Grant PUD resumes in-person services
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 10 months AGO
The Grant County PUD customer service offices, including Moses Lake (pictured), reopened early last month, and the PUD commissioners resume in-person meetings this week.
CHERYL SCHWEIZER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | March 22, 2022 1:00 AM
EPHRATA — The Grant County PUD commissioners will meet in person for the first time in about two years today in the commission office at PUD headquarters, 30 C St. SW. Customer service offices have been reopened as well.
Commissioners have been meeting remotely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020. Commissioners convene at 9 a.m. and hear reports from PUD staff during the morning. The business meeting begins at 1 p.m. and includes a public comment period.
Operating hours for customer service locations have been revised from what they were prior to the pandemic, and public information officer Christine Pratt said in an earlier interview that the new hours will be in effect until further notice.
The Moses Lake office, 312 W. Third Ave., is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m Monday through Thursday. The Quincy office, 27 B St. SW, also will be open multiple days per week, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Wednesday.
The Ephrata office, 30 C St. SW, will be open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, and the Royal City office, 505 Royal Road, is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday. Mattawa and Grand Coulee residents can make payments at the Mattawa and Grand Coulee city halls during regular business hours.
The Mattawa City Hall is located at 521 Government Road and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Grand Coulee City Hall is at 306 Midway Ave. and is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Customers who want to pay in cash will be able to do that again, and the in-person experience will be back for customers who want that, Pratt said.
“We’re really glad to have our doors open again,” she said.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Revised Washington law makes it easier for youth to get identification
OLYMPIA — It will be easier for young people 16-18 years of age to get a Washington identification card without a parent’s or guardian’s signature under revisions to ID laws that took effect Jan. 1.
Negligent driving law revisions add penalties in some cases
MOSES LAKE — Drivers will be subject to new penalties if they are charged with negligent driving in collisions that involve people who aren’t in a car or truck.
One infrastructure project complete, others planned for Royal City
ROYAL CITY — Cross one long, long project off the list. The last section of old water line in Royal City was replaced in 2024, wrapping up a project that Mayor Michael Christensen said took a while. “Over the years we’ve been trying to upgrade our water system, and now the entire city is upgraded,” Christensen said. “That was a long time coming and it was a bit of a task.”