Year in review 2017

Entiat gathers public feedback on Waterfront Master Plan

ENTIAT - The Entiat City Council held an open house on Wednesday, Dec. 21 to gather public input on what they would like to see as apart of their waterfront master plan. “The idea is to have this whole strip the new downtown area for the city of Entiat,” civil engineer from Pacific Engineering Aaron Anderson said. “They have never had one here before since it got washed out when the dam was put in and the water level raised. So, the idea was to have mixed use, residential or businesses come in there to support the marina … some of this is quite a ways out, because Pipkin Construction has the rights to mine all the material - gravel - out of there so that end could be 10-15 years out. This is going to be developed as the money comes in and as the need for the land arises. In my opinion once you get some hotels in there and the marina, businesses and people will want to invest in there and it’ll take off.”

Chelan exemplifies generosity with Food Bank receiving piles of donations

CHELAN - People are often in a generous mood around the holidays because it’s a time for giving back. This was made evident for the Lake Chelan Food Bank which has been the beneficiary of some sizeable donations over the past couple weeks.
“It started with the Toshiba Group who initiated their own food drive in December and donated over 200 pounds of food,” Lake Chelan Food Bank representative Kyle Sparks said.
In addition, the Home Team Harvest, which is a statewide program where customers can purchase a $10 ‘hunger bag’ of food at their local Safeway that then gets donated to the local food bank, brought in over 600 bags of food … “There was a competition between the Lake Chelan Rotary and the Realtors Association (Coldwell Banker Lake Chelan Properties) on how much they could raise,” Sparks stated. “81 total bags of food were sold at Safeway and 44 bags at the Red Apple Market. We were presented with $2,305 from Skaar and then the rest will be used as store credit at each respective location.”

Robledo sworn in, White Apartments follow up and Comp Plan update

CHELAN - The Chelan City Council kept their regular meeting on Jan. 10 relatively short, but there were a few housekeeping items they had to take care of before adjourning the first council meeting of the year.
“It was at the Dec. 20, council meeting that we had a council decision that took place where Servando was chosen as the replacement - for the now 12th District Representative - Mike Steele, for a seat on the council,” Mayor Mike Cooney began.
“Servando and I were talking about how he felt a little extra pressure as far as representing the Hispanic community in town, but I just reassured him not to view it in that manner. He is a great connection and bridge to the Hispanic community, but that he represents all 4,000 citizens in Chelan regardless of race. I think the community gets a great new councilman in Servando,” Cooney concluded.

Big turnout for women’s march in Chelan and Wenatchee

CHELAN / WENATCHEE - Over 2,500 North Central Washington (NCW) residents armed with pink “pussy-hats”, signs, luminaries and various messages joined the millions of people worldwide in a “Women’s March on Washington” at sister marches at Wenatchee and Chelan on Saturday, Jan. 21.
The message was not just for women’s rights, but for other issues that people believe could be under threat under a new Donald Trump presidency.
Issues like: climate change, equality, native rights, health care, immigration, education and diversity covered the front and back of signs at both sister marches as people shouted in solidarity with millions of others around the world.
• Chelan - “As this march ripples throughout the world, different permutations evolve for each community that take on a new meaning,” Lake Chelan Valley Women’s March co-organizer Rose Olcott said in the beginning of her address to protesters. “For us, this march means human rights belong to each other and all of us. We the strong, the vibrant, the brave and the able will make sure that those rights are intact for everyone in the Chelan Valley, across the state, America and beyond.”
An estimated 470 gathered at the Riverwalk Park in downtown Chelan and listened to Amelia Marchand, from the Conservation Northwest, and Olcott give a speech.

Overbay gives update after first 28 days

CHELAN COUNTY - Newly elected Chelan County Commissioner Kevin Overbay might have just retired after 25 years as a Washington State Patrolman, but he is refusing to ease into his new position. The 4th generation North Central Washington resident was elected to the District 1 post that was vacated by Ron Walter in November.
Overbay traveled up to Chelan from his hometown in Malaga to introduce himself and indulge the Lake Chelan Rotary Club on some of the issues he is working on at their lunch meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 21.  
“I have been on the job for 28 days, (and) I will tell you that I have been drinking out of a fire hose for the last 28 days, it is self inflicted,” Overbay said in his speech. “You can be as busy of as you want to be in this position, but I made a promise that I would be a full-time commissioner. I don’t have another job that I have to worry about. I have this job to serve you folks. As I have the opportunity to grow in this position I can see things where we might lack something. I believe in having the most efficient form of government possible. The economic development, the transportation needs, all of these things are interrelated. There is not just one thing that faces this community, it is multitudes of things that are interwoven.”
 
Land use gets addressed at comp plan workshop 

CHELAN - The residents of the Lake Chelan Valley took another step in forming the Lake Chelan Comprehensive Plan at a land use workshop on Wednesday, Feb. 15. The finished comp plan is set to be completed by the end of June.
Similar to the previous meeting last November, residents filled the Chelan Council Chambers and were then split into five groups to do a mapping exercise. During the exercise, groups looked at potential zones the Planning Commission, with the help of Berk Consulting who are partnering on the task, drew up within the urban growth boundary (UGA) and marked with green dots and red dots for changes they liked and disliked.
Overall, the room was generally happy with most of the different zoning changes, but had a few reservations and suggestions on retaining downtown businesses, increased housing and addressing the warehouse industrial zone that has only been 5 percent developed.
“Our group looked at hillside developments in regards to putting in further standards, there was some concern that will increase the cost of housing and there was a feeling that hillsides are better for development,” Berk Consultant Jeff Arango summarized after his group’s discussion. “They wanted to protect the views because once they’re gone, they are gone. We also talked about affordable housing. The city needs more incentives, there was also some discussion around apartments downtown, but it is hard to build housing that is affordable without incentives.”

 Community gives two cents on three proposed PUD substations 

CHELAN - Time is running out. Those are the words Customer Utilities Managing Director John Stoll uttered in reference to installing a North Shore Chelan Substation.
“We have identified as an agency goal, three critical milestones. By the end of March we would like to have the preferred site, understanding the process to acquire the land, and ultimately start procuring equipment this fall, so that is a lot to get through,” Stoll said at the end of the public meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
The reason for the sense of urgency is because the two transmission lines that feed the Wapato and Chelan Valley Substation are running almost at capacity, with days in January higher than 80 percent.
“At that period of time, we need to be building a new substation,” Stoll stated. “When you look at the active planning and construction stage, if we started in the fall it would take two years to complete, so we will be a bit nip and tuck. It is not a position that we want to be in, we have an obligation to serve, but if we get to a point, it would be unfortunate, but a power moratorium. I don’t think we have ever experienced that but our number one charge is safe reliable power and an obligation to serve, but we can’t put our system at risk.” As a result, the Chelan PUD has been working over the past year and a half to look at various locations for a new substation along the North Shore of Lake Chelan. The three sites the community looked at with their initial price tag were Washington Federal ($12,327,000), Chelan Heights ($9,108,000) and Uhrich Orchard ($12,304,000). All figures were with the projected cost of land acquisition built in. The goal of the meeting was not to select a site, but to just get feedback.
“We hired an engineering company to do preliminary engineering work on each site and give us the earthwork, substation, distribution and transmission costs for each location,” Consultant Gary Rice said. “Each site is a one acre lot, which will allow us to put in another transformer on site in the future.”

 City h olds two meetings to get input on Woodin Ave one-way bridge 

CHELAN - It took awhile for Mayor Mike Cooney to come around on the one-way idea for the Old Bridge on Woodin Ave.
“I was totally against it at first, and then I remember when Mayor Bob Goedde was there and we talked about either the one way, two way or adding another deck, and I just kept looking at the third option as a council member, but the light went on when I was standing with traffic consultants watching people struggle.” Cooney opened with at the meeting with residents on Thursday, March 2.
Built in 1927, the old bridge was constructed to withstand the size of cars in that era i.e. the Model T. Now almost a century old the Woodin Avenue Bridge, although solid, needs repairs.
“Within the next couple years it has to be restored,” Cooney admitted. “We know there is a fair amount of concrete swallowing underneath, one of the sections is leaning toward the river and the electrical system needs upgrading, so the restoration needs to be addressed whether we do one way, two way or whatever way.”

Vote-no committee meets to lay out problems with new hospital

CHELAN - Although the Lake Chelan Community Hospital and Clinic (LCCHC) has garnered a considerable support in favor of a new hospital levy, there are some in the Chelan Valley that are not convinced a new hospital is the best option.
On Wednesday, March 8, a ‘Vote-No’ committee met at Campbell’s Resort to outline some of the reasons they are against the levy.
One being, the $14 million estimate it would take to do maintenance on the hospital.
“We don’t agree with the number of $14 million for improvements in the hospital,” Chelan PUD Commissioner Ann Congdon said. “There are a couple people a part of our group that are structural engineers and builders and have been their whole life, and they have really scrubbed the numbers. They feel it could be done for much less and they are putting the figures together as we speak.

Chelan covers $280,000 for No-See-Um

CHELAN - It’s official.
As of March 17, construction on the No-See-Um Roundabout is a greenlight.
“The Department of Transportation (DOT) accepted the bid today,” Mayor Mike Cooney confirmed Friday afternoon. “We made up the shortfall, so the project should basically start (in) four to five weeks or sooner from now.”
The $9 million project has been on the drawing board for almost a decade now, and already has a little more than $3 million in the ground, but after the discrepancy was announced in early February, there were questions as to which project the money would go. However, after Cooney met with the Chelan Douglas Transportation Council (CDTC) and announced the Chelan City Council had stepped forward - as a last result - to cover the difference, the decision was pretty much made.  

Bear Mountain Water District holds public hearing on potential ULID

CHELAN - Growth is as much a guarantee as the problems that come with it, and the Bear Mountain Water District is finding that out after proposing a Utility Local Improvement District (ULID) along the South Shore.
What is a ULID?
“It only refers to an area that is being assessed,” Bear Mountain Water District Attorney Mark Peterson explained. “That is part of it when a municipal corporation wants to do a project that is going to benefit certain parcels. The first part of the process is the formation, and then the second is the assessment role where you mail out a notice to property owners that will be in the ULID.”
Some of the issues property owners had had though is with the notice. As some of said they got their notice late or had a return address that was nearly unreadable.
“We are aware that mailing has its shortcomings, but that is just the statute that we followed,” Peterson said in defense of mailing out the notices. “People complain that they didn’t get the notice, but it is not as easy to get ahold of people any more. You could get a reverse directory, but people don’t have landlines, so mailing is the most efficient way to get ahold of folks.”

Vote Yes and Vote No layout both arguments for Chelan Valley residents at forum

CHELAN - After months of going tit-for-tat, the ‘Citizens for a New Hospital’ and the ‘Vote No’ Committee met last Thursday, March 30 to present their side of the argument of the proposed $44.5 million hospital at Apple Blossom Center.
The forum came at an opportune time as the vote is set to take place on April 25. If approved, the public would facilitate $20 million of the total bill through an increase in property taxes of residents in the hospital district. The Lake Chelan Community Hospital and Clinic (LCCHC) is covering the remaining $24.5 million.
Representing the New Hospital group were Ty Witt, MD, Megan Guffey, MD, Keri Bergeson, MD and Guy Evans. Mike Sherer was the lone spokesman for the ‘vote no’ side.
The event was run as a traditional debate, with both sides beginning with an opening, then transitioning into rebuttals before finishing with a question and answer - where each side could respond to the question - from the attendees.
Evans and Bergeson set the stage by giving a brief summary of the intent and reason for voting in favor of a new hospital.
“All of the signs point for the need for a new hospital,” Evans began in his opening Thursday night. “To be clear, if you were to vote yes, you are voting to maintain current services. It is going to be about $10 per month of increased support for a $300,000 home and you would be adopting a vision that is pragmatically optimistic. This is the most wise option to take in light of the needs.”
“All of that is important, we genuinely want you to vote yes with confidence,” Bergeson said. “As a physician, I don’t want us to lose the real heart of this, and this is about healthcare for families, neighbors and loved ones. I’m tired of having to make excuses and apologize to patients why they didn’t have the experience they deserve, and it is always related to the limitation of the facility.”
Tom Alexander to retire from Manson School District after 38 years
Submitted by Manson School District
MANSON - How do you properly thank someone who has given their entire working life to an organization? Manson School District will be faced with answering this question in June as Mr. Tom Alexander will be retiring at the end of the school year after 38 years of teaching and coaching all with Manson School District.
Mr. “A”, as he is referred to, has taught over 50 different subjects to Manson students at almost every grade level in his years with the district including: PE, Health, Science, Social Studies, Math and Language Arts covering just about every subject that can be taught.
Not only has Tom taught these many subjects, but he has done so while serving as athletic director (20 years), coaching multiple sports such as baseball (24 years), football (18 years), girls and boys basketball (14 years) and cross county (3 years) at both the middle and high school level.  Mr. A even refereed all the middle school home games for all sports for over10 years.

Frontage ULID dead after Bob Jankelson pulls support for project

CHELAN - Well, the people won this battle.
The Bear Mountain Frontage Utility Local Improvement District (ULID) was officially shut down last week after former Bear Mountain board member and Tsillan Cellars Owner Bob Jankelson withdrew his support for the ULID, effectively giving the lakefront property owners the 40 percent land area needed to reject the ULID.
Jankelson originally was in favor of the ULID but withdrew his support on Friday after sending an email to Bear Mountain homeowners.
“After protestations of potential stakeholders, it is obvious the political sentiments and climate are averse to undertaking such an ambitious project at this time,” Jankelson wrote in the email.
The proposal would have stuck lakefront property owners with a $16,500 bill to help finance the construction of a $2.5 million project to extend the municipal waterline to homes in Hawks Meadow/Hawks Ridge and some parcels near the Bear Mountain Golf Course while installing fire flow for lakefront owners.
When the proposal was announced, lakefront property owners, who already have water, were furious and demanded the ULID to be voted down. However, the way the annexation was drawn, they wouldn’t be able to stop the process without the help of Jankelson or other ag  owners.
With Jankelson’s change of heart, the frontage LID is effectively dead.

Representatives from Okanogan, Douglas and Chelan County meet to discuss tourism partnership with TOTA

CHELAN - The competition is not between the people in the room, but the ones beyond our borders and region.
That was the message Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) CEO Glenn Mandziuk gave to representatives from Okanogan, Douglas and Chelan County at the NCW Regional Tourism convening on Wednesday, April 12
The group gathered at Rio Vista Winery along the Columbia River to discuss how they can cooperate and work together to promote tourism throughout the interior Cascades of British Columbia and Washington along Route 97.
Overall, TOTA has been successful is garnering tourists from all over the world and in 2010 alone they generated over $1.7 billion to the regional economy. So they came to the meeting basically pitching cities along Route 97 to buy in to their website.
“We use Facebook the most, but also a Route 97 wire that serves as a newsletter,” Industry and Community Development representative Simone Carlysle-Smith stated. “So we have a database of people that we talk to every quarter.”

Lake Chelan community votes for new hospital

CHELAN - Patience and perseverance.
Those are the qualities the Lake Chelan Community Hospital and Clinics (LCCHC) have held since their first bond failed in 2006. Over a decade and two previous bond failures later, the LCCHC finally has a new hospital.
Although the announcement was made shortly after 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25 the official results were posted on Friday, April 28 at the Chelan County Election with the proposition receiving 64.87 percent of the total 4,239 votes cast. The measure needed a 60 percent supermajority to pass.
One building in particular that was full of ecstatic people after the news broke was the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce office, which was filled with the LCCHC board members, administrators, staff and supporters from the community.
Do you see how many people are in this room,” LCCHC Board Chair Mary Signorelli said amongst the cheers in the building, “it took that plus all of the community to get on board and to make this a reality. It is great to see and as a group we have been working on this for 10 years. Finally, we have the super majority.”

PUD hesitant to underground all power lines

CHELAN - The Chelan County Public Utility District (PUD) might be listening to Chelan residents in their plea to underground power lines, but PUD Commissioner Ann Congdon wouldn’t bet on all of the lines in Chelan going underground.
“The answer is no,” Congdon responded after being asked if the PUD was under-grounding all lines in Chelan. “There have been several requests to underground distribution lines as part of the substation discussion. But there are significant costs to under-grounding power lines.”
At the last PUD meeting on May 1, Congdon said staff presented numbers for underground and over ground lines, but that was just the start of the conversation of considering how, when and where to underground distribution lines and who is going to pay for the increased cost.
As far as the North Shore Substation, Congdon said specific sites have still not been identified.
“But two areas, very close to the “blue line” or load center, have been highlighted,” Congdon said. “Staff is in the process of talking to owners to see if they are willing to sell, so we should be able to identify two sites by the next meeting on May 15.”
Although developments are being planned throughout the Chelan Valley and the current load is hovering around 80 percent capacity, Congdon said staff is confident they can adequately service all new and existing homes until the new substation is up and running.
It was estimated the substation would take around two years to construct.
“The next step is to determine if we have willing sellers, getting options and then presenting these options to the customer focus group for recommendation to the commissioners.”

Still work to be done: Chelan residents voice concerns with comp plan at last public hearing

CHELAN - Over 70 Chelan Valley residents gathered in the city council chambers on Wednesday, May 17 for the final public hearing on the city’s Comprehensive Plan. Their overall feel of the plan, which began last November and coming to a head with a possible motion for council approval at the end of July, is that it needs some tweaking.
Their list of grievances include:
• Population size and the zoning along Lakeside Bay
“The plan has seriously under-estimated both the current population of 5,000 and the future growth,” Friends of Lake Chelan representatives John Olson and Steve Kline read off a prepared statement. “According to the (Chelan County) PUD’s meter administrator we have 4,224 residential meters in Chelan. With an average of just three people per meter, that’s 12,672 that live here now… The planning department’s fact sheet states that the summer peak population for just Chelan is over 25,000. When you add similar summer numbers from both the north shore and south shore, it’s conceivable that the summer population, that all use Chelan services in one way or another, is currently approaching 75,000. (So) something well over 5,000 must be used for planning purposes.”
Olson and Kline - along with a few other residents who gave testimony later in the evening - also expressed their disdain for the zoning of “Commercial Waterfront/Water Transportation Hub along the Lakeside Bay portion of Zone 7.
“Such zoning would permit 40-foot condos and a large marina like Sunset Marina,” Olson argued during his monologue. “This zoning will will result in the following losses to the community: lake view, water quality, up lake view corridors, public access to the lake, the extreme need of a third waterfront park, - as identified in the city’s Parks and Recreations and Open Space Plan (PROS) - recreational opportunities, quality of life and the character of the town. In short, this zoning would damage and degrade the general welfare as outlined in the plan’s vision and intent statements.”

From Olympia to Chelan, Jennifer Keitzman joins HDCA

 CHELAN - It’s not a surprise to hear that some people that vacation to Lake Chelan love it so much they end up moving there.
 While the Lake - being the major commodity - is the main attraction the small town atmosphere has its appeal to some as well.
 As was the case for Historic Downtown Chelan Associations (HDCA) newest Program and Event Coordinator, Jennifer Keitzman who just moved to Lake Chelan from her home in Olympia.
 “I have vacationed in Chelan in the past with my family and found that I really enjoy the small town atmosphere, the climate and the lack of I-5 traffic.” Keitzman said.

Free-drop off recycling service in Manson set to close at the end of June

MANSON - The trash cans in Manson will likely be a little more full this summer now that the drop-of recycling site is set to be permanently closed beginning June 30.
The report came out after last Thursday, June 1 after Jill Fitzsimmons, spokeswoman for Chelan Public Works, made the announcement in a press release to media members.
After originally suspending free curbside recycling in February - once grant funding for the service ran out - Fitzsimmons said that Manson business could still use the free drop-off location at the Red Apple Market. As of July, they will no longer be able to enjoy that option.
The reason: “it is no longer financially sustainable,” Fitzsimmons wrote in the release on Thursday. “The City of Chelan, which was servicing the bins under an agreement with Chelan County, unfortunately cannot continue the program because it is no longer sustainable.”
According to Fitzsimmons, the collection bins located on Quetilquasoon Road have become a draw for illegal dumping. As a result, the program has incurred additional costs associated with sorting the bins because people were contaminating recyclables with garbage.

Lopez-Maciel sentenced to 41 months for hit-and-run fatality

WENATCHEE – A young Bridgeport man charged with the hit-and-run death of Brewster resident, Gary Knowlton last July was handed a 41-month prison term at a sentencing hearing in Chelan County Superior Court last Thursday, June 1.
Jovany Lopez-Maciel, 22, received the maximum available term from Superior Court Judge Lesley Allan under the standard sentencing range. Maciel will receive credit for time served since his incarceration last September when he surrendered to authorities.
Sources at the Chelan County Prosecutor’s Office said that Maciel has been remanded to a detention facility in Monroe for further processing and determination as to where he will serve out his sentence. Under current sentencing guidelines, Maciel may later be eligible for parole or a reduced sentence.
A restitution hearing for Maciel has also been scheduled for August 23.
Maciel pleaded guilty in the hit-and-run accident that took the life of Brewster teacher, Gary Knowlton. Knowlton, 50, was also a part-time lifeguard for the Manson Parks and Recreation Department and was riding his bicycle on Apple Acres Road north of the Lake Chelan Airport when the accident occurred on the evening of July 16, 2016.

Wells Fargo to close Manson branch July 12

WENATCHEE -- Wells Fargo’s District Manager for North Central Washington Agustin Reyes, said the Manson branch of the San Francisco-based bank is closing Wednesday, July 12.
“We notified the employees in late March and a letter was sent to customers in early April,” he said.
Reyes, in an exclusive interview with NCW Media, said the closing was part of evaluating and consolidating the company’s branch network. “The Manson branch customers can still look forward to banking at the Chelan Wells Fargo branch where they will recognize familiar faces” as three former Manson employees will be transferring to the Chelan office, according to Reyes.
A total of five staffers will be affected by the closure with the current branch manager, John Freeze, transferring to Seattle and another worker going to the Wenatchee branch, according to Reyes.

Potential drowning, missing hiker cloud beautiful week in Chelan

CHELAN - The sun was shining, weather calm and business booming this week with tourists, but overall, it really wasn’t the best week for Chelan.
First, the Chelan County Marine Patrol responded to a call early Tuesday afternoon about a potential drowning in the middle of the lake across from the Three Fingers.
The 23-year old identified as Donghoon Lee of South Korea was on summer break from the University of Washington and visiting Chelan with a friends. The group decided to rent a boat and were swimming off the back toward the middle of the lake in approximately 30-40 feet of water when Lee started to experience difficulties in the choppy water. One of Lee’s friends attempted to throw him a personal flotation device, but were unsuccessful before Lee sank beneath the surface.
Rescue swimmers got in the water shortly after the call, but were unable to locate the 23-year old. Search and rescue efforts continued through Tuesday night before swimmers had to retire because of the cold water.
The next day, rescue efforts turned to recovery as equipment, including a helicopter, and personnel from Chelan County Sheriffs, Steven’s County and the Douglas County Sheriffs Office worked in conjunction to help find the missing student. Unfortunately, weather conditions forced them to suspend their efforts.
As of Monday, the search continues as Chelan County Marine Patrol will continue to use under water camera equipment, divers, rescue swimmers and a helicopter in hopes of finding Lee, who is presumed to have drowned.
The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office advises using this as a reminder to stay educated on water safety in order for everyone to have a safe and healthy summer while visiting Chelan County.
Missing hiker
On Thursday, June 22 at approximately 12:30 p.m, Rivercom dispatch received a report of an overdue person in the Chelan area. The caller advised that her son was camping somewhere in Chelan and they hadn’t heard from him in two days. The caller also advised that the son’s two dogs had been located by another hiker on the north side of the Chelan Butte, but her son was not with them.
The subject, was identified as 31-year old Johnathan M. Taylor of Mount Vernon, Wash.
A Chelan County deputy responded to Chelan Butte and located Taylor’s vehicle abandoned at the top of the butte. Deputies searched the area but were unable to locate Taylor before a helicopter was called in to assist.
On Friday morning, search and rescue deputies and volunteers from Chelan County began an extensive ground search and located Taylor at approximately 2:30 p.m. deceased at the bottom of a steep embankment on the south side of Chelan Butte. As of Monday, no announcement has come from the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office on what caused Taylor to fall. Taylor’s next of kin have been notified.