News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
Grand Coulee's fire Chief Ryan Fish, left, and Electric City Councilmember Robyn Boyce, a retired fire analyst, discuss the progress of the Silver Fire on the outskirts of Electric City Aug. 6. The city councils of those two cities have each affirmed to five other entities their interest in forming a regional fire authority. - Scott Hunter photo
Electric City wants to move ahead with discussions on forming a regional fire authority, an option proposed last fall in an all-community meeting called to discuss the future of local emergency services.
The city council agreed last week to send a letter stating the city is in favor of moving ahead with talks to pursue the establishment of a regional fire authority with five other entities: Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, Grant County Fire District 14, Lincoln County Fire District 9, and Okanogan County Fire Protection District 2 in Elmer City.
Grand Coulee got the ball rolling with a letter to all of them last month, which Mayor Pro Tempore Robyn Boyce shared with the council Tuesday.
Boyce, along with Councilmembers Matt Gilbert and Blake Martin volunteered to serve on the representative committee. Boyce said state law on the process requires the formation of a committee with three elected officials from each entity involved.
In other business, council:
• Agreed not to end the city's planning of a waterfront trail using Century West Engineering, following advice from current city engineer Marissa Siemens of TD&H. The council had decided last month to end the work, but Siemens said the engineering was 90% complete and the former engineering firm would likely agree to finish it. Ending the project completely might also require repayment of $92,000 in state grant money already spent on it, all for nothing. This way, the city will have finished plans that can be used to find grants to actually build the highway trail the council considered important for safety reasons.
• Authorized the mayor to accept a Safe Streets for All grant that will bring in $160,000 in federal funding, and dedicated $40,000 in city funds to identify desired improvements in the downtown corridor and other street improvements in town,
• Approved Justin Dockery as a new volunteer for the Electric City Volunteer Fire Department,
• Heard a report from Kelly Bush from Run the Dam on the progress and budget for the park project, including the installation of fitness equipment and the need for a full-fledged bathroom. The committee has raised about $121,000 but is still $52,000 short of completion.
• and more.
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