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POMEROY–Fireworks display for the fourth of July celebration and the fair in September were the two major topics discussed at the Garfield County Commissioner’s (BOCC) meeting June 15. The Garfield County Fair Board (GCFB) has debated rather to limit entries for showing animals to Garfield County residents only and how to that may look for outside county annual participants. Justin Dixon, Chairman of the BOCC, remarked there are some local students, active in 4-H and FFA programs, who live outside of the county. These students were aff...
POMEROY–The Garfield Public Transportation Authority (GCTA) is currently offering transportation services again, but is still restricted to Phase 3 guidelines under the Governor’s Safe Start Plan. “Sneeze Shields” have been installed in three vehicles, and social distancing precautions are being observed. Drivers are encouraged to wear masks. At this time, only four riders are allowed on the buses at one time. The number of riders allowed is believed will increase when the county advances to Phase 4. The GCTA has also adopted the policy...
POMEROY–A pain management policy has been written by Pomeroy Medical Clinic Medical Director Dr. Andrew, specifically directing the dispensing of opioid medications to clinic patients which was approved effective immediately by the Garfield County Hospital District board (GCHD) at the June 1 meeting. No details were given as to what is included in the new policy. A proposal by the co-CEOs, Mat Slaybaugh and Jayd Keener, to consider contracting with Lynx Healthcare of Spokane Valley, Wash., f...
POMEROY–The Garfield County Human Services (GCHS) have been awarded up to $1,800,000 from three entities, A Group Health Foundation ($175,000), Department of Commerce ($1.5 million) and Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative ($125,000) to help develop and continue greater human-health service opportunity for the immediate area. A Group Health Foundation $175,000 grant is strictly for use in Garfield County, and can be used for any need. One goal is to hire a front office person with case-management duties for the Pomeroy office. The posit...
POMEROY–Chairman Justin Dixon announced Garfield County received official approval from the state to move forward to Phase 3 of the Governor’s Safe Start plan and confirmed the receipt of $250,000 from the Department of Commerce at the meeting of the Garfield County Board of Commissioners Monday, June 8, 2020. Opening into Phase 3 allows groups of up to 50, government offices can reopen and meetings can resume in person, but have been recommended to continue meetings through telecommunication. The commissioners question as to how it affects pub...
POMEROY–The Garfield County Fire District (GCFD) Board of Commissioners held a second interview with candidate James Cleveland for Fire Chief on Tuesday, June 9, at 5 p.m. Following, the board voted to invite Cleveland for a face-to-face meeting with him and his wife, a third interview and a tour of Pomeroy. The face-to-face interview date will be set when COVID restrictions allow in-person meetings. The board voted to pay for Cleveland’s travel expenses. Currently Cleveland lives in Ashburnham, Mass., but is originally from northern Cal...
POMEROY–Plans for the 2020 Senior Graduation ceremony will commence at the Garfield County Fairgrounds June 13 at 2:30 p.m. High School Principal Amy Miller, senior parents Laura Dixon and Kim Wolf, and High School Senior Advisor Toddette McGreevy, mapped out the event giving attention to the guidelines set forth in Phase 3. To meet Governor Inlsee’s Safe Start requirements, the event can have a gathering of up to 50 people with social distancing of six feet. To stay within those parameters, graduates, district employees; Superintendent Rac...
POMEROY–The School District Board of Directors, recommendations for filling four open positions: Science and World Language; Elementary second grade teacher; High School Volleyball coach; and Music teacher, were made at the May 28, 2020, meeting. Three were approved by the School Board. Three candidates were interviewed and the team recommended Kristina Knebel as the Science and World Language teacher. The letter of recommendation stated she holds a Master’s Degree in Agriculture Science Education, with experience teaching Biology and “ot...
POMEROY–Garfield County Commissioners signed a resolution to approve moving forward with the Phase 3 variance application which was later updated at a special meeting on Wednesday, June 3, with a new application dated June 3. Garfield County Public Health District Administrator Martha Lanman is hopeful to have approval for the variance by Monday, June 8, 2020. Lanman met with the County Commissioners on Monday, June 1, 2020, to discuss the status of applying to the Washington Secretary of Health to move forward to Phase 3 of the Safe Start P...
POMEROY–The School District has received seven preliminary examples or options to consider for reopening school in the fall for the 2020-2021 school year from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). According to Rachel Gwinn, Superintendent, meetings at the Education Services District (ESD) level, as well as the OSPI, are ongoing, and there are still a lot of unknowns at this time. Option 1 is the traditional on-site, face-to-face school. Gwinn says that although this is her preference, the possibility of returning to this p...
POMEROY– Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) approve the request to hold the 2020 High School graduation at the Garfield County Fairgrounds on June 13, 2020, if the county has moved into Phase 3. The class requested the use of the Garfield County Fairgrounds for their graduation ceremony, providing an outside venue appropriate for community activity in Phase 3, which was approved at last Tuesday morning’s meeting, May 26, 2020. Phase 3 allows outdoor recreational facilities to host events at less than 50% capacity. According to Garfield Cou...
POMEROY-Garfield County was approved to move into Phase 2 which allows several local businesses to conditionally re-open. In Phase 2, people can once again get a haircut at the local barber shop and hair salon. The procedure is to first get an appointment, and only one customer is allowed inside the shop at a time. However, up to four people can be in the shop at one time, including any workers. Each hair professional and customer must wear a mask. A hand sanitizer station is located by the...
POMEROY-Martha Lanman, Garfield County Public Health District Administrator, (GCPH) reported to the County Commissioners (BOCC) May 26, that a total of 38 tests have been administered in Garfield County for COVID-19, and all have been negative. Garfield County still remains the only county in Washington with no cases, and is eligible to apply for a Phase 3 variance under the Governor’s Safe Start Plan, as of Friday, May 29, 2020. Changes that Phase 3 would bring include in-home gatherings of up to six people outside of household members, r...
POMEROY–An expected state funding loss of $400,000 from decreased fuel taxes will impact county road maintenance budget and other public works greatly. The Garfield County Commssioners discussed this expected loss during the Tuesday, May 26 meeting, recognizing the decrease of revenue from state funding through fuel taxes is a significant amount for a rural county such as Garfield County. The Public Works department will be the most affected area of the County government because the fuel tax i...
POMEROY-The Garfield County Hospital District (GCHD) received a legislative grant in the amount of $245,000, earmarked for the Capital Improvement Project (CIP) of installation of a new electrical system and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system for the old hospital portion of the building. A special GCHD meeting was convened on May 14, to discuss details of said project. To ensure the total cost of the CIP is covered by grant money, Slaybaugh stated several other grant applications...
POMEROY–The Port of Garfield commissioners approved a $64,458.92 payment to M&L Construction at the May 19 meeting, and with authorization to resume construction on the broadband system which had been delayed due to the COVID-19 shut down. Diana Ruchert, Port Director stated work can start anytime with the projected completion deadline in October. An interlocal agreement with NoaNet for Network Operations Center (NOC) services was also approved and signed at this meeting. A NOC is a place from which administrators supervise, monitor, and m...
POMEROY–John Hirsch, Garfield County Emergency Management Director, addressed the County Commissioners regarding how to budget coronavirus relief funds from the Department of Commerce (DOC) during the meeting on May 18. The DOC has issued a list of requirements on how the funds may be used. The funds will be paid as a reimbursement to the County, and it has not yet been decided if that will be at 75% or 100% of the incurred expense. Hirsch believes that there is a "good possibility" that it w...
POMEROY–Commuter service to the Lewis-Clark Valley was reinstated Monday, May 11, Director Rachel Anderson announced at the Garfield County Transportation Authority (GCTA) meeting May 18. There are two to three regular commuters being served with this route. To add protection, a Plexiglas shield separating the driver from the riders was installed in one bus. However, they have not had success in locating more Plexiglas for the other vehicles. A second vehicle that they are running has a shower curtain that has been fashioned into a shield. D...
POMEROY–Garfield County Health District Administrator Martha Lanman, announced to the Garfield County Board of Commissioners at the May 11, 2020 meeting, that the County had been granted approval to move forward to Phase 2 of the Governor’s Safe Start recovery plan due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The effective date of the variance was May 8, 2020. Lanman credited the move forward to the effective actions by the community to follow the “stay home, stay healthy” regulations put in place by the Governor. She also outlined the continuing safe pr...
POMEROY–Co-CEO Mat Slaybaugh outlined the upcoming construction that will upgrade the electrical infrastructure in the original hospital portion of the building, finally get started on the heating and air-conditioning system upgrades, as well as plans for adding a computed tomography (CT) scanner. He has divided the upgrade plans into three phases at the regular meeting of the Garfield County Hospital District (GCHD) Board of Commissioners. Phase 1 is the electrical system upgrade required by a...
POMEROY-Teleconferencing, the Courthouse drop box and courtroom sound system have become valuable tools in continuing the workings of County business with the public during the pandemic closures. During the May 11 Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting, Commissioner Justin Dixon announced the board will continue with teleconferences each Monday morning through the end of May. Even though the courthouse may re-open its doors once approved to move into Phase 3 of the Governor’s Safe Start recovery plan as early as June 1, they may c...
POMEROY-U.S. Bank customers received notice in March that the local U. S. Bank housed in the Old National Bank location, a mainstay on Main Street, will close June 16, 2020. There are no clear indications, at this time, what will be done with the building, which is currently leased by U.S. Bank. Communications Manager for U.S. Bank in Minneapolis, Minn., Boua Xiong indicated that the decision to close the Pomeroy bank was not an easy one, but based on customers utilizing online and mobile banking, it seemed the most practical path to choose....
POMEROY- Garfield County Auditor's Office, Donna Deal has officially retired after 37 years of service on April 30, 2020. She began her career as the Licensing and Recording Deputy, then moved up to the position of Chief Deputy, eventually being appointed in 1991, and ultimately elected to the position of County Auditor, where she served for the past 30 years. She was re-elected every four years, through a total of eight election cycles, but was opposed only once. Deal is a native of Grangeville...
By Connie Boyer East Washingtonian Reporter POMEROY-McKenzie Uto Lueck has been appointed and sworn in as Garfield County Auditor on Monday, May 4, 2020, to complete retiring auditor Donna Deal's term effective April 30, 2020. Lueck has been the Deputy Auditor since December, 2017. Lueck is a native of Pomeroy, and graduated from Pomeroy High School in 2014. She continued her education at Lewis Clark State College, graduating in May, 2017, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business...
POMEROY-Superintendent Rachel Gwinn introduced an instructional plan which maintains the number of staff employed for the 2020-21 school year and a new transitional Kindergarten (TK) program. The District will maintain the state required ratio of 17 students to one teacher in K-3 grades, which is also the same average used across all grade levels. During the school board meeting April 27, Gwinn discussed the possibility of establishing a new TK class. According to a description issued by the...