News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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A 43-year-old Grand Coulee man is set to appear in Grant County Superior Court this month, accused of molesting a 7-year-old girl. Charges were filed against Charles E. Johnson, who was seen entering a field April 20 with the girl. He was followed by a neighbor who reported hearing her scream. He confronted Johnson and held him while he called 911 for police. The incident had been under investigation until charges were filed by the Grant County Prosecutor’s Office last week. Prosecutors filed a charge of child molestation in the first d... Full story
Early next year, many businesses and some homeowners can expect a modest decrease in the cost of their fire insurance. Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department Chief Rick Paris said this week that the city has improved its fire protection classification from a seven to a six, effective Feb. 1, 2016. Monday, insurance broker Jerry Kennedy stated that the new rating will definitely save local businesses money on their next fire insurance policy. “Many homeowners may also see modest decreases in their fire policies,” he said. “Policyholders shoul... Full story
One of the Grand Coulee Dam School District’s trucks was stolen last Tuesday and recovered a few hours later at Crescent Bay. A school employee, Dean McPherson, was working on the roof at Center School and looked down to see his truck being driven away by an unidentified man. McPherson immediately called police, who combed the area but were unable to locate the truck. McPherson said when he looked down, the suspect appeared to be changing his shirt and then took off, heading east on SR-174. The truck had recently been filled with gas, so o... Full story
The Eagles Club was broken into sometime early Sunday morning. A burglar entered by breaking through the back door. Security cameras showed that a male intruder ransacked the place and stayed inside the lodge for about half an hour. Dispatch notified police that the Eagles’ security alarm was going off, and officers Adam Florenzen and Sgt. Gary Moore both responded. The officers searched the building and photographed potential evidence, which was then turned over to the Washington State Crime Lab. Several interior doors had been forced open, a... Full story
Coulee Dam police are investigating a break-in at the Riverview Bowling Alley that occurred Sept. 15. Owner Pat Zlateff told police that he had arrived to do some work and found a number of items lined up at the back door. The burglar had gone through the business area and taken small change from vending machines and then stacked up items to take when exiting the building. Zlateff said a Craftsman three-drawer tool box was missing. Officers found cigarette butts scattered throughout the building, suggesting the intruder had been in the place... Full story
A town council meeting at Coulee Dam that was designed to discuss consolidation of services such as police, ambulance and fire departments with other cities and towns was essentially postponed until Oct. 7, because only three of five council members were present last Wednesday. Mayor Greg Wilder said he didn’t want to get into serious discussion on consolidation until all members of the council were present. Wilder has indicated on numerous occasions that he favored some type of consolidation of services in the area for greater efficiency and s... Full story
Elmer City has a new clerk. Garrett Benton, an Elmer City resident, takes on his new position at the town hall this Thursday. Garrett said Tuesday that he is looking forward to his new role as the chief number cruncher for the town. The new town clerk grew up in the Seattle area, and has a degree in agronomy from Washington State University. “I wanted a background in agriculture because I wanted to go into the Peace Corps,” he said. Benton spent two years in the Peace Corps in Nepal, where he helped local farmers in a remote area to dev... Full story
Coulee Dam is looking for grant money to hire a school resource officer (SRO). Should the U.S. Department of Justice grant come through, at least the police officer in the schools would have wheels. The town council approved a budget amendment last Wednesday night for $35,000 to purchase a squad car. Mayor Greg Wilder, early on as the town’s chief executive officer, said one of his goals was to get a grant to support hiring of a school resource officer. The grant would provide $238,970 to cover the cost of an SRO for the first three years. T... Full story
Grant County Port District 7 commissioners passed a resolution last Thursday adopting any future rules developed by the Federal Aviation Administration concerning drones flying near the airport. The rule being considered may allow unmanned aerial vehicle flights within up to three miles of an airport when they have permission, but no flights higher than 500 feet. A commercial operator who wants to fly a UAV near the airport to take pictures would first have to get permission from airport officials. Recently a commercial drone operation was... Full story
The town of Coulee Dam hopes to have the position of superintendent of public works filled by the first of the year, Mayor Greg Wilder informed the council last Wednesday night. Wilder said the town continues to get applicants for the position, both from western Washington and eastern Washington. He said that the town will review applicants Oct. 6, and begin the process of selecting a new superintendent. The former superintendent, Barry Peacock, retired at the end of August after serving 29 years with the town. Wilder was asked if any of the... Full story
Grant County Port District 7 officials produced a preliminary budget for 2016 at their meeting last Thursday. The budget shows income of $216,500, with $127,000 coming from the Banks Lake Golf Course in membership dues and playing fees. Other revenues in the new budget come from general property taxes, $47,000; investment fund interest, $500; airport grants from FAA, $14,200; airport fees, $2,800; golf pro shop and restaurant, $24,000; and cash on hand, $1,000. The port district will hold a public hearing on its 2016 budget at 4:30 p.m.,... Full story
A new doctor has been added to the Gillespie Eye Care team. Dr. Galen Schmidt has joined the eye care firm in Grand Coulee after some 30 years in private practice. Schmidt, and his wife, Pam, who is originally from the Omak area, come to the area from Spokane. The doctor is well versed in treatment and management of eye diseases, including glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, dry eyes and diabetic retinopathy. Originally from Cozad, Nebraska, Schmidt served in the U.S. Army during the... Full story
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