(By Brandon Hansen/Chewelah Independent)

Damage like this on West Boone Ave. will be getting repaired soon by the city of Chewelah. While many roads got back to normal from winter heaving, the city is using grant money to repair the most severe damage. (Courtesy photo)

West Main and West Boone slated to get repairs from freeze heaving…

The City of Chewelah has been awarded over $35,000 in state grant money to help repair damage to city streets created by the heaving from freezing during last winter.

“Normally heaves settle down and return to normal,” City Administrator Mike Frizzell said. “Most of our streets recovered from it but this was one of the worst winters we’ve had.”

The sections of needed repairs in question are on 2nd St. and West Main along with a section on West Boone. The total cost of the repairs will ring up at $36,000 with the grant matching up to 95 percent of the cost and the city making up another $1,845.

The fear was that the repairs would cut into the general maintenance fund and the city would have to hold off on scheduled repairs and chip sealing. The grant, however, means that the city can stay on schedule with its planned street improvements.

“We do have to have those repairs done by August because the grant requires it so we will put the job out to bid here in a couple of weeks,” Frizzell said.

The city was also able to fix a road bank in the city that was eaten away by Chewelah Creek flowing at an increased capacity. Frizzell said that they had to go through a permit process with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and they were extremely good to work with.

Chewelah City Park, which was inundated with flood waters, suffered very little damage and just needed cleanup of branches and silt by city crews.

(By Brandon Hansen/Chewelah Independent)

Heidi Zornes found out she was Chewelah’s Honored Citizen while teaching one of her well-attended fitness classes at the Civic Center. (Jared Arnold photo)

Heidi Zornes has spent years getting Chewelah healthy…

When she learned that she was this year’s Honored Citizen of Chewelah, Heidi Zornes was teaching a class, something she’s done quite a bit since she and husband, Dick, moved to the valley nine years ago.

“The greatest gift a teacher can give is to be a difference maker,” Susan Schlatter wrote in a letter nominating Zornes as the Citizen of the year. “Heidi Zornes is just that. She has changed lives of a countless many; she has served as the inspiration for people to live well, be healthy and to embrace fitness for life.”

Zornes’ fitness classes started out as a small endeavour when she first moved here. As a certified personal trainer, Zornes figured she could do some one-on-one sessions with people. Spokane Community College wanted to branch out into Chewelah, however, with “Act 2” classes to enrich the lives of older adults and asked Zornes to teach a fitness class. More

Anyone interested in filling a vacancy on the Chewelah City Council –Position No. 6 should send a letter of application to the attention of the Mayor at PO Box 258/301 E Clay – Room 104/Chewelah, WA 99109. The term of seat No. 6 expires Dec. 31 2019 – the person appointed by Council would fill the position until the results of next city election in November of 2019 are certified. Applicant must be a registered voter of the City and a resident of the incorporated limits of the City of Chewelah for a period of at least one year preceding appointment.
Applications will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. July 28, 2017. Inquiries should be directed to the Mayor at 509-935-8311.

(By Brandon Hansen/Chewelah Independent)

Addy resident Shelly Short visited the Chewelah Chamber of Commerce meeting last month. (Brandon Hansen photo)

Senator Shelly Short travels many distances to reach her constituents…

Olympia is 754 miles roundtrip from Addy, which works out to nearly a 14-hour drive.

Thats the distance that state senator Shelly Short traverses while working at the state capital. As a lawmaker, she represents the seventh legislative district that includes Ferry, Pend Oreille and Stevens counties and parts of Okanogan and Spokane counties.

Politics is splayed out on various newspapers and websites, as people react to laws proposed and passed. Today’s climate might be more polarized than ever, but what has not changed is the fact that representatives still have a job to do.

And for an eastside senator like Short – that means getting familiar with her vehicle’s radio presets.

“It is not uncommon for me to travel back and forth on weekends during legislative sessions or during the interim for committee work or special assignments, however, the bulk of my driving takes place in the seventh district,” Short said. “As it is with most of us living in northeastern Washington, it is not uncommon to drive a hour or two to get somewhere. It’s the same thing for me.”
More

(By Brandon Hansen/Chewelah Independent)

Spin class is one of the many group fitness classes offered at The Shed on Main Street. (Brandon Hansen photos)

The Shed offers Chewelah community a group fitness experience on Main Avenue…

The Shed will have Chewelah sweating a bit more.

The class based fitness business, just opened by Kaya and Torrey Landers is bringing a new fitness aspect to the downtown area. Not a gym in the traditional sense — a service that is offered well by the nearby Body Shop — the Shed offers classes for people of all skill and fitness levels.

“People are surprised when they come in here and see this space,” Kaya said. “They are pleasantly surprised that this is here in Chewelah.”

The plan to open this business in Chewelah came about two summers ago as both Kaya and Torrey have careers in the fitness/wellness industry but wanted to bring their lifestyle to Kaya’s hometown.

In the winter of 2015, Kaya learned that with a light winter in terms of snow, people in Chewelah were looking for something to do and were hoping that she could come up from Spokane and offer some classes.

“We would visit family here,” Kaya said, “so we have been connected to the community and saw a potential for a business like this to go and the real estate market up here made it affordable for us.”

So Kaya and Torrey purchased the building next to Sporty’s that has served as a furniture store and recently, Norco medical supply. While they expected renovations to last a few months, their goal of making the space inviting as a modern industrial re-use space that you might see in an urban downtown area took a bit longer than expected but was worth the wait.

“We completely renovated the interior of the building, including removing a middle floor, adding bathrooms and changing the upstairs access with the addition of a substantial staircase,” Torrey said. “This is about our one-year anniversary since beginning the project.”

“We were really impressed with the quality of service from so many local businesses here,” Kaya said.

A lot of local businesses and individuals contributed to the project. Tom Bristol of Purple Flat Top LTD helped in the design process and Bruce Barone of Barone Carpentry was the main contractor on the project. Also, Chewelah Welding, Eagle Mountain Electric, Sety’s Ace Hardware, Burya Logging, Chewelah Construction, Chewelah Painting, Guerrilla Graphics, Norvell Concrete, Fitzgerald Excavating and more, all had a part in the massive building redesign. Cody Youngblood, Jason Tapia, Justin George, Mike McMillin, James Blubaugh and lots of family and friends were a tremendous help as well as Quartzite Brewing, ChewVino, and Wuesthoff Excavation who lent a hand with equipment and support.

Having been opened for just a couple of weeks, Kaya and Torrey Landers have certified instructors at The Shed for a varied class menu for people to pick from.

They offer indoor cycling/spin classes that mix in high-energy cardio, beginner and dynamic yoga classes, fitness boot camp, general fitness, TRX total body resistance using your own body weight against your muscles and high intensity strength training.

Since they’re just starting out, the Landers said they will also make adjustments on both times and types of classes depending on the demand of each class and what seems to be popular.

In terms of fitness levels, Kaya and Torrey want to work with anyone who walks through the door that wants to improve their health and well being. They said they understand everyone is different and will tailor expectations and the experience to each individual person.

Since Torrey’s career has been setting up fitness and wellness programs for companies around the globe, he also wants to offer an athletic strength and performance program for Jenkins Junior Senior High School students.

“I have worked with a lot of college and professional athletes and I’d really like to help the local athletic programs here,” Torrey said. “I am excited to provide an opportunity for athletes to dramatically improve their performance. What our athlete training classes will consist of are ground-based movements that mimic what athletes do on the field of play, not just static weight classes. This type of training has a direct transfer to competition.”

Classes range from early morning to early evening for somebody trying to fit it in their schedule. Since everyone is trained and certified, there is a real focus on safety and ensuring everyone is doing things correctly to mitigate any injury risk.

They also said they really focus on their relationships with class students, supporting them and making sure it’s not an experience where they purchase classes but don’t use them.

“In the group setting, we really want to provide the motivation for people to keep coming back,” Torrey said. “People might be a little nervous at first but we want them to come in and experience it anyway, we’re here to help people improve.”

They also offer a free class for newcomers to check out and see what it’s like.

The Shed offers dynamic pricing so people can purchase a few classes, monthly passes and unlimited passes depending on how often they can make it in.

They also have an app for smartphones called “MINDBODY” where people can search for The Shed, see class times and purchase their passes. People can also choose the classes they’re going to, allowing Kaya and Torrey to see before the class happens how many people will be attending and make any necessary adjustments.

“There are folks that have been here every day since we opened,” Kaya said.

For more info, check out “The Shed” on Facebook.

(By Brandon Hansen/Chewelah Independent)

Chewelah Fire Chief Dave DeVeau sings at the Chewelah Farmer’s Market last Friday, June 29. (Brandon Hansen photo)

DAVE DEVEAU: When he’s not fighting fires, he’s slinging a guitar

In what could only be a scene you’d see in a small town like Chewelah, the town’s fire chief Dave DeVeau pops up every now and then to perform live music at area watering holes.

Having grown up in Leander, Texas — a little town an hour north of Austin — DeVeau began as an electrician before joining the Austin Fire Department in June of 1987.

Since things aren’t always burning, DeVeau became a fishing guide during his days off and would spend his free time fishing. After 25 years of that, he retired and along with his wife Rey, changed scenery to Chewelah.

And that’s when DeVeau picked up the guitar for the first time.
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(By Brandon Hansen/Chewelah Independent)

Air resources were called in to battle a blaze that broke out near Loon Lake which is located out of the right corner of this photo. (Courtesy photo)

Lightning suspected as cause…

Fire crews fought a hard-to-reach fire last week and were able to contain the 14-acre blaze near Loon Lake. Fire District 1, the Washington Department of Natural Resources and a Fire Boss Airplane, a helicopter and a control aircraft fought the fire over eight hours before containing it completely.

According to Stevens County Fire District One, the “Shore Acres Fire” was first reported at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 28. A Fire District 1 crew was called in after a solid column of smoke was spotted and they notified the WA Department of Natural Resources for air support and to help locate the actual fire.
Crews found access to the fire difficult despite many landowners offering to help with their access roads but many were blocked by “Kelly Humps” which are dirt mounds that are put in place to discourage motorized access. More

(By Stevens County Sheriff) 

By order of the Stevens County Fire Marshal, and pursuant to Resolution 47-2008, adopted in regular session of the Board of County Commissioners on June 30, 2008,

OPEN BURNING is hereby ordered discontinued in the unincorporated areas of Stevens County until further notice effective June 29^th, 2017, unless this order is otherwise lifted or permitted by law or authorized agencies. Open burning is any fire other than those permitted below:

This order is not intended to preclude the use of backyard barbecues, chimneys or other patio/deck warmers, as long as only approved fuel is used: seasoned, (clean and dry) firewood, briquettes or propane. Recreational fires not exceeding 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height are also permitted. Disposal of vegetative waste in a recreational fire is prohibited. Approved campfires at designated places in parks and campgrounds are also allowed as determined by agencies with jurisdiction. All recreational fires must be attended.

Violations of this order shall be investigated and prosecuted by the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office/Stevens County Fire Marshal, and the Stevens County Prosecuting Attorney pursuant to the provisions of IFC Section 109. Any person(s) conducting open burning who fails to take immediate action to extinguish or otherwise discontinue such burning when ordered or notified to do so shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

A violation of this order is a misdemeanor and shall be punishable upon conviction by a fine of not more than $500 or imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both. (Stevens County Building Code Ordinance 02-1984 Section 7).

Signed and so ordered this 29^th day of June, 2017.