News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Okanogan County Notice of Special Filing Period There will be a special 3 day filing period for offices that no one filed for during the regular filing period for offices with vacancies. Special Filing Period: August 21-23, 2019 The Special Filing Period will start at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, August 21, and end at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, August 23. Candidates can come into the Auditors Office to file or file online by going to vote.wa.gov/Okanogan All candidates will go on the General Election Ballot. If you have any questions please call the... Full story
Coulee Hartline School District CALL FOR BIDS Construction of Pole Storage Building and removal of existing container The Coulee Hartline School Board of Directors are requesting bids for the construction of a two level pole storage building, 16’ x 36’ x 20’. The bid packet may be obtained by contacting the Coulee Hartline District office, 509-632-5231, ext. 1, or at 410 W. Locust St., Coulee City, WA 99115. Sealed bids must be submitted to Supt. Jim Evans by Tuesday, August 27, 2019 by 3:00 p.m. The Coulee-Hartline Board of Directors reser... Full story
So what's going on with the effort to consolidate local towns into one? A group of local business owners and residents who have that goal met Thursday at the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce to discuss the logistics of the ambitious task. The Coulee Area Consolidation Committee consists of people from Electric City, Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam and some outlying areas, and those present discussed wanting to bring in someone from Elmer City for the committee as well. The group discussed...
With the filing period now closed, we can see which Coulee citizens have thrown their hats into the ring for positions on local councils and commissions, and which incumbents either filed to keep their spot, or chose not to file. In Electric City, Birdie Hensley and Bob Rupe have filed to be candidates for a two-year term in council position 2, for which incumbent Rich McGuire hasn’t filed. Brian Buche has filed for the four-year term for council position 3, currently held by Hensley. Cate Slater is running against incumbent Carol Nordine f...
What is your obligation or commitment to your community? Another Colorama weekend is done and this was a particularly challenging one for those of us at the Chamber of Commerce. In 1994, 38 years into the 63-year history of Colorama, the carnival moved from Coulee Dam onto “carnival flats” in North Dam Park, and the vendor and food fair moved into the picnic area in the same park. Permits to use this land are secured each year from the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), and, in recent years, from the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District (CA... Full story
Commissioners from the Coulee Area Park & Recreation District met at North Dam Park April 30 to walk around the park and discuss aspects of it, future plans, and talking points for an upcoming meeting with the Bureau of Reclamation, which owns the land, and for which CAPRD manages the park. Chairman Kevin Portch and Commissioners Bob Valen, Josh Vega, and Ben Hughes attended the meeting. Absent was Commissioner Carla Marconi. The group toured the concession stand at the upper ballfield and...
Earth Day celebration Friday The Colville Tribes are hosting an Earth Day celebration at the Nespelem Powwow grounds Friday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will have informational and interactive booths, a free hot dog lunch, a raffle, and more. Easter egg hunt on Saturday The Lions Club’s 82nd annual Easter egg hunt will be held at the former middle school’s athletic field in Grand Coulee at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 20. The event is free for children 0-10 years of age. School board accepts donations The board for the Grand Coulee...
What would happen to North Dam Park if a local group didn’t take care of it? Commissioners for the Coulee Area Park & Recreation District discussed renewal of their contract with the United States Bureau of Reclamation at their April 1 meeting. The bureau owns the land at North Dam Park, but contracts with the district to take care of it. That 10-year contract is coming up for renewal. “Let’s talk about the downside,” said Commissioner Kevin Portch. “If we don’t take this up, then it falls back to where it was 10 years ago before CAPRD, and...
Are you interested in helping make a difference in the local cities, parks, schools, hospital, or elsewhere? There are 28 local offices up for election this fall, including positions on city councils, school boards, and various districts in the area. Those interested in running need to file their candidacy with their county elections office between May 13 and 17. Cities Electric City has four city council positions, as well as the mayor’s office, up for election this fall. Three of the four council positions are for four-year terms; the fourth...
Park district commissioners Monday voted to accept the resignation of one commissioner, then immediately filled her position with a young recruit. Commissioner Debbie Bigelow, who has served for nearly three years despite being retired. "Although I will continue forever to support this organization," she said, "I no longer have the energy or community connections that are so important to the success of this organization." Bigelow, who retired as chief executive officer of Coulee Medical Center,...
Kettle Falls Marina gets 10-year contract Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who represents Washington’s 5th District in Congress, including Lake Roosevelt, recently announced a decision by the National Park Service to award a 10-year concessionaire contract for the Kettle Falls Marina. “Outdoor recreation is part of life in Eastern Washington, and the Kettle Falls Marina has served our community for decades,” McMorris Rodgers said. “I was proud to advocate directly to the National Park Service in support of a new contract and appreciate them fo...
NPS re-opens recreation area after shutdown Following an agreement between Congress and the President last Friday, the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area has “resumed regular winter operations,” a press release from LRNRA stated Monday. “Staff will be out inspecting facilities and making necessary repairs throughout the park,” the release stated. “With reduced winter staffing, this will take time. Please visit www.nps.gov/laro for updated information about the park. “Lake Roosevelt’s employees thank you for your patience and are happy to b...
Grand Coulee approves senior meals donation Grand Coulee will donate $3,500 to the Grand Coulee Dam Senior Meals Program, the city council decided at their Dec. 4 meeting. The program donated over 16,000 meals to the Grand Coulee Dam area from October of 2017 to September of 2018. Grand Coulee approves hotel-motel tax distribution The Grand Coulee city council decided how to disperse their hotel-motel tax money for 2019, giving $4,000 to the Coulee Area Park & Recreation District, $7,000 to the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce, and...
Port district approves levy increase Grant County Port District 7 commissioners Monday approved an increase of $698.01 to their tax levy to be collected in 2019. The 1.5-percent annual increase brings the total amount of taxes the district collects to $47,376.63. The port district runs the Grand Coulee Dam Airport and operates the Banks Lake Golf Club on district land. Winter access more limited at recreation area Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is inviting people to “come and enjoy the great outdoors,” but notes in a recent press rel...
As the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District works on a list of projects to help bring North Dam Park into compliance with federal law on providing access for those in wheelchairs, it increases the likelihood of starting other projects, such as a community garden. Still, the list is long. CAPRD manages North Dam Park, which is owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The USBR has a list of items that need to be done to bring the park up to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, accessibility projects concerning parking, pathway...
CAPRD approves future kiosk at park Kiosks to tout the features along the Coulee Corridor are looking like they will finally get put up after about 10 years of effort, if a paper discussed at the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District is an indication. A local kiosk will detail the history and geology of the area and be placed at North Dam Park in Grand Coulee. It will be one of a total of five along the Coulee Corridor National Scenic Byway, joining others in in Coulee City, Soap Lake, Othello, and Warden. Total cost for the project going...
Electric City council Tuesday night approved the details on how to distribute the city’s lodging tax revenue. On the recommendation of the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, Councilmembers Lonna Bussert and Rich McGuire, the council voted to distribute $48,100 to the city itself for the construction design of Ice Age Park, pending approval of a grant, as well as for general tourism advertising. Electric City is distributing $15,000 to the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce for general operations and advertisements of all area events, p...
Fire fought north of Nespelem A wildland fire broke out last Wednesday north of Nespelem, burning some 247 acres before being contained Saturday, the Northwest Interagency Management Team 2 said. Gherke Windmill Garden gets faraway visitors There were 35 entries in the sign-in sheet at the Gherke Windmill Garden at North Dam Park for the month of September, many of them families or pairs of people. Entries came from as far away as Australia, and ranged from British Columbia to Iowa, Minnesota, and more. Electric vehicle charging station...
Local skateboard enthusiast Ben Hughes has already received outreach from skateboarding companies after The Star published an article about his ambition to improve on the current skateboarding culture. “The article that was in the paper (‘Skateboarding scene could grow in the coulee’) is a testament to how the internet works,” Hughes, a commissioner of the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District, said at their Aug. 6 meeting. “I named Zumiez in the article, and someone at Zumiez forwarded it on to someone who forwarded it on, and they cont...
Elmer City appoints new council member Elmer City resident Terje Berg was approved to be on the town council at the town’s Aug. 9 meeting. Berg has lived in the area for three years and said that his reason for wanting to be on the council is that he wants to know what is going on in the town. Total fire restrictions for Lake Roosevelt Due to extreme conditions, all fires at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area are prohibited, effective 12:01 a.m., Friday, Aug. 17, until further notice. No open flames are permitted. This includes, but is n...
A guy who had brightly colored hair in his youth, but wears a tie to work now, would like to see the local skateboarding scene grow to include more features at the park, local competitions, and more, and would like all the support he can get from local skaters. Ben Hughes, a commissioner on the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District since February, has a background in skateboarding himself. "I started skating in 1985 on a bright orange banana board (now called Penny boards)," Hughes says, and...
The idea of building a community wellness center has not died. Coulee Area Park and Recreation District commissioners talked Monday night about reviving the topic for further pursuit after a couple years of its stagnation. “We could maybe get that thing back on the table in a discussion mode,” Commissioner Bob Valen said. “I would like to see it resurrected again.” Although still enthusiastic, Valen said he was not optimistic, knowing the cost of such a project. He said when CAPRD explored the idea a few years ago, architects gave a rough e...
“Ooh! … Ah!” Those words are the universal language for “look at the fireworks!” This Saturday night at 9 p.m. the Northwest Pyrotechnics Association, of which local man Alan Cain is a member, will put on a fireworks show near North Dam on Banks Lake. “It’s going to be a good half hour of pyrotechnic fun for a happy Fathers Day,” Cain said. A good view of the show will be available from Banks Lake Park and North Dam Park, both near the dam, and Cain says the best views “are probably going to be by Coulee Playland.” Another fun option is to go...
Taylor Enterprises was chosen Monday to be in charge of grounds maintenance at North Dam Park in Grand Coulee through the end of October of this year. At the Coulee Area Park and Recreation District meeting Monday night, commissioners voted to accept Taylor Enterprises’ bid of $16,989 dollars for the company to mow lawns in the park, including the ball fields, tend to the grass and weeds of some adjunct areas, operate the irrigation system, fertilize the lawn, and perform general trash pickup through the end of October. The district has the r...
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation Public Works Department PUBLIC NOTICE The Colville Tribes Land Use Review Board will be holding a public hearing to make a ruling on the following shoreline development conditional use permits: Pacific Aquaculture has submitted a land use and development application for a shoreline conditional use permit to construct an 81’x177’ brood stock facility, a 40’ x 50’ office building, 100’ x 10’ exterior raceway, install a water intake and return lines, drill a new 12” well with associated pu... Full story