Issuu

Tonasket Demolition Derby

Tonasket’s Annual Garlic Festival

Tonasket Comancheros Demolition Derby Sunday, Sept. 2 at 1 p.m.

See page 4

SERVING WASHINGTON’S

OKANOGAN VALLEY

SINCE 1905

GAZETTE-TRIBUNE WWW.GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM | THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2012 | 75 CENTS NEWSSTAND PRICE

Oroville’s Critical Areas Ordinance extended BY GARY A. DEVON MANAGING EDITOR

OROVILLE - Concurring on the need to incorporate changes suggested by the state Department of Ecology, the Oroville City Council agreed to another extension of the city’s Interim Critical Areas Ordinance. At the public hearing held at the Tuesday, Aug. 21 council meeting, Chris Branch, Director of Community Development, reported on the progress being made in drafting the Critical Areas Ordinance. He said the revisions suggested by Ecology would require more time to incorporate before final adoption and integration with the city’s Shoreline Master Plan, which is being updated. The Oroville Planning Commission has recommended adoption of the final draft, which the council expects to have soon so they will be able to review it. Councilman Jon Neal made a motion adopting Ordinance 817, which extends an “adopted interim official control regulating development and other activity within those critical areas requiring protection under the Washington State Growth Management Act and providing moratoria and interim official control and establishing an effective date, be adopted as read.” Branch explained that Ecology did not like the size of the buffers for wetland. “They said they weren’t wide enough. They said we didn’t use Ecology’s recommended buffers based on science,” said Branch. “We worked on the revisions between 2007 and 2011 when Ecology came out with a guidance document with a model ordinance that gave more flexibility to cities.” The result, Branch adds, was wetland

delineation based on point values for habitat values. “Also, we can’t use the Critical Areas Ordinance to regulate within the shorelines... that came out of an Anacortes case,” said Branch. Also appearing before the council was local businessman Spence Higby. He said he had issues with being sent a Clean-up Notice for the mess in back of one of his Main Street properties when several other buildings and residences have the same problem. “At least 30 or 40 residences in town violate the same ordinance and don’t have the proper ‘curb appeal,’ if you will,” said Higby, who assured the council that his renters had cleaned up the problem area. “I think it is a good plan if the police go out and enforce these ordinances, but if they do it they should enforce them all.” Higby suggested an assembly be held at the schools to also talk about bicycles and skateboards on the sidewalks. “There are signs all over, but if the ordinances are not enforced it just teaches young and old disrespect for the law,” he said. “I say to you, don’t be based on a complaint system, but suggest you as a city council look at your own front step.” Higby said he couldn’t find the ordinance regarding these types of notices on the city’s website. He suggested the city reference the ordinance quoted in the letter stating the section of code covering Clean-ups. Mayor Chuck Spieth said he and the council used to take tours of the town, writing down anyone that needed to clean their place up. “We may have been remiss this year,”

SEE COUNCIL | PG. 3

Mixing fantasy with reality

BY BRENT BAKER BBAKER@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM

Brent Baker / staff photo

Andy Eccleshall, creator of the murals that decorate the south and east faces of the Community Cultural Center of Tonasket, was back in town last weekend to add his creative touch to another portion of the building. See story on Page 4.

Oroville School Board approves eighth graders in high school sports BY GARY A. DEVON MANAGING EDITOR

OROVILLE – After tabling the issue two weeks ago, the Oroville School Board approved a one-year pilot program allowing eighth graders to participate in high school sports. The eighth graders can only play in sports that do not offer junior high teams in these particular sports though. And, the decision has to be approved by the NC2B league as well. The decision was tabled at the earlier meeting so that staff could research what other schools were doing and how eighth graders playing in high school sports at the schools that do allow it had affected their programs. Chuck Ricevuto, the head of the Oroville Coach’s Association, said he contacted every B and Double B program he could get ahold of. He said Wellpinit allows the eighth graders to play if there isn’t an eighth grade team offered in a particular sport. He also said Lake Roosevelt was considering it, but had no current policy. Kittitas does allows it for baseball and Liberty Bell allows it if there is no junior high program and it can salvage a high school team, but only if there are not enough numbers otherwise. “Some of the schools that are considering it are in the same boat that we are,” said Ricevuto, referring to several Oroville high school teams that haven’t enough players or have just barely enough, making it hard for them to compete. “I would ask for a little work on the urgency of the matter for the girls soccer and cross country teams,” Ricevuto said. Dane Forrester, Oroville Girls Softball Coach, said he really would like to see the eighth grade girls moved up as it would make his team more viable.

“I don’t want people to think it would put them in harms way, I don’t want to see any of our student athletes ever put in harms way,” Forrester said. “I support it, they say baseball is the great equalizer, you don’t have to be a big guy to play,” said Tam Hutchinson, Oroville High School Baseball Coach. “We have a youth program that ends at sixth grade, we don’t have enough kids for Babe Ruth or a junior high team. This would allow the kids to become more experienced and salvage our program.” Golf coach DeHaven Hill said, “It’s the warm body theory. In spring there is only one sport with a junior high team (track and field). I think this is an opportunity for a positive result that would allow these kids to play a sport and to develop the skills they otherwise would not develop until they get to me, while also helping our kids who currently play the sport.” Girls soccer coach Laura Kinman also said she wanted to see the eighth graders play on her high school team. She said the youth soccer program ended in the sixth grade and there was not a junior high team. “I want to give these girls an opportunity... I always tell the girls we don’t quit. I don’t want us to quit on them,” said Kinman. Athletic Director Brett Fancher didn’t agree with the coaches. “I’m still of the opinion that we should not do it,” said Fancher, who added he had done some research of what other schools Oroville’s size offer for sports. He said Oroville had a team sports program with 18 teams, while the average for 2B schools was 10 and for 1A it was 14 and for 2A it was just over 18. “We can talk about what we offer, but we’re right up there and the district has experienced a decline in enrollment

OKANOGAN VALLEY GAZETTE-TRIBUNE Volume 108 No. 35

Tonasket schools to ask for capital levy

Photo by Gary DeVon

Christopher Castillo, age two, Keyli Castillo, age three and Kevin Castillo, age five, enjoy ice cream last Monday evening during the Open House at Oroville Elementary School. They were among the many students served ice cream and toppings in the gym by school board members and Superintendent Steve Quick prior to the school board meeting which was delayed until 8 p.m. because of the event. since the late 1980s. Do we want as many old eighth grader going up against an teams as we can have, but are struggling, 18-year-old high school senior. or do we want to cut and offer stronger “I would recommend we not do this, teams?” asked Fancher. but I have no problem with the board “That’s not the issue, we’re here to voting against me,” said Quick. discuss bringing the eighth graders up, Board members Rocky DeVon and not diminishing our program,” replied Amy Wise said they had gotten a lot of Hutchinson. “Cutting programs is an support from parents of eighth graders entirely different issue. We’re asking only who felt the decision as to whether they for the programs where teams are not be allowed to join a high school team available at the junior high level.” should belong to the parents. Superintendent Steve Quick asked the “I got a resounding, ‘let the parent board to consider the other side of the have the decision, not the board,’” said coin and to think of ways to change the board chairman DeVon. program to offer more to eighth graders. “That’s what I’ve been hearing, the He also listed several things he felt were parents want the decision,” added Wise. cons, including the lower maturity of High School Principal Kristin eighth graders and the idea of a 13-year- SEE SPORTS | PG. 3

“If we’re going to go ahead with it, we need to spend a lot of time on the prioritization.” Paul Turner, Superintendent

$1,000 of property valuation capital levy, which would keep the total levy collections at their 2009 rate and bring in $780,000 annually for capital improvements. Turner’s priority list included the replacement of the alternative education/ outreach building, addition of at least two elementary school classrooms, completion and maintenance of the athletic facilities, roof replacement for the middle and high schools, asphalt resurfacing, HVAC and expansion of the ag shop. “We need to run a capital levy,” said board member Lloyd Caton. “But we’ll have a lively discussion of what the priorities are. This isn’t a priority list that I like too much. “We also have to, in the process of selling the levy and educating the voters, realize that these are based on today’s numbers. Six years from now, this may not cover everything. We need to make sure people completely understand that.” “If we’re going to go ahead with it, we need to spend a lot of time on the prioritization,” Turner said. “If we come up short, then we’ll go as far as we can go, get (as far down the list as we can), then see where we’re at.” Board member Catherine Stangland said she wanted a lot more detail than what was presented before deciding on how exactly to proceed. “If the board wants to move ahead, I’ll start getting more numbers and input put together,” Turner said. “If I can recommend the first meeting of September to talk about the prioritization piece; I also want have a meeting with the staff and get input from them.” “It’s something we need to do,” Caton said. “And I think this is a smart way to handle the money, because all the money that comes into the district will be utilized by the district. “But we need to look at real hard what

SEE BOARD | PG. 3

INSIDE THIS EDITION

TONASKET - Citing the need to keep district facilities in top condition and replace an aging alternative education building, as well as provide for a growing student population, the Tonasket School Board approved Superintendent Paul Turner’s request to ask the voters for a capital levy to fund those needs. The bond levy used for construction of the school buildings expires in December 2013. If the district passes a capital levy next spring, collections begin in 2014. A capital levy would collect funds for a maximum of six years, allowing the district to proceed with projects as the money was collected. The advantage of a capital levy, as opposed to a bond, is there is no interest required, with the entire collection going to facilities work. A bond would allow the district access to funds all at once, but require interest to be paid, thus increasing the total cost. “If we’re going to run it this spring, we need to get going on it,” Turner said. “I’m asking is for the board to give me a thumbs up for a thumbs down so we can start working on it. We need to get the word out and get things lined up. “There’s discussion on priorities, which we can work through. But what I need to know if we’re going to run a capital levy so we can start getting the numbers together and see how everything lines up.” Turner recommended a $1.75 per

Community 2-3 Valley Life 4 Letters & Opinions 5

Bulletin Board 6 Movies 6 Sports & Outdoors 7

Classifieds/Legals 8-9 Obits 10 Valley Life 10