News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. Winston Churchill Three and a half years ago the voters of Coulee Dam elected a new Mayor and a new Councilperson. In that time what have we seen in the name of progress. Our waste water sewer plant is still waiting to start construction. Our streets are in need of repair. Our sidewalks are getting worse by the day and until the cause of the problems are addressed their condition will...
Last Wednesday evening, the Coulee Dam Town Council met to consider, among other agenda items, if the Town of Coulee Dam will change its status from being a Town to that of a City. Town Hall made little effort to inform the public and give adequate opportunity for comment on this matter. The relevance of this statement is: If not for the efforts of Larry Price, candidate for Mayor, and Fred Netzel, Bob Poch, Marcia Warnecke and Tim Brooks, candidates for Council-person positions, very few people in Town would have known about the Mayor’s p...
In a political statement four years ago, Gayle Swagerty talked about getting public involvement. Since taking the position of council person, she has made little effort to get the public involved or even give the public adequate opportunity for comments. Now, Councilperson Swagerty wants to meet with the public she has pretty much ignored over the past years. All registered voters should go and talk with Councilperson Swagerty to become informed about her positions and views concerning our town’s problems. In addition, be an informed voter a...
Another grant application for your spending enjoyment has been written by Councilmember Gayle Swagerty and submitted to the Community Forestry Assistance Grant Program, a part of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. The Project Name for the Town of Coulee Dam is the “Urban Forest Management and Maintenance Plan.” In my letter of Jan. 25, I stated that the next grant application would cost the citizens of Coulee Dam $10,000. Well, I was wrong. The actual cost to the Town of Coulee Dam will be $11,108.45. The total cost of thi...
To all of the residents of Coulee Dam: With Mayor Wilder PLEADING for passage, the Town Council voted three to two and approved the Recreation Trails Programs Resolution #16-2322 for the Candy Point/Crown Point Trailhead Restoration Project Grant. So, residents of Coulee Dam, you may have just won the opportunity to build a brand-new public bathroom and it will only cost you a mere $25,500, and that is not all you may have won. If this grant is funded by the state and passed by the Town Council, you will also get the chance to pay for all of...
At a recent meeting of the Coulee Dam Town Council, crime was a topic of major concern by its citizens. WHY? Crime is not just a concern of the town of Coulee Dam; it is a growing problem for all of the people of the Grand Coulee Dam Area. WHY? Coulee Dam has gone through the process of hiring a police chief twice, and the position remains vacant. WHY? Police officers have been hired and have moved on shortly afterwards. WHY? People walking the streets, at all hours of the day and night, have found a haven in Coulee Dam. WHY? The statistical...
In a recent letter to the editor, the mayor of Coulee Dam states that it is the duty of the town council to “protect the infrastructure” of the town. The basic essence of protection is to replace the bad with the good or the wrong with the right. Councilperson Gail Swaggerty said that the cherry trees on Stevens are the “wrong trees.” Councilperson David Schmidt said the cherry trees on Stevens are the “wrong trees.” David Schmidt even signed the recommendation to remove the cherry trees. A stewardship forester with the Washington Department...
In reading a recent letter to the editor concerning the appraised value of the street trees in Coulee Dam, a number of questions came to mind. Does the letter reflect the view of the entire Coulee Dam Town Council? What is the number of the town ordinance that the letter refers to? If the ordinance declares that the town trees be maintained and encouraged, does that mean that the town is in violation of its own ordinance due to the years of neglect in whole or in part? What does the appraised value of a street tree have to do with the town’s bu...
If you add the column marked “Appraisal” in the recent tree inventory for the town of Coulee Dam, you will get a total of $3,182,930 for the 680 trees inventoried. This number does not reflect the 300 – 400 trees that are not on the inventory. Regardless of the value of the trees, what does this number mean to the citizens of Coulee Dam? Can the town use the trees as collateral for a loan to help pay for the new sewer plant? Could the trees be sold? Should the town increase their insurance to cover the loss of a tree? How much is the stree...
Mr. Ward is right about living here in Coulee Dam. We have the Credit Union to save our money, the Variety Store to spend our money, Harvest Foods to purchase maple bars and the waste water treatment plant to piss the rest of our money away. Bruce Bartoo Coulee Dam...
