February 22, 2012 Star4C copy.indd - The Star of Grand Coulee

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Page 2 The Star • FEBRUARY 22, 2012 Dates set for community cleanup by Roger S. Lucasl Three dates have been set for community cleanup this year. The Regional Board of Mayors last week set three dates when residents of the various cities and towns can get rid of lawn and garden debris. Electric City Mayor Jerry Sands, whose city manages the Delano Regional Transfer Station, said the spring cleanup drive where residents can get rid of lawn and garden waste is scheduled for Saturday, April 21, through Saturday, April 28. The methods the different cities and towns use for the cleanup vary, and residents can call their respective city halls for more information. Two fall cleanup drives will be held again this year. The first is Oct. 6-13, a Saturday through Saturday schedule; and the second fall drive is Nov. 10-17, also Saturday through Saturday. Two fall dates are set, Sands said, because some autumns, the leaves haven’t fallen by the October date. During the fall dates, residents can take lawn and garden waste to the transfer station for a free deposit. Also, mayors learned that the spring hazardous waste pickup at the Delano site is scheduled for May 11. A fall date hasn’t been set, Sands told mayors Energy-saving project would improve schools A project to improve energy use in local schools could be materializing. McKinstry, an energy firm, will finalize a plan to correct a number of energy problems within the district. School officials were quick to point out that they wanted a plan they could look at, and accept different elements of, before incurring any cost to the district. The project would change or improve lighting, controls, and in some cases ventilation, within certain school buildings. Part of the cost of the project would come from a grant from the Office of the Superintendent of Schools, and the remainder would come from non voter-approved debt available to the district. Superintendent Dennis Carlson said the district would focus on buildings within the district that will remain if funds become available to build new schools. “We are trying to focus on elements in the plan that directly impact children,” Carlson stated. The Industrial Arts Building and the Lake Roosevelt High School gym would be on the list, since both are scheduled to be retained with some improvement if a building project advances. In addition to grant money, which isn’t certain yet, there would be money spent from non-voterapproved debt as well as certain energy-savings incentives. The state has set aside $20 million to accommodate special needs of school districts in the state. Grand Coulee Dam School District will ask for about $600,000 of grant money coupled with some $880,000 of non-voter-approved debt that would that would be paid back through energy savings. “We have a general lighting problem,” Carlson said. “The type of lighting we now use in most buildings will not be available for replacement. They just won’t make it anymore.” All that lighting will have to be replaced and the school district will recover part of that cost in savings. “We will probably go ahead with the middle school and make the improvements since the middle school will not be torn down,” Carlson said. He sees the Middle School building as a community/ government agency-type building someday. The administration building will get the lights, but nothing else. The district plans to pick and choose the projects based on energy savings, whether the buildings will be torn down, and how much the pieces of the project impact children. The total project estimated by McKinstry would cost from $2.6 million to $2.8 million. The district plans to trim the plan to about $1.6 million. In addition, the school district would have a little over $200,000 to deal with two critical roof problems within the district. The high school gym badly needs a new roof, as does one classroom wing. The gym roof will cost the district about $350,000 and the classroom wing roof another $80,000. Some of that cost could come through grants, Carlson explained. The debt the district carries on the cost of the project would be paid for out of the general operating budget. The combination of savings and monies received annually from Impact Aid building funds would account for a good share of the cost spread over 15 years, the district maintains. Electric City turns down EDC by Roger S. Lucas Electric City’s city council meeting lasted just 18 minutes Feb. 14, but it gave members plenty of time to rebuff a request by Grant County’s Economic Development Council on a funding request. The EDC had asked for $532.50 from Electric City, only to have Councilmember Bob Rupe ask, “What have they done for us on this end of the county?” Visitor Center will also close from March 12 to March 17. The visitor center operations will be moved to the Magnetometer Building located on the west side of the Columbia River in the town of Coulee Dam. For further information, call (509) 633-9503. The work is part of a plan to reroute high voltage lines from the the dam’s largest power plant to a 500 kilovolt switchyard west of Coulee Dam as part of a massive upgrade to the powerplant that will take a decade. Fellow Councilmember John Nordine said the work of the EDC helped keep taxes lower for everyone, including people in Electric City. Mayor Jerry Sands said the last time the city had responded favorably to an EDC request for funding was in 2009. That prompted Rupe to move that the council deny the request. That motion ended up lacking a second, so died on the floor, but USBR to spend millions on water projects Continued from Closuresfront page The Bureau of Reclamation will spend $50 million on six rural water projects throughout the western United States, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced recently. Mostly dedicated to providing potable water to communities, the funding also includes $500,000 for the Odessa Subarea Special Study (Columbia Basin Project) to be used to complete the Environmental Impact Statement and associated analyses, such as hydrologic modeling, engineering and economic assessments, to complete the study on schedule. It will also provide $750,000 for none of the council members made a motion to move forward on the request. It was the shortest Electric City council meeting in recent memory, with the council having a history of long meetings. A couple of weeks ago, Grand Coulee voted to support the EDC on condition that someone from the organization come and tell the city what the EDC is doing. modifications to the headgates at Pinto Dam that will prevent overtopping during high storm runoffs. Overtopping the canal could result in a breach of the canal and affect Pinto Dam. Cardiologists you Know and Trust When it comes to your heart, relationships are everything – including your relationship with your heart doctor. Working with a caring physician who knows you, knows your health history and even knows your family physician makes all the difference. Tribe gets federal funds for housing by Roger S. Lucas A $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will provide funds for the Colville Indian Housing Authority to start work on its Lovejoy housing project in the Omak District, Executive Director Elena L. Bassett said. Bassett said the project will provide 20 singlefamily homes and probably be completed and occupied in 2014, at a cost of $4-5 million. She said a community center might be added if additional funding becomes available. Last year the Indian Housing Authority completed a 27-unit project called Buttercup Lanes in Inchelium, a $7 million project. Bassett said all units in that development are filled and the project is running smoothly. SALE BEGINS: NOW THROUGH THE END OF FEBRUARY PROTECT YOUR EQUIPMENT WITH QUALITY FILTERS: STOCKING BRANDS APPLY Coulee City 632-5413 or 800-209-4135 Already, Bassett said, plans are beginning for a similar project in the future in Keller. The Colville Tribes is one of 25 tribes in the state of Washington receiving grants totaling over $33 million from HUD. Overall, nationally, the federal government announced grants to qualifying Indian tribes totaling $404 million. Projects include “affordable housing, infrastructure upgrades, community centers and safety programs,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. The grants permit the tribes to do special projects as well as provide maintenance and operation funding. Bassett said the first part of the Omak District project will be to put in sidewalks and water service infrastructure and then continue the project when future funds come in. ANNUAL FILTER SALE 20% ~ 25% SAVINGS Serving You At 2 Locations~ ODESSA TRADING COMPANY A Division of Ritzville Warehouse Co. Financing provided by CNH Capital © 2009 CNH American LLC. All Rights reserved. Case IH is a registered trademark of CNH America LLC CNH Capital is a trademark of CNH America LLC. www.caseih.com Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol Fri. & Sat. 7 p.m. NEW TIME - Sunday 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. 515 River Drive Coulee Dam 633-3522 Check Us Out at Odessa 982-2792 or 800-959-2792 Recently, the 21 physicians at Heart Clinics Northwest developed another important relationship as a division of Kootenai Medical Center. With the full support of Kootenai behind them, the cardiologists will continue to serve the Inland Northwest from Grand Coulee to Libby, from Bonners Ferry to Cottonwood, and all points in between. With a shared vision to deliver quality health care close to home, it’s the kind of relationship that will do your heart good. Providing care in the following locations: You Can Save Up To $28 Single copies of The Star: $1 x 52 = $52 Local area subscriptions: $24 • (Grant, Okanogan, Lincoln & Douglas Counties) Reaminder of Washington $33 • Out of State $37 Single copies of The Star: 800.235.3690 www.heartclinicsnw.com ● Bonners Ferry ● Coeur d’Alene ● Colville ● Cottonwood ● Davenport ● Deer Park ● Enterprise ● Grand Coulee ● Lewiston ● Libby ● Moscow ● Orofino ● Pasco ● Richland ● Sandpoint ● Spokane ● St. Maries ● Walla Walla CALL 633-1350 or Subscribe Online on our secure online subscription at grandcoulee.com
The Star • FEBRUARY 22, 2012 Page 3 Good suggestion still misses the point The mayor of Coulee Dam would like help from other towns putting on the annual July 4 festivities. He should get it, and be willing to take the concept several steps further. Mayor Quincy Snow notes the expense of putting on the entertainment. On the cheap, it’s around $15,000 by the time you add up band expenses, staging and lighting and sound technicians. He’s right to think the town shouldn’t put all of it on without help. He’s not quite right in thinking that it does. Coulee Dam has not been alone in funding the annual event. The overlooked expenses funded by other towns included more than $6,000 in advertising last year. It doesn’t do any good to throw a party and keep it a secret, after all. But all those expense facts, although accurate, miss the bigger point: the entire area benefits from the festival in Coulee Dam, just as the entire area benefits from the Colorama festival in Grand Coulee. Being picky about who funds what is counterproductive, and Snow’s point should lead to a bigger discussion about The Star reserves the right to edit for length, spelling and grammar, but every effort is made to keep the writer’s intent. Libelous material and UNSIGNED LETTERS WILL NOT BE PRINTED. A writer’s name may be withheld by request but only after editorial board review. Please include a daytime phone number so we can contact you if we have questions. Send letters to The Star, Letters, P.O. Box 150, Grand Coulee, WA 99133. Fax to (509) 633-3828 or e-mail The Star at: star@grandcoulee.com The Star Three Midway Ave., P.O. Box 150, Grand Coulee, WA 99133 (509)633-1350/Fax (509)633-3828. Email: star@grandcoulee.com Consolidated with the Grand Coulee News-Times and the Almira Herald. The Star Online - grandcoulee.com The Star is published (USPS#518860) weekly at Grand Coulee, Wash., and was entered as Second Class matter January 4, 1946. Periodical Postage paid at Grand Coulee, Wash. 99133 © Star Publishing, Inc. Subscription Rates: GOLD Counties $24; Remainder of Washington state $33; Elsewhere within the United States $37. Single copy price $1. Scott Hunter .............................Editor and Publisher Gwen Hilson............................. Production Manager O P I N I O N cooperation between the three local towns that collect hotel/motel taxes, which have to be spent on promoting the tourism industry. To its credit, Electric City has instituted an advisory board to guide their city council in the expenditures of such funds. That’s a good thing because someone is now officially considering how to use that money. But neither Electric City, nor Coulee Dam, nor Grand Coulee exists on some kind of tourism market island, unaffected by the others. The area is one market and needs one overall plan for using the funds to build the tourism industry. The governing statutes specifically allow such cooperation between the towns for this purpose. The three municipalities should get together, officially, to marry their hotel/motel fortunes into one strategy that benefits all. Scott Hunter editor and publisher Should students be paid to attend school? Could pocket change have persuaded Ferris Bueller to forego his day off? That’s what I wondered when I read about a bold experiment by Dohn Community High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, this alternative school (serving mostly at-risk lowincome and minority students) gives seniors a $25 Visa gift card each week they have perfect attendance, show up for class on time and stay out of trouble. Underclassmen receive a $10 gift card. The incentive program is funded with $40,000 in private donations and public grants. If more funding can be found, perhaps they can offer financial rewards for Tyrades! by Danny Tyree additional behaviors. (“50 cents for not speculating on the mystery meat within earshot of the faculty table…75 cents for not critiquing Mr. McGillicuddy’s comb-over…”) Critics (including my wife) are incredulous that a school would pay students to do something they’re already supposed to be doing (sort of the merging of teachable moments and billable hours), but the principal insists that the school has already tried everything else to correct the school’s dismaying 18 percent graduation rate. Dohn has tried learning from the mistakes of a crosstown rival high school and its incentive program. The other school had to cancel $40,000 worth of gold stars and smiley faces because they were made in China. (“And PETA was all over us about the incident with the football team and the pony rides.”) Analysis of the handful of similar programs across the nation hints that students can indeed be enticed to attend school, but they may not learn anything while putting in their obligatory appearance. Let us hope that Dohn doesn’t settle for putting warm bodies in the seats for the head count. (“WARM bodies?” commented one Chicago politician. “That’s being a little too strict.”) If nothing else, the Dohn payouts will teach school bullies a valuable lesson about punctuality: hang around the streets all week, then show up right after Visa cards are handed out and shake down the nerds who would be attending school even without the payments. Personally, I never missed a day of school or college after sixth grade, but I realize there are families and neighborhoods that do not engender such dedication. Skeptics have an outdated idea of the problems faced by Dohn. “Ah, the kids are just tuckered out from walking six miles to and from school, uphill both ways,” harrumph the outsiders. “I think the $40,000 could be better spent hiring Ward and June Cleaver to give the students a stern talking to. Ward and June are WHAT?? No wonder the Beaver never answered my invitation for a play date.”) I sincerely hope that Dohn can pull this off. Educator Horace Mann promoted the “learn by doing” method, and at least Dohn is DOING something instead of relying on hand-wringing and “tsk-tsking.” I just hope they will be honest in their evaluations of success or failure and either tweak or abandon the program as necessary. We certainly don’t need the development of a sense of entitlement carrying over into the post-graduation world. (“Yes, sir, I managed to give the customer NO wedgie and only a cursory swirly. I think that should be worth at LEAST dental and vision insurance. What? Oh, man!”) ©2012 Danny Tyree. Danny welcomes reader e- mail responses at tyreetyrades@aol.com and visits to his Facebook fan page “Tyree’s Tyrades”. Danny’s’ weekly column is distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons Inc. newspaper syndicate. For info on using columns, please email Cari Dawson Bartley at cari@ cagle.com or call 800 696 7561. Roger Lucas.................................................Reporter Linda Morgan...........................................Proofreader Ten Years Ago Months of hard work and dedication from the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce culminated last Saturday when it kicked off its first “Balde” Eagle Festival. “I felt it went off well,” Chamber President Tim Alling said. “ I would have liked a few more people, but it was a decent crowd. Students at Nespelem School saw and heard a demonstration by the Lake Roosevelt boys’ basketball team on how to succeed in varsity athletics and life. Seven wrestlers went, and four returned with medals as the Lake Roosevelt Wrestling Team took sixth place at Mat Classic XIV at the Tacoma Dome this weekend. Editorial Comic for the week - “I pledge allegiance to the budget of the United States of America and to the defense buildup for which it spends, one nation, under-funded, class-divisible, with security and tax cuts for the rich.” (Remember this was 10 years ago) Every morning Mildred Venton starts her day with 20 sit-ups. That fact may not seem like much, except that Venton turns 100 years old on Friday. Twenty Years Ago The regional director of the National Marine Fisheries Service said salmon recovery efforts initiated by the Northwest Power Planning Council will accelerate a recovery plan for endangered Snake River sockeye by more than a year. The Raider basketball team emerged victorious in a packed LRHS gym Thursday night as they defeated the Ephrata Tigers in a crucial game. Tremendous economic opportunities are waiting to be tapped in the greater Grand Coulee Dam area. Working together, the people of the small towns and the Colville Tribes could prosper, attract business, provide jobs for younger generations and form a stable economic base for the community at large. A ruling by the Caribou Trail League athletic directors last week, took away from Lake Roosevelt High School’s Lady Raider basketball team an astounding 48 to 37 win over top ranked Omak, charging the Raiders with a state rule violation. A video tape of an Omak/ Tonasket game taken by a parent of one of the players was seen by four Raiders. That’s against Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association rules. Thirty Years Ago David Lyngholm has been named as chief of the Maintenance Division A Grand Coulee Dam. In basketball action, the Lake Roosevelt girls are going into District tied at first 9-1 with Okanogan. The Lady Raiders finished the season with a win over Liberty Bell 59-32. Shawnee Haugen scored 15 with Heidi Roberts 14 and Marie Frost 13. The “POPEYE” group entertained during halftime of the LRHS varsity basketball game last Friday. The group includes: Collette Helseth, Nancy Ballod, Coulee Recollections Billie Mattson, Shelly Stine, Kim Jurgensen, Cheri Cody, Gidget Young, Dawn Lippert, Meredith Presler, Shani Ayling, Kari Kuehne, Kim Benson, Krissie Depew, Amy Langley, Michelle Long, Carla Whitaker, Heidi Overman, Dawn Bjorkland, Heather Duke and Tiffany Grier. Forty Years Ago Congressman Tom Foley said the Bureau of Reclamation plans to call for bids on two major construction projects in North Central Washington in March and April. One will be the completion contract for the third powerhouse at Grand Coulee Dam. The other will be for building 35 miles of laterals and distribution pipeline for the Manson project. Emil A. Gherke will celebrate his 88th birthday Feb. 27, with an open house at the Senior Citizens Center. Kathleen Streble was the guest of honor at a surprise birthday luncheon at the Melody Grill last week. Those attending were Dixie Tillman, Jo Carey, Pat Munson, Lou Chamberlain, Ann Marie Tipton, Bonnie Stone, Jo Switzer, Irene Benton and Doris Finch. Fifty Years Ago Newly elected officers for the Sagebrush Gang 4-H Club are: Joyce Wisinger, president; Gwen Davis, secretary; Marilyn Mc- Coy, historian; Sheila Campbell, reporter and Linda Wisinger, town-crier. Mrs. Jess Casey and Mrs. Roy Kunz entertained with a bridal shower at the Jess Casey home at Nespelem Wednesday evening in honor of Sharon Aumick. The honored guest was a recipient of many lovely gifts. Marilyn Brown’s twirlers will perform at the half time during the Hartline/Warden game Feb. 14. Sixty Years Ago Ray Caviness of Coulee Dam was listed as tenor singer with the Eastern Washington College choir which is appearing on a broadcast over station KHQ at 7:30 p.m. Monday. Among those from Electric City attending the ski tournament in Leavenworth were Mr. and Mrs. C.D. Bowers, Mr. and Mrs. Simon McSweeney and Mr. and Mrs. Dick Nicolle. Jeanne Seaton was honored at a prenuptial shower at the home of Mrs. Edgar Allen on Feb. 3. Invited guests were Mrs. John Green, Minnie Gropp, Mrs. Al Gust, Mrs. Mike Bowers, Mrs. Robert Gross, Mrs. Dick Nicolle and Mrs. William Flowers. Sixty Years Ago A birthday party in honor of Vesta Peone was held at the Peone home in Electric City. The Service Club of Grand Coulee High School received five new members which included June Copple, Ruth Ingalls, Joyce Flowers, Roy Bernd and Madge Bates. Sixty-two Years Ago Spillway bucket repair, block 54. this view, inside the working chamber of the floating caisson, shows the finished surface of the replaced concrete in the apron section, which is at the downstream end of the bucket. Workmen are removing I-beams that were used to hold the forms for the pour. — Pacific Bridge Contract. — March 20, 1950
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February 22, 2012 Star4C copy.indd - The Star of Grand Coulee

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