Ready for it
Saluting the vets
Our Methow Valley Winter 2023-24 magazine is here
Community events honor those who served
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STORY, PHOTOS, Page B4
Methow Valley News
PUBLISHED WEEKLY SINCE 1903
T WISP, WASHINGTON
VOL . 120 NO. 29
W W W.METHOW VALLEYNEWS.COM
NOVEMBER 15, 2023
$1
OCEC in agreement to acquire Methownet Merger will boost local expansion of broadband access BY DON NELSON
Two of the Methow’s venerable community institutions — the Okanogan County Electric Cooperative and Methownet — are about to join forces to expedite the expansion of broadband fiber access in the valley. OCEC and Methownet have signed a letter of intent for the nonprofit co-op to buy the privately owned internet service provider based in Winthrop. The deal is tentatively set to close in July 2024. OCEC and Methownet are already partners in a broadband fiber project that started with a feasibility study in 2022 and was this year funded with a $12 million federal grant, through the Washington State Broadband Office, for buildout of an extended fiber optic system. (For more information, see the accompanying story on page A2.) That partnership led to discussions about the possibility of the co-op purchasing Methownet, according to OCEC
General Manager Gregg Mendonca and Methownet founders/co-owners Jeff Hardy and Maria Converse. “The two entities have held discussions for the past year looking for efficiencies in the overall project and business to achieve the objective of delivering reliable and low-cost internet service to the community,” according to a press release. Under terms of the agreement, Methownet will continue to operate as an independent entity, much like the co-op’s propane subsidiary, retain its downtown Winthrop office, and keep its current employees. Hardy and Converse will continue with the company for a time during the transition. “It’s critical for us to have them [Hardy and Converse] stick around,” Mendonca said. OCEC will operate both the wholesale and retail sides of the business in order to meet the grant requirements, according to the release. “OCEC will operate the entire business as a nonprofit just as the electric side is operated,” the release said.
Natural evolution
In an interview, Mendonca, Hardy and Converse said the conversation about OCEC purchasing Methownet
evolved as a natural consequence of the broadband project. Hardy said the organizations are similar in having long histories in the valley as locally grown service providers that have expanded their presence over the years. Internet service “was a novelty when we started, and now it’s a utility,” Hardy said. “We [OCEC and Methownet] are in very similar businesses.” OCEC has decades of experience owning and operating infrastructure, Mendonca said. Methownet’s “obvious expertise” in providing internet services makes the two a “natural fit,” he said. Mendonca said the merger won’t change how Methownet operates but rather is “a bridge to where we want to go” in providing extensive internet service to the valley’s underserved areas. “We’ve been building out fiber,” Converse said. “This will allow us to take a major step forward.” Mendonca said the OCEC board of directors has been solidly behind the merger proposal, and the formal documents are now being drawn up. Mendonca said the deal is structured as a “purchase of assets” that will be funded out of the co-op’s revenues. He said the
See INTERNET, A2
Baker took the full plunge in launching eqpd
Photo by Don Nelson
Okanogan County Electric Cooperative General Manager Gregg Mendonca, left, and Methownet founders/co-owners Maria Converse and Jeff Hardy have reached an agreement for the co-op to purchase the local internet service provider.
Election outcomes: aquatics district, hospital bond rejected
Named Entrepreneur of the Year in NCW
Three MV School Board races are also decided
BY ANN MCCREARY
BY DON NELSON
Jonathan Baker has taken to dunking himself in the frigid waters of the Methow River. He says it helps him cope with the stress that comes from creating and growing his own business in the Methow Valley. “Cold plunging is incredibly challenging. The stress of starting a business in a remote place where nobody knows you is insane,” Baker said. The business that Baker is talking about is eqpd (pronounced “equipped”), which he launched in 2014 at TwispWorks. It’s a small manufacturing enterprise that produces simple, sturdy tote bags “proudly made in Twisp,” that are designed to last and replace single-use bags. Bearing the logos of local businesses and organizations, eqpd bags are seen frequently in the hands of Methow Val-
The second round of Okanogan County returns from the Nov. 7 general election confirmed what earlier results indicated: the proposal to form a Methow Aquatics District is being soundly rejected, as is the proposed bond issue to build a new Three Rivers Hospital. In the three contested races for positions on the Methow Valley School Board, incumbents Frank Kline and Judith Hardmeyer-Wright, and first-time candidate Jennifer Zbyszewski, were well ahead of their opponents. The first round of results were posted on the Washington Secretary of State’s website shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday (Nov. 7). The second round was posted on Thursday (Nov. 9), with another round set for Tuesday (Nov. 14), after the newspaper went to press. The Okanogan County Auditor’s Office said Thursday that about 468 ballots were left to count, and that the voter turnout was 40.66% The aquatics district proposal — Proposition 1 on the ballot — drew 1,033 “yes” votes in the latest returns, or 30.89%, versus 2,311 “no” votes, or 69.11%. Three Rivers Hospital — Public Hospital District 1, which covers portions of Okanogan and Douglas counties including the Methow Valley — had proposed a $72 million bond issue to replace the aging hospital in
Photo by Steve Mitchell
Jonathan Baker, who founded eqpd in 2014, takes a bracing dunk in the Methow River — an exercise he finds both challenging and invigorating. ley residents. Over the years, eqpd has expanded its custom-branded bag business to include customers across the country, Baker said. The list includes Microsoft, cruise lines, breweries,
trucking companies, colleges, arts organizations, national parks ... and maybe, if things work out, even the
See EQPD, A3
BACK AT YOU
Brewster. Overall, it was being rejected, 2,677 “no” votes (56.57%) to 2,055 “yes” votes (43.43%). Typically, the hospital district’s Douglas County voters are less supportive of money requests, and that is again the case in early returns. In Douglas County, 40.09% of the voters supported the bond issue request; in Okanogan County, 43.79% of voters were in favor of the proposal. Because the proposal was for a bond issue, approval would require a 60% supermajority under state law.
Methow Valley School Board
• In the contest for the District 1 position, incumbent Judith Hardmeyer-Wright drew 2,131 votes (68.45%), while challenger Austin Lott tallied 972 votes (31.22%). • The race for the District 3 seat being vacated by incumbent Mary Anne Quigley saw Jennifer Zbyszewski pull ahead of Scott Larson, drawing 2,447 votes (73.55%) to Larson’s 874 (26.27%). • In the race for the District 5 (at large) seat, incumbent Frank Kline was outpolling challenger Mike Liu, 2,153 votes (66.08%) to 1,096 votes (33.64%). Board members Dana Stromberger and Gary Marchbank were not up for re-election.
Other races
Most other elected offices were uncontested, with only a handful of write-in votes for each position. • Twisp Mayor Soo Ing-Moody, who has held that office since 2010 and has been re-elected three times, did not seek re-election. Incumbent Twisp
See ELECTION, A3
EARLY DEADLINES FOR NEXT WEEK’S PAPER
Snow-dusted hills were reflected in an early morning mirror image on Pearrygin Lake.
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Photo by Ashley Lodato
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Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the News will go to press on Monday, Nov. 20, rather than Tuesday. That means there will be early deadlines for all advertising and news content. The deadline for classified ads and legal notices will be at noon on Friday (Nov. 17). The deadline for display ads is Thursday (Nov. 16). The deadline for news, feature and opinion page content is noon Friday. Next week, the newspaper will be delivered to newsstands on Tuesday, Nov. 21, and delivered to local post offices for distribution that day as well. For information, call (509) 997-7011.
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WEATHER DATA BASED ON ACCUWEATHER.COM FORECAST FOR T WISP
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OPINION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 HARTS PASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . B2 COMMUNIT Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . B7 VALLEY LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B8