By Don Nelson
Maybe some day, circumstances will take the measure of the Methow Valley’s seemingly boundless generosity. Thankfully, we don’t seem to be there yet and may not be anytime soon. The recently concluded Give Methow campaign raised more than $207,000 for 27 nonprofit organizations in the valley. In its second year, the online fundraiser exceeded last year’s total of $185,000 in donations.
If you’re an employee of or volunteer for a local nonprofit, you know that money isn’t easy to come by and any amount helps. Mostly, generating the necessary funds involves a lot of asking. Even given the extraordinary number of Methow devotees and advocates who don’t live here full time but are willing to help, there aren’t that many of us to ask. And we all get asked a lot.
If you look at the list of Give Methow beneficiaries, you’ll find that most or all of them are familiar, and that despite their different missions they have a common objective: to help the people of the Methow Valley have a better life.
I think that’s why giving — time, money, materials, whatever — is such a natural response for valley residents and fans. We know that the donations are going to good causes, we can see the results, and a lot of the money stays in the community — likely to be re-donated somewhere down the road. Most of the nonprofits have been around long enough that we have confidence they will deliver on their goals.
I’ve theorized before that the Methow Valley’s long history of self-sufficiency, the expectation that as a community we will look to our own needs, has a lot to do with our generous spirit. It’s as practical as it is beneficent. The Methow Valley was paying it forward long before that phrase came into popular use.
Annexation election
Something to think about if you live just about anywhere in the valley except in Twisp: The Town Winthrop has proposed that it be annexed to Okanogan County Fire District 6. Next February, residents of Winthrop and the fire district will vote on the idea (Twisp residents aren’t in the district so won’t be allowed to vote). Both the town and the district have to approve of the annexation before it proceeds. If the proposal passes in both jurisdictions, the district would annex Winthrop effective Jan.1, 2018.
It’s not a new idea and has been tossed around before. Currently, both Winthrop and Twisp contract with District 6 for fire protection, an arrangement that has periodically become prickly when it comes time to negotiating the terms of protection contracts.
Annexation would clear up some jurisdictional issues for the town and District 6 and may have some other practical advantages. But I don’t know what to expect from Winthrop residents who have been watching the protracted — and, so far, unsuccessful — effort by District 6 to build a new fire hall within the town limits. There has already been some political fallout from that issue, resulting in election of a new commissioner to the fire district board. I also don’t know if district residents outside of Winthrop will see any potential down side to annexation.
I expect we will all hear more about the proposal over the next few months and be able to make an informed choice at the polls. Fire protection is too important a service for any of us to take for granted.
Imagining Twisp
If you haven’t already noticed, Twisp is taking that whole downtown revitalization thing very seriously. This week, the town will host a public meeting to review plans for enlivening downtown for residents and visitors alike, and for a new civic building that would also serve the region as a communications center.
The projects are separate but integral to each other. Each is ambitious and may seem a bit extravagant to some for little old Twisp. But planning and follow-through on such improvements are necessary for Twisp to maintain its role as the valley’s business center and increase its attractiveness to tourists. TwispWorks has set an example for what’s possible with hard work, imagination and determination. It’s not that much of a stretch to visualize the improvements that the town has in mind.
