2024 February Stream

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• FEBRUARY 2024

The Stream

The Water Front

Building and sharing community news –

The launch of The West Plains Stream

By Ashley Humbird Stream contributor

The West Plains media family has a new member, The West Plains Stream, a monthly newsmagazine that brings community stories and events to the forefront for community members.

Ben and Danica Wick are the owners and publishers of the freshoff-the-press newsmagazine that has sister publications in Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake.

The Wicks are Spokane Valley residents that have a passion for featuring hyper local community stories that are engaging for all ages.

But their foray into the publication world was an unexpected venture that began in 2016.

community. He has lived in the Spokane Valley his entire life, even while commuting to Eastern Washington University earning his Bachelors of Science in Computer Science.

With his love of Spokane Valley and its community members, it was only natural that Danica would join him in the Valley and make the area their home.

Fast forward to 2016 when Ben was leaving his position as Spokane Valley City Council after successfully serving as an elected City Council Member, and failing to be reelected by 90 votes, he began realizing that the news coverage for the Spokane Valley was lacking. “I was on my way to my last meeting on a local board as an elected official. I ran into one of the reporters for The Current, Craig Howard, and he said ‘Did you kno the newspapers are closing’ and so I laughed and said ‘what do I know about owning and running a newspaper? I’m an IT professional and English was my worst subject

back in school.’ But I mulled it over thinking a newspaper is a great way to get information out to the community.”

“That night Ben came home and said ‘Hey, honey, what do you think about owning a newspaper?’Danica continued, “I just told him to go talk to the previous owner. He came home from that meeting having purchased a newspaper. It working out just felt like God was guiding us.”

Ben and Danica decided to jump in feet first to take on both The Greater Spokane Valley Current and The Liberty Lake Splash Newsmagazines just two short weeks after their first meeting with the previous owner. The first edition as owners of the newspapers was January 2016.

“Our communities like to be able to know the owner, talk to the owner, and know that we as the owners are invested in the community,” Danica at the time already had two children, and shortly after acquiring the newspapers, found out she was

Ben Wick, an East Valley High School graduate, met Danica, a Mead High School graduate, over 20 years ago at the Spokane County Interstate Fair. At the time, Ben was an assistant to the fair coordinator and Danica worked at a family vendor booth. “My family was heavily involved with the fair my entire life,” shares Danica about the past. “The year I met Ben was serendipitous, because it was his last year of being assistant to the fair coordinator and my last year with my family being vendors there and we had never met. Which is crazy because we had spent our whole lives there!”

As a third-generation member of the Spokane Valley whose family is on the pioneer’s list (by being residents of the Washington Territory before the state was formed), Ben has a rich history of being involved in the local

expecting their third child.

The history of The Current and The Splash is of a news communication that is focused on family friendly coverage of the local communities that they serve, and the Wicks wanted to continue that precedent.

“We wanted to continue the hyper-local community focus. The Splash was the only City Council coverage for the City of Liberty Lake at the time, and we wanted to continue that. In addition to being able to highlight local community members, local high school sports, and local events that deserve to get more promotion.” Ben said.

“We wanted to make sure that each paper had its own identity that was very specific to the community it was serving,” Danica explains about the beginning. “It’s very rare that we run a story in both publications now unless it is a story that pertains to both communities.”

The Splash and the Current maintain their ability to share community stories and connect with the local members who live and work there. Continuing to provide unique and in-depth news coverage on stories that are often overlooked or briefly touched on by other media outlets is a defining trait of the monthly news publications.

The Stream continues to build on its sister-publication’s shoulders and connect local community members and businesses with each other in ways previously unobserved.

“We hope that you enjoy reading the Stream and we would love to hear from you with your thoughts on how we can make this better.

We look forward to sharing your story!” Ben will continue in his role as publisher of The Stream.

Photo by Two Luhns Photography The Owners and Publisher’s Ben and Danica Wick are excited to bring you the West Plains Stream to highlight and celebrate your community.

“The goal of this new publication is to support and enhance the West Plains community. We need partners, so that means if you have a story idea, please reach See WICKS, Page 5

FEBRUARY 2024 • 3

The Stream

OPENING SOON!

The Idaho Central Spokane Valley Performing Arts Center (ICSVPAC) is a privately-funded 59,000 square foot facility with a 463-seat Main Stage Theatre, a 220-seat flexible Studio Theatre, an Acting Conservatory for area youth, as well as event/business meeting space.

Construction is on-track for opening in Summer of 2024.

Once open, ICSVPAC will permanently house the region’s premier professional theatre company, Spokane Valley Summer Theatre.

Naming rights & donation opportunities are still available! Contact our Capital Campaign Director Georgia Oxford at georgia@icsvpac.com for more details or scan the QR code below:

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• FEBRUARY 2024

The Stream

Bringing that spirit of hyper local community coverage to Airway Heights, Medical Lake and Cheney in The West Plains Stream. With an initial monthly distribution of 10,000 copies, including 9,000 copies that will be direct Bringing spirit of localAirforce community to Airwayand Heights, Medical and Cheneyrequired. in The West mailed tothat residents of hyper Fairchild Base,coverage Airway Heights, Medical Lake, Lake no subscription Plains Stream. With an initial monthly distribution of 10,000 copies, including 9,000 copies that will be direct mailedneed to residents of Fairchild Airforce Base, Airway Heights, and Medical Lake, no subscription required.

We you!

All this is made possible by our community partners and advertisers, like you. With our unique distribution Weof need you! model we can help you connect with the community around you.

All of this is made possible by our community partners and advertisers, like you. With our unique distribution model can help connect with the community let around you.if you would like to participate. Send any story We arewe looking for LYyou distribution us know PUBLICATION locations for pickup, TH N O M FREE FREE NEWeditor@westplainsstream.com ideas to FEBRUARY S COMMUNITY PLAINdistribution T ES W E TH R We are looking for locations for pickup, let us know if you would like to participate. Send any story 024 FO 2ideas to editor@westplainsstream.com PRSRT STD ECRWSS Paid U.S. Postage Permit #010 9 ZIP CODE 9901

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EER M.L. VOLUNT HONORED PAGE 14

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Bringing the same spirit of hyper local community coverage we are known for in our previous publications The Splash and The Current to Airway Heights, Medical Lake, and Cheney areas with The West Plains Stream!

We Need You!

Our goal is to create a publication that is YOUR community newsmagazine and resource. So, connect with us! Feel free send us your story ideas, feedback and what you want to see!

CALL US FOR CALL US FOR DISCOUNT Support Our Community Partners!

DISCOUNT Our ability to bring you The Stream is because of our community partners and advertisers. Connect with us if OPPORTUNITIES you would like to partner with us!

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advertise@westplainsstream.com PO Box 363 Liberty Lake, WA 99019 509-242-7752 • www.WestPlainsStream.com 509-242-7752 • www.WestPlainsStream.com

The Stream

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FEBRUARY 2024 • 5

WICKS

Continued from page 2 out to us! We also have marketing opportunities for local businesses as well; just reach out.” Danica is skilled at helping create eyecatching advertisements to help small businesses showcase their expertise to the community.

Q: How did the idea of launching The Stream come about?

B: Serving on the Spokane Valley City Council, I had the opportunity to work with the City of Airway Heights council members and city manager who would say that they see our other publications and ask how do we start or get something started in our community? There were a lot of conversations with different people and then last year we had the former editor of the Cheney Free Press reach out and want to help write for The Splash and The Current. Seeing his knowledge base of the West Plains area, we thought it was another God moment. The West Plains is growing so quickly, similar to Liberty Lake having its own identity and Spokane Valley having its own identity, the West Plains has its own as well, and we want to honor that by sharing more of the local stories.

Q: How are you going to continue with the hyper community-based stories while living in the Spokane Valley?

B: We have some connections to the West Plains, I am an Eastern Washington University alumni, served as an honorary commander at Fairchild, and worked for a number of years at Goodrich Aerospace (now Collins) just off of the Medical Lake I90 exit. But Spokane Valley isn’t all that far away, we like getting involved in the communities we serve, we have already joined the West Plains Chamber of Commerce and I am a part of the Kiwanis service organization. However its not all just about us, we have a great team of contributing writers that live in the West Plains who are also connected to the community and excited to expand their contributions to the paper.

D: It’s also about connections to community partners and we’ve done a really good job of talking

Photo by Two Luhns Photography Ben and Danica Wick run their company while raising their four young children. to people in Airway Heights and Medical Lake and the other local community groups. And we will continue to get involved and be open and available to the community in order to share their stories.

Q: The Splash and the Current have different content from other local papers. There is a section for kids, seniors in the area, and more.

What will The Stream model look like after this first edition?

D: It will look very much like that. There will be kid features, new business features, business profiles sections, a local sports sections, City Council coverage, and I think it will be a similar template to the Splash and the Current. The template and model that we’ve used does really well highlighting the different facets of the community and allows us to touch on them in each edition.

We want to make sure that we are highlighting the multiple facets of the culture out in the West Plains.

B: But we are also open to suggestions from the community.

The Senior section came from a business who wanted to see that content and we added it. If the community wants to see something different, please reach out. We’re not locked in. We want this to be your paper, and we’re in this together.

Q: How did you come up with the name ‘The Stream’?

B: It’s a little bit of a play on words! When we took over the papers there was a water theme already going for the names in the papers. The Splash, the Current, a section called the wave, so we played with that and came up with the Stream because a stream can be from a plane too which integrates the airport and Air Force base which is a large part of the community.

D: It’s a double entendre there!

It’s both water themed and flight themed which seemed perfect for the area!

Q: The West Plains is unique in that it supports four different cities. How will the coverage look?

B: Right now, we don’t want to bite off too much, so we are focused on the Airway Heights and Medical Lake area. As we get more established into the community, we’re open to the idea of expanding to include Cheney.

Q: What excites you about expanding to another community in the area?

B: Being able to provide community coverage. There is a real sense of community in the Medical Lake and Airway Heights area and great things are happening that deserve to be shared more. Not to mention the Air Force Base and with

the constant turnover of personnel how do we introduce and connect them with the community and vice versa.

D: What has been the most rewarding thing about owning The Splash and The Current is sharing stories that normally wouldn’t get shared. I’m excited to get to do that for West Plains to show who they really are.

Q: The Spokane Valley Current and the Liberty Lake Splash are both free publications. Will the Stream be free as well?

B: Absolutely! It will be free.

In addition to the direct mailing option, we are looking for local businesses to be pick up locations; to host a rack and be a distribution location. We have about 150 pick up locations for each of our other publications and will be looking to do the same here. If you live outside of our direct mailing locations and would like to have it mailed to your house, we offer a subscription service. Subscriptions can also be found on the website. www. westplainsstream.com Q: When will the Stream be available?

D: Publication is once a month, mid-month around the 15th. If you are reading this then you have the first edition. We hope you like it!

6

• FEBRUARY 2024

Airway Heights council begins year with busy schedule

By John McCallum Stream contributor

While construction projected related measures dominated sessions in late December through early February, Airway Heights’ City Council also dealt with issues such as water, mining and zoning.

Council buys street sweeper, upgrades lighting During its final study session of 2023 on Dec. 27, City Council approved a pair of upcoming street expenses: a residential lighting project and a street sweeper.

The lighting project will provide new illumination for a portion of 6th Avenue between Aspen Street and West Whitetip Avenue. There is currently no lighting on this stretch and the Cheney School District expressed concern about the dangers to students who might be in the area under low light situations.

Engineering developed an estimated $65,000 plan to install lighting on both sides of the street.

Instead, the council approved a phased plan to put in lighting at the entrances to the apartment complexes, costing between $48,000 – $49,000.

Council also approved the purchase of a used street sweeper from Owen Equipment, a company

NEWS

the city does regular business with when needed. The 2005 Elgin Crosswind sweeper has 3,489 hours and roughly 24,000 miles of usage, and has recently been renovated.

The city purchased the sweeper for $90,000 using $40,000 from the Street Fund that was part of a 2022 grant from the Spokane Tribe of Indians, with the balance and interfund loan from the Utility Fund.

Council selected

Chair,

Vice

Chair

Council voted at its first meeting in 2024 to select Councilman Larry Bowman and Councilwoman Veronica Messing as Council Chair and Vice Chair respectively.

Street grants, mining expansion approved Council unanimously approved a pair of items dealing with road construction in the city. The first was to accept a pair of state grants totaling just over $3.17 million for the estimated $16.8 million 6th Avenue Development Project from Craig to Deer Heights Road. Once completed, the project will offer an alternative route through the city in order to relieve congestion on U.S. Highway 2.

The city received a $2 million Spokane Transit Authority grant in November 2021 to construct a missing portion of 6th Avenue between Craig Road and Ketchum Street. The new grants, $754,341 from Washington’s Transportation Improvement Board and $2.42 million from the Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board, will enable the city to begin widening and improving the roadway between Craig Road and Russell Street to arterial standards.

The second item approved was a draft work order for construction management services not to exceed

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The Stream

$349,000 from Ardurra for the city’s 10th Avenue Extension project, which was awarded to Shamrock Paving on Dec. 4, 2023. The project will extend 10th from Garfield Street to Hayford Road, with Ardurra providing project administration, inspection, closeout and record drawing preparation services.

The project is anticipated to begin as soon as March, 2024.

Council also unanimously approved Resolution 2023-031, a conditional use permit to allow expansion of CPM Development Corporation’s aggregate mining pit north of the city.

CPM’s current operation takes place between the Spokane County ORV Park to the west and Spokane Raceway Park to the east, accessed by West Sprague Avenue. The expansion is on a 20-acre parcel northwest of this and northeast of the ORV Park, and is zoned I-2 (Heavy Industrial).

The CUP application was approved by the Spokane Hearing Examiner prior to council consideration, with the Examiner disagreeing with the Kalispel Tribe of Indians contention that the project should include additional mitigation measures to avert possible impacts to its Northern Quest Resort and Casino, located to the east of the current mining site.

The Examiner did approve additional conditions proposed

by Airway Heights and others commenting on the Determination of Non-Significance, including complying with all existing local and state water quality monitoring regulations, submission of a geotechnical/hydrological report and proper fencing and site separation requirements.

According to Spokane County’s SCOUT property system, CPM purchased the property in December, 2022 for $450,000 from Washington Motorsports Limited Partnership.

Casino climate

impacts,

water

and

Council had a busy evening, passing five action items, a first reading of an ordinance and a pair of resolutions, one that requires a public hearing to be conducted at the Feb. 19 meeting.

Two action items dealt with existing contracts the city maintains, one with the Spokane Tribe of Indians regarding its casino and the other with the city of Spokane for water supply.

The city and the Spokane Tribe originally entered into an impact mitigation agreement for the Tribe’s class 3 gaming facility, with the stipulation that the city would forward 20% of the fee to Spokane County. The agreement between Airway Heights and the county was terminated in 2013, but with the Spokane Tribe’s opening of its casino in 2017, it asked the city to reach a new impact mitigation agreement with the county, asking the city to set aside 20% of its mitigation fee in escrow until an agreement could be reached or failed.

City Manager Albert Tripp told the council they had sent a final offer to the county in December, 2023, and the county had agreed to the terms, which require the city to pay the county 20% of what it receives from the Tribe. Airway Heights and the county will also split the $595,000 being held in escrow.

Council also approved an amendment to the city’s agreement with the city of Spokane for receiving water. The amendment makes available another 250 gallons a minute for Airway Heights’ use.

Council also approved a 20232025 Climate Planning grant from the state Department of Commerce. The grant is to be used for developing and implementing new chapters in the city’s comprehensive plan for greenhouse gas reduction as now required by state law. Airway Heights is scheduled to begin its six-year review and revision to its comprehensive plan this year.

According to Commerce grant information, Airway Heights has been awarded up to $230,000 to assist with this process. The funding is released in two grant cycles, the first approved by the council for $100,000.

“It isn’t the full amount year one,” Tripp said. “Rather this is like a staggered source of funds over a period of 3-4 years.”

Council also approved the first reading of Ordinance C-1015, adopting the 2023 zoning map that was approved by the Planning Commission after a public hearing at its Jan. 10 meeting.

Finally, council voted to move a resolution establishing a revocable license and permit with Dealers Business Park, LLC to allow an electric fence on the city’s right of way near the businesses’ Hayford Road location. The resolution requires a public hearing on the issue, which will be held on Feb. 19.

The Stream

Medical Lake council adopts 2024 budget, public defense contract

By John McCallum Stream contributor

Medical Lake’s City Council adopted the city’s 2024 budget and approved a contract for providing indigent public defense at its municipal court in meetings at the end of 2023 and beginning of 2024.

Dec. 19 meeting The City Council unanimously approved adoption of the city’s 2024 operating budget at its final meeting in 2023, Dec. 19. The nearly $11.10 million in expenses were mostly offset by almost $8.34 million in revenues, $1.24 million in transfers in from other funds — including $475,00 from the Parks & Recreation Fund and $250,000 from the Parks Improvement Fund — along with a similar $1.24 million in other transfers.

The largest fund transfer was the $1,007,300 transfer out of the General Fund.

The budget includes 15 capital projects for the city, most of which are funded by grants, along with some the use of capital reserves to fund overdue improvements to the wastewater treatment plant.

The

three

highest

revenue

NEWS

accounts expected are the General Fund at $2,548,853, the Street Fund at $1,345,000 and the Wastewater Fund at $1,307,500. According to the budget summary, revenues do not include beginning balances or reserves.

On the expenses side, the three largest are streets at $1,545,500, Water Fund – Restricted at $1,330,000 and the Water Treatment Department at $1,075,236.

Eight funds will receive transfers in: Streets – Restricted, $130,00; Public Safety, $150,000; Parks & Recreation, $475,000; Parks Improvement, $250,000; Water – Restricted, $125,000; Broadband, $100,000 and State Custodials, $12,300. Besides the General Fund, other funds making transfers out are Capital Improvement, $110,000 and Water, $125,000.

Jan. 2 meeting Council unanimously approved an extension of its lease with the state Department of Social and Health Services for the Waterfront Park property, 45 acres of land on the south end of Medical Lake. The lease, signed in November, 1967, is now set to terminate on June 30,2024, and allows for time to present to the state Legislature an exemption to a recently passed law requiring that state leased land be paid for at current market value.

The city is hoping to get a measure before the Legislature allowing an exemption for government-togovernment agreements.

Jan. 16 meeting The council approved a contract with Reid Legal Office, PLLC, for providing indigent defense services. The city agrees to pay Reid $1,300 per month for

regular public defense services for violations of city ordinances deemed misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor offense taking place within Medical Lake committed by adults and/or juveniles, along with any appeals to Spokane County Superior Court.

The contract also requires the city to pay Reid for any “nonroutine expenses” incurred with their regular scope of work such as medical and psychiatric evaluations, expert witnesses fees and expenses, language interpreters, polygraph, forensic and other scientific tests as well as other non-routine expenses the city of Cheney Municipal Court finds necessary. The non-routine expenses must first be approved

by Cheney Municipal Court, the court Medical Lake has a contract with to prosecute the infractions listed above.

Council unanimously agreed to a resolution accepting a fuel tax grant agreement as part of its award in December 2023 of the state Transportation Improvement Board’s 2024 Scrub and Chip Seal project. The city was awarded 95.001 % of approved eligible project costs not to exceed a maximum of $702,129.

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Council subsequently unanimously adopted a resolution to use up to $43,560 of this funding for its 2024 Street Maintenance program to repair city streets are various locations. According to TIB award information, the total cost of the project is $45,853, awarding the city 94.9992 % of project costs. www.amaculate.com

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COVER STORY

• FEBRUARY 2024

The Stream

Community comes together to rebuild after fire devastation

By Nina Culver

Stream contributor

August 18, 2023 was a Red Flag Warning day, with a weather forecast featuring hot temperatures, low humidity and gusting winds. A Red Flag Warning day is considered to have a high risk of wildfire and unfortunately, that came true for the community of Medical Lake when a small fire grew quickly, devouring everything in its path.

Firefighters and other first responders streamed into the Medical Lake area, even as a second large fire bloomed near Elk in north Spokane County. Emergency crews were quickly overwhelmed as residents fled the advancing flames.

Medical Lake Mayor Terri Cooper spent much of the first few days at the incident command center with fire officials. “I wanted to be there to help,” she said.

Flames narrowly avoided some key areas. “Both the elementary school and the middle school, it went around,” she said. “It was miraculous.”

While no public buildings were lost, a total of 240 homes burned, including 55 homes in the Medical Lake city limits. The west shore of Silver Lake was also hit hard. When the flames finally died down and the damage was discovered, what began was the struggle to recover and rebuild. “My first thought was, what are we going to do?” she said.

“What in the world are we going to do to help these people?”

Cooper said she’s spent a lot of time trying to connect residents with whatever resources she could find. Families were assigned a Salvation Army case manager to help them access disaster relief funding. Cooper said the city has gotten about $5 million for asbestos testing, debris removal and smaller expenses like RV winterization for those living in RV’s while they

Contributed Photo One of the biggest issue after the fire was the safety factors around the remaining weakened trees. A collaborative effort between volunteers, Department of Natural Resources, Avista, and the City of Medical Lake came together to help remove the weakened trees. rebuild. “We’ve just started using the money,” she said. “It goes at the speed of government. It doesn’t go at the speed of everything else.”

donations,” Cooper said. “They added disaster response to their 501(c)3. We were all building the plane on the way up.”

One of the major tasks was to remove all the burned remains of homes and cars, which were sent to the Graham Road Landfill. “It’s not all ashes,” Cooper said. “It’s chunks of metal, cars, all the concrete is there.”

Cooper would put out calls for volunteers and Re*Imagine would organize the response. “I never have a problem getting volunteers,” Johnson said. “I have the best volunteers ever. We completed tasks week by week. It was like eating an elephant one bite at a time. It was a big elephant.”

Local churches, civic groups and non-profit organizations have also stepped up. The local Lions Club put together buckets filled with household cleaning supplies.

The nearby Bible Camp, which lost five cabins in the fire, opened up their bath house and kitchen in the immediate aftermath. Redemption Church opened its doors as a resource center.

Re*Imagine Medical Lake, which was founded by Cooper and her sister, Gerri Johnson, has been running the town’s Founder’s Day, Fall Festival and Winter Festival events. Cooper stepped down from her leadership position in the organization when she was elected mayor. “Re*Imagine started taking

Re*Imagine Medical Lake began handing out food, clothing and hygiene products to fire victims.

They used cash donations to purchase gift cards for gas and groceries, which is still continuing each month. Johnson said her goal was to try to take away what burden she could from people trying to recover from the fire. “I had people walking through the door and being so blank and they did not know what to do,” she said.

Some of those who lost everything in the fire were used to being among the givers in the community and had difficulty asking for help, Johnson said. “They were so hurt

and traumatized,” she said.

Some of the food distributed to affected families came from Four Roots, a sustainable alternative farm that often distributes free food boxes to those in need. At Christmas, the Airway Heights Wal-Mart donated artificial Christmas trees and ornaments for families. A group of quilters made 175 Christmas stockings and 25 quilts.

“The resources we give them, the small things we can provide, it will not make them whole, but it will let them know we care,” Johnson said.

Donations are still coming in. Last month students from East Valley High School and West Valley High School preparing for their annual Golden Throne rivalry Spirit Week game came together to raise almost $4,000 for Re*Imagine Medical Lake to help fire victims. “To know that students did that, that’s incredible,” Johnson said.

One of the biggest issues after the fire was the trees. Thousands of trees had burned and were weakened, but remained standing. They had to be removed for safety reasons. The effort was a collaboration between

The Stream

volunteers, the Department of Natural Resources and Avista Utilities, which removed damaged trees near power lines. The City of Medical Lake also spent an estimated $80,000 removing trees inside the city limits and the city’s public works director spent his own time volunteering to help the effort.

“It was incredibly layered,” Cooper said. “It’s too much for one community. It really brought us together.”

The tree removal effort took nearly two months to complete.

Some tree trunks were in good enough shape to be shipped to a local lumber mill and others were shredded. That just left all the tree limbs. “If you think of a football field stacked 15 feet high, that’s how many tree limbs we had,” Cooper said.

During that process Re*Imagine Medical Lake would often feed the volunteer tree removal crews or pay for diesel fuel to run donated equipment. “They did a lot,” Cooper said.

About half of the 55 homeowners inside the city limits who lost homes have applied for permits to rebuild.

It’s a slow process and in the meantime, some of the 1,000 people displaced are living with relatives or living in RV’s, Cooper said. Others had to go as far away as Post Falls or north Spokane to find housing.

Some people, in addition to losing their homes, lost their home-based businesses.

COVER STORY

primary residences lost in a wildfire in the state’s history,” Cooper said.

In addition, the City of Medical Lake has been lobbying the state legislature for funding to help in future emergencies. One of the most urgent requests has been for $29 million to extend 4 miles of water and sewer lines to the 230 properties on the west shore of Silver Lake. The area was damaged heavily in the fire and many wells and septic systems were compromised or destroyed.

Though Silver Lake is outside Medical Lake’s city limits, the city benefits when people visit the lake and end up coming into town and spending money in local businesses, Cooper said. The children who live there attend schools in Medical Lake.

And the city’s wastewater plant has the capacity to handle the homes in the area. “They’re our neighbors,” Cooper said. “That lake is directly tied to our economic interests.”

Extending the city’s water and sewer lines can help eliminate negative ecological impacts from the failing wells and septic tanks.

The $29 million would also pay to improve road access to the area and provide the infrastructure to help reduce future fire risk, Cooper said.

“They had three neighborhoods,” she said of Silver Lake’s west shore.

“They each had one way in and one way out. That’s a risk. They had no fire hydrants. That’s a risk.”

Photo by Nina Culver Medical Lake Mayor Terry Cooper (left) with sister and co-founder of the Re*Imagine Medical Lake non-profit Gerri Johnson (right).

The state is in the middle of a budget cycle and isn’t really approving new projects right now, but Cooper said she asked for at least $10 million this year so the city can get started. “There’s an urgency,” she said. “We need probably $5 million to get the fine, shovel-ready engineering done.”

The two dozen legislators she talked to recently in Olympia were receptive to the idea. She

“It impacted so much of our community,” Johnson said.

“It’s been crazy to listen to their individual stories.

The group is making every effort to speed up the recovery process.

“This is the largest number of

brought along letters of support from Spokane County and Spokane County Fire District 3 to bolster her request.

The city would also like to raise $33 million to build temporary housing. It’s a less urgent matter because those currently displaced have already found places to live, but it would help in the future, Cooper said. The idea is to build 55 cottages on the west shore of Medical Lake near Waterfront Park that could be used as temporary housing during natural disasters and then rented out when not needed as temporary housing.

Cooper said she expects it to take time to get the funding for this project and the city will be looking for state and federal grants.

Both Johnson and Cooper currently serve in the Spokane Region Long Term Recovery Group, which includes community leaders, public officials and business representatives from both communities damaged by fire that August day. The purpose of the group is to be a liaison between families affected by the fire and government agencies and non-profit organizations.

“I just call it the bridge,” said Cooper, who is the group’s president. “We’re the bridge and the connector.”

FEBRUARY 2024 • 9

Contributed photo Infra-red images of the Gray Fire perimeter identifying the areas impacted by the fire.

She’s also been supporting House Bill 1899, which would allow those rebuilding to rebuild to current building codes. The state’s new energy code is set to take effect in March, which would require different building materials and energy efficient materials in addition to banning natural gas furnaces. The bill would carve out an exception for only those homeowners affected by the Spokane County fires to apply for a building permit after March but be exempt from the expensive requirements in the energy code, Cooper said.

10

• FEBRUARY 2024

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Cheney, Medical Lake teams hit postseason action

By John McCallum Stream contributor

The beginning of February means the beginning of the postseason, and teams and Cheney and Medical Lake high schools found themselves in the thick of the action in trying to advance towards state competitions.

CHENEY Boys basketball The Blackhawks wrapped up their season on Feb. 8 with a pair of tiebreaker losses with Mead and Ferris for the final playoff spot in Greater Spokane League 3A/4A post season action.

Cheney lost to Ferris 25-22 in the three-quarters tiebreaker format, then followed that with a 21-19 loss to Mead in two quarters, getting outscored 17-10 in the final period by the Panthers.

Cheney finished the season 3-8 in GSL play, ninth place, and 9-13 overall.

Girls basketball The Blackhawks ended their season on a high note, despite missing post season action, with a 53-41 win over North Central on Feb. 6. Juniors Mia Ashcroft, Kiah Klauss along with sophomore Natalie Richards each scored 10 points to lead Cheney.

The Blackhawks finished ninth in the GSL at 1-8, 5-15 overall.

Wrestling Cheney wrapped up its GSL season at 5-4, ending with a 4127 win over Gonzaga Prep for fourth-place overall in league.

At subregional action on Feb. 3, Mason Bennett and Trenton Moore advanced to regionals with championship wins at 144 and 175 pounds respectively.

Also advancing through the consolation finals were Cameron Bogle, pinning Mead’s Nolan Lofstedt for third at 132 while Wyatt Wells and Gauge Seubert moved on, finishing fourth each at 175 and 190.

Also advancing with wins for fifth place were Aiden Carr (120), Shadrach Mason (150) and Macade Munro (215), along with sixth-place finisher Jacob Estock (144).

At regionals on Feb. 10 at University High School, Moore defeated Kennewick’s Hunter Brower in a 4-0 decision to capture the title at 175. Bennett placed second at 144, losing a 10-3 decision to Hermiston’s Daniel Garza.

Bogle was fifth at 132, with Wells sixth at 175 while Carr and Munro each placed eighth at 120 and 215. Cheney finished sixth

overall in team competition, with Mead easily outpacing Hermiston, Ore., to win the regional title.

Several Blackhawk girls competed in the 3A/4A tournament at Sunnyside High School. Jennifer Tian and Jalisca Holmgren both placed fourth at 110 and 125 respectively while Paige McGee was sixth at 140.

MEDICAL LAKE Boys basketball The Cardinals were headed to the post season as of Feb. 10, seeded fourth in the Northeast A League and headed to Riverside for a game with the secondseeded Rams (10-2, 14-6).

Medical Lake (6-6, 8-14) got 23 points from Aiden Suddeth in a 62-55 first-round, loser-out win over visiting Colville on Feb. 6, but fell behind 23-5 after the first quarter and couldn’t rally in a 79-33 semifinal loss to fourthranked Freeman (12-0, 19-2).

Girls basketball The

Cardinals

dream

of

advancing further in the postseason were still alive as of Feb. 10, but needed another win to do so. Medical Lake (5-7, 1310) advanced in the NEA playoffs with a 45-35 win over visiting Freeman on Feb. 6, led by Charde Luat’s 22 points and another 13 from Delaney Gunther.

Medical Lake fell short of a trip to the title game with a 6742 loss to top-seeded, unbeaten and third-ranked Deer Park (120, 22-0) on Feb. 8. Luat led the Cardinals with 15 points, Chiche Okembgo adding 14.

Medical Lake’s chances to continue in the postseason came down to a District 6/7 crossover game at third-seeded Colville (8-4, 18-3) on Feb. 14. Colville is currently ranked 13th in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association RPI poll.

Wrestling The Cardinals finished 1-5 in the NEA, but saved some good finishes for the postseason.

Advancing out of the District 7 tournament were True Cole, second at 215; Tayden Tonasket, Liam Horn and Ethan Bales, third at 126, 132 and 190; Carsen Buenzil and Taigen Mitcham, fourth at 157 and 215; Michael Keister, fifth at 165 and Xane San Agustin and Clinton Zimmerman, sixth at 175.

In girls action, Lyla Heinemann defeated Heather Wyborney of Wilbur-Creston-Keller with a 6-5 decision to finish third at 130.

At regional action Feb. 10 at Quincy High School, Cole lost to eventual 215 champion Xavier Cardona of Omak in the semifinals, but rebounded to pin Riverside’s Brady Martin for third place. Buenzli placed fourth at 157, while Horn was fifth at 132, with Tonasket and Bales placing sixth at 126 and 190.

Heinemann placed fourth at Quincy in the girls regional tournament.

The Stream

FEBRUARY 2024 • 11

NEWS

northeast corner of the Craig Road for a “mitigated water right” to Airway Heights and State Route 902 intersection. move some of its water rights from When the well pumps were turned the West Plains to near the Spokane adds more Under the amendment, Airway on, the increased pumping capacity River in order to potentially drill a is to pay a “capacity buy-in led to a severe drawdown of the city new well near the Seven Mile Natural water pumping Heights charge” of $642,857 within 60 days of Medical Lake’s well located just Area and draw water from the execution of the amendment. across SR 902 to the south along with Spokane/ Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer capacity from ofAccording to the staff report to a drawdown of the Four Lakes Water — a geological and hydrogeological council, the charge of “approximately District’s well a couple miles further different type of aquifer than the portion of the Columbia River Basalt Spokane $2,600 per gpm compares favorably south on Craig Road.

Group aquifer located on the West arrangement that was increased to 1,500 gpm and extended to June 15, 2026 in October, 2022.

By John McCallum Stream contributor

Airway Heights is amending its agreement to receive water from the city of Spokane while it pursues the possibility of drilling a new well to help the city’s beleaguered water sources.

Under the amendment approved

by Airway Heights City Council at its Feb. 5 meeting, Spokane agrees to allow Airway Heights to pump an additional 250 gallons per minute of supplemental water as needed from its connection at Craig and McFarlane roads. The cities reached an agreement in 2018 to allow Airway Heights to pump an additional shortterm emergency water amount up to 1,400 gallons per minute from the connection at Hayford Road and U.S. Highway 2 for up to two years — an

to other projects being considered for increasing long term supply.”

The city is also required to perform some minor improvements to the connection at Craig and McFarlane by paying for Spokane’s installation of a flow restrictor along with, at a minimum, verification of the pressure reducing value’s capacity located in the vault.

“The 250 gallons per minute will set us up for the next couple of years in much better shape than we have been,” Airway Heights Public Works Director Kevin Anderson told the council.

Water has been an issue for Airway Heights for decades, stretching back into the early 2000s when it sought to increase its supply through an upgrade of the former Park West Development well on the

The conflict was settled in 2011 when Airway Heights signed an “agreed order” with the state Department of Ecology to phase out use of the Park West well by the middle of 2013. The city subsequently opened a new well at Lundstrom and 21st, and now only uses Park West in an extreme emergency.

In 2017, discovery of contamination from chemicals believed to have been used in firefighting foam at Fairchild Air Force Base led to the shutdown of all of Airway Heights municipal wells, along with many private wells on the West Plains.

With the base’s assistance, the city resorted to distributing bottled water to residents until the agreement with Spokane to utilize some of its water supply was reached.

In 2021, Airway Heights applied

Plains.

This past March, the city submitted a “mitigated determination of nonsignficance” to state regulators claiming the proposed new well would not have a probable significant adverse impact to the environment near the Spokane River at Seven Mile.

The city of Spokane and other local water users submitted challenges to this statement.

Until a determination is made by the state, the city still relies heavily on Spokane for its water supply.

“We’re still having water challenges, and we want to solve those,” Anderson said at the Feb. 5 council meeting. “But what we can do in the short term, with this additional 250, is be in a much better place.”

https://www.WestPlainsChamber.org/ 509-747-8480 • chamber@westplainschamber.org

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FEBRUARY 2024 • 13

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About and for West Plains area seniors

“When they were reading what and community events, including stored at her home.

Kiwanis was written about me, I (thought the annual Trunk-or-Treat where She resigned from her roles to myself), I had forgotten about costumes are provided for kids within ReImagine Medical Lake Senior Citizen that,” Heebink said while recalling by organizers like Heebink, who following the Gray Road fire, but the moment she received the award. worked the entire year leading up Johnson said Heebink returned to try to volunteer with all of the to the event to source secondhand ReImagine just a few days after the Volunteer of “Inonprofits because they’re all doing costumes. disaster to assist other survivors great things…and there’s just things the Year “We’ve worked with Reggie for in navigating the same recovery that need to get done.”

By Colette Buck

Stream contributor

Medical Lake and the surrounding West Plains community have a new Senior Citizen Volunteer of the Year, and this year’s recipient is well-known and admired for her organizational skills and dedication to her community, no matter the circumstances.

Long-time community volunteer Reggie Heebink received the Medical Lake Kiwanis Club Senior Citizen Volunteer of the Year award during the 41st Annual Senior Citizens Valentine’s Day Dinner to audible cheers and sounds of applause by the dinner’s attendees.

Heebink was nominated by another prominent figure and community servant, Gerri Johnson.

Johnson is the president of the community nonprofit ReImagine Medical Lake and owns Farm Salvation, a small decor shop along one of the town’s main roads.

The two first connected when Heebink took over the role of festival and parade director from current Medical Lake Mayor Terri Cooper, who stepped down to run for mayor and serve her community in a political role.

Since then, Johnson and Heebink have collaborated on many festivals

several years, and there’s nothing quite like the heart of a volunteer,” Johnson said. “Her dedication and passion are unlike anyone else I know, and it’s one of the main reasons why we nominated her for the award.”

While Johnson said she could have nominated Heebink in past years, it was Heebink’s selfless service to her community following the Gray Road Wildfire that prompted Johnson to submit the nomination.

Heebink was one of thousands of people displaced by the Gray fire and one of 240 homeowners who lost everything, including some of the event decorations that were

Each year, the Kiwanis Club solicits nominations from the community, asking them to select senior volunteers who have “greatly contributed of themselves to the good of others and the community.”

Nominees must be considered senior citizens, and their volunteer work can be recent or from as far back as the nominator believes is relevant.

“For someone who just experienced the same (trauma), she was offering her strength to others,” Johnson said. “She has come in and supported me and continues to be a strong leader. I lean on her as a friend and as a leader.”

Heebink has been a member of the Medical Lake community for 20 years and said she began volunteering full-time after she retired from her job as a traveling sales representative. She suddenly found herself without much to do and a hunger to serve others, especially families and kids in need.

“I was the festival director for several years, and I’ve been the Parade director for eight, and I just (enjoy) watching the families and the kiddos come and have a good time with none of the stuff that’s going on out there,” Heebink said.

“This is a safe community, the kids can run around and play, and we make sure everything is safe for them.”

Along with organizing the town’s festivals, Heebink also supports the Kiwanis Club’s Dollars for Scholars fund drive, participates in Medical Lake’s cleanup days, and is active with the area Shriner’s group. A talented seamstress and crafter, Heebink also uses her interests to support her community and hopes to inspire others to volunteer to meet the needs of their communities and help them thrive.

“This is a person who…does the right thing because it’s what she needs to do, it’s what she has to do, and it’s what she’s always done,” Master of Ceremonies Jordan Cole said before announcing Heebink’s name. “This is not somebody who is pretending to be from the heart, this is somebody who truly isn’t looking for attention. She cares about the community.”

Joined by two recent volunteers of the year, Heebink was presented with a wooden clock and plaque to commemorate her volunteer service, along with a corsage and a special seat in the Founder’s Day Parade later this year. Her acceptance speech was short but true to her reputation as a community servant.

process she was also navigating.

Contributed photo Long-time community volunteer Reggie Heebink received the Medical Lake Kiwanis Club Senior Citizen Volunteer of the Year.

“A lot of communities kind of fell apart during (the pandemic), and some of them still haven’t come back together to what they had been doing before, and sometimes because of a lack of volunteers,” Heebink said. “As long as you can keep it going, keep it fresh, and energized, people will come.”

FEBRUARY 2024 • 15

The Stream

PUZZLES

16

• FEBRUARY 2024

NEWS

Jeff Holy sponsored bill could make higher education choices easier

The Senate approved the measure on Feb. 1 by a 48-1 vote.

The bill also allows a nonpublic university, college, school or institute in the state to also enter into the student data-sharing agreements with OSPI as long as it is a member institution of an accrediting association recognized by the WSAC.

By John McCallum Stream contributor

A state Senate bill sponsored by 6th District Sen. Jeff Holy that would help high school students make more informed decisions about which higher education institution they wish to attend is headed to the House of Representatives.

Senate Bill 6053 would require the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) — created in 2012 and assuming some responsibilities of the former state Higher Education Coordinating Board — to establish a data-agreement with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to share not only information about postsecondary educational opportunities but also financial aid possibilities.

“This is a really good bill,” Holy, the Republican leader on the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee, said in a news release.

“We’re moving forward on the idea that high-school students need to figure out exactly where they’re going to go for postsecondary education.”

Under legislation passed in 2023, OSPI is required to share high school student directory information — which under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is limited to things such as students name, date of birth and contact information — with institutions of higher education in order to provide those students information about higher education opportunities.

This information is subsequently shared by the institutions with school districts.

Under FERPA, parents guardians have the right

or to

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inspect and review their student’s education records and the right of refusal to release some information, with the exception of directory information which can be released by the districts without consent.

Under SB 6053, WSAC will now enter into an agreement with OSPI to facilitate exchange of this type of information that now includes information on financial aid options.

“WSAC and the higher ed institutions may only use that directory information to contact students to inform them about financial aid opportunities and higher ed opportunities,” Holy, R-Cheney, said. “The benefit to the student is that WSAC will help them determine exactly what financial aid is available, and then the colleges will let them know which schools they qualify to attend.”

According to the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs, Washington led the nation in providing

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need-based financial aid to undergraduate college students.

During the 2021-2022, the state provided an average of $2,008.23 per student, with New Jersey second at $1,790.39 and Virginia third at $1,551.62. Oregon and Idaho provided $810.77 and 249.75 respectively.

College financial aid usually does not come from one source.

Aid packages often include a mixture of grants, scholarships, loans and work study options.

“Attending a college or university typically is very expensive. Many students need financial aid to pay for their higher education but aren’t aware what kinds of financial aid are available,” Holy said. “This bill would help students by making it easier for the Washington Student Achievement Council to provide financial aid information to them.”

SB 6053 now moves to the House’s Postsecondary Education & Workforce Committee.

The Stream

Share your creativity at the library during the annual Community Art Show

By Alison Johnson, Librarian Spokane County Library District

The Annual Art Show returns to the library, inviting all in the community to explore being creative. Each year, we get to see the fabulous imaginations of artists. Whether the art is impressively detailed, charming, cute, or wacky, there are always a variety of artworks to view that are amazing.

This year, our theme is “Through a Window,” which was inspired by the “canvas” for the

LIBRARY art. The canvas is a small, clear acrylic tile, which simulates a window.

Imagine what you could see through a window. What do you enjoy gazing at? What can be captured in just one moment? Or what would someone see standing outside and looking in? Maybe yours is a special window—on a spaceship or a submarine?

If you are looking for inspiration, you can check out art books and online art classes with your library card. We can’t wait to see what you imagine and create!

The clear acrylic tiles readily accept acrylic paint, paint markers, spray paints, glass paints, and much more.

Quantities are limited at each library, so tiles are only available while supplies last.

To participate, stop by your local library to get a tile, then create your art, and submit it along with an artist information

Explore the history of the Ice Age Floods that shaped our region

Library (610 First St, Cheney).

Take a look back to around 20,000 years ago at the end of the last glacial maximum and at the formation of two huge, glacially dammed, meltwater glacial lakes—Missoula and Columbia.

Then explore the subsequent failures of the Lake Missoula ice dam, which resulted in a series of megafloods, and discuss the geologic and hydrologic factors of lake formations from the Medical Lake area to Fish Lake.

History, geology, and nature enthusiasts are in for a special treat in February. Spokane County Library District (SCLD) has partnered with presenters from the Ice Age Floods Institute (https://www.iafi.org/) to share the natural history of Lake Missoula, the Channeled Scablands, the Spokane Aquifer, and the major features carved out by the floods that we see today.

Three more presentations are being given at other SCLD locations. The Spokane Aquifer is a legacy from the giant Ice Age floods that roared through the Spokane Valley, leaving behind a porous, course gravel that hosts our communities’ water supply.

Learn more about its history and formation from Dr. Michael Hamilton during “The Spokane Aquifer: Legacy of the Ice Age Floods” at Moran Prairie Library (6004 S Regal St, Spokane) on Thursday, February 22, at 2pm.

By Erin Dodge Stream Guest Correspondent

During “Cheney at the Head of Channeled Scablands,” Dr. Linda McCollum, president of the Cheney-Spokane Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute, presents an overview of the history of the Channeled Scablands on Tuesday, February 20, at 6pm at Cheney

On Monday, February 26, at 6pm at Argonne Library (4322 N Argonne Rd, Spokane), you can attend “PNW in Brief: The Most Recent Ice Age Floods,” presented

FEBRUARY 2024 • 17

card at your library by the deadline. People of all ages from all around Spokane County are encouraged to participate!

Submissions for the art show are accepted February 1–29. Each library has an art show station at the front desk, with acrylic tiles and artist information cards to pick up and an art submission drop box.

Starting March 6 and continuing through the end of the month, you can view the art show in libraries and online.

For the online show, selected art from each library can be seen at www.scld.org/art-show. You’ll also find more information about the art show on that web page, including the terms and conditions for participating.

You’re invited to enjoy the imaginations and creations of our neighbors and residents of Spokane County at the library.

I hope you have a creative and joyful year.

by Dr. Gary Ford, president of the Ice Age Floods Institute. At this event, brochures prepared by the Ice Age Floods Institute and National Park Service will be available, which may help you explore the areas on your next trip. You can also purchase books, videos, and maps on the floods from the Cheney-Spokane Chapter.

Follow along on an imaginative look at the period when Lake Missoula was carving out our shrub-steppe scablands, during “Imagined History: Paddling Lake Missoula,” presented by author and Washington State Book Award-winner Paul Lindholdt. You can attend this presentation at North Spokane Library (44 E Hawthorne Rd, Spokane) on Wednesday, February 28, 6pm. Learn more about these programs at www. scld.org/events.

Each presentation is sure to reveal the awe-inspiring power of nature as well as the wonderous geological formations in the region that we marvel at and enjoy as we travel across the Pacific Northwest.

Through a Window:

Community Art Show For all ages

Submit Art to the Community Art Show 1. Get a clear acrylic tile “canvas” from the library 2. Paint, collage, or decorate it 3. Return your art to the library ALL LIBRARIES Accepting art through Feb 29

View the Community Art Show We hope you enjoy seeing the creativity of friends and neighbors of all ages!

ALL LIBRARIES & ONLINE March 6–31

Learn more at www.scld.org/art-show

www.scld.org

18

• FEBRUARY 2024

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Frustration At Restoration Advisory Board Open House

By Nina Culver

Stream contributor

West Plains residents who turned out for meetings this month hoping to learn more about efforts to fix water contamination that came from the use of firefighting foam on Fairchild Air Force base came away frustrated at what they see as a the lack of information and communication.

Fairchild’s Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) met Wednesday, February 7, followed that evening by an open house. The Restoration Advisory Board includes government and community representatives designed to give stakeholders involvement in the environmental restoration process.

The firefighting foam used at Fairchild from the 1970s to 2016 contained “forever chemicals” known as PFAS. In 2017, Fairchild discovered PFAS contamination in water at the base and the well testing soon spread, revealing contamination in many residential wells as well as wells used in the City of Airway Heights water system.

Since then, the testing has continued.

Some families were provided with bottled water to drink and 90 Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) filtration systems were installed in some homes.

The Environmental Protection Agency has set a lifetime drinking water health advisory for PFAS at 70 parts per trillion. Research into the health effects of the chemicals is ongoing, but they are thought to be connected to numerous health problems, including cancer. The level limit set by the State of Washington is 25 ppt, but as a federal entity the Air Force uses the limits set by the EPA. John Hancock, who sits on the Restoration Advisory Board and is president of the West Plains Water Coalition, said that Fairchild promised transparency with the community years ago but hasn’t delivered it. He hoped new information would be presented to the community this month but the presentation centered around current and future testing. “The RAB meeting was a big helping of nothing,” he said.

During the meeting it was reported that the Air Force has sampled 427 private wells and detected PFAS levels above 70 ppt in 102 wells, including two

The Stream

of four of the wells used by the city of Airway Heights. Another 92 wells had levels of PFAS below 70 ppt.

One well located on the base had levels of 187,000 ppt. Levels found in wells off-base had levels as high as 5,700 ppt.

In 1970’s the United States banned the use of pesticides using the chemical DDT because of concerns over health impacts to animals and humans.

Hancock said that the toxicity of DDT was measured in parts per million, making it much less toxic than PFAS. “That’s the potency of what’s still in the ground,” he said. “PFAS is a million times more toxic than DDT.” Hancock also takes issue with the boundary of the monitoring area established by the Air Force, which sits mostly to the north and east of the base. In many areas, Hancock said, the boundary line seems arbitrary because it is a straight line as if the groundwater just stopped moving there. While some who live outside the boundary area have chosen to have their wells tested, the Air Force will not pay for it. Hancock said that he’s concerned that some people outside the established testing area who cannot afford the $500 test might be drinking contaminated water and not know it.

ON THAT NOTE “They refuse to release the actual data,” he said. “They just ask us to trust their boundary. We keep asking for information they won’t give.”

The government is still in Phase 1 of what is expected to be multiple phases. In addition to water and soil testing, 19 new monitoring wells have been installed on base with four more coming this spring. Seven off-base monitoring wells have already gone in and another nine are scheduled for this spring. Another 10 monitoring wells are expected to be installed inside the Airway Heights city limits.

A FAFB spokeswoman said the contamination is an “ongoing investigation” with no set timeline.

Hancock said a lot of attention has also been spent on soil samples. “There’s no public health acknowledgement for the humans,” he said. “The Air Force just seems concerned about the dirt.”

The RAB meeting was a tightly controlled environment, Hancock said. Only 10 minutes were allocated for questions from the crowd of 200 residents and they were only allowed to ask questions about the data presented at the meeting. “There are a lot of neighbors who went there to talk and no one would listen,” he said.

Residents have many questions,

including whether it is safe to eat fruit and garden vegetables grown in the contaminated area, Hancock said.

Others want to know if it is safe to raise cattle and other livestock.

Jerry Goertz is president of the Deep Creek Ranchettes Water Association in the Deep Creek neighborhood about two miles north of Fairchild. He attended the recent RAB meeting and said it appears that little has changed since the contamination was first discovered.

“They have a narrative they’re pushing out and how it gets presented,” he said.

“I know this takes time, but it seems like the contamination on base is being speed tracked for cleanup and outside the base it’s going to be years before anything gets done.”

He said he heard Hancock push for more public comment time and be turned down. Goertz said residents were told they could submit their questions online, which he did. “We’ll see if they respond,” he said. “It’s frustrating for lots of people.”

Goertz said his water system has been tested for PFAS regularly since the contamination was discovered and so far, none has been found. While relieved about the test results, Goertz said he worries it might change in the future. “We’re living on borrowed time

FEBRUARY 2024 • 19

out there,” he said. “Something could change. We’re so close to the area, we could end up contaminated. We don’t know, so we have to continue to test.”

Goertz said he recently learned that the West Prairie Village Mobile Home Park on Craig Road, which is inside the monitoring area, tested positive for PFAS. “They just found out they’re contaminated, but it’s not over 70 ppt,” he said. “Fairchild won’t do anything for them.”

Hancock said he was told it might be 40 years before his water is clean again.

He, like many others, is frustrated that there is no timeline for restoration nor any indication of what restoration will entail.

Lawsuits have also been filed in regards to the contamination. A group of residents have sued the United States, the Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force. The residents included in the lawsuit include one who was forced to sell his property at a loss after the contamination became known and a married couple who used to sell crops from their farm that was irrigated with contaminated groundwater.

The Kalispel Tribe of Indians and Northern Quest Casino have also sued the U.S. government and several firefighting foam manufacturers.

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• FEBRUARY 2024

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