Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune, March 20, 2014

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OROVILLE BASEBALL / SOFTBALL

SPRING SPORTS SPECIAL SECTION See Pages B1-8

Sign-ups for youth leagues Thursday, March 20, 5-6:30 pm Oroville Elementary Cafeteria

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County scoops up recycle bins after yet another poop incident BY BRENT BAKER BBAKER@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM

TONASKET - The recycling bins located near the entrance to Chief Tonasket Park have been heavily used for years for cardboard and aluminum recycling. However, due to someone’s insistence on using the cardboard bin for the disposal of more organic matter, Okanogan County Public Works is removing the bins. That leaves Tonasket without an easy recycling option despite a generally environmentally-conscious community. “I got a phone call from the county works,” said Clerk/Treasurer Alice Attwood at the Tonasket City Council’s Tuesday, March 11 meeting. “They’ve had fecal matter dumped into the cardboard again. It’s happened numerous times and they won’t put up with it any more. It puts all their employees in danger. It has to be cleaned out and the cardboard thrown away. It’s disgusting. “If the council decides they have another better place to put them we can discuss that.” Attwood estimates that it’s the fourth

Repairing a broken-down hospital generator is not small project. When North Valley Hospital’s back-up generator broke down during a load test last winter, it was more than just a minor inconvenience. The failure, termed “catastrophic,” will have to undergo reconstructive surgery in Spokane and was picked up for transport on Friday, March 14. Repairs are expected to take two weeks and will be covered by insurance. Meanwhile a temporary backup generator (the white box on the sidewalk) will continue to fill in for the damaged generator as needed. Meanwhile, the NVH Board of Commissioners voted to accept a grant that commits the hospital to replacing its aging boiler system, a separate project that was started on an emergency basis last year after one of its three boilers failed (see story at right).

such incident in the past two years. Council member Claire Jeffko pointed out that dead animals and live litters of kittens have also been thrown into the cardboard dumpster. “Who does that?” she asked. Mayor Patrick Plumb said he had heard from the department in the past that Tonasket’s recycle bins were among the most-utilized in the county. “It’s really sad that one person can have such an effect on our entire community for recycling,” he said.

POOL UPDATE Karen Stangland updated the council on plans of the pool committee and requested money for postage to send out surveys to what was eventually determined to be the ZIP codes that encompass the Tonasket School District. The council approved up to $1,500 from the pool fund to cover the expense. Stangland also asked City Planner Kurt Danison if might be possible to use locally contracted or volunteer labor for part of the what will likely be a $1-2 mil-

SEE COUNCIL | PG A4

NVH accepts conditional grant $500k comes with commitment to finish boiler replacement BY BRENT BAKER BBAKER@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM

TONASKET - North Valley Hospital District was awarded a $500,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce last week as part of a $14,000,000 statewide Local Government Energy Efficiency Award package. The $500,000 matched the largest award given to a single entity (a complete list of awardees can be found at http:// www.commerce.wa.gov/Documents/ EE-Solar-Grant-Awardees-List.pdf ). The grant, however, is conditional upon NVH completing the full boiler replace-

Terri Orford/NVH Photos

ment project that was proposed last summer when the first of three boilers was replaced on an emergency basis. The project, which originally designed to be completed in three phases, is estimated to cost $2.8 million, including the $537,000 spent in the initial phase completed last fall (which came in under budget). By accepting the grant, the district commits to completing the remainder of the project. There is not a time frame for completion, although the project will be monitored and the hospital must show continuous progress. It also does not preclude NVH from seeking other grant money. The board voted 3-1 at its Thursday, March 13 Board of Commissioners meeting to accept the grant and commit to completing the project. Commissioner Herb Wandler made the motion with

SEE BOILER | PG A4

Trail groups applaud Kinross Gold, donors Echo Bay purchases Whistler Canyon rec property BY GARY A. DEVON MANAGING EDITOR

OROVILLE – The latest newsletter from the Pacific Northwest Trail Association is expressing gratitude to Echo Bay Minerals for the purchase of property near the Whistler Canyon Trailhead which the county was selling. The Okanogan County Commissioners said they wanted to put the property, all but about 3.8 acres for the trailhead, on the market so it would get back on the tax rolls. The sale was cause for concern for the trail

group, as well as others who use the property, especially the Frog Pond Trail, for other recreation, like rock climbing. The PNTA began raising funds last year in an attempt to purchase the property before it was sold for a nonrecreation use. “As most of you who have been following this, are aware the 63.36 acre parcel that includes the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail and the Frog Pond Trail, was purchased by Echo Bay Minerals (Kinross Gold) on Dec. 13. This will ensure protection for the trail corridor, between the county trailhead and BLM property,” writes Jon Knechtel, Director of Trail Operations, PNTA. “I can’t say enough for Kinross Gold in their stepping up to make this land acquisition

possible.” Although the group had a very successful fundraising campaign, they say they missed their total goal by around $3,000 and would not have had money enough to make their dream a reality had it not been for Kinross Gold.” The original $25,000 donated from Kinross in 2008 was returned to them, as well as the $9,011.05 that was donated by the Okanogan Chapter of the Backcountry Horsemen. “For those of you that decided to leave their donations with the PNTA, it’s was decided that those funds will stay in a restricted account earmarked for land acquisitions. Over the coming years there will be other pieces of property that will become available and the PNTA needs

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Volume 110 No. 12

The Whistler Canyon Trailhead is located a few miles south of Oroville off the east side of Highway 97. The trailhead is one of the only access points to the U.S. Forest from the highway north of Wenatchee.

Gary DeVon/staff photo

to be able to have the funds to acquire them, without waiting for the federal government to take the appropriate steps to protect the Trail,” said Knechtel, adding, “Once again I thank all those who donated to the ‘Save the Whistler Canyon Fund’ and special thanks

Newsroom and Advertising (509) 476-3602 gdevon@gazette-tribune.com

to Echo Bay Minerals (Kinross Gold).” Located just south of Oroville, the popular Whistler Canyon Trail was originally an Okanogan National Forest Road constructed in the 1940s. About a third of the road was across private land.

Between the 1950s and 1980s the road slowly reverted to use as a trail, according to the PNTA. In the 1990s the part of the road/ trail that was across private land was sold and access was limited. The PNTA identified the trail

SEE TRAIL | PG A2

INSIDE THIS EDITION Valley Life Schools Letters/Opinion

A2 A3 A5

Community A6-7 Classifieds/Legals A8-9 Real Estate A9

Obituaries

A9-10

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