Newsbriefs

Coulee Dam power rates may rise

The rates people pay for electricity in Coulee Dam will likely go up next year. The town council discussed the issue during a special council meeting Monday night.

Coulee Dam ratepayers are charged a base rate of $6.07 a month, plus 5 cents per kilowatt hour. Discussion Monday included suggestions of a 40-percent increase to the base rates, plus 5.7 cents per kWh.

The council will discuss more on the coming year’s budget at a budget workshop open to the public at 5:15 tonight (Wednesday), just before the regular 6 p.m. council meeting.

Grand Coulee receives first sales tax money for streets

The city of Grand Coulee received $8,000 for its Transportation Benefit District from the 0.2-percent raise in sales tax, which took effect July 1. The $8,000 came in between July 1 and Sept. 30 and can be used for streets or pathways in the city.

Business at Grand Theater working on getting water

Darlene Morava is acting on behalf of Fay Mawdsley with the city of Grand Coulee to get the water turned back on at the Grand Theater on Main Street, where Faran Sohappy has opened a business called Music & Beyond. Morava is in touch with a collection agency to pay off old water bills, and an additional $1,200 will have to be paid to reinstall a water meter at the location.

Grand Coulee garbage rate to go up

The Grand Coulee city council voted to raise garbage rates by 2.5 percent at their council meeting last week. A public hearing on the garbage rate increase will take place in November. Sunrise Disposal, who performs garbage service in the area, raised their price 1.9 percent this year, and will raise it another 1.9 percent in 2019, for cost-of-living adjustments. Grand Coulee didn’t raise their rates in 2018, and so chose to raise them 2.5 percent beginning in 2019 as a way to absorb the additional costs.

Free yard waste dumping coming up

The Delano Regional Transfer station will be accepting yard waste for free between Oct. 27 and Nov. 3. All limbs and branches should be six feet or under, and leaves and small debris should be bagged. The transfer station hours are 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Vlachos building demolition getting closer

If the city of Grand Coulee doesn’t hear anything from representatives of the Vlachos estate by Oct. 25, they will put in a request to the Grant County Superior Court to declare the main building on Spokane Way condemned and proceed with demolishing it. Constantinos Vlachos was an inventor who, among other things, designed a car called “The Amphibian,” which he said could run on water instead of petroleum.

Salute to Vets

Just a reminder that the special section on veterans will be in the November 7 issue of the Star. Deadline for submitting photos is Friday, Nov. 3. Call the Star 509-633-1350 for more information.

put in a request to the Grant County Superior Court to declare the main building on Spo