• Hospital Board gets updates on hospital operationsJuly 27, 2018
• Chelanman 2018 is a huge successJuly 23, 2018
• U.S. Open ends… 2019 or 2020 Chelan will host a World Cup Paragliding ChampionshipJuly 17, 2018
• Fire commissioners under fire from outside fire fighter groups

Stone Church wants to move in to the Library’s second floor space.

Chelan Valley Hope needs more space.

Woodin Avenue Bridge project starts in September.

Chelan School to share resource officer with Manson

by Richard Uhlhorn

Tuesday’s July 25 City Council meeting had several items of interest to the general public on the agenda, however, prior to the actual agenda, a number of Chelan residents signed up to talk during the Citizen Comment period.

Chelan Valley Hope and the Food Bank are apparently outgrowing their current space at the old library building and are looking for a larger, more permanent home that they can purchase.

Mayor Mike Cooney told the group that the City would be helping to look for a permanent solution. Jim (last name not noted) stated that they were looking hard for a solution to the space issue. Parking is just one of those space issues. “We have 30 to 40 cars on Saturday mornings.” Cooney replied that “You’ll find your own place.”

John Olson has asked the City, the Parks Department and the PUD to help build mroe parking for the Chelan Senior Center.

John Olson remarked that a parking lot expansion at the Chelan Senior Center would help alleviate the issue. “Last Saturday, during the Chelanman the neighborhood filled up with cars,” said Olson. “If there was a ballgame scheduled it would have been tough.” He encouraged the Council to go back and review the proposal he put forth at the July 10 City Council meeting which asked the City of Chelan, the Parks Department and the PUD to work together to provide the Senior Center more parking.

Olson’s proposal estimated the cost of providing more parking at the Senior Center on PUD property across the street would cost an estimated $87,179.

The Senior Center has had 31 event with parking issues so far in 2018 including donated event space for Town Hall meetings and community fund raisers.

Scott Morris, with the Old Stone Church came before the Council and asked them to consider renting the Chelan Library’s second floor to the church until they can complete building their new church. “It’s going to take several years to build and currently we are over at the MOE gymnasium,” said Morris.

The Chelan School District had been leasing the space, but has abandoned it for another location.

Morris stated that the gymnasium situation has them setting up and tearing down after every service and that they would love to be in a space where they didn’t have to do that. “We would like to be considered..

Mayor Cooney told Morris that the City would be putting out a Request for Proposals and would let them know when that happened. “You will be considered,” said Cooney.

Agenda bills considered:

The City Council had an agenda bill in front of them for a one-half time School Resource Officer to be financially shared between Chelan and Manson School Districts.

Kelly Allen and Erin McCardle are uncomfortable with the proposal to cut a school resource officer to half days and want to hear from the school administration before approving that proposal. Chief of Special Operations, Sgt. Reinfeld answered questions regarding the proposal.

Last year, the City and Chelan School District shared costs to have a full time resource officer on board, but the School Districts and Sheriff’s Department have proposed a new arrangement where a resource officer would split his time between Manson and Chelan. This raised some questions amongst the Council.

Chief of Special Operations, Sgt. Reinfield was at the meeting and told the Council that the 2018/19 school year the resource officer would split his time.

Council woman Kelly Allen asked, “My only concern is whether or not this compromises Chelan schools.” Erin McCardle also raised a concern and said she would like to hear from both Chelan’s Principal and Superintendent. “It would help identify how successful the program has been… I don’t know.” She was concerned about the past relationship with students.

City Manager, Mike Jackson stated that the school resource officer is the primary responsibility of the school district. The new proposal will save the City $11,562 over last year.

City Administrator Mike Jackson told the Council that he hadn’t discussed the school resource officer issue with the school administration.

Councilman Tim Hollingsworth asked if this was coming from the School District and Jackson replied that it was. “We haven’t had any conversations with them.”

McCardle reiterated that she would like to have a conversation with the District. “We used to have workshops with the School District,” she stated. “I wonder if they would like to have a school resource officer full time. What’s driving this.”

The Council decided to hold off on passing that agenda bill and Mayor Cooney said he would start a discussion with the school the next day.

Mayor Mike Cooney said he would begin discussions with the school administration before the next council meeting.

The next agenda bill was a bid on sewer lift station improvements which the staff recommended the Council reject based on Gray and Osborne’s recommendation the staff that it be rejected.

The City budgeted $595,000 for the project. Gray & Osborne’s estimate was $627,587.05 and the bidder came in at $1,160,940.02. “It was really high,” said Public Works Director Jake Youngren.

The Council took the recommendation and decided to reject and rebid the project in late 2018 for possible construction in 2019 with, hopefully, a more reasonable bid.

Public Works Director Jake Youngren told the Council that Public Works wanted to go live with its Woodin Avenue Bridge Project website so residents and visitors could be informed.

Public Works Director Jake Youngren told the Council that Public Works was going live with its website for the Woodin Avenue Bridge.”We would like to start communicating with the public,” said Youngren.

Selland Construction has proposed beginning the project on September 4 and working until November 28 on the bridge rehabilitation, water and stormwater utility installation and the landing park.

In 2019, Selland will work from March 4 to May 6 finishing with the one way improvements outside of the bridge footprint.

To check updates on this project, residents and visitors can go to: http://woodinavenuebridgeproject.org.

The next Council meeting is on August 14. The public is encouraged to attend.

• Hospital Board gets updates on hospital operationsJuly 27, 2018
• Chelanman 2018 is a huge successJuly 23, 2018
• U.S. Open ends… 2019 or 2020 Chelan will host a World Cup Paragliding ChampionshipJuly 17, 2018
• Fire commissioners under fire from outside fire fighter groups

Public Meeting set for Monday, August 6 at 6 p.m. at Chelan Fire Hall to hear testimony from the public on re-running the Levy Lid Lift in November.

by Richard Uhlhorn

It has been a busy fire week around the Lake Chelan Valley over the past week with the Chelan Hills Spring fire in Douglas County that burned almost 2,000 acres and the rash of brush fires on the South Shore of Lake Chelan, the latest being the fire in the 25 Mile Creek State Park area.

It has been a very busy week for Chelan Fire & Rescue personnel and other agencies fighting brush fires around the area including the Chelan Hills Spring fire up Farnham Canyon that burned close to 2,000 acres.

It has kept the journalism crowd busy trying to keep up with the news, but there is news outside of the actual fires that needs to be reported.

Last Wednesday, July 25, the Chelan County Fire District 7 Fire Commissioners held a special workshop to discuss future staffing issues.

Fire Chief Tim Lemon gave the commissioners four options to consider during the meeting with a staffing goal of having four personnel on the Initial Response Force to meet the intent of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 296-305-05001(1)(a) of two in/two out when engaged in an interior structure fire, and (11) two in/one out for a known rescue operation. “Initial fire fighting operations shall be organized to ensure that at least four members are assembled before interior fire suppression operations are initiated in a hazardous area.”

Up to this meeting, there has been a concentrated effort by concerned residents and union firefighters to retain the six firefighters who will lose their jobs at the district when the SAFER Grant runs out in December.

This issue has created a tough decision making situation for the three commissioners especially since the Levy Lid Lift attempt in April failed to pass. The push has been to put the issue back on the ballot for the November election and the commissioners are faced with dealing with that situation.

Chief Lemon gave the Commissioners five Options to consider at the workshop.

Chief Tim Lemon of Fire District 7 gave his Commissioners five separate options on staffing for 2019 with recommendations.

Option 1 –  Retain the SAFER six career firefighters at a cost of $101,862.37 per individual for a year which would cost the District $611,18.20 in 2019. The option with a new revenue source includes two 24 hour stipend positions at a cost of $141,452.10 for a total of $7522,632.30.

This staffing model is $539,671.49 which is more than the District’s tax revenue and leaves $197,046.07 that would have to be made up from other fire department funding sources.

Assistant Chief Mark Donnell

Lemon reported that the 2019 General Fund surplus or uncommitted revenue is anticipated to be $414.134.13 which would leave $338,496.17 to fully fund the six positions through 2019.

Lemon looked at other revenue stream reductions that could be made including not replacing the Administrative Assistant after she retires saving the District $52,714.69, but he doesn’t recommend not refilling that position. Cut the two 24-hour stipend positions at a cost saving of $141,452.10 and cutting the volunteer points out in 2019 for a cost savings of $75,366.00.

Deputy Chief Asher is being paid through 2012 with a FEMA SAFER Grant to help with volunteer retention and recruitment with Chelan Fire & Rescue, Chelan County Fire District 8 and Douglas County Fire District 4 at no cost to any of those Districts.

The Commissioners asked Lemon to consider cutting the Chief Officers from three to two, but one is staffed through a FEMA SAFER Grant through 2021 at no cost to the District to focus on Vounteer Recruitment and Retention for Chelan Fire and Rescue, Chelan Fire District 8 and Douglas County Fire District 4.

Option 2 – Retain three SAFER Grant Career Firefighters and two 24-hour stipends.

To retain three SAFER Grant firefighters, it will cost the District $305,590.10. This staffing model includes two 24-hour stipend positions at a cost of $141,452.10 for a total cost of $447,042.20 and is $234,081.39 over tax revenue and leaves $6,680.67 in the uncommitted fund reserves.

Option 3 –  Have three 24-hour Volunteer Stipend Positions if the SAFER six are not retained. These individuals would be structural and wildland fire combat qualified and EMT or First Aid certified as a minimum.

The goal of this option is to have depth of personnel to ensure four personnel are on duty even when personnel are off-duty on approved leave. Stipend positions are budgeted at $90 per 12 hour shift and provide the most opportunities for volunteer to participate with the least amount of qualification/certification and restrictions, but the challenge would be to find enough personnel that want to pull full shifts.

The total cost of Option 3 is $212,178.15  which is $782.66 below tax revenue and leaves the District with $319,832.73 of uncommitted funds.

Option 4 –  Hire five Summer-Seasonal and Stipend Positions who are subject to overtime after 40 hours and only work part of the year. These individuals would be required to be fire combat, red card and EMT or FA certified at a cost of $732.94 per week.

These five would provide additional coverage through  the busy months (May, June, July, August, September and October.). This would provide additional personnel during peak call times at a cost of $95,282.07 for the six month period.

To maintain four on duty personnel the District would still need to stipend firefighters to cover evenings throughout the year and days on the off season at an additional coast of $159,278.94.

Total cost of Option 4 is estimated at $235,561.01 which is $41,600.20 over tax revenue and leaves $263,322.25.

Option 5 – Hire three On-Call fire combat qualified, red card, EMT or FA certified personnel as part time employees on an hourly wage and limited to no more than 30 hours per week.

Total cost of this Option would be $424,356.30 which would be $211.396.49 over tax revenue.

Chief Lemon recommended Option 2 and if unable to secure new revenue in 2019, he recommends moving to Option 3 in the foreseeable future.

Commission Chair Russ Jones has called for a public meeting on August 6 to hear both sides of the argument on re-running the Levy Lid Lift in November. 

Commission Chair Russ Jones feels it will be a couple of years before the District can safely run a levy lift. “Our goal is to have four firefighters on 24/7,” said Jones. Commissioner Jay Witherbee said, “We are looking for a sustainable budget.” Chief Lemon said depending on what scenario the District looks at the money taken out of reserves for Option 1 would limit that capacity in 2019.

Lemon also said that there is some money left over from the SAFER Grant that could be used in 2019, but that the District has to let the firefighters know. “They are actually looking at (opportunities) at other Districts,” said Lemon.

Jones stated that an all volunteer department is probably not in the cards. “It isn’t what it was 20 or even 10 years ago.” Jones also remarked that a $.25 cent levy would raise the per thousand rate from the current $.92 cents to $1.17 per thousand in value. “I’m not prepared to go with a levy, but it would be appropriate to hear public testimony on that,” said Jones.

Witherbee said, “I don’t think we can pass a levy… I’m opposed.”

Commissioner Jay Witherbee is against running a levy at this time and said he would vote No, but would be supportive of whatever the board decides.

Jones called for a Monday, August 6, public meeting at 6 p.m. to determine whether or not the commission should vote to run a ballot or not on the November election.

Commissioner Moller stated he would agree to a public meeting to hear their views, but with the caveat that only residents registered in the District be able to comment. Jones said, “I agree… I think we can ask that.”

Witherbee said, “I will still vote NO on a levy lid lift… even if you fill the room you know how its going to go. It’s not going to change anything but I will be supportive of whatever the board decides on.”

Jones added that he would like to hear both sides of the issue… those who are against putting the the levy back on the ballot and those who are for it.

Chief Lemon asked the commission what outcome they expect from the meeting and Jones said, following the public testimony the commission would vote on a resolution.

The Lake Chelan Hospital Board of Directors met in regular session on Tuesday, July 24 to discuss a variety of issues.

The Lake Chelan Hospital held its monthly board meeting on Tuesday, July 24, and had several items of interest to the general public.

First, the board has narrowed its search for a new CEO to two finalists. Mary Signorelli said that each of the two candidates will be interviewed on campus on two different days with the first interview taking place next week on Thursday and Friday, August 2 & 3. The second person of interest will be interviewed the following week on Monday and Tuesday, August 6 & 7. after which the board will make a decision on who to hire. “We are pretty much happy about the two candidates we have,” said Signorelli, the board chairman. “They are very strong candidates. Obviously, we are interviewing the two because we couldn’t decide on one or the other at this point.”

Board member Phyllis Gleasman commented that all the candidate applicants were very quality individuals. “It was a very difficult decision,” she stated.

Interim CEO, Steve Patonai, reported that this year’s Board Retreat will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, August 8 & 9 in Pateros. “The first day will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the second day from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,” he said.

Interim CEO Steve Patonai gave the board an update on the upcoming Hospital Retreat to be held in Pateros on August 8 & 9.

The title of this year’s Board Retreat is “Envisioning the Future – Setting the Path.”

“We will be focusing on the vision for the Lake Chelan Hospital,” said Patonai. He told the board that the final details were still being worked out, but that the first day will be focusing on the background. He said that a speaker from the state level will talk about reimbursements and what is happening state wide in the market place.

The second day Patonai said, “We will focus on developing the vision for the future.”

The board approved the agenda unanimously (Mary Murphy was not present at this meeting).

Patonai gave his CEO report and said that they have had discussions with the USDA over the past couple of weeks. “We are feeling good about it,” said Patonai.”I think we are close.” The USDA loan is going forward and Patonai said that it could be decided on later this week.

The hospital has officially moved its EMS crew out of its space at Fire District 7 and back to the hospital stated Patonai. “Our EMS based crew was sharing space at the Fire District and using some of their space for providing training.”

The decision to move the EMS crew back to the Hospital will save the hospital $41,000. Neither the hospital nor fire district and give space or services for free, so the deal between the hospital and fire district was a lease for $41,000 which would be paid for in-kind by the hospital providing EMT training and performing firefighter physicals.

Signorelli stated that she and Kevin Abel had met with Chief Tim Lemon six to eight months ago, but has not and have not ever had another request for a meeting with Lemon or the District’s Board.

Board Chairman Mary Signorelli stated that no one at the Fire District has requested a meeting with the Hospital Board or Administration regarding EMS.

“No one has requested a meeting with us as a board or as administration to meet with them,” said Signorelli. “I just want that to be cleared up because there has been some miscommunication.”

Assistant Chief Donnell has said at last month’s fire district meeting that he would like to see the emergency services annexed into the Fire District or to at least have a conversation about that.

Donna Strand – Chief Nursing Officer

In other business, Donna Strand, Chief Nursing Officer, gave a report on Quality & Patient Care Services. She discussed the difficulties of moving patients around the ward. “It is a very choreographed dance,” said Strand. She also talked about employee turnover and the Emergency Room Improvement Plan. “We meet with staff every morning for 15 minutes.” she said.

Strand said the Gold Standard for patients coming into and leaving the Emergency Room is 87 minutes. “We’ve already met the 90 percentile of that time,” she said. The time through the door of the ER to seeing a doctor is 12 minutes. “It is hard to get there,” said Strand.

Another problem facing the ER is patients that are not really emergencies. “We get a lot of patients in the ER that are not emergencies,” she said.

Vickie Bodle – Chief Financial Officer

Vickie Bodle gave the board an up to date financial and said the hospital has performed 44 surgeries through June 22^nd.  The Emergency Department has seen 489 people in the month of June. There have been 12 babies born since the first of the year.

She reported that accounts receivables are down $455,000 and they are working hard to bring that up.

After reporting on the current financial status, Bodle turned the podium over to Erik Volk, an accountant with Wipfli –LLP, and assurance accounting and tax consulting firm who conducted and prepared last year’s audit of the hospital.

Eric Volk gave a report on the outstanding 2017 audit.

After his report to the board, Volk told this reporter that the hospital and an outstanding audit. “The staff is very knowledgeable.”

The meeting ended with Signorelli telling the staff that their hard work does not go unnoticed. “We appreciate your hard work,” she said before adjourning the meeting.

by Richard Uhlhorn

It couldn’t have been a more perfect weekend for the 1600+ athletes who ventured into Chelan for this year’s Chelanman.

The water was a perfect 70+ degrees and pretty smooth for the hundreds of swimmers participating in the Chelanman Triathlons.

The event was in its 11^th year and each year brings back many participants who love Chelan plus an entire new group of athletes who want to challenge the different events of the multisport weekend.

Sam, a teacher at Mariner High School in Everett had his personal best day at this year’s event. He’s been attending and competing since 2011.

Sam (last name not noted) is a handicapped teacher and football coach from Mariner High School in Everett said, “I’ve been coming to Chelan (for this event) since 2011. I love it… the weather is perfect and everyone is chill.” Sam also stated that he had is personal best this year and is looking to beat it next year.

While Chelanman may jam up traffic at Lakeside and on 97A, but this year’s event went extremely smoothly, particularly because many people who would normally travel on 97A to Wenatchee heeded the warnings and used Hwy. 97 on the east side of the Columbia River.

Runners going out and in at the Hwy 97 transition point.

It all begins on Thursday and Friday when the Chelanman volunteers (we will call them the Tribe) begin to set up at Lakeside and athletes begin to pick up their registration packets or just register. “We had around 1500 pre-register,” said Race Director Julie Pittsinger. “There were at least another 100 or so who registered here.”

Swimmers get an early start on both days of the Chelanman Multisport weekend.

The event itself begins early on Saturday morning as the swimmers begin to warm up for the long swim up lake and back to Lakeside before taking up the bikes and then eventually finishing with their run session. The first wave of swimmers takes off at 7 a.m. for the start of the “Long Course Triathlon.” This is followed by the 10K run and half-marathon at 7:15 and the Olympic Course athletes at 7:30.

The swimming sessions during the weekend requires a lot of volunteer effort from kayakers to lifeguard swimmers and the Sheriff’s Department Marine Patrol officers like Bryan Moody (left) and Nigel Hunter (right) who took the time to pose with their rescue boards. They just received a new board, courtesy of the Multisport Foundation who donated $1,600 for its purchase.

Hundreds of swimmers in the water require a lot of safeguards. Every year the kayakers and lifeguards along with the Sheriff’s Department Marine Patrol with their personal watercraft and rescue boards are on the water making sure that everyone is safe and if they get into trouble, they have immediate help. Around the shoreline and docks, EMS personnel and lifeguards are stationed to also help if there are any water related problems.

Its called the tribe. Chelanman could not even begin to work as flawlessly as it does without volunteers who range from youth athletes to adults.

Each station has a number of volunteers to help with the transitions between swimming, biking and running. At the highway, traffic control is tightly controlled with professional traffic controllers along with Sheriff’s Department presence to make sure traffic and participants interact safely.

Keeping track of athletes is one of the major jobs at an event like this. They are all scored by Buduracing (buduracing.com for results), a timing company that Chelanman has been using since its inception in 2007.

Other volunteers include student athletes from Chelan High School and this year there was a group of young students handing out medals at the finish line. Student athletes represent the volleyball team, and in the past, the wrestling and football teams. The volleyball team runs the free food tent and helps with a variety of transition points.

Athletes and their families come from all around the region to compete in the various events at Chelanman. 

The final act of the Chelanman Weekend has become a real favorite of the parents and spectators when the annual Splash and Dash takes place with the kids. It is a mini triathlon that brings many smiles and a lot of pride to the parents whose children paticipate. The following photos are from that race.

Chelanman Multisport Weekend was founded by Julie Pittsinger and a group of local athletes to promote healthy activities for the youth in the Lake Chelan Valley. One hundred percent of Chelanman profits are donated to the Lake Chelan Multisport Foundation with the proceeds being used to support the arts, literature, science and wellness programs for local youth. For a complete list of the programs the foundation has supported, go to: http://chelanman.com/about_32.html.

For results and photos, go to http://chelanman.com

Paraglider pilots launch off Chelan Butte and fly south to find lift.

by Richard Uhlhorn

The U.S. Open Paragliding Competition ended on Saturday with another cancellation because of heavy winds across the top of the Butte. “The weather skunked us,” said Teague, a local organizer of the competition. “A lot of pilots had a great time (free) flying later in the day.”

Out if the seven day completion, only four days were scored. “Everybody had an amazing time and want to come back… skunked and still having a good time.”

This year’s competition was also a Pre-World competition which is required before a World competition can be held at any location. The World Cup Tour has a World event being held in Chelan next year from Saturday, July 20 to Saturday July 27. More information can be found at http://pwca.org/node/43033. “We are online for next year, but it hasn’t even been approved,” said Teague. “We have the choice of bumping it another year.”

Chelan has hosted World Cup flying competitions in the past. The first completion was the 1994 Women’s World Hang Gliding Championship which was repeated in 2000.

In 1994, Joe Gluzinski tried to bring a U.S. Open to Chelan, but the DNR shut it all down because of the TYEE Complex Fire. In 1995, Joe was able to bring the U.S./Canadian Open to Chelan which was the precursor to the World Cup Paragliding Championships held here in 2010.

Paraglider pilots form up in a gaggle and wait for that day’s start time. 

Chelan Butte is known as a world class flying site, but during the middle of the day when the thermals are raging and dust devils are playing, the Butte is not a place for the inexperienced pilot.

This year’s weather was iffy. The more experienced pilots used their skills to complete tasks.

Every day, pilots gather for a pilots meeting that includes that day’s task, weather conditions and an opportunity to ask questions of the event organizers.

Loopy, a Swiss native who lives in Colorado, came in 11^th overall said that the task on the 11^th was horrible. “ A lot of guys grounded out. I was able to make my way back to the Butte where I found lift and got out front.” A fellow pilot said he had made it back also. “It was perfect… I hit 8,000 feet before heading across.”

One of the volunteer drivers, Todd, who tows paragliders for a living said that many of the less experienced pilots shouldn’t even be in the competition. “They are too inexperienced.”

Thai Verzone, a Physician’s Assistant from Anchorage and his four year old daughter, Maia, were in Chelan for the competition.

Thai Verzone, Physicians Assistant in Anchorage, said he finally got some lift off a ridge line over by Stormy. “I thought I was going down, but I got back to the Butte, climbed out and got across.”  He ended up quitting the competition of that day and just went free flying. “I did make it to goal, but I missed one turnpoint.” At one time Thai attained an altitude of 11,000 feet.

Years ago, World Champion Hang Glider Pilot, Kari Castle, told me that these competitions was like playing three dimensional chess in the sky. Pilots have to find lift to get enough elevation to cross the river. Once on the other side they have to find and use thermals to gain altitude and then glide to the next thermal, usually marked by a dusty (dust devil) rising from the wheat fields. The idea is to use these thermals and glide patterns to be first to each turn point and goal.

Joe Stone from Missoula, Montana got some help getting off launch. Joe is confined to a wheel chair, but that doesn’t stop him for enjoying the sport of paragliding.

On the ground, the pilots have retrievers who follow them across the state, sometimes into Canada or Idaho. Back in the day hang gliders would have to hitchhike back to Chelan to get some sleep before going at it the next day.

It may be upwards of 100 degrees on the top of Chelan Butte, but the pilots are bundled up for the much colder air at 10,000 feet.

Chelan is appreciated by the pilots and their spouses because it offers plenty of options and amenities when the flying isn’t good, or when the husband or wife is in the air, the other half can go to the lake and relax until it is time to pick up the pilot.

Pilots from around the world will continue to fly Chelan air throughout the summer. And, when Chelan hosts a World Event again in 2019 or 2020, the best pilots from around the world will arrive to test their skill set against each other.

Paragliders spread out across the top of the Butte in preparation of that day’s task.

Top 10 results:

1^st – Donizete Lemus, Brazil
2^nd – Nicholas Greece, USA
3^rd – Brad Gunnuscio, USA
4^th – Josh Cohn, USA
5^th – Michael Sigel, Switzerland
6^th – Matt Henri, USA
7^th – J.P.Robert Vandenbegine, Canada
8^th – Francisco Monteros, USA
^9th – Bill Belcourt, USA
10^th Nate Scales, USA

Fly, fly away. Paragliders leave the Butte in a never ending stream as 125 pilots try to get off launch and climb the thermal staircase to 6,000 to 10,000 feet above sea level for the push across the Columbia River to the Waterville Plateau.

by Richard Uhlhorn

Chelan County Fire District # 7 Fire Commissioners came under direct fire from retired firefighters from outside the area wanting the failed levy to be put back on the ballot for November to retain the six career firefighters who will lose their jobs when grant money ends.

Chelan County Fire District 7 (Chelan Fire & Rescue) commissioners came under direct fire at the regularly scheduled Fire Commission meeting on Wednesday evening, July 11 by a number of retired fire fighters and several concerned residents who accused them of playing politics with the public safety of the community because they weren’t putting the recent lid levy lift back on the ballot for November.

The Levy which was put in front of Chelan residents on April 24, 2018, failed by 60 t0 40 percent. The primary purpose of the levy was to retain six career firefighters who are currently being paid through a grant that ends at the end of this year. The cost to retain these firefighters was $860,000 per year. The voters, tired of new tax increases, voted overwhelmingly No.

At Wednesday’s meeting, a number of retired firefighters and a few concerned citizens showed up to show support for putting the measure back on the ballot for November.

Mike Cavanaugh, a retired firefighter from the Redmond area stated during the public comment period that losing half of the staff did not make him very excited. He told the commissioners that he had emailed them and the chief, but that only the chief replied. He accused the district of not educating the public about the importance of having a full staff to protect the public.

He asked them to find a funding source and said, “I am holding you accountable by November.” He also stated that he was not asked to be at the meeting. “Not a single union member asked me to be here.” He asked that the department not go backwards. “Step up to the plate… educate the community.”

Another retired firefighter said he supported what previous speakers stated. “It’s on you,” he told the commissioners. “We need you people to run this again. I would like to see it backout. Two hundred people need to be educated.”

Jacklyn Dalton, a local resident told the commissioners that Chief Lemon always responds to her emails, but that they, the commissioners, do not. She read some letters she had collected from the community reiterating the need to retain full staffing. One wrote, “Without your current staffing the entire community is put at risk.” She remarked that the 2-in 2-out law made it impossible on a reduced full time staff. “Put this back on the ballot… if they vote it down (again) I’ll back off,” she said.

Larry Peabody, another retired firefighter with 38 years service in Kirkland, told the commissioners that Chelan was now his home and his future. He stated that he had nothing against volunteers and said he started out as a volunteer, but volunteerism is facing severe challenges across the nation. “We will support you as you support us,” he said. “Educate the public. Your PR machine is broken.”

John Carbon, who is currently building a home in Chelan and retired with 30 years in the Woodinville Fire Department, said that the District, even with current staffing levels, is understaffed. “I mean no disrespect for any volunteer… I started as a volunteer,” said Carbon. “This department is out of balance. A little bit of education goes a long way.”

After the citizen comment period, Dan Crandall, President of the Firefighter’s Association said that the Association board had discussed about what, as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit, they could do or not do, decided to remain neutral to protect “our non-profit status.”

Commissioner Jay Witherbee, Phil Moller and Chairman Russ Jones were the subjects of a discussion about the failed April 24 levy and the lack of public education to the need to keep current staffing despite the public voting 60 to 40 percent to not approve the levy lid lift. The arguments to put the measure back on the ballot did not work.

During the Commissioner’s comment period, it became clear that they were not pleased. Phil Moller stated that he felt blindsided. “I’m always looking for input from the community,” he said.

Russ Jones said, “As commissioners, we can’t advocate… we are here to represent the community and I don’t see a climate change out there (for a new ballot measure).”

Jones remarked at the number of times the hospital had to run a bond issue to get a new hospital. “Our failure is only two months ago. I haven’t seen any change (in attitudes). The last campaign was force. There is not the support to do that (again),” he said.

Commissioner Jay Witherbee said, “I believe Chelan County Fire District 7 needs more money. Today, I would have to say No (to a new ballot measure).”

In the end, it was a disappointing evening for the proponents of putting the measure back on the ballot. The commissioners did not seem to rule out another levy in the future, but at this time are totally against any levy in this atmosphere.

by Richard Uhlhorn

Fireworks on this coming Saturday night will begin at approximately 10 p.m.

July is month full of annual events in the Lake Chelan Valley, starting with the Fourth of July celebration with fireworks in Manson on the Fourth with a subsequent fireworks show put on by the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the Town Toyota Center on Saturday evening at approximately 10 p.m.

There are plenty of areas around the lower end of the lake to watch the fireworks from. One of the best is the grounds at the Chelan Ranger District, or if you want to be closer, try Don Morse Memorial Park. Both are excellent viewing spots. Lakeside Park and the hills around the lower lake also provide nice vantage points.

Music on the Vine began July 5, but really gets underway on Saturday, July 7 with an Evening of Jazz at the Vogue beginning at 8 p.m.

Music will reverberate throughout the Valley from July 6 to July 14 as the annual Bach Fest takes over the Valley.

For those interested in attending the Festival String Quartet at the Lake Chelan Wineries, the following venues will be hosting the quartet:

Friday, July 6 at 7 p.m. – Tunnel Hill Winery
Monday, July 9 at 8 p.m. – Tsillan Cellars
Tuesday, July 10 at 6 p.m. – Karma Vineyards
Wednesday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m. – Hard Row to Hoe Vinyards
Thursday, July 12 t 7:30 p.m. – Rio Vista Winery

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, July 9, 11 & 13, there is a Courtyard Concert Series in the courtyard at St. Andrew’s Church in downtown Chelan.

Monday and Friday the Noon Concert Series will take place at the United Methodist Church.

On Tuesday and Thursday, July 10 & 12 there is an Interactive Program for Children at the Chelan Library.

On Thursday, July 12, the United Methodist Church will host a noon concert of Bach and on Friday, July 13, St. Francis Catholic Church in Chelan will host a Classics Concert.

On Saturday, July 14, the FREE Pops in the Park Concert will take place at 7:30 p.m.

For more information on the Bach Fest visit their website at www.bachfest.org or call 509.682.8475.

In addition to the Bach Fest, the U.S. Open (Pre-World) Paragliding Competition will begin on Sunday, July 8, with paraglider pilots from around the world competing against each other in a three dimensional world of free flying.

Paraglider pilots will take to world famous Chelan air when the 2018 U.S. Open Paragliding Competiton begins on Sunday, July 8. This is a Pre-World event and Chelan will be in the running to host a World Competition in 2020.

Each day of the seven day competition, the pilots will be given a flying task and will be scored on who finishes these tasks first.

This is an event that is fun to watch get underway as pilots launch into the thermal rich air above Chelan Butte and climb to cloudbase which is between 7,000 and 10,000 feet above sea level. They then cross the Columbia River and fly their given task.

Chelan Butte can be accessed by dirt road to the top. You can access the Butte Road in Lakeside just before Lakeside Lodges. Please drive carefully if you do go up (low slung cars probably will not make it). NO SMOKING ON THE BUTTE PERIOD. Take plenty of water because it is hot up there.

Another place to watch these pilots is at the landing zone at Chelan Falls Park usually later in the afternoon or evening as they return from their designated tasks.

The annual Chelanman Multisport Weekend takes place on July 21 and 22.

On July 21 and 22, the annual Chelanman takes place with approximately 2,500 athletes entering this Multisport weekend that includes Triathlons, Marathons and a Kids Triathlon. It is a fun filled event that is fun to watch. Parking is a problem however, so catch a bus at the high school or ball fields or walk in.

Chelanman is a locally run event with all net proceeds going into the Lake Chelan Multisport Foundation whose mission is to embrace healthy lifestyles through support of arts, literature, science, and wellness programs for youth in the Chelan Valley.

by Richard Uhlhorn

The Hamilton’s Hmett is a monstrous expedition truck converted to an RV. 

It came thundering around the corner into the upper parking lot at Echo Ridge last Sunday. A bunch of us had just finished eating our Sunday brats and were still drinking a beer after another successful mountain bike ride. Our jaws dropped, our eyes popped as this huge vehicle, called a ‘Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck’ or Hemtt, rolled into the parking lot. In the cab were two smiling faces with headphones on.

Of course, curiosity got the best of us as everyone pulled out their phones and cameras and started taking photos as we walked towards this monstrosity of an RV. Built by Oshkosh, this monster is now being purchased by private owners throughout world. “These are a lot more popular in Europe than here,” stated Kevin Hamilton, who with his wife, Ronda, are giving the HEMTT a rigorous shakedown cruise throughout the Pacific Northwest before eventually shipping it to Africa for Overland Expeditions. “We needed to find out what works for us and what doesn’t,” said Kevin.

Kevin and Rhonda Hamilton are exploring the Northwest in their recently acquired Hmett Expedition Truck that carries everything from the most basic necessities of life to all the toys one can think of .

iThe couple, who currently live in London where Kevin is a managing director with Berkeley Research Group (BRG), where he leads the Global Health and Global Applied Technology teams. He also owns a consulting firm working in business intelligence with clients in Australia and the Middle East.

His wife, Rhonda, has worked extensively with Starbucks Corporation as a contract employee but left in April to travel with Kevin.  Her bio says, “I’m not sure where life will lead me but I am willing to follow the path where ever it leads. Probably drinking a Starbucks Chai Tea Latte on the way.”

Both Kevin and Rhonda are engaging individuals who have left the work-a-day rat race after 20 years and now are able to afford and work independently. “I’ll call Starbucks Corporate and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to be in Capetown… you need anything done there? and they will say,’Sure… do this and that,’ ” says Rhonda.

They also have real estate interests in Seattle and own four Airbnbs which they rent out over the Internet. The HEMTT has a series of hot spots so they can connect to the Internet from almost anywhere. “We also have phone numbers from multiple countries,” said Kevin. They also carry a satellite telephone.

So why are they traveling around in a monster Memtt converted into a huge RV. “My father passed away at 59 from cancer and we decided that we weren’t going to wait until retirement to travel,” Kevin said. “My father had travel plans too.”

The Hamilton’s Hemtt is totally a totally self contained home for the backroads of America and eventually Africa where it will be used for Overland Expeditions.

“The Hemtt’s are more popular in Europe and we found one at the Abenteuer & Ahrad show in Germany,” Kevin said. “But the paperwork was too much to overcome.” Then this one came on the market and the two jumped on it. “We got a really good deal,” said Kevin.

Since purchasing the RV, they have been traveling the west coast and working through the vehicles systems, trying to figure out what needed changing and what could remain.

They get five miles to the gallon on the road, but that drops to four and lower when going up steep hills. With a highway speed of 60 mph it takes a little longer to get somewhere, but they are not in a hurry anyway. “If it takes us longer to get somewhere… so what.”

They arrived in Chelan after spending several days at the annual N.W. Overland Rally in Plain, Washington. They have traveled to Olympia and into the backcountry. One of their favorite backcountry trips was Mt. St. Helens. “It was so beautiful up there that we stayed an extra two days.”

Rhonda’s dog, Little Bear, travels with the couple throughout the world.

One of their experiences on Mt. St. Helens was up a narrow road where they came up to a locked gate and had to back down. Not an easy task in this vehicle.

On Monday afternoon, they left Echo Ridge for an overland trip over Grade Creek to South Navarre and down into to the Methow Valley via Black Canyon or Gold Creek. Then it is back to Seattle by July 5^th for a flight to Amsterdam and home to London where Kevin will go back to his job.

For those interested in just the vehicle…

It weighs 42,500 pounds;
Carries 155 gallons of diesel fuel
Has a 300 mile range
A highway speed of 62 mph
Power assisted steering
Eight-wheel drive when needed
Can climb 60 percent grades
Can fjord water up to 48 inches deep
Has 550 horsepower
Has been produced since 1982 by Oshkosh

Mansion on a go anywhere wheel base.

Looking for a home in the Lake Chelan Valley… call Mary

Kevin and Rhonda’s Hemtt has been retrofitted with an RV capsule that serves as a home with all the amenities while on the road from a full service kitchen to shower and lots of capacity to carry stuff. The Hamilton’s are outdoor adventure travelers and have all the necessities for outdoor adventures from a large rubber raft that can be lifted off the top of the vehicle with a small crane, room for mountain bikes, climbing gear and other gear.

To follow their adventure on the road, you can check them out on Facebook and Instagram @hermtthemtt.

RECENT ARTICLES:

• Chelan Fire discusses current issuesJune 22, 2018
• Rotary Club’s Century Ride this SaturdayJune 22, 2018
• Chelan Fire Commission back to threeJune 19, 2018
• Try Sailing Day this coming SundayJune 19, 2018
• Woodin Avenue Bridge project on trackJune 18, 2018

by Richard Uhlhorn

Over the years the most often asked question by visitors at the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce was, “Where can I go for a hike?”

The problem wasn’t that there weren’t some nice hikes in the Valley, but most of them, outside of Riverwalk Park, required drive time.

On Monday, June 25, the PUD Commissioner meeting, the staff outlined plans to permit the Lake Chelan Trails Alliance to build 2.3 miles of new trail above the Chelan River that will run off the existing trail that was built as a part of the FERC Relicensing requirement.

The two new trail loops in Chelan River Reach 1 will be done in Phases. The red line will be Phase 1 and constructed in 2019 and the yellow line is Phase 2 which is slated to be constructed in 2020. 

It has taken a long time to reach this agreement. Hiking and biking trails were requested in the Chelan River Reach during relicensing efforts as a part of the Recreation component by the Recreation Forum.

Guy Evans of the Lake Chelan Trails Alliance and Mayor Mike Cooney entered into agreements with the Chelan County PUD regarding trail construction, trail maintenance and liability.

Thanks to the ongoing efforts of the Lake Chelan Trails Alliance and the City of Chelan, along with the staff at the Chelan County PUD for recognizing the importance of providing new trail opportunities close to town.

Mayor Mike Cooney stated that the PUD staff made a presentation to the PUD commission, giving a history of the Chelan River Reach and the hurdles that had been put up in the past. PUD CEO Steve Wright asked for a presentation to keep the Commission in the loop.

Phase 1 of the Reach 1 extension off the existing trail will run along the river giving hikers, trail runners and mountain bikers a new opportunity closer to Chelan.

“Basically, the Trails Alliance will maintain the trails and the City will take on the liability and maintenance agreement,” said Cooney. One of Cooney’s arguments is that visitors to the Lake Chelan community are looking for trails and trail maps. “This is a start,” added Cooney. The group is still working on an Elephant’s Head loop that would connect to the Reach Trails.

Phase One (outlined in Red on the Map) will begin in 2019 with Phase Two (Yellow Loop) coming in 2020, however, there are still some hoops to go through.

“We need about $10,000 and will be looking for donations,” said Cooney who plans on donating to the work.

Guy Evans, who has been diligent in pushing forward on this vision said, “It was kind of expected… a bit of a formality. Steve Wright (PUD CEO) wanted to bring the board in.”

The Phase 1 trail will travel adjacent to , but no closer than
20 feet from the Chelan River
.

Evans said a lot of work is ahead before the trail can even begin to be constructed. The Trails Alliance and City will receive a conditional use permit from the PUD as soon as they have conducted a SEPA review, a Chelan County Shoreline Review and a Cultural Resources review by a qualified archaeologist. “There is a lot of work ahead of us,” said Evans.

When constructed, the two loops will be open to hikers, trail runners and mountain bikers.

The Trails Alliance will be required to provide trail signage and will be responsible trail construction typical of the trail construction at the Echo Ridge Recreation area utilizing a mini excavator and manual volunteer labor.

Interested in getting involved?  Email the Trails Alliance at: info@lakechelantrails.org.

• Chelan Fire discusses current issuesJune 22, 2018
• Rotary Club’s Century Ride this SaturdayJune 22, 2018
• Chelan Fire Commission back to threeJune 19, 2018
• Try Sailing Day this coming SundayJune 19, 2018
• Woodin Avenue Bridge project on trackJune 18, 2018

by Richard Uhlhorn

Chelan County Fire District 7 held a special Commissioner workshop on Wednesday, June 20, to go over a draft budget and discuss issues facing the department.

Fire Chief Tim Lemon outlined and went through the 2019 proposed Chelan Fire District 7 budget for the commissioners during a special workshop on Wednesday, June 20. 

“Tonight we will look a what our budget is going to look like,” chief Lemon told the Commissioners. “What will it look like if we do this… what will it look like if we do that.” He added that the numbers will change throughout the year depending on the District’s activities.

He is looking at a one percent increase allowed by law which will add approximately $20,000 to the revenue side of the

This year’s proposed budget is $2,290,652.24 based on an assessed valuation of $2,157,628,040.00. The new construction valuation is reported as an estimated $55 million. Chief Lemon has Department expenses at $2,296,003.56 or $5,351.32 more than the proposed budget. He expects the miscellaneous revenue to be an estimated 476,650.00.

The commissioners went through the line item budget that touched on financial changes in the district. 

There is also the possibility of running an election in 2019. Assistant Chief Mark Donnell explained during a telephone conversation that if the citizen’s petition to add two commissioners to the three already seated and Jay Witherbee’s seat also coming open in 2020, the District would have to run an election Would this include a levy lid lift… big question mark. Donnell stated that the cost would be around $16,500.

The District is going to try to retain at least one of the six career firefighters after the grant money runs ot to fill out the department’s need of on call permanent firefighters.

“What is the staffing model we want,” asked Donnell? “It’s best to have four on call, but we can manage with three and it rarely drops to two.”

Assistant Fire Chief Mark Donnell went through the volunteer issues and the need to discuss merging the fire service with the EMS service.

The District just graduated a number of firefighters. It’s too early to tell if the low participation in training will affect the volunteer services. New regulations for firefighters require 240 to 250 hours to attain Firefighter I status. It takes a total of 400 hours to attain Firefighter II satus. “They can get those hours at a 13 week training class,” said Donnell.

Currently the Department is offering 22 hours of training for its volunteers per month. Volunteers are on average 46 years old. Out of the 19 recruits only six have met all the requirements. “We need to get the rest up to speed,” Donnell said.

The state puts a lot of mandates on fire services for training. “It is tough meeting those requirements. It is a huge commitment,” said Donnell. What he hears from a number of volunteers is that the time it takes is way more than they expected. “We need to find a balance.” Getting volunteers to training sessions has also been hard reported Donnell.

Commissioner Witherbee said, “I’d have called them the next day.”

Donnell replied, “They are volunteers. It’s very clear what that responsibility is. We have to have people we can depend on.”

Commissioner Jones said it is a cultural disconnect from what the volunteer service used to be. Donnell stated that it is not the same as it was before. “It has changed dramatically.” We can’t fix something we are not aware of.

Commissioner Russ Jones brought up the cultural difference between the old volunteer fire service versus the new service which requires a huge commitment on the part of volunteers. 

“Well, this is a good introduction to what we are looking at,” said Jones. He then went on to say there were a couple of issues he wanted to get on the table. One was the issue of fire units responding to every EMS call. Chief Lemon said, “I think it would be a huge mistake to back away from that.”

Commissioner Moller stated that he hears it from constituents all the time. “There has to be some options out there.”

Chief Lemon said, “The big picture is to get the EMS into the Fire Service. We’ve had no luck with the hospital sitting down to talk to us.” The hospital has not responded to any contact. “We can’t even get the players to the table,” said Lemon.

Witherbee replied that the community is very protective of Emergency Management Services.

Jones said he was trying to put out things he hears from the community. Donnell replied that he understands constituents talking to commissioners, but added, “They don’t talk to me. My door is open and I’m right inside the front door. I think it would be wrong to not have that conversation. What is it going to take to start that conversation?”

Moller added that in a round about way, the Department is asking to save money and gain efficiency, but Witherbee stated that it might take town hall meetings, and added “it isn’t going to be pretty.”

Donnell added that he felt it was the perfect opportunity to move forward before a catastrophic event happened. “We would like to be ahead of that curve.”

Witherbee replied that any attempt to merge the services will be dead on arrival. “I’ve had these discussions. It is not going to be positive,” he said.

Commissioner Jay Witherbee said it would be difficult to get the community to buy into a merger between the Fire Service and EMS. 

The department is also looking at funding for apparatus replacement, but Chief Lemon said, “We have a pretty strong fleet… we just need to keep it healthy.”

A new 4-wheel drive off-road crewcab rig with a 1,500 gallon water tank runs between $285,000 and $350,000 depending on the supplier.

It was also noted that the Department is down one staff vehicle and it is costing an estimated $1,400 a month for reimbursement on a private vehicle. “This discussion needs to happen sooner than later,” said Donnell. The cost for a new staff crew cab pickup would run approximately $40,000.

Witherbee asked if it was budgeted. Chief Lemon said it was.

Moller asked if it could be rigged with a snowplow, but Jones stated that the plow needs to be discussed a little bit more. It is costing the District around $1,300 for snow removal services.

Commissioner Phil Moller would like to see a discussion about a merger with EMS.

In final comments, the Chief said the next workshop topics should include what the department’s staffing was going to look like and the impacts on the fire service. “These are viable things to discuss,” said Lemon.

Jones said it was unusual to not have the conversation with the hospital. “We have to find ways.” Witherbee added, “We need to sit down… I’m ok to sit down with them and look at the Fire/EMS model.”

Jones also suggested that if there were ways to move volunteers into a career position that would provide additional incentive.

The other issue is how to educate the public about the Fire Service. “We don’t have the funding to hire a PR person but maybe we could establish a position for a volunteer for that purpose,” said Jones.

Witherbee stated that the executive summary that came out of the task force was good. “They said they love the service but didn’t want to pay for it. It was voted down (last levy lid lift) and they don’t see the consequences… or the direct impact. They are going to see (eventually) the difference. They are going to see a drop in the level of service.”

The next Commission meeting in on July 11 at 5:30 p.m. and the next workshop is on July 18 at 9 a.m. and is scheduled for a half day.