Rodeo adds bull riding - The Star of Grand Coulee

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Page 2 The STar • JUNe 27, 2012 A fork lift operator lifts arsenic treatment tanks off a truck for later placement in the new treatment plant building. There were 16 tanks in all, four to a section, with each section weighing about five tons. — Roger S. Lucas photo Tank placement delayed for now by Roger S. Lucas Workers were prepared to set 16 tanks for Electric City’s arsenic treatment plant in place Tuesday until word came that the crane enroute to do the job had slammed into an underpass someplace around Spokane. The crane delay was holding up two trucks loaded with the tanks. Clearwater Construction crews had to off-load the tanks in a temporary location so drivers could return to their routes. There was no word on how long the crane accident would hold up the project. The crane had been scheduled to lift the heavy four-tank sections over the wall of the building that will house them and put them in place. Both the tanks and heavy pack- Name chosen for new ferry by Roger S. Lucas The next Keller Ferry has a name — “Sanpoil.” The state Department of Transportation said “Sanpoil” was selected from among 200 suggestions that met the parameters set by officials. Some 500 suggestions were received. The ferry crosses Lake Roosevelt near the spot where the Sanpoil River flows into the Columbia and near one of the old time favorite salmon fishing sites visited by native tribes. The new ferry, now under construction by Foss Maritime at Rainier, Ore., will be delivered for final assembly at the Crescent Bay boat launch site late this fall. It will go into service sometime in July next year. The 116-foot vessel will be the state’s smallest ferry boat and will ages of sand-like material that will be used inside the tanks were placed in temporary places by a large lift truck. Clearwater Construction submitted the low bid of $1.3 million to do the project. Electric City was forced to put in the water treatment plant when the federal government lowered its standard for arsenic in drinking water. The old standard was 50 parts per billion. At the time Electric City’s water was showing 13-17 parts of arsenic per billion. Trapped in the new regulation standard, Electric City was forced to move into the current project which will lower arsenic content below 10 parts per billion. There was no word on when the crane would be available to place the tanks. replace the Martha S ferry, which has been in operation since 1948, and has a capacity of 12 cars. The new Sanpoil will hold 22 standard cars and some 149 walk-on passengers. The naming of the new ferry was announced June 19, and the DOT information stated that Sanpoil is the Anglicized form of the native name given to the Columbia River, as well as to the ancestral and current native residents of the area. The DOT had sponsored a naming contest encouraging people to submit names. A committee of tribal, community and DOT representatives selected the final name. The new ferry was funded by the federal government, the state and the Colville Confederated Tribes, and cost about $9.6 million. I Can Help You! ~ Create Beauty in your yard ~ Plan your landscape ~ Maintain your yard ~ Beautify your � owerbed ~ Plant a vegetable garden ~ Master Gardener ~ AA in Sustainable and Organic Fruit Coulee Gardens and Design Landscape design, renovation and maintenance O� ce: 633-8375 Cell: 509-680-4969 gayleswagerty@yahoo.com Gayle Swagerty Owner Fire chief: despite rain, fire conditions exist by Roger S. Lucas Don’t let the rainy and cooler weather fool you, Grand Coulee Fire Chief Rick Paris said this week, “the fuel burns hot and fast.” Several fires in the last week have brought that lesson to the fore. • On Tuesday, June 19, about 2:15 p.m., a wildland fire in the “D” Street area burned up about a 10th of an acre before it could be extinguished. “The area wasn’t large, but it was surprising how hot and how fast the fire burned,” Paris said. The area had received rain the day before, but the weeds and brush had dried out. • The week before there had been a fire covering up to 1,200 acres in the southern part of Grant County, and it took several days and a lot of firefighters to get it out, Paris noted. Last Friday afternoon there was a fire at Mattawa that burned a garage and threatened a house. • On Sunday, local firefighters responded to a fire in the Delano 2012 2012 ~SATURDAY~ Car & Cycle SHOW Rim2Rim ~SATURDAY~ Rotary 3on3 Car & Cycle Basketball SHOW Rim2Rim KIDS Rotary ACTIVITIES 3on3 and Basketball Much More! KIDS ACTIVITIES and Much More! M usic F estival Ephrata M usic • FJuly estival 20 & 21 Ephrata • July 20 & 21 SPECIAL GUEST SPECIAL GUEST Vicci Vicci Martinez Martinez FRIDAY, July 20 - 9pm FRIDAY, July 20 - 9pm The Best Free Music Festival in HEADLINER HEADLINER Bowling Bowling For For Soup Soup Washington! area that burned hot enough to burn the asphalt. “The firefighters were happy this did not happen later in the summer or it would have threatened and possibly burned a shed and home,” Paris stated. “We have a lot of spring growth and several years of dead material from past green springs that are now ready to burn,” Paris said. “As we approach the summer, and hopefully warmer weather, the local fire departments would like to remind everyone that even with all the rain we have been getting it does not take much or long — especially with a little wind — for a fire to start and get out of control.” The fire chief also noted that all outdoor burning is banned, except for recreational fires and cooking fires. “There is an exemption for limited noxious weed control,” Paris noted, but garbage burning and burn barrels are illegal everywhere in Washington state, and have been for many years. Firefighters ask everyone to be careful when outdoors enjoying good weather this summer. District gets ready to hire contractors by Roger S. Lucas The Grand Coulee Dam School District board has set a special meeting for July 11, to select a construction management firm for the K-12 school project, and to award a contract for the demolition of the vacated A.E. Wright Elementary School building. The district is advertising for interested parties to bid on the demolition of the school, and Tuesday interested companies were here for a walk- through of the school a s t h e y scramble to prepare bids due no later than 3 p.m. July 11. The board will open bids at that time and then award the bid during an evening meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Throughout the day, on July 11, the board will be interviewing five firms that have shown an interest in managing the construction project of the $31 million facility. By state law the district must hire a management firm to assist in following the construction detail and working with the architects, Design West. The five firms are: lOAC, from Spokane; CFG, from Vancouver, Wash.; Hill International from Spokane; Herry International, from Seattle; and Wenaha Group, Pendleton, Ore. The project is scheduled to go out to bid in January, 2013, with construction to begin that spring. Occupancy of the new facility is scheduled for school opening in the fall of 2014. The mana g e m e n t firm will work with all parties, including the general contractor, to see that the project stays on schedule. At a school board meeting Monday night, Design West architect Cameron Golightly went over some changes in the overall plan -- mainly some parking changes and preliminary grounds ideas. A group of contractors Tuesday listen to the details of destruction, including how much of the walls of Wright Elementary must be disposed of as hazardous waste — including the wooden studs, which can’t be cleaned of hazardous asbestos in the interior of the walls. — Scott Hunter photo The Best Free Music Festival in Washington! SATURDAY, July 21 - 9pm SATURDAY, July 21 - 9pm BROUGHT TO TO YOU BY THESE FINE SPONSORS City of City Ephrata of Ephrata Chris’ Chris’ Excavation Columbia Basin Foundation CDSI CDSI Ephrata Ephrata Veterinary Clinic Clinic Horizon Credit Union Grant County Tourism Lindy’s Lindy’s Stamp Stamp Gang Gang Midway Beverage Paul Lauzier Foundation Tommer Construction Walmart Walmart Washington Washington Trust Bank Trust Bank www.basinsummersounds.com Steve Lovitt 3K YDD Design©2012 Steve Lovitt 3K YDD Design©2012 Caution advised for shoreline campers visiting Lake Roosevelt The Bureau of Reclamation is advising people camping along the Lake Roosevelt shoreline over the July 4 weekend to be aware of potential dangers that could exist due to rapidly rising lake levels. “When camping along the shoreline, it is recommended that tents and other belongings be kept well away from the water’s edge,” said Lynne Brougher, public affairs officer. “Although the lake is a popular vacation spot, it is also a working reservoir that supplies water for the hydroelectric facilities at Grand Coulee Dam which can result in rapid fluctuations.” Brougher says campsites that are too close to the water’s edge could potentially become flooded and boats that are not properly anchored or secured could drift out into the lake and becoming a safety hazard. The lake level is expected to be at 1,288 feet above sea level on June 30. Lake levels may fluctuate from one-half to three-fourths of a foot daily until it reaches full pool elevation of 1290 feet on July 4. “At these lake levels, minimal amounts of beach will be available around the lake,” Brougher said. The lake was 3.3 feet from being full Tuesday night, even as nearly 77,000 cubic feet per second roared over the spillway. Snow White and the Huntsman Fri. & Sat. 7 p.m. NEW TIME - Sunday 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. 633-3522 515 River Drive Coulee Dam NOW OPEN GOLF COURSE COME AND PLAY! Me n’s Cl u b Th u r s d ay s All Day Long Wo M e n’s Cl u b Wednesdays 10 a.m. Co u p l e s’ le a g u e Tuesdays 5:30 p.m. Me r C h a n T s’ le a g u e Wednesdays 5:30 p.m. 633-1400 Over $13,000 Given Away IT’S OUR BIRTHDAY! Between June 18th & August 25th, earn entries into our 17th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION CA$H GIVE AWAY! Beginning August 9th and running thru August 25th, we will hold $170 progressive drawings between 6pm & 9pm. If there is NO winner, the prize amount will be added to the next drawing, so things could add up fast! THEN - on August 25th we will add $1,700.00 to the accumulated prize amount and one LUCKY CASINO PLAYER will get a BIG “17th ANNIVERSARY” SURPRISE! See the “PAC” for all the details! How USBR operates the lake • Reclamation must adhere to the court ordered 2008/ 2010 FCRPS Biological Opinion requiring the lake to be at full pool between late June and early July. • Water is stored for later use in July and August to increase flows for migrating endangered species in the lower Columbia River. • Storing water to aid fish migration and lower power demands are two reasons that lead to higher water levels at Lake Roosevelt. • This year the peak of spring runoff is later than normal resulting in spilling excess water at Grand Coulee Dam as lake levels continue to rise. • Water managers must also prepare for unexpected weather changes that could change lake levels more rapidly than anticipated. CELEBRATING OUR 17th ANNIVERSARY FREE Souvenir T-shirts & Cake on August 25th COULEE DAM CASINO 515 Birch Street, Coulee Dam, WA 800-556-7492
The STar • JUNe 27, 2012 Letters From Our Readers Apology issued for remarks at graduation I wish to apologize to everyone who attended the Lake Roosevelt High School graduation ceremony on June 9th. While every student speech is reviewed and approved by the high school principal, occasionally a student will deviate from the approved speech and add some personal comments that, while not intended to offend, come off in a manner that does not Doc Hastings Congressman reflect the values of LRHS or the Grand Coulee Dam School District. One of our student speakers, during the delivery of his speech, went off script and made some comments that were offensive to many students and the audience and are in direct opposition to the inclusive model that our district strives to achieve. The student has been made aware of his error Re: “Jess, Shut Up - Wisdom in a grove” Thank you for this article. John is a Facebook friend that I've never Region has mined its ground water for decades All of us who live in the four Columbia Basin counties (Adams, Franklin, Grant and Lincoln) primarily rely on ground water for our drinking and water supply. The problem is our deep ground water is mostly ancient water, and we’ve been mining it for decades. This is not sustainable, a point that will become more apparent when the municipalities in these four counties receive their “water supply and aquifer storage recharge assessment” reports at the end of this month. The Legislature asked the Columbia Basin Ground Water Management Area (GWMA) to assess each city’s wells and water supply. A previous study of municipalities in the “Odessa Subarea” revealed wells have declined met but enjoy his wonderful words daily. Hope I can pass through (the dramatically and will continue to do so at current pumping rates. We know about ground water conditions because of the scientific studies and research conducted by the GWMA in the last decade. I served on a citizen’s advisory committee and the governing executive board for many years. The GWMA’s geologic mapping, ground water modeling and assessment work is the cornerstone of many important current and future water supply projects in the Basin, including a potential ground water model of the Quincy Basin that could allow water users to resolve water right disputes and adopt a sustainable water use program. We have a responsibility to plan for the day when this deep We need an aquifer protection area We have a serious challenge facing Grant County and our region – a declining aquifer system that threatens our future. Over the past 15 years, the Columbia Basin Ground Water Management Area, or ‘GWMA’, has secured state ($7.64 million) and federal ($5.7 million) funding to conduct ground water research and implement projects to assess and protect ground water quality, availability, and help identify future supply options. They’ve developed a comprehensive ground water and land use database, with a ‘hydrologic’ model that is being used to assist citizens and state and local government in understanding this critical resource, and will be an important tool in the pursuit of future water supply options. But the GWMA needs local funding to do these things in the future. The four boards of county commissioners (Adams, Franklin, Grant and Lincoln) are seeking public input on the creation of a four-county “Aquifer Protection Area” to fund the Columbia Basin GWMA for a decade to fully utilize this significant public investment (a working ground water hydrologic model with an experienced technical and scientific team) to manage the declining resource and evaluate and seek future water supply options. The respective boards of com- Three Midway, P.O. Box 150, Grand Coulee, WA 99133 (509) 633-1350/FAX (509) 633-3828/E-MAIL: star@grandcoulee.com Consolidated with the Grand Coulee News - Times and the Almira Herald. The Star Online - grandcoulee.com Scott Hunter ......................................Publisher/Editor Gwen Hilson ................................Production Manager THE STAR The Star is published (USPS#518860)weekly at Grand Coulee, Washington, and was entered as second class matter, January 4, 1946. ©2011 Star Newspaper. Periodicals postage paid at Grand Coulee. Postmaster send address changes to: Star, PO Box 150, Grand Coulee, Wash. 99133 Subscription Rates: GOLD Counties $24; Remainder of Washington State $33; Elsewhere within the United States $37; Single Copy Price $1 O P I N I O N and has made appropriate private apologies. Learning takes many forms and it is my hope that the student has learned a valuable lesson and that the incident has provided a lesson to those students who follow in his footsteps. Dennis L. Carlson, Ed.D. area) someday and meet him. Mary Waller ground water source is no longer available. The Board of County Commissioners are considering holding a public hearing on a ballot measure to fund the GWMA for the next decade through a small proposed annual assessment ($5 per parcel) and graduated fee on production wells, based on casing diameter. I encourage you to review the GWMA website http:// www.cbgwma.org/ and video “Why are we losing our groundwater?” I hope you’ll agree they’re worth this modest investment. Dale Wentworth Ephrata missioners in each county must determine whether or not it’s in the public interest to conduct a public hearing on this issue. If after the hearing the commissioners determine that there is adequate public support for the ballot measure, then they would need to pass a resolution to place the measure on the General Election ballot in their county. I respectfully request that our county commissioners conduct a public hearing on the creation of an “aquifer protection area” to fund the GWMA. Jerry Williamson Moses Lake Keeping the federal government out of our backyards When the Clean Water Act was signed into law in 1972, the intent was clear - the federal government, working with the states, should ensure that our water quality is protected. Although this is a goal embraced by all Americans, t h e s c o p e and implem e n t a t i o n o f f e d e r a l regulations under this law has been the subject of controversy and litigation for decades. Like so many other federal environmental laws, the Clean Water Act is well intentioned, but radical environmentalists continue their attempts to expand it far beyond what Congress intended — resulting in serious consequences for Western communities. Most recently, the Obama Administration has proposed a drastic expansion of the federal government’s jurisdiction over our nation’s waters to cover every irrigation ditch and pond in the country. This was done through a proposed new “guidance” on how to implement the Clean Water Act — without any opportunity for public comment from the American people and by going around Congress. No good will come of the federal government regulating every ditch and mud puddle in the country. Quite the opposite, the result would be disastrous. If this so-called “guidance” is enforced, the only guarantee is that there will be more paperwork, more bureaucratic red tape, and federal micromanagement of hardworking taxpayers that will hinder job creation — not b e t t e r w a t e r quality. For this reason, last year, I joined 169 of my colleagues in writing to the Obama Administration in strong opposition to moving forward with this federal water power grab. Earlier this month, I joined a bipartisan majority of my colleagues in sup- porting efforts to defund any effort to implement this “guidance” during the upcoming fiscal year. I also cosponsored a bipartisan bill, H.R. 4965, which will prohibit federal agencies from implementing this policy that will not benefit water quality. Water is a precious commodity, especially to those of us in the West. It is a necessary resource for many activities including agriculture, energy, transportation and recreation. Our economy and way of life cannot afford to have the federal government cavalierly or casually claim control over all waterways without scientific justification and a direct link to an overriding national public purpose. I will continue to fight against any federal water grab - from President Obama or from within Congress. Roger Lucas ...................Advertising/Special Projects Linda Morgan ............................................ Proofreader In Other Words little family drama or outsized expectations, like many holidays can be. On the surface, the 4th of July is purely a day to have fun, watch some fireworks, eat, drink, Danielle Vick and be merry. In years past I’ve spent the morning of the 4th with 60,000 of my closest friends, running the largest 10K road race in the world. With 150,000 spectators cheering on the runners, the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta has always been a festive way to kick off the holiday. This year, family will be traveling across the country to spend the day with us, and we’ll enjoy a far more peaceful day lazing on the lake instead of running the streets with a mob. As Independence Day draws closer, I watch my 3-year-old daughter discover her own independence. In fact, as I watch her, the term “independence” has taken on a whole new meaning. Before I was a parent, independence had a clear definition, one I always associated with fighting the British and declaring a self-ruling republic. But being a parent forces one to look at life through a different lens. I can see that to a child, independence is something they covet from their parents. My daughter’s first strung-together sentence was, “I do it myself!” A clear sign that she needed some independence from me. The need is so strong that if she is not following my directions, all I have to do is the time-proven method of counting Ten Years Ago There may be no quick fix, but a group of people determined Monday night that they would explore all possibilities for getting the community what it has lacked for several summers - a swimming pool. Cartoon of the week: Dad is reading the newspaper and says “Thirty-seven cents just to mail a letter? Son is sitting at his computer and asks “What’s a LETTER?” Ryan Tracy of Coulee Dam, accepted membership in The National Society of Collegiate Scholars and will be honored during a campus ceremony this fall at Washington State University. A Grand Coulee woman has issued a challenge to people attending the Fourth of July Festival of America to see what team can complete a new course the fastest. Wheelbarrow race organizer Ellen Breece, who issue the challenge, said Four /Winds Bed and Breakfast and The Star have challenged each other to a timed race. Twenty Years Ago Summer officially arrived last weekend and so did the heat. As temperatures soared over the century mark, the community pool in Coulee Dam put a smile on many youngsters’ faces. A high-powered law firm has volunteered its services to help in a complex study of the issue of consolidation among the four local towns. The Spokane office of Per- Coulee Recollections kins Cole, a large firm with offices nationwide, joined the local effort led by the GCD Area Chamber of Commerce’s Governmental Affairs Committee last week. About 50 people scoured part of Coulee Dam to find a missing child late Friday night only to find him in the house asleep under a chair. Lorie Somerhizer 37, Bremerton, called 911 about 10:30p.m. reporting that her two-and-a-half year old son was missing. Senior Citizens in the Grand Coulee Dam area will see their senior center built this summer, now that the City of Grand Coulee has worked through a federal grant maze and awarded a contract for its construction. Thirty Years Ago PeeWee Baseball Champion for the 1982 season was the Bird’s Auto Body team. This team ended the season with a record of seven wins and one loss. Operation of off-road vehicles (ORVs) on federally owned lands along the shoreline of Banks Lake is now off-limits. All bureau lands in the area are now closed to ORVs. Mr. and Mrs. Williams Finch proudly announce the engagement of their daughter, Mary Finch, to Ronald Edward Sivey of Hood River, Ore. An August 14 wedding is planned. Page 3 Discovering independence Next week marks one of my favorite holidays of the calendar year -- Independence Day. I love this holiday because it is typically a day filled with simple good cheer. I find it an easy holiday to celebrate. The weather is usually warm and pleasant. Friends and family gather around barbecues, lakes, and pools to laugh and simply be together. It is an uncomplicated day filled with to three. I always assumed parents did this with the threat of some punishment. But for my own child, the threat is simply that if she doesn’t comply by the time I reach three, I will do the task — whatever that may be — for her. She almost always complies before I reach three, the need for independence far outpacing her need to ignore my instructions. I’m sure that as she grows older, her need for independence will become even clearer. To be independent is not only something children in our society strive for. Independence means something different at each age in our lives, for each person, each religion and nationality. Independence and the freedom it offers means something different for Jewish Americans, African Americans, Native Americans and countless others. Independence means something different to a 10-year-old than it does to an 80-year-old. Some are just learning to stretch their wings and declare their independence, while on the opposite spectrum our elderly are clutching their independence tightly, unwilling to have their wings clipped. Each Independence Day I’m always slightly surprised by how proud we are as a nation to be independent, even if it is so casually celebrated at a barbecue and fireworks show. It shouldn’t surprise me, but 236 years later, I find that becoming, and maintaining, an independent nation is still something worth celebrating. These freedoms trickle all the way down to my 3-year-old, able to find and define her own independence. There are many freedoms to celebrate this 4th of July, large and small, and finding and appreciating each one of those is our privilege. Forty Years Ago Randa Lee Baum, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Clint Baum, Grand Coulee, was among the 3,687 who received diplomas at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, at commencement exercises May 26. A coffee and cake party was held for John Vertrees, Chief of the Materials Branch, in honor of his retirement which will be effective on June 25. Vetrees was presented a certificate of service in recognition of his 36 years of service. Fifty Years Ago Leroy Tottens attended the Grand Coulee Lodge of Masons in Tacoma and visited the Seattle World’s Fair. Jim Rabideau, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Rabideau, Coulee Dam, filed for the position of prosecuting attorney for Franklin County. Jim graduated from Coulee Dam High School in 1943 and attended EWCE. He has practiced law in Pasco for the past five years. Sixty Years Ago Erlene and Richard Shirley of Elmer City left Friday for Canada to spend the summer with their uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Davis. Janet Boston, valedictorian of the Coulee Dam senior class, has gone to join her parents, the Byron Bostons at Frenchman Hills.
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Rodeo adds bull riding - The Star of Grand Coulee

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