Bulletin Column April 6

These reports are from the previous four issues of the Daily Bulletin in Colfax. They are reprinted here for the benefit of Gazette readers who reside outside of Colfax. Some accounts have been updated.

CITY OKAYS POOL HEATER BID

Colfax City Council members Monday night approved the purchase of a new boiler heater for the swim pool. Councilman Al Vorderbrueggen, who also serves as head of the park board, submitted the bid report to the council for acceptance after it had been selected by the park board.

The council approved purchase of a high efficiency furnace for a bid price of $37,700. Vorderbrueggen said the park board opted for a high efficiency unit which operates at 96 to 97 percent efficiency compared to a lower efficiency unit which would cost less initially but would operate in the 80 percent range.

The bid was submitted by Scott Ackerman of Colfax. Vorderbrueggen said Ackerman also computed Avista rebates, which derive from the higher efficiency unit, into the price.

Also, the council approved the purchase of a separate water heater for the pool building on a bid of approximately $5,000. Using a separate unit for heating water in the building is expected to increase efficiency of the pool water heating system.

Colfax swim pool last summer operated with one of two of the boiler heaters out of commission. Vorderbrueggen noted the one remaining heater encountered problems as the swim season advanced and was close to being “red tagged” before the end of the swim season.

Buying just one unit to heat the pool water means the pool will operate without a redundancy factor which was incorporated into the pool’s original two-heater design. One expected result will be a shorter life span for the new boiler.

The pool’s original design called for two units to share the heating load or alternate, which meant less overall operating time per unit, Vorderbrueggen explained.

PURCHASE WILL TAKE RESERVE FUNDS

Purchase of new heating equipment for the pool for $42,700 will exceed the budget figure of $25,000 which was placed in the the city’s parks department budget to make the purchase. City council members Monday night approved using reserve funds to cover the difference.

Vorderbrueggen said the park board has discussed asking members of the Colfax pool supporters group to help make up the difference in the cost of the new unit. The pool supporters organized last year to discuss options for the long-term future of the pool operation.

One course of action, which emerged from the pool discussions, was the city’s proposal to form a separate metropolitan parks and recreation district made up of residents in the city and in the Colfax School District. The proposal failed to get the required 60 percent approval, with a 55 percent “yes” vote in the general election.

Vorderbrueggen Monday night said the Colfax Park Board now is leaning toward a plan to upgrade the pool at its present site.

Installation of a new boiler for the upcoming season will not lead to activation of the kiddie pool which has been shut down.

Vorderbrueggen explained the water flow design of the junior pool needs to be changed before it can be put back into operation.

CAR PROWL TALLY NOW

AT 10

Colfax Police have received 10 reports of vehicle prowls with the first logged last Thursday, according to Police Chief Rick McNannay. Five of the reports came from vehicles which were parked along N. West Street.

Two of the vehicles were parked along Perkins Street, two were parked along Main Street and one was along Cedar Street.

McNannay said all of the entries except the one on Cedar Street were made in vehicles which were left unlocked. The Cedar Street entry involved a truck. Officers could not find evidence of forced entry.

An amplifier and sound system were removed from the truck. Loose change, stereo face plates and a cell phone charger were other items reported missing from the vehicles, the chief said.

PULLLMAN DRIVER HITS ELK

Ae-Kyung Joo, Pullman, was unhurt early Monday when the car she was driving collided with an elk on Highway 26 west of LaCrosse. According to the Washington State Patrol report, Joo was driving westbound at 5:57 a.m. when the elk entered the westbound lane of traffic and was struck by the 2013 Honda Pilot she was driving. The collision point was at mile marker 99, approximately five miles west of LaCrosse.

CITY

CONDENSES MEETING

Colfax City Council conducted a condensed meeting Monday night to oblige council members and others who wanted to see Gonzaga play North Carolina in the NCAA championship game. Mayor Todd Vanek at the start recognized one aim of the session would be brevity.

The city meeting started at its appointed 7 p.m. time which was close to the end of the first half of the game in Phoenix. The game started at 6:20.

One agenda move by the mayor was to drop a normal routine of reports from each city department and make general call of “does any department have a report.” There were no responses. The meeting wrapped up in 24 minutes.

Those departing were advised the game was still in a halftime break with Gonzaga leading 35-32. The report came from volunteer firemen who were monitoring the game in the back row of the council room.

COURT DEBT GOES BACK

10 YEARS

Terry DeCremer, 30, Colfax, was ordered Friday to make payments on a court debt dating back to a 2006 conviction in superior court. DeCremer was arrested by sheriff’s deputies Friday on a warrant which was issued after a previous court round of enforcing the order to make the payments.

Included in the court record was a letter from a former employer in Pullman who said DeCremer was a great employee, but he struggled to make the court payments while attempting to raise a young family at the same time. The former employer noted DeCremer had been hired away for employment at a higher paying job.

DeCremer Friday was ordered to pay the sum overdue by the end of the month and continue to make $100 monthly payments. Failure to do so will result in a 60-day jail sentence for each violation.

The sum due is for fees and costs, plus interest, involved with the 2006 conviction on a gross misdemeanor of fourth degree assault with sexual motivation.

GALLEGOS SET FOR TRAIL

Eli Gallegos, 59, Colfax, has been scheduled for a June 12 trial after arraignment Friday in Whitman County Superior Court. Gallegos was charged Feb. 22 with residential burglary after he was arrested by city police.

Officers responded to the scene after the alleged victims reported they saw Gallegos in a garage at their residence on S. Lake St. after they returned home. They reported they had previously nailed the garage door closed.

ICE SAID

ACCIDENT CAUSE

Lester Segura-Carrazana, Kennewick, sustained cuts to his hand early Friday after he lost control of a 2003 Ford van on Highway 272 1.5 miles west of Palouse. According to the Washington State Patrol report, he was driving westbound at 4:45 a.m. when the van went out of control on the ice-covered highway, slid into the ditch on the westbound side of the highway and rolled.

He was not transported for treatment.

THREE HURT ON HIGHWAY 26

Three people were injured in a deer collision Sunday at 6:25 p.m. on Highway 26 west of LaCrosse. According to the Washington State Patrol report, Michael R. Stocks, Lewiston, was driving a 2005 Honda Odyssey van eastbound on Highway 26 when a deer came out of the ditch and into the path of the vehicle.

The driver, passenger Sandi J. Stocks, Lewiston, and a juvenile passenger were injured in the accident.

Accident site was at mile 97.8.

THREE MUMPS CASES

CONFIRMED

The Whitman County Health Department issued a mumps update reporting four cases in the last week with lab results confirming three.

As of March 20, the state of Washington had 664 cases of confirmed and/or probable cases of mumps since October 2016, the most in decades. The transmission of the mumps virus is occurring throughout the state, primarily affecting Spokane, King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Spokane County has reported 289 cases since last October.

A contagious disease, mumps is caused by the mumps virus and is transmitted by saliva and respiratory droplets from person to person. A person infected with the mumps virus is contagious or can spread the virus two days before symptoms appear and up to five days after symptoms have presented themselves.

The most distinctive symptom of mumps is swelling of the saliva glands in one or both cheeks affecting the space in front of the ear down to the neck or jaw. The swelling is known as parotitis. Other symptoms of mumps may include fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness and loss of appetite with symptoms typically lasting a week to 10 days.

Whitman County Health Department asks that if you or a loved one experiences symptoms consistent with mumps, stay home from school, work and public places and contact your doctor to be evaluated for mumps and receive proper care.

Other measures you can take to decrease the spread of mumps include covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and put your used tissue in the trash. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands; wash your hands with soap and water; avoid sharing drinks or eating utensils and disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as toys, doorknobs, tables and counters; make sure you are up to date on your MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine. The MMR vaccine provides significant protection from mumps and can greatly reduce the risk of complications.

NON-INJURY COLLISION IN PULLMAN

A non-injury accident occurred Thursday west of Pullman at an intersection at milepost 21.64. At 8:35 a.m., a 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis, driven eastbound on SR-194 by Christopher D. Luke of Moscow, pulled out from a stop sign. A 2016 Freightliner tractor/trailer approached northbound on SR-195, and a third vehicle, a 2014 Nissan Rogue, waited at a stop sign, westbound on Old Wawawai Road. The Mercury struck the tractor/trailer and continued, hitting the Nissan.

The accident occurred in bare and dry road conditions in overcast weather.

The tractor/trailer was driven by Ted J. Sherman of Kettle Falls, and the Nissan was driven by Anthony J. Yockey of Pullman.

All wore seat belts.

MARCH

RAINFALL TOTALS

A total of 4.68 inches of rain was recorded for March, in numbers released by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation office in Colfax. The highest single-day total was .70 inches on March 14 with the lowest at .01 on March 3 and March 31.