News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Any interested buyer has only a few more days to get a proposal in for the purchase of the Center Elementary School building and property. Deadline for submitting a bid proposal is Aug. 5. The Grand Coulee Dam School District board Monday night scheduled a special meeting for Aug. 12, when they will open bids and presumably award the winning proposal. District Superintendent Dennis Carlson told board members that there have been three requests for bid packets, including one request from a local person. The school building and site, which... Full story
Seventeen individuals recently finished their Emergency Medical Technician training put on by the Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Department. The class started Feb. 25, with 23 signed up. The 17 finished the class in early June. The class included online lectures, studying and testing for 120 hours, six one-day sessions of practical skills, hands-on and scenarios with instructors and practice patients. Individuals in the group spent at least 10 hours of internship on ambulance calls or in emergency rooms. The 17 who finished the... Full story
Grand Coulee Veterinary Clinic has added a new veterinarian. Dr. Stefani Mark is now seeing animal patients at the clinic. She joins Dr. Marlene Poe, who has practiced there since 2010. The new vet is from Nebraska, where she got a bachelor of science degree in animal science, before attending Iowa State University to earn her doctorate in veterinary medicine. Mark was raised in Exeter, Nebraska, where she grew up on a hay farm. One of six children, she had pets ranging from horses to geese.... Full story
An unknown person broke into the Melody Restaurant sometime last Monday night, July 27, and got away with only a laptop computer. Coulee Dam Police Chief Pat Collins said that the guilty person threw a rock through the window near the firm’s office to gain entry into the building. Collins said that police have collected traces of blood and are sending it to the Washington State Crime Laboratory to see if it matches any DNA on record. “We have a person of interest in mind,” Collins said, “and our investigation continues.” The value of the lapto...
Electric City’s planning group is looking at its current zoning to see where a marijuana retail store might be located. The city council instructed staff and the city’s planner last week to take a look at the city’s current zoning to determine where any possible marijuana retail store might be located within the city. The city staff, along with its professional planner, has been handed the duties of the planning commission after its members resigned over the recent flap on the size of accessory buildings. City Clerk Jackie Perman said the c... Full story
By this time next week you can drive your golf cart down to get the mail and for other things in Electric City. The city council passed an ordinance July 22, allowing a golf cart zone in the city. All you have to do to get started is buy a golf cart, get it decked out to make it street legal, then get it registered at city hall. There’s a $30 annual fee. Oh, yes, make sure that your driver’s license is up to date and that you have liability insurance. The “zone” is any public roadway within the city of Electric City having a speed limit o... Full story
A stubborn brush fire closed Interstate-90 near George for the second straight day, but it reopened Tuesday about 10 a.m. The fire was driven by wind gusts of 25 mph and had burned about 900 acres by Tuesday. Winds continue to be a problem, a Grant County sheriff spokesman stated, and will largely determine how the fire is fought. A firetruck from Electric City went to the George area Monday but returned later that night. The fire started Sunday afternoon and flared up Monday. Residents in some... Full story
Electric City and Grand Coulee have amended and extended their water supply agreement for 50 years. Both city councils have agreed to the extension, and the agreement has been signed by both mayors. Electric City provides Grand Coulee with potable water through a 16-inch inter-tie pipeline, using water from its three wells just south of city hall and by special arrangement, utilizing Grand Coulee’s water rights. The new agreement includes the Electric City’s arsenic treatment plant and its services, the plant not having been in service yet whe... Full story
Electric City’s planning group is looking at its current zoning to see where a marijuana retail store might be located. The city council instructed staff and the city’s planner last week to take a look at the city’s current zoning to determine where any possible marijuana retail store might be located within the city. The city staff, along with its professional planner, has been handed the duties of the planning commission after its members resigned over the recent flap on the size of accessory buildings. City Clerk Jackie Perman said the c... Full story
The former clerk of Grant County Mosquito District 2 is being investigated for misappropriation of funds totaling more than $129,000, a state investigative audit of the district states. The clerk is denying the allegations and has hired an attorney. Karyn Byam of Electric City, a 20-year clerk of the mosquito district, resigned her position March 4, after being interviewed by the investigative unit of the State Auditor’s Office. A “Fraud Investigation Report” released last week states that between 2010 and 2014, the clerk was compensated approx... Full story
Those attending the Laser Light Show and wondering when water will be released for a backdrop for the show will have to wait. Bureau of Reclamation Public Affairs Officer Lynne Brougher said it won't likely be this year. Brougher explained that a side seal on drum gate three is leaking and the Laser Light Show will not receive water until it is fixed. That could be next spring when the water level is low enough to work on the faulty seal. Brougher did say that the Bureau of Reclamation is using... Full story
Evacuation notices from two major fires in Douglas County have been pulled, according to the county sheriff’s office. One fire, 17 miles northeast of Waterville, and a second fire 10 miles southeast of Waterville, had together burned some 22,212 acres of brush, grass and sage, according to Tuesday’s fire report. Both fires are being managed as the Douglas County Complex. There had been no reports of structures lost or injuries by Tuesday. The Red Cross, which had opened a center for evacuees, at Ephrata High School, has since closed. The eva... Full story
Grand Coulee’s city council has asked Mayor Chris Christopherson to pursue recycling with the Regional Board of Mayors. Councilman Erin Nielsen took up the recycling banner at the council meeting a week ago and said that it would cost money, “but this is the right time to do it.” Recycling has been a thorn in the side of regional mayors for sometime, but any way they have looked at it, there is a cost associated with it. Nielsen stated that the cities and towns in the area need to look past the cost and bite the bullet. Councilmember Tom Popla... Full story
The town of Coulee Dam has started proceedings to vacate the lease of Riverview Lanes Bowling Alley. The town council voted last Wednesday night to have its attorney start legal proceedings to abate the lease. The council learned last week that the owner of Riverview Lanes, Sherry Moore, has not made lease payments for three months and that water and electric utility services have been shut off. The town owns the building the bowling alley is located in and provides utility services. The building also houses the fire station, Melody Restaurant... Full story
A Coulee Dam resident told the town council last week how well all the elements of the July 4 Festival of America celebration worked. Carol Netzel, who lives at the north end of Columbia Avenue, said that the town should write the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce a letter congratulating its officials and members on how well the celebration was planned and executed. Netzel told how polite people seemed and how the large number of visitors seemed to enjoy themselves. Netzel suggested that in future years parking areas might be... Full story
The chicken issue was a wash, but the need for a code enforcement officer gained momentum at the council session in Coulee Dam last Wednesday. The proposed “four hen” ordinance to allow keeping chickens in town made it through the first reading when Mayor Greg Wilder broke a 2-2 council tie vote. The chambers were crowded with about 30 folks attending, all anxious to see how the chicken issue would be resolved. There were the “fowl” folks and the “foul” folks, about equally divided. But as discussions expanded it became pretty clear that... Full story
Four small fires were reported in the area this week, said Grand Coulee Fire Chief Richard Paris. Two, one at North Dam and the other at Barker Canyon, were caused by fireworks and were quickly put out. Another fire was near the canal on U.S. Bureau of Reclamation property and was quickly put out. The cause of that fire wasn’t determined. The fourth fire was near the Elmer City Access Road, the cause of which was also unknown. It also was quickly put out. “We appreciate the public’s help,” Paris said, after having made the case last week th... Full story
Firefighters have the 21-mile Grade Fire, about 25 miles north of Keller, 40 percent contained, but they will be keeping a watchful eye on reports of thunderstorms predicted this week. Kathy Moses, public information officer, said the fire has covered 2,250 acres and has been held to the east side of State Route 21. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Moses said. Fire broke out in the afternoon July 1, and quickly spread to 1,000 acres. Fire crews Tuesday were mopping up parts... Full story
The body of a 28-year-old man who had jumped from the Coulee Dam bridge June 26, was found Sunday by workers at the fish pens several miles downstream. Jamie Williams had jumped from the bridge about 7 a.m., telling a friend that he thought he could make it. He was later seen moving downstream calling out for help. Rescuers searched for Williams by boat, from along the shore and from a helicopter but were unable to find him. His body was found Sunday near the fish pens, about a mile downstream... Full story
Dispatch advised officers that a man was seen burying an unknown object at the overlook area just above Grand Coulee Dam. Officers arrived and learned that a Georgia driver and two friends had hit a bird with their vehicle and buried the bird and placed a rock on top of the little grave. The men, Dion Schmidt, 20, Isaiah Broomfield, 24, and Bernardo Stapleton, 21, reported to police that they buried the bird, then had a short ceremony for it, took a picture and started walking towards the dam. The person who reported the incident said that the... Full story
Entire families can be entertained for two days for free next week at the Ridge Rider rodeo grounds at the group’s annual Junior Rodeo, July 18 and 19. Events begin at 10 a.m. Admission is free, and there will be a concession booth providing food and refreshments. The Junior Rodeo involves both boys and girls up to the age of 18. Young cowboys and cowgirls in several age groups will compete in such events as barrel racing, dummy roping, calf riding, bull riding, calf roping, saddle bronc riding, chute dogging and steer wrestling. Top placers w... Full story
The Coulee Medical Center Guild/Auxiliary has started a shoe drive in the area, which will eventually benefit people in third world countries. It’s all a part of several programs being undertaken by members of the CMC guild/auxiliary, according to President Clea Pryor. The shoe program has drop boxes in several locations in the coulee area and also in Wilbur. Drop boxes for shoes may be found at Coulee Hardware, Sunflower Graphics, Loepp Furniture, North Cascades Bank, the Coulee Dam Credit Union, Eagles Lodge, The Star newspaper and at C... Full story
Music, food and fireworks. Sounds like Festival of America time in the coulee, when patriots can celebrate America Friday and Saturday at the park below the Visitor Center, with a guide to the action below. The Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce, the organizer of the event, has put together live music, kids activities, a big show in the park, fireworks and more to entertain local residents as well as the thousands of visitors who crowd the park and surrounding areas each year. Listen to the music of MacDaddy, Tuxedo Junction and the Olso... Full story
by Roger S. Lucas Coulee Dam Town Council members may get an earful about chickens at a public hearing next Wednesday, July 8, at 6 p.m. The entire town should take a page from an Electric City couple with five chickens. Eric, Misty and son Logan Braaten live on 10 acres on the edge of the city, and they can tell you that chickens are nice people. That is, each individual chicken has its own personality. The Braatens have all their chickens named, and Eric explained, "They have their own pecking... Full story
Discussions are going on to develop a school uniform program for Grand Coulee Dam district schools. The issue has come up at the past two school board meetings, and indications are that the idea is alive and moving forward. The teaching and support staff are generally in favor of the idea. The board is moving forward slowly, and, as suggested by outgoing high school principal, Brandon Byers, the district should take this next year in fleshing out the idea. The public and student body to date haven’t had an opportunity to express their f... Full story