Sorted by date Results 201 - 225 of 302
With no resolutions or ordinances to deal with on its agenda, the only real business the Cheney City Council did at its Aug. 11 meeting was pay bills. Council voted unanimously to pay vouchers in the amount of $422,731.11, and payroll totaling $851,127.19. Council did receive an information report from Public Works Director Todd Ableman on water use in the city along with ideas for conservation measures in the future. Those conservation measures include better communication, watering amounts and watering fees along with...
In the simplest of forms, baseball's a game of hits, runs, pitches, strikes, balls and errors. But it's also one of knowing the signs, from coaches to players running the bases and with the catcher to his pitcher. And maybe in the case of the Washington State Little League 9-10 age group state tournament that was to have started July 17 and run upwards of 12 days at Salnave Park in Cheney, it was having no signs, or confusing ones at best. Just a few weeks before the city was...
While conservation efforts have led to a restoration of levels in the city’s five-reservoir system, Cheney officials are cautioning residents from a false belief they are out of the woods when it comes to water supply over the remainder of the summer. The city is still maintaining a water usage status of yellow, even with cooler temperatures forecast over the coming weekend. Under a yellow status, residents and businesses are advised to water on odd/even days — odd days if location’s street address ends in an odd numbe...
The city of Airway Heights is following suit and joining Medical Lake and Cheney in conserving water this summer. At Monday’s City Council meeting, interim Public Works Director Ross Dunfee and Lance Peterson, public works water lead, informed the council they have enacted level 1 and 2 water restrictions in the city. The restrictions are a result of the hot weather’s effect on the city’s wells, as well as water across Washington state. “The system’s water supply to the system is down and we are currently monitorin...
The Cheney City Council approved the city’s six-year, $6.4 million transportation improvement plan at its June 23 meeting. Of that funding, $4.9 million is planned for grant-eligible projects, with $655,470 in grant-eligible matching projects and $1.93 million in funded preservation projects. The plan qualifies the city for federal and state grant funding for improving 10.75 miles of local streets, with 5.78 miles local access and 4.77 miles arterial streets. The residential street plan calls for $1.8 million in p...
Residents' efforts to comply with the city's request to sharply curtail water use this past weekend helped Cheney avoid a critical situation regarding its water supply. But with more hot weather on the way, and an even hotter and drier summer than in 2014 forecasted, last week's restrictions could become more commonplace without continued conservation measures. The city's water issues actually began in April when a drier than normal spring led to an early start of the irrigati...
At its June 16 meeting, the Medical Lake City Council adopted the Water Use Efficiency Goals for the Years 2015-2020. The city is required by Washington State Municipal Water law to set water use efficiency goals and measure usage every six years. The city’s two main goals focus on leakage and consumption. On the supply side, which the city controls, the goal is to have leakage of 10 percent, the state average, or less. In 2014, the unaccounted water for the city was 7.5 percent. One way the city is working toward this g...
At its June 16 meeting, the Medical Lake City Council adopted the Water Use Efficiency Goals for the Years 2015-2020. The city is required by Washington State Municipal Water law to set water use efficiency goals and measure usage every six years. The city’s two main goals focus on leakage and consumption. On the supply side, which the city controls, the goal is to have leakage of 10 percent, the state average, or less. In 2014, the unaccounted water for the city was 7.5 percent. One way the city is working toward this g...
Cities throughout Washington state, including the West Plains, are gearing up for another hot summer. In May, Gov. Jay Inslee declared an drought emergency for the state. According to the Washington state Department of Ecology, the declaration comes after Inslee’s Emergency Water Executive Committee determined that 48 of 62 watersheds in Washington have water supplies of 75 percent of normal or below and water users are, or are expected to experience hardships from water shortages. With the drought emergency in place, c...
The city of Airway Heights is slowly making progress acquiring two mobile home parks located on Lawson and Campbell Streets in the Fairchild Air Force Base Accident Potential Zone II (APZ), the area beyond the clear zone of a runway that is a risk for accidents. In an April 14 news release, the Washington State House of Representatives passed a capital budget that includes around $94 million in various projects for Spokane County, including setting aside $1.5 million toward...
The combination of light snowfall during the winter months and March rainstorms have had little impact on the various wastewater treatment facilities in the West Plains. Steven Cooper manages the Medical Lake wastewater treatment and reuse facility, which collects waste and water from the Medical Lake, Lakeland Village and Eastern State Hospital. Similar to last year, Cooper said there were some increases in the water the plant collected in recent months, but not as much as...
The Cheney City Council approved a resolution declaring an emergency in order to waive the competitive bid process and proceed with purchasing needed electrical components to repair a main underground switch cabinet damaged in a Feb. 15 auto accident. City Administrator Mark Schuller said the reason for the emergency resolution, which would exceed $7,500, is because some of the parts are 12-15 weeks out. Repairs to the cabinet, located at the northeast corner of North Sixth Street and Betz Road, are temporary and if...
Several members of Medical Lake High School's Future Farmers of America's (FFA) sales team take notes as a representative from Fogle Pump and Supply in Airway Heights explains the inner workings of water pump systems. The sales team is one of several groups of the FFA club that are getting ready for various competitions this month. The sales team is preparing for a March 18 district sales competition, at Medical Lake High School, where they have to sell a systematic sprinkler...
During a June workshop, Cheney department heads were asked to answer three questions for attending City Council members: What are your department's short-term needs? What are its long-term needs? And, finally, what keeps you awake at night? For the five departments receiving revenue from the city's General Fund, 2015's projected $6.728 million budget provides some answers to the first two questions. As for the third, there are still restless nights. Parks and Recreation City...
When it’s in good supply — which is most of the time — Cheney’s drinking water continues to be some of the cleanest water around. According to the city’s 2013 Annual Consumer Confidence Report, Cheney’s water tested below maximum contaminant level goals established by the federal Environmental Protection Agency as well as state goals, including contaminants produced as a by-product of water disinfection processes. Some contaminants such as lead were undetected in the water samples collected. Public Works director Todd Ablema...
The extended streak of hot weather and recent severe storm-induced power outages led the city of Cheney to issue mandatory outdoor watering restrictions on Monday, Aug. 4. Water usage for lawn irrigation systems and sprinklers was restricted for at least 48 hours, scheduled to resume at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 6. Public Works director Todd Ableman said the power outage created by the severe storm July 23 was not too bad, but the storm Aug. 2 left wells 6 and 7 located along SR 904 toward Tyler without power for over 15...
Two new features will be coming to Sunset Park later this year. The first is a new public restroom. The Airway Heights City Council approved the purchase of a CXT restroom forthe park at the July 21 meeting. Parks, Recreation and Community Services director J.C. Kennedy said he has conducted surveys over the years and two of the top requests from residents are improved restrooms and a water feature for the park. Kennedy said the new restroom is a pre-fabricated and...
By AL STOVER Staff Reporter Fogle Pump and Supply, which has a branch located at 12019 W. Sunset Highway in Airway Heights, is welcoming a familiar face back into the fold. Fogle Pump and Supply based out of Colville, Wash., purchased Ricard Drilling back in May, according to a news release. Jon Ricard worked for Fogle from 1997 to 2004 before starting Ricard Drilling. Justin Ricard joined his brother's company shortly after its establishment. With the acquisition of Ricard...
The city of Medical Lake released their water quality report for the year 2013. According to the report, published on the city’s website, the drinking water met and exceeded all federal and state requirements for safe drinking. The source of the city’s water is from an underground aquifer that gets water from four wells. Three wells — located northwest of the city — are shared by Medical Lake and the Department of Social and Health Service hospitals. The fourth well is at the Craig Road and State Route 902 interse...
The Airway Heights City Council adopted its reclaimed water plan at the June 16 meeting. The Department of Ecology approved the plan before it was brought to the council. Public Works director Kelly Williquette explained that the city developed the reclaimed water plan to evaluate the use of reclaimed water in the city and to outline a capital improvement plan for recommended improvements. The source for the reclaimed water is the city’s Water Reclamation Plant, between South Russell and Lawson Street. Williquette said the f...
As a parent, and now grandparent, my heart aches, my eyes roll and I had to shake my head over two recent news stories. They both involved families doing family things. Each had different outcomes. One ended in tragedy while the other, luckily, happily, if not drowning in waves of controversy. The tales are those of the Kolves family from not far away in the Columbia Basin, and the Kaufmans from California. The Kolves were thrust into the headlines March 30, when what was...
The old saying, “Water- water everywhere, and not a drop to drink (or irrigate),” these days. It’s no secret that much of the nation is in drought conditions, especially in much of the food production areas such as Southern California and the southern states. The answer? Get the older decommissioned super aircraft carriers out of mothballs, man them with reserve naval personnel and tow them to areas where they can produce millions of gallons of water, daily. Much of the irrigation water piping systems are already in exist...
Katherine L. Anderson (age 100) of Cheney passed away Nov. 27, 2013. She was born July 16, 1913 in Renton, Wash., the eldest of 11 children. She grew up on the Lund Dairy Farm on Cow Creek in Benge, Wash. Katherine completed her two-year teaching certificate at Cheney Normal School, and her bachelor of arts at Eastern Washington College. She married Cecil Anderson June 4, 1934 in Newport, Wash. where they ran Kelly's Tavern and cut wood for a living during the depression...
Environmental activists claim they want to reduce production of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. If so, they’re going about it in a very strange way. Take forest management, for example. Anti-forestry activists oppose salvaging dead and diseased trees, saying the forests should be left in their natural state. But that debris is volatile tinder for raging wildfires that pump an average of 67 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year, according to a 2013 r...
1 Years Ago July 31, 2003 The city of Cheney was taking steps that could eventually lead to the use of treated wastewater for irrigation purposes. A once-dead skateboard park in Medical Lake was experiencing new life thanks to help from equipment manufacturer Skatewaves, which offered to sell the city used equipment. That would save the city approximately $10,500 out of the projected $50,000 cost of the facility. Eastern Washington University announced the appointment of...
