The Current
4 • APRIL 2014
NEWS
AMAZING SPAGHETTI DINNER BENEFIT FOR
Shon Hartley & family Shon is Jayne Singleton’s son (Valley Museum). He is battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia, an aggressive cancer that will require bone marrow transplant at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. A full spaghetti dinner, complimented by bread, salad and drink, will benefit Shon, his wife, Julie, and their three boys. Funds raised will help defer the costs of medical and other family expenses associated with Shon’s treatments. Where: Opportunity Presbyterian Church, 202 N. Pines Road When: 4 to 7 p.m., Sunday, April 6 Tickets: $10 for adults, $7 children 12 and under, available at the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum, 12114 E. Sprague Ave., 922-4570 or at the door. RSVP requested.
Unable to attend? A benefit account has been established in Shon Hartley’s name at Banner Bank. All donations will be greatly appreciated!
“ IT’S
THE LAW ” AP RI LI SN AT ION AL DI GS AF EM ON TH
In WASHINGTON Click or Call Two Business Days Before You Plan To Dig
www.CallBeforeYouDig.org
1-800-424-5555 or dial 811 Inland Empire Utility Coordinating Council www.ieucc811.org
In case you missed it CVSD approves initial step to secure former Yoke’s The Central Valley School District board of directors unanimously voted in March to pursue the purchase of the former Yoke’s property, 16. N. Progress. If approved, programs offered at Barker High School and the Central Valley Early Learning Center would be relocated to the 63,169-squarefoot facility. According to a press release, the board authorized Superintendent Ben Small to execute a Real Estate Purchase and Sales Agreement (PSA) for $2,375,000. The district will take the next 120 days to conduct an appraisal, explore permitting processes and financing options, and evaluate the building for its intended use. “The new site will finally give Barker High School and the Early Learning Center each a permanent home ideally suited to meet the needs of their students,” Small said. “It also allows the district to repurpose vacated
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goods outlet and a car dealership. With retirement on the horizon, Baker will have more time to pursue boating and travel via motorhome with his wife, Linda, attending dog shows. In the meantime, the leading administrator at Modern will continue guiding the utility company with stellar, old-fashioned values.
Q. A.
How did you end up being hired by Modern?
Modern worked with Associated Industries to do a search for a general manager. I found out about the opening through a regional utility trade publication and submitted my resume. I made the short list and was interviewed by the board of directors and was offered the position. Q: What did you know about the company before you began working there? A: I did not know anything about Modern before I was hired. In fact I had to look on the map to see where Opportunity, Wash., was located. However, before my interview I did some research on Modern and on the Spokane Valley and liked what I found. Q: What do you think distinguishes Modern from other utility companies? A: Dedication and teamwork between the board of directors, employees, management and our customers. The board serves not for their own gain or agenda but for our customers. Our employees and
facilities space for alternate uses.” The 5.96 acre site provides a centralized location for families and students, ample parking and access to public transportation, the release said. If the district closes on the sale, the Early Learning Center could relocate as early as December 2014.
EVSD decides to bring back middle schools At a March school board meeting, the East Valley School Board voted to discontinue its K-8 structure and move back to elementary schools housing kindergarten through sixth grade students. The board had been weighing the decision and requesting feedback from the community since the beginning of the year. In March the group voted 4 to 1 in favor of the switch, which will take effect for the 20142015 school year. In 2011, East Valley closed its middle schools — with the exception of Continumanagement are committed to serve our customers in the best way possible and respond to input from our customers. This and making decisions for the long term instead of a short-term gain has positioned Modern to continue to provide excellent and reliable customer service with the lowest rates in the region and state. Q: The Modern building on Pines has become a Valley architectural landmark since it opened in 2000. Tell us a little about the process that went into constructing this unique building. A: By the mid 1990s, Modern had outgrown its headquarters that was built in the 1950s. When I say “outgrown,” not only in the need for more space but to better serve our customers with a more inviting atmosphere and conveniences such as a drive-up window and a work area for our employees to be more efficient and provide a pleasant work environment. After getting approval from the board for a new building, we interviewed architects and hired the architect that we thought would best carry out the goal of an energyefficient building that was sustainable and would be a pleasant environment for both our employees and customers. For the design of the building, we had employee representatives from all departments work with the architect to design a building that worked best for each department, customers and employees’ needs. Q: Modern has a unique reputation for being locally-owned and consumer owned. Where did this start? A: The three founders of Modern Electric Water Company were brilliant and visionaries in the formation of the company — the basic structure still works and is very efficient today. Over 100 years ago when
ous Curriculum School which has always been K-8 — in order to switch to the K-8 model. District groups are still determining the cost of the reconfiguration.
SCLD welcomes new board member John Craig was appointed to the Spokane county Library District’s board of trustees by the Board of County Commissioners in February. His five-year term will run through December 2018. A graduate of the University of Oregon, Craig has more than 35 years experience as a newspaper editor and reporter. Now retired, he serves as a volunteer court visitor in the Spokane County Superior Court Guardianship Monitoring Program. The five-member SCLD board is responsible for establishing district policies, overseeing finances and levying the property tax that comprises the majority of district funding. they established Modern, the landowners were non-financial owners of the company and would elect a board of directors to oversee the operations of the company and represent the landowners and customers. These principles are still valid today. Only the landowners can be on or vote for the board of directors and vote for changes the bylaws. In this way, all decisions are still made locally to benefit our customers. We are still a nonprofit corporation; therefore we do not have to pay dividends and make a profit for outside interest which helps us keep our rates low. Q: How important is your board to the overall success of MEWCO? A: Very, very, very important. I have witnessed many utilities in which boards either micro manage the company, have their own agenda, make decisions for the short term to make themselves look good, yet sacrifice the long term, or have big egos in which bad decisions are made. Modern’s board has none of this. They work as part of the team and make decisions for the long term based on what is good for the customer, for Modern and its employees. Q: It seems MEWCO has made a real investment in community causes. Why is this such a priority? A: It gets back to who we are. We are locally owned and controlled. Our customers and employees live, work and play here, and Modern wants this community to prosper and be a great place to work and live. We are part of this community. Q: I’m guessing that much of your job is fairly complex and technical. Can you describe in basic terms your responsibilities as general manager?
See UTILITY, page 29