Consolidation discussion coming Thursday

The topic of local area towns consolidating into one will be discussed at the Wine Bar on Main Street in Grand Coulee on Thursday, Sept. 27 at 5:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend the informal meeting, described as a social event.

The open discussion will be attended by representatives from SCJ Alliance, a company that was involved in the consolidation of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, a combination of Army and Air Force bases south of Tacoma, and who will be able to answer questions concerning the logistics of such an ambitious idea.

A survey on the topic of consolidation was mailed by the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce in 2016 to 2,235 residents, as well as placed online. Five hundred forty-six residents responded to the survey, making for a 24.4-percent return.

More than 76 percent of survey respondents said they were either strongly (59.9 percent) or somewhat (16.3 percent) in favor of consolidation, with the largest demographic being those 65 and older and in a household with only one or two people.

Anonymous comments from the survey ranged from “The current system is incredibly inefficient and expensive,” as one respondent said, to “Why fix it if it isn’t broke?” as another put it.

“I’ve lived here 65 years and this is long overdue,” said another respondent.

“Completely opposed to losing any more hunting ground,” said one person, raising one of many concerns associated with the topic.

With four counties, four towns, a handful of unincorporated areas, an Indian reservation, and different issues, codes, taxes, and lifestyles between them all, there is plenty to discuss on the matter over a glass of wine.