News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Grand Coulee came very close last week to changing local law to allow the licensing of a marijuana retail store in the city. An ordinance before the city council Sept. 15 originally would have restricted any such license if it was illegal under state or federal law. But that quickly changed when Councilmember David Tylor made a motion to remove the reference to “federal law” from the ordinance. Voters passed Initiative 502 in November 2012, making it legal in the state of Washington to open such stores. Although it is still against federal law,... Full story
A Grand Coulee couple has indicated an interest in purchasing Center School and its property. Mervin and MaryJo Monteith, who represent the North American Wool Cooperative, told Grand Coulee city officials last week that they will seek a rezone of the Center School property so they can purchase it for a fiber mill and education center. The Monteiths have an alpaca operation in Lincoln County and also own an airplane parts operation in Grand Coulee that supplies small parts for both commercial and military operations. The Grand Coulee couple... Full story
The members of the Regional Board of Mayors are trying to wrap their arms around recycling again. This time they are talking about budgeting for a recycling program of sorts for 2016. First, the mayors of the four towns making up the board will need to go to their respective councils to get an OK to spend some $13,000 for a recycling bin. All four councils need to approve the expenditure before the RBOM can purchase a bin. Or, as Electric City’s clerk, Jackie Perman, pointed out, the RBOM might be able to rent a bin. Recycling dominated M... Full story
Coulee Dam has a code enforcer. Mayor Greg Wilder told the council last Wednesday night that Gary Haven has been hired to enforce the town’s civil ordinances, all except for those concerning dogs. Haven also is the code enforcer for Electric City, and has had a number of successes in getting people to conform to that city’s codes. Haven will work 25 hours a month for Coulee Dam, receiving $22 an hour. He will work to get people to clean up tall grass and garbage piled around their buildings. The dog issue won’t come into play, at least for now,... Full story
Coulee Dam police Chief Pat Collins has retired. “I would like to thank you all for the many years I have been with Coulee Dam,” Collins stated in a brief letter of resignation. “It is now time for me to move on. I have been offered another position and, after careful consideration, I have decided to accept the new position.” Collins stated that his final day would be Sept. 25. Mayor Greg Wilder put Collins on paid administrative leave through the remainder of his time. Collins has been with the town for 26 years. The town started adverti... Full story
Devon Beekler is in awe of coulee country. She hails from Lancaster County in Pennsylvania, a garden of sorts. Lancaster is right in the center of Amish country, where farmland is tailored, farm buildings are kept better than houses, and people in old-fashioned buggies may have the right of way. By education, Beekler is a landscape architect, a graduate of Penn State, and is locked into a year-long position with the National Park Service here to help the agency promote its 100th anniversary.... Full story
An Electric City woman has been selected as the new head librarian at Grand Coulee. North Central Regional Library officials announced this week that Lisa Moore has been selected after a lengthy process of interviews. NCRL spokesperson Angela Morris said Monday that there was a large number of applicants and that it was a difficult decision because of the quality of the candidates. Moore replaces Joette Barry, who has moved to the number-two position at the Moses Lake library with a step up in grade. Morris said that Moore begins her new... Full story
The school district has hired a new head boys' basketball coach. Lake Roosevelt High School Coach Mario Adams arrived in the coulee area last week and plans to be a substitute teacher in the district. "He is passionate about helping develop young men into responsible adults and successful athletes," Athletic Director Rich Black said of Adams in recommending him to the school board for confirmation. Adams, 25, comes to his Lake Roosevelt assignment from California where he had built up seven... Full story
Don’t sell that bowling ball just yet. It appears there is a good chance that the Riverview Lanes will reopen for play, and in time for winter league play, albeit a bit late. Hope for the reopening of the bowling alley came at last Wednesday night’s Coulee Dam Town Council meeting. Two men from the west side of the state appeared before the council to inquire about a possible lease that could involve more than just the bowling alley. Craig Jones and Scott Elmore indicated an interest in the eight-lane alley and perhaps the space housing the... Full story
Get ready for an old-fashioned Harvest Festival. The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce has put together three days of activity designed with the family in mind, Sept. 18-20. Highlights of the festival include a 2-day barbecue cook-off, a pie-baking contest, a quilt show, a human foosball competition, a motorcycle poker run, a community-wide yard sale, hay wagon rides, craft booths including food booths (35 in all), a beer tent and some children’s games. The BBQ event, sanctioned by the Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association, will f... Full story
One local mayor has urged the Bureau of Reclamation to consider building something beyond just a new fire station, even a building for joint use with other fire departments in the area. Responding to the bureau’s request for comments on a proposed new fire station, Coulee Dam Mayor Greg Wilder wrote to the bureau suggesting that if the Crescent Bay site were selected, “the project should consider an architecture that reflects the recreational nature of its proximity to Lake Roosevelt.” Such features might include a well-maintained rest area,... Full story
A community picnic "Pig for a Park" last Saturday raised $2,200 for a new Electric City park, councilwoman Lonna Bussert said Monday. The fundraiser attracted nearly 100 people who took advantage of a Whitelaw BBQ performance with all the food trimmings. Tables were scattered throughout the grassy park-like area behind city hall, and some even ate sitting on the grass. Bussert, has been the catalyst in getting the council to purchase land from the Banks Lake Bible Church for a new neighborhood p... Full story
The Bureau of Reclamation is seeking public input on a draft environmental assessment for its proposed plan to build a new fire station. The Bureau has identified two sites to build a 21,500-square-foot fire station. The preferred site, identified as Alternative A, is on land already managed by the Grand Coulee Power Office outside the west administration/industrial area gate, near the intersection with Highway 155 and B Street. Access to the site would be from Industrial Road, off of either B Street or Highway 155. The Alternative B site would... Full story
Area seniors are trying to get their "manor" back. A local apartment complex once reserved for senior citizens no longer is, and some people don't appreciate the change in the neighborhood. In a letter to the Housing Authority of Grant County, the current agency controlling the former "Senior Manor," Birdie Hensley, president of the Grand Coulee Dam Senior Center, outlined a range of problems that reportedly now exist in the 40-unit building. The letter is backed by the senior center board of... Full story
Are you proud of your barbecue skills? Does your mouth water when you think of your favorite meat cooked to a tender perfection? Then put a team together and enter the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce BBQ competition during the annual Harvest Festival, Sept. 18-20. Or, if you'd rather just sample, you can do that, too, from some of the best barbecue chefs in the Pacific Northwest. $10 will get you four samples Saturday and Sunday. Top prize is $2,000 and a trophy, and there's a lot of... Full story
Look for a “pig out” for the park this Saturday. The event will raise money for Electric City’s new park behind the fire station. But the community barbecue will happen behind city hall so those preparing the food will have access to power and other needs. City Councilmember Lonna Bussert has pushed the park idea since its inception, and it is about to become a reality. Saturday’s “Pig for the Park” affair begins at noon, and after a brief fanfare, those attending will get to sample an old-fashioned pork BBQ with all the trimmings. The food la... Full story
Collecting shoes for developing countries will continue through the end of this month, Coulee Medical Center Guild president Clea Pryor said this week. The Guild has been collecting donated shoes since early July, with a goal of getting 100 bags of shoes. They had about 82 bags of shoes as of Tuesday, stored in a room in the basement of Coulee Medical Center's professional building. Collection points are at Coulee Hardware, Sunflower Graphics, Loepp Furniture, North Cascades Bank, Coulee Dam... Full story
A number of local donors, both individuals and businesses, purchased over 100 large pizzas and delivered them to firefighters on the Colville Indian Reservation Friday and Monday. Tim Whittaker, who took charge of the deliveries, loaded 51 pizzas in his vehicle Friday and delivered them to the agency grounds and then made a repeat trip on Monday with a like number. The pizzas were quickly transported to "spike camps" to reach "hot shot" fire crews who work in remote areas. Whittaker said the... Full story
Grand Coulee Dam School District Superintendent Dennis Carlson announced Wednesday that both he and Nespelem School District Superintendent Rich Stewart agreed to delay the opening of their respective schools until Sept. 8. Both schools had been scheduled to begin Sept. 1, but with the problem of wildfires and smoke, they decided on the delay. In Nespelem, Sept. 8 will actually be a training day for teachers, not a school day for students. Nespelem’s annual welcoming barbecue is set for Sept. 9 at 5 p.m. The first full day of classes is T... Full story
Like to play foosball? Now here's a chance to really get into foosball. The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Harvest Festival will feature a live, human-size foosball competition at Banks Lake Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 19. It's a case of humans becoming the pins in a real foosball shootout. "It's the newest, and most hilariously fun, addition to our ever-popular Harvest Festival!" the chamber's website says. Teams of six can enter the challenge with a... Full story
The Grand Coulee Dam School District is going to try to make it easier for parties to take another look at purchasing Center School and its adjacent property. The district had advertised for bids earlier this summer for the vacated elementary school sitting on about 8.3 acres of property. No one submitted a bid. District Superintendent Dennis Carlson told members of the school board that real estate tax issues prevented at least one local party from making a bid on the building and property. Grant County had appraised the building and property... Full story
Can you bake a cherry pie? Or a cream pie? Then dig out grandma’s favorite recipe and enter the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce’s pie-baking contest Saturday, Sept. 19, at North Dam Park during Harvest Festival. No store-bought crusts or fillings here. This is the real McCoy! Pie organizer, Darla Orr, said it’s simple: Make two pies — one for the judges to taste and the other to auction off — and get them to the pie booth by 11 a.m. that Saturday. There will be prizes for the winners and their extra pies will be auctioned off aroun... Full story
The city of Grand Coulee will hold a public hearing to receive any comments from citizens on declaring surplus small strips of land on both the east and west sides of Main Street between Spokane Way and Midway Avenue at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15. City Clerk Carol Boyce stated the problem occurred “ages ago” and the strips of land are so small that they are unusable by the city. The land strips, if eventually approved by council, would go to Sharon Cox on the east side and Marlene Oddie on the west side. The council voted Aug. 17, to vacate the... Full story
The Grand Coulee Dam School District is contracting with Coulee Medical Center to provide supervisory nursing services for the new school complex in Coulee Dam. The school board approved a measure that will provide two days of on-site registered nurse care at the schools, and also provide consultation when needed. The school also has two practical nurses who provide care, one at each school, five days a week. The agreement calls for CMC to bill the school district for up to 640 hours of supervisory nursing coverage at $30 an hour during the... Full story
The new Raider sculpture at the new educational complex in Coulee Dam will be officially dedicated at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, the opening day of school. The 7-foot-tall metal sculpture has been at the front of the Lake Roosevelt Schools complex for a couple of months, as if to welcome all those who enter the grounds. Junior/senior high school Principal Ronanda Liberty said all students will be able to participate in the dedication ceremony. Artist Virgil "Smoker" Marchand will be on hand for... Full story