LOST LAKE FOREST TREK
Music in the Park Series
A Hike-and-Learn Day with George Thornton Saturday, July 18
See Page A10
SERVING WASHINGTON’S
OKANOGAN VALLEY
SINCE 1905
GAZETTE-TRIBUNE WWW.GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM | THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2015 | 75 CENTS NEWSSTAND PRICE
Should Oroville School teachers be armed?
OPEN FIRE
Board to consider ways to allow staff to fight back against ‘active shooter;’ public meeting, July 20
the “fatal funnel” (doorway). “The premise behind the training is to help staff members not just hide and OROVILLE - The Oroville School wait, but to take an active role in defendBoard is considering training school ing doorways and fighting back should staff in ways to respond to threats in the an active shooter ever be present, essenschool, as well as allowing a select num- tially taking a trained, proactive approach ber to receive training to carry concealed rather than hiding in a classroom and weapons on school grounds – but before simply doing nothing. The GAP training they would approve either or both, they seeks to minimize casualties in such an want public input next Monday, July 20 event in that gap of time when police are on their way to an at 6:30 p.m. in the active shooting in a high school com“Student and staff safety is school,” said Quick. mons. “The board is “The school a very high priority of the also considerboard realizes that board and having staff at ing utilizing Force arming staff members may be conschool be able to protect Dynamics to train select staff memtroversial in nature our children in an event bers on concealed and is seeking community input on such as an active shooter weapons to give a few staff members the subject,” said weighs heavy on their the ability to miniSuperintendent mize the number Steve Quick. minds.” of casualties in The board is Steve Quick, Superintendent an active shooter considering using Oroville School Superintendent event by arming Force Dynamics to them when it can train the entire staff sometimes take law this fall in GAP training. Force Dynamics has trained enforcement 5-10 minutes to respond several schools and hospitals, including from the time the first shot is fired North Valley Hospital in GAP training, and officers arrive on scene, Quick said, according to Quick. GAP training is a adding, “Trained staff members would lockdown system that is based on the receive much more than the minimum concept of proper room fortification in the case of active shooter and defending SEE TRAINING | PG A3 BY GARY A. DE VON
EDITOR@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM
Oroville to open city streets to ATV use Ordinance patterned after Omak’s BY GARY A. DE VON
EDITOR@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM
Katie Teachout/staff photo
Teagan Walker, age 6, ducks for cover while spraying water at his brother Tanner, age 5. The Tonasket Water Ranch officially opened Sunday, July 12. The park is free of charge and open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more see page A10.
OROVILLE - The Oroville City Council adopted an ordinance allowing people to drive their ATVs on its city streets at their Tuesday, July 7 meeting. The ordinance, which is patterned after Omak’s will allow licensed fourwheelers and side-by-side All Terrain Vehicles to travel on all roads where the speed limit is 35 mph or below, which is all of Oroville’s streets.
Councilman Ed Naillon wanted to make sure the ordinance was not talking about all categories of ORVs (off road vehicles). “We are talking about the common smaller four-wheel vehicles with handlebars, as well as the larger four-wheel utility ATVs?” asked Naillon, by way of clarification before making a motion to approve the ordinance. “The common theme is they’re a four wheel vehicle.” “Yes, we kept to Omak’s closely,” replied Chris Branch, Oroville’s director of Community Development. “I just want to make sure what the ordinance is talking about,” said Naillon.
SEE ORDINANCE | PG A3
Fate of PUD’s Enloe Dam still on hold
NOAA won’t serve as lead agency on removal; PUD seeks another electrification option BY KATIE TEACHOUT KATHERINE@GAZETTE-TRIBUNE.COM
OKANOGAN - At the PUD regular commission meeting Monday, July 13, Commissioner Scott Vejraska reported on a June 30 meeting he had with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to discuss the possibility of NOAA playing the role of lead agency in the potential decommis-
sioning and removal of Enloe Dam. Vejraska said that because the organization could not and would not take over liability of the dam, the negotiations were at a standstill. “If they aren’t going to take 100% of the responsibility, it doesn’t work for us,” said Vejraska. “They want to be more of a quarterback and organize the way things are going to go, but not take on the role of a leader.” Dale Bambrick, the NOAA Branch Chief of the Interior Columbia Basin Office who met with Vejraska, stated in a letter dated July 10 “The most challenging issue identified in the removal option had to do with the lead agency role that NOAA could assume versus the role the PUD is hoping that a lead agency
can provide. Unfortunately, despite the PUD’s requests, NOAA would not be able to reimburse the $13 million in costs incurred on the dam. NOAA also would not be able to assume liability for the dam, nor would our lead agency be able to take ownership of the dam or its license.” “The expectations for a lead agency are what we have had all along. The money wasn’t the deal killer,” Vejraska said. “They said they had funding to help remove it from different organizations, but they wouldn’t tell us who; they just said it was an offshore account. We spent the better half of two hours trying to work something out.” Bambrick said NOAAs role as lead agency would involve technical support,
Katie Teachout/staff photo
The fate of Enloe Dam, decommissioned in the 1950s because it wasn’t generating power in a cost-efficient manner, has been a source of debate and dissension for decades.
coordination of efforts among agencies and stakeholders, and potentially helping
to initiate a sediment study to determine potential contamination behind the dam.
SEE PUD | PG A2
OKANOGAN VALLEY GAZETTE-TRIBUNE Volume 111 No. 29
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