Oroville prepares to rehab Well #1

By Gary DeVon • February 11, 2016 2:27 pm
The Oroville CARES Coalition recently put up a billboard featuring the winning student entry in a contest illustrating the theme "Drugs Destroy Families." First place was awarded to Reese Noel, a second grader at Oroville Elementary. His artwork incorporates a broken heart and tears, clearly portraying how drug abuse affects both families and individuals. Natalie Rodriguez, grade six, claimed second place with her rendition of a loving family hiking in the woods. Third place winner, Yudany Padilla, grade three, portrays a family posing happily in their yard near a fruit laden apple tree. The City of Oroville donated $750 to the coalition toward the billboard.
The Oroville CARES Coalition recently put up a billboard featuring the winning student entry in a contest illustrating the theme “Drugs Destroy Families.” First place was awarded to Reese Noel, a second grader at Oroville Elementary. His artwork incorporates a broken heart and tears, clearly portraying how drug abuse affects both families and individuals. Natalie Rodriguez, grade six, claimed second place with her rendition of a loving family hiking in the woods. Third place winner, Yudany Padilla, grade three, portrays a family posing happily in their yard near a fruit laden apple tree. The City of Oroville donated $750 to the coalition toward the billboard.

Plans in motion for Arbor Day celebration

OROVILLE – Oroville’s superintendent of Public Works, Rod Noel, discussed the future rehabilitation of the city’s Well #1, which has been in need of upgrades for the past five years, at the city council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 2.

Noel said in addition to electrical work, increasing the service to a three-phase, 480 volt from 240, the old pump will be pulled and replaced with a new one. The electrical work will be done by the Okanogan County PUD, with trenching and other preparation done by the city crew. The work on th pump will be by Irrigation Technology and Control, based in East Wenatchee.

“This has been about five years in the making,” said Noel. “We need to get this pump back on line and we will probably have to clean Well #4 again.”

Lynn Chapman, president of Oroville Streetscape asked Noel if there were some good spots to plant trees for Arbor Day. She also asked about replacing the tree at on the side of the Garret Building.

“Our policy is they have to be planted in a vault to stop the roots from breaking up the sidewalk,” said Noel, who suggested Bud Clark Ballfields as one place the city would like to encourage trees be planted.

“There are lots of places to plant trees at Veterans Memorial Park,” Noel added.

Chapman said she would also like to plant trees at the Prince’s Park on the south end of town for Arbor Day.

Noel said they would have to look into where a tree would be planted as the park property is under a long term lease from the Prince family and not owned by the city.

“Give us some time, we would like to plant a tree in the corner to be used as a permanent community Christmas,” said Clyde Andrews, president of the Oroville Chamber of Commerce.

Noel said the city eventually wants to straighten out Fifth Street into more of a ninety degree angle to the highway. Any tree, he said would have to be well back from the corner to allow for future improvements to the street.

Chapman also asked about things like cleaning the sand off the streets, the dilapidated and abandoned house on 14th and Golden, and the phone booth at the old laundromat.

About the old house, which has not been occupied in many years, Mayor Chuck Spieth said, “We are working on that through the court system. Todd (Chief Hill) has been addressing that for the past year.”

Noel said that the sand was usually swept from the streets during the city crews preparation of the town for May Festival.

“We are pushing it now, generally don’t start until mid-February, because if we do it earlier it may snow and we may have to put sand down again,” said Noel.

The issue of the old phone booth will probably have to be dealt with through the phone company that installed it, seemed to be the general consensus.

Arnie Marchand, from the Borderlands Historical Society, updated the council on Neighbor Day. He said he spoke with the Mayor of Osoyoos and she thought it was a great idea. Oroville will hold the first Neighbor Day, probably in May, according to Marchand. The city will invite representatives from Osoyoos and Tonasket.

“We’ll buy you lunch and their will probably be some speeches,” he said. “The next year Tonasket or Osoyoos will host and then the third year it will be the town that hasn’t done it yet.”

Marchand also wanted to comment on Streetscape going to Spokane to buy trees at $250 each.

“Why do that when you can go right up to Osoyoos and get the same thing for $80?” he asked.

Lastly, City Clerk JoAnn Denney said the city had received a letter of thanks for their donation to the Oroville CARES Coalition.