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THE VOICE OF PEND OREILLE COUNT Y SINCE 1901

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

www.pendoreillerivervalley.com

Volume 109, Number 37 | 2 Sections, 24 Pages

75¢

Merrill resigns as county commissioner

Extreme sports to biomass?

Planning group releases list of possible uses once mine shuts down

BY DON GRONNING OF THE MINER

BY MICHELLE NEDVED

NEWPORT – The chairwoman of the Pend Oreille County commission resigned her position halfway through her second term. Laura Merrill is leaving the county commission to take a job with the Washington State Association of Counties, she announced in an email to county employees and others Friday morning, Oct. 12. She also told MINER PHOTO|DON GRONNING them her last day would County commission chairwoman Laura Merrill be Oct. 30. on the job Monday. She resigned her position This set in motion a to work for the Washington State Association scramble by the county of Counties. Republican party to find commission will select somea replacement to serve the one to fill the position until the remainder of this year to adopt next general election, he said, a budget and negotiate pending in November 2013. The elected union contracts. The person person will serve out the term, appointed by the commissionwhich expires at the end of ers will serve until the next 2014. Then the seat is up for general election, in November election again. 2013. Nominees must be registered With two seats up and to vote in District 2, which is incumbent John Hankey not mostly the Newport area but running for re-election it could also includes Dalkena and Deer mean three new commissionValley. ers are seated in January if Pend Oreille County RepubDiane Wear isn’t re-elected. lican Party chairman Norris Merrill is a Republican, Boyd said that the 14 current so the Pend Oreille County Precinct Committee Officers Republican Party will submit will meet Tuesday, Oct. 23 at three names to the county the American Legion in Cusick commission for her replaceto vote on who to put forward. ment, county prosecutor Tom Metzger said. The county SEE MERRILL, 2A

OF THE MINER

METALINE FALLS – The Pend Oreille Mine community based planning group released a list of possible ways to use the Teck America property after the mine shuts down permanently at Metaline Falls. Ideas range from a biomass facility to an extreme sports complex. The planning group met Oct. 4. Maul Foster Alongi, the consulting firm working with the Pend Oreille County Economic Development Council on the project, reviewed the work done so far by the planning group and narrowed the list of possibilities. The EDC is administering the $190,000 grant from the state Department of Ecology to pay for MFA’s services. The mine is currently in a temporary shutdown, waiting for the zinc market to recover. Eventually, however, the mine will shut down permanently once all resources are exhausted. At that point, this working group is devising a plan to develop the land into something that retains the jobs lost by the closure, increase local tax revenue and train and hire local workers, if possible. They want to do that while respecting the rural character and natural assets of the area and integrating reuse

MINER PHOTO|JANELLE ATYEO

A colorful morning walk A group of friends enjoys the sun fall colors on a morning walk down Spruce Street in Newport Tuesday, Oct. 16. Karen Rothstrom, left, Carleen Hopkins and Virginia make it their morning routine to walk together. They’ve had fairly warm weather lately, in between some rain early this week. The forecast calls for rain over the weekend and highs in the 40s.

SEE SPORTS, 2A

County candidates talk budget, economy, property rights ||

PE N D O R E I LLE CO U N T Y CO M M I SS I O N E R D I ST R I C T

Diane Wear

||

1

Karen Skoog

Democrat

Age: 61 Residence: Sacheen Lake Occupation: Pend Oreille County commissioner

||

Steve Kiss

Republican

1. How would you balance the county budget? “We’ve directed the elected (officials) and department heads not to increase their budget by more than 3 percent,” Wear said. The county cut about 15 percent from the budget last year, she said. This year the county commissioners gave the departments the bottom line, which included the 3 percent increase, and let them manage. “They’ve been pretty good about doing that,”

1. How would you balance the Skoog county budget? Skoog said she would do everything she can to encourage growth of the tax base to generate revenue for the county. With that, there wouldn’t be need for a road levy shift. She said her priority is road maintenance. She’s heard from constituents that they want good roads and they want their investments protected. She feels the county can find another way to come up with money to

SEE WEAR, 10A

SEE SKOOG, 8A

|| Garden Avenue building denied grant NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County officials had hoped a state grant would help upgrade the vacant county building on Garden Avenue, but they learned last week the state’s Community Economic Revitalization Board did not selected the project for funding. Local officials want to move county offices, possibly community development and the economic development council, into the 1974 brick building. Commissioners decided to vacate the Northeast Tri-County Health District that was renting the building, but an architect’s study showed it needed to be brought up to Americans with Disabilities Act code, and the roof and heating system needed repairs before county offices could move in. The project will take about a half million dollars, and

Age: 62 Residence: Metaline Occupation: Self-employed logging contractor

the county applied for that amount, the maximum award. Public works director Sam Castro said the CERB board didn’t say why the project was denied, but there are many projects competing for funds. He doesn’t see any other funding prospects at this point, but the project will be on the capital projects list should future funding opportunities arise.

Liquor transition impacts city budget NEWPORT – Newport city staff are making preparations to balance the 2013 annual budget. At a revenue hearing during Monday night’s council meeting, clerk Nickole Schutte explained how privatization of the state’s liquor business might impact the budget. Next year, all the liquor excise tax that would normally be distributed to local governments will go to the

Republican

Age: 59 Residence: Ione Occupation: Real estate Kiss

1. How would you balance the county budget? With everyone struggling in this economy, Kiss said he would not want to raise taxes. The key, he said, is to plan ahead three, five or seven years down the road to see what kind of expenses are going to come up. If they see that the roof is going to need repair in a few years, he gave as an example, the county could start SEE KISS, 9A

B R I E F LY

||

Tim Ibbetson

Republican

Age: 48 Residence: Elk Occupation: Volunteer grassroots leader

Wear

PE N D O R E I LLE CO U N T Y CO M M I S I O N E R D I ST R I C T 3

1. How would you balance the Ibbetson county budget? Ibbetson acknowledges that balancing the budget is a very difficult issue. “We’re just going to have to be extra diligent,” he said. Ibbetson said the county has to prioritize spending and ask department heads to meet certain benchmarks, to tighten their belts and not force the commissioners to do it for them. A carryover each year helps the county balance

SEE IBBETSON, 9A

||

state’s general fund. That means about $10,000 per year for Newport. For the next year, Schutte budgeted no income from excise tax. The city usually gets about $12,000 in liquor profits, but Schutte budgeted for half that amount in the coming year. Mayor Shirley Sands said they will be pushing the Washington Association of Cities to lobby for more of that money coming back to the city. Liquor went private June 1. According to a survey of police chiefs by the Association of Washington Cities, in the first three months of private liquor sales sellers are complying well, but there’s been an increase in crime. A total 63 percent of officers reported that liquor theft is up and 30 percent said there is more alcohol related crime near grocery stores.

Grant awarded for Sullivan Lake roadwork METALINE FALLS – The Pend Oreille County road department was awarded a $95,000 grant to repair the gabion wall that retains the rocky slope along Sullivan Lake Road. The money comes from the Colville National Forest Resource Advisory Committee. The Sullivan Lake corridor has three separate segments of the retaining walls, spanning 30 to 50 feet. The plan is to re-establish a retaining wall through that entire 200-foot section of road, explained public works director Sam Castro. Survey crews started the initial work last week. That information will be used in the design phase, to take place over the winter and spring months. Construction is slated for next season. Once complete, the wall should be good for the next 100 years, Castro said.

SPORTS 1B-3B - RECORD 5B - POLICE 5B - OPINION 4A - CLASSIFIEDS9B-11B - PUBLIC NOTICES 11B-12B - DOWN RIVER 11A - LIFE 4B - OBITUARIES 5B


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