Lots happening in the Valley

by Richard Uhlhorn

Its been a busy several weeks in the Lake Chelan Valley with many issues being brought to light as the New Year begins.

Let’s start with a recap of the most exciting news to hit the Valley in the past several weeks:

Manson Community Council – January 21 meeting:
Casino –It was announced that 12 Tribes (Colville Confederated Tribes) will break ground this coming spring with their new Casino complex which will include a 100 room hotel, conference center, ballroom and several restaurants.

On the lakefront side 20 new RV Spots are also in the works.

Water Taxi – It was reported that the Lake Chelan Boat Company is considering a water taxi for the lower Lake Chelan (Wapato Basin) this coming summer. This taxi would likely serve Manson, State

One voice – Timi Starkweather, director of the Manson Chamber of Commerce, reported that all of Manson’s organizations were coming together to have “One Voice” with other regional organizations like the Chelan County Commissioners and its Planning Commission.

“I’m really excited,” she stated. “For the first time in a long time, Manson is going to have one voice.”

Manson Community Council elected Chris Willoughby as its next chairman, Mike Kirk as vice-chair, Pam Calhoun as secretary and Dom Amor as treasurer. Both Amor and Jeff Conwell were sworn in as new members to the council

Chelan City news – Mayor Erin McCardle will be back in Washington D.C. on Monday, January 27 to visit with our representatives and discuss further potential funding for the East Chelan Water Project. She will be back to give an update on her trip to City Council this coming Tuesday, January 28.

Public Works – Public Works Director Jake Youngren answered several questions I posed regarding the above project. He stated that he hopes the $19 million project can be funded totally with federal grant funds. “If additional funds are needed, the TIF is still available.”

The $9 million already secured for the project is with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and still needs to be requested by the City. “The project will be administered by the feds,” said Youngren. “It’s not necessarily approved yet.”

Parks Department – There are some big changes coming to Chelan Parks this coming tourist season.

Director Paul Horne has filled the position of Assistant Director/Capital Projects Director. The new assistant is Audrey Cooper. We will do a biography on her at a later date, but she is excited to be in Chelan.

The department will be installing new modern Parking Kiosks at Don Morse, Lakeside and Lake Chelan Marina that will allow the customer to pay by phone, alert them when their time is almost up and help parks seasonal staff keep an eye on the parking situation.

Other changes will effect issues that became major problems at Lakeside. Day camping is just one issue being addressed by a committee consisting of Lakeside residents, parks staff and the Sheriff’s Department.

The Parks Department is contracting with an outside enforcement agency to control overcrowding and rectify other issues. It is the same agency that was hired to help with the Parks Department during COVID.

These issues will be discussed in a workshop and passed by city council before being put into effect. “We are on an aggressive timeframe,” said Horne.

In August, construction will begin on the Lakeside Park improvements which include a new restroom, docks and swimming area and playground.

Upcoming community meetings:

• Manson Parks Department will hold its third Willow Point & Singleton Park Master Plan Open House on Tuesday, January 28 beginning at 6 p.m. at Manson High School, 1000 Totem Pole Road. This meeting is to get the community’s input on which design options they desire for both parks. Visit the parks website for more information – https://mansonparks.com/
• Chelan State of the City meeting will be held on Thursday, January 30, beginning at 6 p.m. and running to 7:30 p.m. at the Lake Chelan Community Center at 103 Bighorn Way. This is a chance for the community to hear from the city’s department heads about projects and plans shaping the community.
  It is a chance to get a preview of the city’s initiatives and see the results of the “Our Valley-Our Future survey.