allowed in migrant housing.

Recently adopted rules require each room designated for sleeping must provide a minimum of 50 square feet of floor space per individual.

Dorado, who worked picking cherries herself in past years, said the regulations make it difficult if not impossible for smaller orchards to house whole families in current migrant housing located on orchard properties.

They said the rules would either tear families apart or simply prevent them from coming at all.