Newsbriefs

Port district approves levy increase

Grant County Port District 7 commissioners Monday approved an increase of $698.01 to their tax levy to be collected in 2019.

The 1.5-percent annual increase brings the total amount of taxes the district collects to $47,376.63. The port district runs the Grand Coulee Dam Airport and operates the Banks Lake Golf Club on district land.

Winter access more limited at recreation area

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is inviting people to “come and enjoy the great outdoors,” but notes in a recent press release that “with reduced staffing and resources during the winter season, the facilities open and available for your use are limited.”

The National Park Service unit said that all dumpsters and trash cans would be removed from facilities by Dec. 1, and that visitors must take trash home and not dispose of it in fire rings. Doing so could result in a fine of up to $200. Dumpsters should be back by May 1.

Also, snow removal and sanding procedures began Nov. 1 and extend to March 31, “beginning when we have accumulated 2 or more inches of snow.”

The following locations are plowed on an as-needed basis during the weekdays: Kettle Falls boat launch, Bradbury Beach boat launch, Gifford boat launch, Hunter boat launch, Fort Spokane boat launch and first campground loop road only, Seven Bays boat launch, Lincoln Mill boat launch, Keller Ferry boat launch, and Spring Canyon boat launch and lower campground loop road only.

Weekend and holiday plowing schedules are determined on a daily basis. Individual campsites in the plowed loops are not plowed but are available for winter camping for $9 per night.

All other Lake Roosevelt NRA park areas are open to the visiting public to enjoy walking, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing opportunities as conditions permit, the LRNRA said.