Wenatchee Valley College will use a portion of the Winthrop library’s public meeting space for its educational programs.
School to offer classes, clubs, other activities
The Town of Winthrop and Wenatchee Valley Community College (WVC) have reached a lease agreement under which the college will use community meeting space in the new Winthrop library to offer a variety of educational programs.
The five-year lease, for an annual rate of $8,159, gives the college priority (but not exclusive) usage of one-half of the public meeting space in the new library. The library’s public space, which will be available for a wide range of community uses, can accommodate up to 70 people. It can also be divided into two equal-size spaces for separate, concurrent uses.
The lease was approved at last week’s Winthrop Town Council meeting. Tod Treat, WVC’s vice president of instruction, assured the council that the space would not be used only by the college. He said WVC will work to avoid scheduling conflicts. He said the college’s computers that will be used in the educational space will be mounted on mobile carts that can be moved and stored during other events.
According to the lease’s language, the priorities for scheduled usage are WVC, the town, and NCW Libraries, which operates the library.
WVC will be offering high school and college classes, tutoring and homework assistance, and clubs and after-school activities for younger students in the Methow Valley School District.
WVC envisions offering in-person college classes on subjects such as political science, industrial technology, business, nursing, early childhood education and skilled trades.
The college will also offer the Running Start program, where high school students can get dual credit, and adult education for college and career readiness.
College classes will be available to the community at large as part of continuing education, but WVC expects to offer other non-credit classes based on local interest, such as genealogy, natural science, or foreign-language instruction, Treat said.
WVC classes will be available in person and also online so that people in other areas can join, Treat said. The local classes will allow Methow Valley–based WVC instructors to teach from Winthrop.
In other business at least week’s meeting, the council:
- learned that former Deputy Marshal Ken Bajema has rejoined the Winthrop Marshal’s office, bringing the town’s police force back up to three officers.
- approved a request by Cascade Fisheries to place three “outreach signs” at the town’s Mack Lloyd Park. The signs will contain information about endangered native fish awareness, best practices for river recreation, salmon red identification, water quality and riparian plantings. Cascade Fisheries is a nonprofit focused on river restoration, education and outreach in north central Washington.
- approved an agreement with the state Department of Commerce for a Housing Action Plan Implementation grant of $25,000 to help fund a study of the area’s housing needs and potential strategies for meeting those needs. Twisp has approved a similar $25,000 grant, and the two towns will pool their funds to hire a consultant to conduct the study.
- approved a contract with Varela Engineering and Management to begin the design phase of two projects: addition of sidewalks on Castle Avenue and Corral Street; and improvements to Horizon Flat Road. The sidewalk project would add pedestrian walkways on Castle Avenue from Rose Hill to Corral Street, and then north on Corral Street to Bluff Street. The Horizon Flat project includes installation of a stormwater drainage system, and the existing roadway will be widened and improved where necessary. The projects are funded by a 95% grant from the state Transportation Improvement Board.
- approved an agreement with the Low Income Water Assistance Program, which is offered by the Okanogan County Community Action Council to assist low-income residents with their utility payments.
