Columbia Veterinary Expands at the Port
by Kathy Ursprung
Pets walking and running with their people are a common sight on the Riverfront Trail, but soon pets and farm animals alike will have another reason to visit the Port of The Dalles Industrial Area.
Dr. Cynthia Lindsay will soon move her Columbia Veterinary Hospital offices to the Port’s Columbia Gorge Industrial center, adding new jobs and making new veterinary services available.
Dr. Cynthia Lindsay plans to open her expanded Columbia Veterinary Hospital this summer at the Port’s Columbia Gorge Industrial Center.
Cynthia has already added a second veterinarian, Kendra Moulton, to her staff and over time plans to add a couple more, along with the necessary professional staff to support them. She estimates a dozen new jobs will be created, averaging above Wasco County’s median wage and with benefits.
“In addition to helping create and recruit new businesses, the Port’s mission is to help with retention and expansion of existing local businesses to generate more well-paying jobs in the Port District,” said Port Executive Director Andrea Klaas. “We are excited to have Dr. Lindsay’s business doing just that. Her need for truck and trailer access made the Port a logical location for her business.”
Once her new facilities are complete, Cynthia will have the only haul-in equine hospital in The Dalles. She also hopes to connect with the Riverfront Trail.
Describing the experience she wants her patients to have in the new location, Lindsay said, “I want it to be easy and a relatively peaceful process where there is not crowding. Animals will have space to move around without fear and can be separated easily if we have a fearful or aggressive patient. I want people to have a sense of calm being down on such a beautiful spot on the river and I encourage the use of the Riverfront Trail. I’m a big fan of that corridor.
“I’d love to see people coming to appointments with dogs and bikes. And I hope Home at Last will visit us as well.”
The setting and the convenient freeway access were key considerations in Lindsay’s decision to build her new offices at the Port.
The new building will be about 5,200 square feet and have all the needed facilities for multiple veterinarians. It will also provide a roomy reception area that will allow louder patients to be separated from the quieter ones, a tranquil comfort room and other design features that will work with the riverfront setting.
“The whole length of the building will have about 15 feet of grassy area to walk patients,” Lindsay said.
Jeff Dellis with Klein Architecture in Hood River rendered the building design. Griffin Construction of Bend is the general contractor; Ridgeline Plumbing of Dufur and Hage Electric of The Dalles are sub-contracting.