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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Road improvements long overdue, residents say

Billie Martin The Spokesman-Review

Elk-Chattaroy-area residents want better roads, but not necessarily if it means paying additional property taxes.

That’s the message they gave county Commissioner Todd Mielke at a March 25 town hall meeting at Riverside High School, sponsored by the Eloika Lake Association of Elk.

During a question-and-answer session, many residents complained about the poor condition of both paved and unpaved roads in northern Spokane County. Two paved roads, Elk-Chattaroy and Elk-Milan, are in poor shape and have no shoulder left. Some people were interested in applying for grants for road improvements.

But it was the unpaved roads – wash-boarded out and filled with potholes – and the lack of improvements being made in the Elk-Chattaroy area that drew the most complaints. Residents repeatedly said they want dirt roads graded more often and with new gravel spread more often, and they were told just as many times that there is not enough money to do the work.

Mielke and other officials said Bridges Road in Elk is No. 1 on the county’s list for forming a road improvement district to pay for road repairs. To form an RID, a majority of property owners within the district must vote to be assessed an additional tax to pay for the road repairs.

Some residents said they wanted neighboring roads to be included in the Bridges Road RID, including Madison, Nelson, Fridegar, Jackson and Oregon roads.

But other residents became upset at the idea of paying additional taxes to improve roads. Many people at the meeting, or their families, have lived on their property for 20 to 40 years. They have paid property taxes and watched their roads deteriorate through the years. When officials were asked about property taxes paid over the years being applied proportionately to the area from which they were paid, none could answer. Though there are more than 500 residences in the area, many of the property owners are elderly and/or live on a limited income and may not be able to afford more property taxes.

One Elk resident asked about the increase in logging trucks going to and from Idaho and all of the “Sunday drivers” in the area who use the roads but don’t pay for their repair. Another resident asked about the extreme dust from the gravel used. Others said the dust is dangerous for driving due to poor visibility, and others voiced health concerns about breathing in so much dust.

Pat Harper, the county’s engineering administrator, said a meeting about the proposed RID will be held in May. Notices will be sent out to property owners within the proposed district two weeks prior to the meeting.

The meeting was well-attended with about 60 people from Elk, Chattaroy, Riverside and Deer Park.

Greg Sweeney, Eloika Lake Association member, led the meeting as well as the question-and-answer session. Five county officials gave short presentations: Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich, Tax Assessor D.E. “Skip” Chilberg, Water Quality Program Manager Rob Lindsay, County Engineer Bob Brueggeman and Harper.

The Eloika Lake Association has been restructuring over the past year. Their main focus has always been to bring the water information, especially that affecting Eloika Lake, to lake-area residents. They hope to sponsor a “guest speaker series,” with some topics specific to the lake and others that are just fun topics for the Elk-Chattaroy community.

Redneck Olympics a success

Saturday’s third annual Redneck Olympics, sponsored by the Elk Community Park Association, was a big success, drawing a nice size corwd to the Elk VFW Post for a day a food and fun. Special thanks to sponsors Joyco Drilling, Antique Restoration, A.R. Smith Construction, the Elk VFW Post and the Elk Sentinel.

The Olympics include three events and an overall “Triathlon” winner. The winners were: Hillbilly Horseshoes (a bean bag toss): 1st place –Scotty Whitver, 2nd place – Chalee Culp and 3rd place – Stephanie McNamee. (Both Chalee and Stephanie were members of last year’s Miss Elk Royalty Court.) Redneck Ring Toss: 1st place – Bert Zienhert, 2nd place – Frances Donley and 3rd place – Danner Shannon, 5. Beer Can Shoot (BB gun): 1st place – Bert Zienhert, 2nd place – Chris Kowzan and 3rd place – Stephanie McNamee. The tie-breaker event was Podunk Putt-Putt, a golf-putting contest using a driver. The Grand Triathlon Winner was Bert Zienhert. The best Youth Redneck Olympian was Danner Shannon and the Best Redneck Outfit award went to Chalee Culp. Each winner received a trophy, a medal and a prize.

The Elk Community Park Association is the sponsor of Elk’s biggest annual event, Elk Pioneer Days. The proceeds from the Redneck Olympics go to support Elk Pioneer Days (always on Father’s Day weekend; this year, June 13-15).