Doc says thanks
Dear Editor:
As of March 1, I no longer work at The Country Clinic in Winthrop.
It was a hard decision to leave. I first saw patients at The Country Clinic in February 2005, covering for Dr. Ann Diamond when she volunteered in Thailand in the wake of the tsunami. My family and I moved here full-time in July 2007. For over seven years I have split my time between two jobs, working two days a week at The Country Clinic and eight days a month as a hospitalist at Central Washington Hospital. I have now decided to focus on hospital work full time.
Since October of last year, I have been saying good-bye individually to patients as I see them at The Country Clinic. While many of you have responded with a tender message of encouragement, I understand the hardship of establishing trust in a new health care provider, revealing yourself as a patient to someone else, and losing a valued relationship. In the context of the many “dual relationships” which come with medical practice in a small town, I will continue to know many of you as a member of the community, but I will no longer be your doctor. I will miss the role in which many of you have come to know me best.
I now work at Central Washington Hospital approximately a week on, followed by a week off. We continue to live primarily in the Methow Valley, where our kids attend high school and my wife, Leesa Linck, works as a pediatrician at The Country Clinic.
I am humbled by the trust many of you have placed in me as your physician. I will not forget each of the individual life stories you have shared. Thank you.
Chris Hogness, MD, Winthrop
Lifetime of service
Dear Editor:
I have heard through the Okanogan County Electric Cooperative grapevine that the longest-serving employee in the history of OCEC is retiring. Gary Wilson has been a fixture there for a good 38 years. I had the privilege of working with Gary for 25 of those years and during that time I was always impressed at his dedication to the co-op and its members. Line work is extremely dangerous and especially so during outages because of inclement weather and conditions. Gary and I responded to thousands of outages during my time there and he was always someone that I and the co-op could count on the get the job done.
It is impossible for me to find words that would do justice to a lifetime of service to the co-op members there in the valley. I want to publicly thank Gary for his friendship and most of all for making it possible for me to go home safely each night for all those years.
When you see Gary around the valley please give him smile and a thank you for all his work in keeping the lights on for us all!
Ray Ellis, Eureka, Montana
No process for no-spray
Dear Editor:
We were greatly disappointed to receive a certified letter last week revoking our no-spray agreement with the county. We have held this agreement since 1999 and in the intervening years we have cared for the county’s road easement like the rest of our farm, eliminating weeds without the use of chemical herbicides. Without any warning or diplomatic process, the Weed Board and our county commissioners have decided to end this long-standing arrangement with us and many other of their constituents, foregoing any discussion or appeal.
Neighboring roadside which is sprayed regularly by the county hosts many more weeds than our stretch which is mowed and hand-pulled each year. We are surprised at the county’s decision to forfeit our voluntary labor to maintain their easement, and to insist on the governmental application of herbicides, since the commissioners claim to favor the rights of property owners.
We desire to care for our land and farm, including the county’s easement, without the application of chemicals. We take this issue seriously, and urge the county to provide some way for us to appeal this sudden and unilateral decision. In other areas, it is common practice to provide a five- or seven-day warning, during which landowners can attain full compliance, before terminating no-spray agreements.
If you feel strongly about this issue as well, please speak up during the citizens’ comment period at the commissioners’ meeting, at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday (March 17). Calling the day before is recommended, in case the time changes. If you are unable to make it in person, you may submit written comments.
Kelleligh McMillan and Paul Gitchos, Twisp
Balloon Roundup kudos
Dear Editor:
We wanted to express our sincere thanks to Mother Nature for being on her best behavior and providing three wonderful days of weather for the 2015 Winthrop Balloon Roundup. Eighteen balloons and crews enjoyed the best the valley has to offer for ballooning. Mom Nature isn’t totally responsible, though, for everyone enjoying themselves. Thanks go out to the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce and this year’s sponsors, The Winthrop Inn, Pine Near RV and River’s Edge Resort. Big-as-balloon thanks go to Dennis Gardner and Okanogan County Energy, Evergreen IGA, Town of Winthrop, Lariat Coffee Roasters, Rocking Horse Bakery and Kathy and Chrissy for manning the hospitality tent. But most of all we’d like to express our sincere thanks to all the residents and property owners who welcomed the balloons to fly over and land in their neighborhoods. Thanks for letting us “drop in”!
Kurt and Melinda Oakley, Morning Glory Balloons, Winthrop
Questioning the no-spray decision
Dear Editor:
I read Marcy Stamper’s article (March 4) about the cancellation of no-spray agreements with interest because we had ours canceled. My biggest concern is the fact that where they want to spray is within 25 feet of our well. The fact that we have eradicated the weeds by pulling them every season, but the decision to spray has been made despite this, without explanation, or the possibility of appeal is also very troubling. This seems like a waste of our taxpayer dollars to me, spraying for weeds where there are none.
In my research it appears that the county is bound by state laws governing these no-spray agreements and state law requires (from RCW 17.10.060):
“Each activated county noxious weed control board shall employ or otherwise provide a weed coordinator whose duties are fixed by the board but which shall include inspecting land to determine the presence of noxious weeds, offering technical assistance and education, and developing a program to achieve compliance with the weed law.”
I have not received technical assistance, education or seen a program to achieve compliance, so I question the validity of this decision under state law. I also feel that each case deserves attention to its own unique details such as the proximity of our well to the spray zone.
Terry A. Hunt, Twisp
