Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune, April 02, 2015

Page 1

EASTER EGG HUNTS

AREA SCHOOLS IN THE NEWS

Eagles to hold Easter Egg Hunts in Oroville & Tonasket, Saturday, April 4

See Pages A3, A11

SERVING WASHINGTON’S

OKANOGAN VALLEY

SINCE 1905

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Tonasket looks at forming Rec District for pool

GOOD GRIEF CHARLIE BROWN

Proposal would have 15 mile radius around town BY KATIE TEACHOUT KATHERINE@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM

TONASKET - Representatives from the Tonasket Swimming Pool Committee appeared before the city council Tuesday, March 24, to seek input regarding a proposed Tonasket Parks and Recreation District to help with the cost of maintenance of a new city swimming pool. The committee chose the county type of Parks and Recreation District from three different model types; a model that requires seeking advice and consent from the city council and county commissioners, but does not give the Parks and Recreation District

power of eminent domain. This model includes levy cycles every six years requiring 60 percent voter approval. The planning committee is currently working on mapping out the district boundaries, which will be smaller than the Tonasket School District. “We are looking at a 15 mile radius from the Tonasket City Center, as the bordering districts probably won’t be using the pool,” said committee member Michele Giovia, Tonasket High School Gear Up Director. The planning committee needs to collect signatures from 15 percent of registered voters in the proposed district, which they estimate to be less than 300, and submit the petition to the county auditor’s office by May 4 in order to get it on the November ballot. Working with an estimated budget of $81,200 per year to maintain the swimming pool, they are expecting the levy

SEE POOL | PG A12

Chief Rob Burks retires to pursue tattoo dream Taking on ‘Big Pink Ink’ full time BY KATIE TEACHOUT KATHERINE@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM

TONASKET - Tonasket Police Chief Rob Burks announced his resignation Thursday, March 26. April 30, 2015 will be his last day with the police force. But Burks isn’t going anywhere— he’s staying here and moving into full time work as a tattoo artist with his business, Big Pink Ink. “I have a childhood friend, and he Chief Burks was one of my first ‘fixer’ tattoos—where I touch up what they already have—and he jokingly called me Big Pink Ink because I’m a

Gary DeVon/staff photos

Oroville held their annual Kite Day last Saturday at Bud Clark Ballfields, unfortunately someone forgot to tell the wind. No sooner would a tiny puff of breeze come along to lift the kites skyward and it would go calm just as suddenly and the colorful kites, many of them provided by the Oroville Chapter of the Royal Neighbors, would come floating back to earth. It didn’t matter as everyone seemed to be enjoying the blue skies and warm temperatures as they ran the length of the park, strings held firmly in hand. One kite was reminiscent of Charlie Brown’s and spent the day in a tree. It was breezier on Sunday and would have made for much better kite flying. Oh well, there’s always next year.

cop,” said Burks, adding that once his friend sent him a logo of a bodybuilding warthog with tatoos in a police uniform, the name stuck. Burks has been the Tonasket Police Chief for the past eight years. He grew up in Oroville, graduating in 1985 and going to college in Wisconsin before returning home and starting in law enforcement as a jailer and dispatcher in Oroville. “I got my first cop job with Wilbur, Washington,” Burks said. He became a patrolman with Tonasket in October 1995 before being promoted to Chief in 2007. “This was a good place for me to end my career,” said Burks. “I love Tonasket and I’m not leaving. As a result of working here, I’ve gotten to meet a lot of interesting people and make several new friends and hear a lot of good stories.” Burks has been doing tattoos on

SEE BURKS | PG A3

Nursing Home forum attracts many New legislation may offer help by 2017; group asks for letters of support BY GARY A. DE VON EDITOR@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM

OROVILLE – Nearly 70 people gathered at the Oroville United Methodist Church to attend a Nursing Home Forum last Thursday. The forum was led by Dixie Brown, Linda Holden, Kim Black and Montie Smith from the Nursing Home Success Team. Using charts and financial figures the team members explained that it was important to remember that in order for the Nursing Home to exist, North Valley Hospital has to remain financially viable. There are 40 residents currently in the long term care facility, one of only six connected to hospitals remaining in the state, according to the team. “We have the second lowest cost per resident... and despite budget cuts we

have maintained our five star rating,” she said. said Holden, who credits the district’s Those in attendance were told that training program for nurses and CNAs there is state legislation that may more as a big factor in those realistically reimburse numbers. for the cost of resident The nursing home is “For those 40 people it’s care by 2017. Current operating at a deficit reimbursement rates vital for their families and the county treaare frozen at 2007 levsurer has urged the at $149 a day per to be close by and for els district to not get back resident. That leaves those who may need it about a $50 for day into trouble with warrants. Currently the which resultin the future it is vital” shortfall, district has paid back ed in over a $700,000 Kim Black, NVH Long Term Care the $3 million in wardeficit in 2014. Nursing Home Success Team rants it owed and is Kim Black spoke looking at $1 million in about how important the bank. However, the the nursing home is district can not go on supplementing the to the area’s economy – that there are 70 nursing home, which does not get back employees and that if those jobs were what it costs to care for each resident – gone the local economy would take a mostly because the majority of residents, big hit. 95 percent, are not private pay and the She also spoke about the importance state does not reimburse for actual costs. to the local people, as well as the resiSmith said the Nursing Home Success dents. Team meets weekly and applauded the “For those 40 people it’s vital for their hospital commissioners for extending families to be close by and for those who the discussion beyond the original dead- may need it in the future, it is vital” said line to Dec. 31 of this year. Black. “That gives us some breathing room,” The group also talked about asking for

OKANOGAN VALLEY GAZETTE-TRIBUNE Volume 111 No. 14

a levy to help support the nursing home as the district has the ability to increase the tax rate. They also asked for support

Gary DeVon/staff photo

Linda Holden, DNS, uses a chart to illustrates how the North Valley Long Term Care part of the hospital district could benefit by how the facility is used.

INSIDE THIS EDITION

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

through letters to the state legislators asking them to better reimburse for nursing home care.

News A2-3 Schools A3, A11 Cops & Courts A4

Letters/Opinion A5 Community A6-7 Classifieds/Legals A8-9

Real Estate Sports Obituaries

A9 A10-11 A12


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