The bistate gorge commission governs development on most of the land within the 85-mile national scenic area that stretches on both sides of the Columbia from Troutdale to the Deschutes River. The commission's executive director Martha Bennett tells GlobeSt.com that the quickest she will be able to bring the amendment back for a vote is 30 days from Friday. "That's the soonest we can get a notice in the paper," she says.

The time sensitive nature of the effort is due to the fact that the need for the change was shepherded by the owners of the Viewpoint Inn, an 80-year-old roadhouse in Corbett, WA, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The owners applied in January for the right to operate the property as a restaurant, five-room hotel and visitor center and hoped this week that the commission would finally approve their application, thereby allowing them to raise the necessary funds to make critical repairs before winter.

It almost happened. They gave the owners more than the number of votes they needed, just not the right votes. Instead of getting at least three votes each from each from commissioners representing the Oregon and Washington sides of the scenic area—Bennett says the owners got five votes from Washington Commissioners and only two votes from Oregon commissioners, thereby losing on a technicality. "It was very awkward," she says.