Reports on pilots conference, veterans memorial
OROVILLE – Stan and Tina Janowicz appeared before the Oroville Council at their Tuesday, March 15 meeting to ask their support for the 11th annual Run for the Border motorcycle ride.
The charity ride, which can attract upwards of 300 riders, begins in Wenatchee and travels the 150 miles to Oroville, arriving around 1 p.m.
“This year it will be Saturday, May 18 on Armed Services Day, the Columbia River Harley Owners Group lost their chapter for awhile because Wenatchee Harley went out of business, so we are a little behind in planning,” said Tina Janowitz, adding that the chapter had started working with a Yakima dealer who took on the event.
“We are working with two Christian groups in raising money for their causes,” added Janowitz from Okanogan, who coordinates the ride with her husband Stan.
They asked for support and assistance from the city as it has in the past.
“We’d like some assistance with parking and help with the cones,” she said.
After saying the city would again support the event, Mayor Chuck Spieth asked Police Chief Clay Warnstaff had any comment.
“Just that we look forward to them coming,” said Warnstaff.
Representing City Airports
Leroy Orr reported on his recent attendance at the Washington Pilots Association Conference and Trade Show. Orr, a member of the Okanogan-Ferry County Chapter from Tonasket, helped to represent the chapter at an information booth at the conference. The local chapter includes eight public use airports, including seven in Okanogan County and one in Ferry County.
“About ten to 12 thousand people come through there,” Orr said. “Our info booth is to show people our area. We have lots of literature from pretty much every corner of the area.” He added that he was always amazed at how many people don’t know where Okanogan County is.
“They say things like… ‘you mean you have mountains here’ and ‘you mean all your airports are paved.’ They think we have dirt runways,” Orr said.
Orr said those that dropped by the booth were interested in things like recreation and real estate guides and were looking for things like hanger building sites.
“We have three new hangers moving into Tonasket just this year,” Orr said. “It’s something for Oroville to think about. Retired people bring in Seattle dollars; they don’t need jobs, they just spend (money).” He said that his group gave out seven boxes of local apples on Saturday.
“These people are just really interested in our area, these guys looking for places to go for recreation,” he said.
Orr said that all the chapter asks from the cities with airports is money to cover their expenses – gas, food and hotels.
Veterans’ Memorial at Park
Roley Clark from the local American Legion Post updated the council on the plans for a new Veterans Memorial at the city’s Osoyoos Lake Veterans Memorial Park. He, along with Oroville High School Senior Hailey Scott and Rod Noel, Oroville’s head of the park’s department, discussed various locations where the memorial might be built in the park. They have decided it will be near the flag pole and an existing memorial along the highway. The memorial will include a 12 foot high wall with wings on each side of the wall. On the wall will be placed the names of veterans engraved on copper leaves which will be made at the high school. The leaves on the smaller memorial currently in the day park will be moved to the wall and 130 plus additional names will be placed there as well.
“The names are all of local veterans,” said Clark. “People can contact members of the Legion Post or the school to get a name on the wall. The students are making the leaves with the names and the benches.”
Scott is doing the project as her senior project this year. The ongoing project will be picked up by various seniors in the future, according to Clark.
“We’d like to at least get the concrete wall, which will be tiled, up this year,” Clark said.
Reports on pilots conference, veterans memorial
