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The Newport Miner
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THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901
75¢
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
www.pendoreillerivervalley.com
Volume 110, Number 24 | 2 Sections, 16 Pages
PUD Fiber project costs growing Over budget amount goes from $1.9 million to $4.3 million BY DESIREÉ HOOD OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – The Pend Oreille Public Utility District’s fiber to home project is running 13 percent over budget, or about $4.3 million, as opposed to the $1.9 million staff had earlier estimated. The board and staff discussed the issue at the commissioners’ regular meeting Tuesday. PUD General Manager John Jordan said the cost overrun is caused by the lack of detailed record keeping by the former project manager. He said the PUD should have seen the overruns coming. “It’s a tracking thing,” Jordan said. “No one in the district is trying to
spend anything or hide anything. Until the middle of April, the district absolutely did not realize that an overrun was coming.” The board didn’t discuss specific areas where the costs were more than the engineers’ estimates for the project. The project work and equipment were also awarded after competitive bids were received by the PUD. Jordan estimates that the total amount over budget could be upward of $5 million. The $34.1 million fiber to the home build-out in south Pend Oreille County is now costing $38.3 million. The project was largely funded by a $27 million federal stimulus grant, which ends Sept. 30. The PUD will have to come up with the additional SEE PUD, 7A
Mediation continues over hospital union contract BY MICHELLE NEDVED OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – Mediation began Thursday between the Newport Hospital district and its nurses, but no resolution has been reached, according to district CEO Tom Wilbur. “We’ve got all the other verbiage taken care of,” he said, except for the economics of the union contract, meaning disputes remain over wages. Fifty-seven nurses belong to the Service Employees International Union Local 1199, whose last two-
year contracted ended Dec. 31, 2012. The mediator will continue to work with both parties over the next few weeks over the phone. Wilbur said they are hoping to have a contract by the end of July. Wilbur explained that mediation works by dividing the two groups into separate rooms. The mediator is the go between for the district and union, and brings the two groups together when something needs to be clarified. Wilbur said he was present during SEE HOSPITAL, 7A
County commission campaign underway Two Republicans seek District 2 position BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – The primary election won’t decide the race for the District 2 seat on the Pend Oreille County Commission but it might indicate which is currently the stronger candidate. Since there are only two candidates running, both Mike Manus and Mark Zorica will advance to the general election. They are both Republicans. Both say the primary will be important. Only District 2 voters will cast ballots in the primary. District 2 is in the central part of the county and includes Newport. In the general election, the whole county will vote. “The primary means everything,” Zorica says. Zorica, 40, is in his second term as a Newport city council member. He
MINER PHOTO|DESIREÉ HOOD
This is a view of the Boundary Hydroelectric Project in north Pend Oreille County. Changes to the Boundary Dam and Sullivan Creek projects were recently discussed at a Pend Oreille County commissioners meeting.
Seattle City Light explains relicensing projects
$400 million will go into county BY DESIREÉ HOOD AND JANELLE ATYEO OF THE MINER
NEWPORT – Seattle City Light was issued a new license this past March by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to pro-
SEE COMMISSION, 7A
Editor’s Note: The Miner Newspaper submitted four questions to all three candidates running for the 7th District Senate seat, vacated by Bob Morton when he retired earlier this year. Republican John Smith was appointed by county commissioners in all counties he represents to replace Morton, and is now facing two Republican candidates in the primary election, Mike Brunson and Brian Dansel. The top two will go on to the general election. Smith was asked an additional question regarding an article published in the Spokesman Review, alleging that some members of his family had connections to the Christian Identity Church, which is listed as a hate group. One question posed to all three candidates is about wolves. Two of the candidates state that wolves were “introduced” to Washington. Gray wolves migrated to their natural habitat in Washington from Idaho and Canada. They were not introduced by any government entity.
|| Playhouse burglarized, camp rescheduled
Spirit Lake Cutoff to be repaved SPIRIT LAKE – Bonner County will be repaving Spirit Lake Cutoff road with one and a half miles of new asphalt overlay this summer. Interstate Concrete and Asphalt of
been generating power since 1967. Greene said the scope of all protection, enhancements and mitigation measures are identified in the settlement agreement after years of study and negotiations. She said that many measures are intended to be adaptively SEE BOUNDARY, 2A
Senate race shapes up for 7th District
hopes to attract a good vote in the primary, which will include voters from his Newport district. Manus, 61, agrees the primary will send a message. “It kind of tells each of us what we have to do,” he said. Zorica Manus was appointed to the District 2 seat after Laura Merrill resigned in October 2012 to take a job with the Washington Association of Counties. Manus was appointed by county commissionManus ers John Hankey and Diane Wear to fill out the remainder of Merrill’s term. This election is to full out the remainder of her term – one year. The position will
NEWPORT – The Pend Oreille Players Association’s theater was burglarized Sunday night, July 14. “It looks like they broke a back window with a rock and got in that way,” said Donna Maki, president of the board of directors of the association. The burglars took a safe, but it didn’t have much money in it. “We had just made a deposit after the one act plays,” Maki said. The burglary did cause the cancelation of a Drama Camp for first, second and third graders. The four-day camp will be rescheduled for Monday through Thursday, July 22-25.
duce power from the Boundary Hydroelectric Project for 42 more years and with the agreement comes a handful of expensive projects that will mitigate the impacts of the Boundary project. Barbara Greene, Boundary license division manager, met with Pend Oreille County Commissioners and discussed the relicensing and projects that will be done. Boundary has
Mike Brunson Age: 57 Republican Hometown: Springdale Occupation: Ret. U.S. Air Force Captain, private investigator Education: Master’s Degree in International Relations The Miner recently heard from a constituent who said Sen. Smith ran a business that closed down for financial reasons. Do you believe personal finances should be aired Brunson in this race and reflect how a legislator will lead the 7th District? The private business your question is asking about was a Delicatessen located across the street from the Stevens County
Ballots go out this week NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County elections officials are preparing to get ballots in the mail for the primary election, which concludes Tuesday, Aug. 6. “We plan to send out about 8,600 ballots,” Auditor Marianne Nichols said. The only contest everyone in the county will have a chance to vote on is the race for the District 7 state Senate seat. Mike Brunson, Brian Dansel and John Smith are running for that position. They are all Republicans and the top
Age: 30 Republican Hometown: Republic Occupation: Ferry County Commissioner Education: AA in Associate Sciences from Walla Walla Community College The Miner recently heard from a constituent who said Sen. Smith ran a business that closed down for financial reasons. Do you believe personal Dansel finances should be aired in this race and reflect how a legislator will lead the 7th District? While I believe that personal finances are an indicator in how somebody manages a budget, I prefer not to get into the personal
SEE BRUNSON, 2A
B R I E F LY
Dover was awarded the bid for $152,960. The company will be scheduling the work, anytime before Aug. 15. Other county road work planned for this summer includes paving the driveway at the Idaho Hill solid waste collection site on Highway 41 south of Oldtown.
Brian Dansel
SEE DANSEL, 2A
John Smith (incumbent, appointed) Age: 40 Republican Hometown: Colville Occupation: Farmer, Senator Education: The Miner recently heard from a constituent who said Sen. Smith ran a business that closed down for financial reasons. Do you believe personal finances should be aired in this race and reflect how a Smith legislator will lead the 7th District? My wife and a long time family friend owned the very popular breakfast and lunch spot in Colville, the Courthouse Café. As we entered the beginning of one of the worst SEE SMITH, 8A
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two will advance to the general election in September. Only people who live in Commissioner District 2 will get to vote on the county commission seat being sought by Mike Manus and Mark Zorica. They will both advance to the general election, where the entire county will be able to vote. In the north part of the county, the District 1 commissioner position for Fire Protection District 2 is being sought by three candidates – Sue Cona, Jon Carman and Rick Stone. The two candidates who get the most votes in the nonpartisan race will advance to the general election.
Driverless semi rolls into restaurant OLDTOWN – A driverless semi truck rolled into the Fay’s Lounge, part of the Riverbank Restaurant Monday night,
July 15, about 11:20 p.m. The driver apparently forgot to set the parking brake, said Knick Knaack, who lives near the restaurant. He declined to name the driver but said the man drives for Bill York Crushing and Salvage of Sagle. Knaack, who is also the fire captain for Fire District 4 near Dalkena, said that when he arrived he saw the cab of the tractor-trailer embedded in the restaurant. The restaurant was closed and nobody was hurt, Knaack said. Sharon McEvers has owned the Riverbank Restaurant since it opened in 1964. She said the alarm woke her at home when the truck hit the building. “We were lucky we were closed,” she said. In all the time she has owned the restaurant, something like this has never happened. “We’ve had people bump into it, but nobody got all the way in.”
SPORTS 1B - RECORD 4B - POLICE 4B - OPINION 4A - CLASSIFIEDS 5B-8B - PUBLIC NOTICES 6B-8B - DOWN RIVER 7A - LIFE 2B - OBITUARIES 4B