An Okanogan County Burn Restriction will be effective from June 15, 2022 12:01 AM (midnight) through October 15, 2022 at 12:01 AM (midnight)

• NO field/pile/rubbish/rule/slash/yard vegetation or non-emergent agricultural burning on private lands within Okanogan County.

• Recreational Fires ALLOWED (see definition below)

• When Extreme fire conditions become present a County-Wide Burn Ban will be implemented prohibiting ALL outdoor burning including recreational fires.

Recreational Fire Definition:

Recreational fires must be contained in a concrete, rock, or steel ring (made from non-combustible material), no larger than 3 feet in diameter and no less than 8 inches in height. The fire (flames) shall be no higher than 2 feet and not conducted within 25 feet of a structure or combustible material. Recreational fires SHALL be attended to at all times.
Please read the entire resolution for specifics and definitions pertaining to the Burn Restriction. Okanogan County Commissioners Resolution 79 - 2022 [PDF]

This resolution does not apply to areas within city limits, silvicultural burning on lands, regulated solely by DNR’s outdoor burning rules and regulations, fire in DNR recreation sites and campgrounds, or on U.S. Forest Service protected lands and within the Colville Reservation. The DNR, U.S. Forest Service and Colville Tribes may have similar burn restrictions/ban in effect. Some private parcels may also have DNR restrictions if it includes a DNR Fire Tax Assessment. This can be found on County Tax Statements.

For more details visit: Okanogan County Emergency Management

Please join us for the Annual Membership Meeting on Sunday, May 29th over Memorial Day weekend at the Firehall on Mink Road.

Starting at 9 a.m. members can begin to sign-in, update contact information, meet the current trustees, ask questions, and socialize with members. The official meeting begins at 10 a.m. At the end of the meeting, we will serve a picnic style potluck lunch. Bring your own chairs.

This year we have several important agenda items to discuss that would benefit greatly from broad participation and input from the membership. Specifically, we will be reviewing and seeking membership approval of the 2023 budget, discussing our progress adopting WUCIOA, election of new Board members, and discussing the strategic road maintenance plan.

We have some big topics to discuss so please save the date and plan on attending. We look forward to seeing you on May 29. If you have any questions, or if you would like to receive paper copies of the Annual Meeting documents, please contact our Business Manager, Annie Sparrow, at lraa.business@gmail.com.

View 2022 Annual Meeting Documents

Our annual Spring eNewsletter went out on April 15, 2022. If you didn’t receive it, please check your spam/junk folder or let us know if you’ve had an email address change. If you’re new to LRAA and haven’t subscribed yet, please visit our Communication page and click “Subscribe to Email List.”

At our Annual Meeting on September 5, 2021 the membership voted to amend our Bylaws to be consistent with the mandatory sections of the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (WUCIOA, which is RCW 64.90). 

At that meeting we discussed a proposed amendment to LRAA’s governing documents. That amendment, drafted with the assistance of legal counsel, would result in all sections of WUCIOA applying to and governing LRAA. The previous board concluded that it is in our best interests to be governed by WUCIOA and our new board unanimously agreed with that conclusion at our September 19, 2021 board meeting. 

On Monday, December 20th, the returned WUCIOA ballots (52%) were counted in person by Annie Sparrow - Business Manager, Pat Sullivan - Secretary, Sylvia Silberhorn - Treasurer and Don Davidson - Outside Witness /Non-LRAA Resident.  Adopting WUCIOA in its entirety was approved by 92% of the ballots returned. The board is in the process of working with a local attorney to have a plat amendment adopting WUCIOA submitted to the county. 

• Opting into WUCIOA provides our board and community a transparent set of rules to be governed by. 

• WUCIOA provides a legal framework to ensure everyone pays their fair share of association costs by simplifying the collection of dues, fees, assessments, and fines. 

• WUCIOA protects property values and aids property transactions by providing purchasers a clearer picture of the financial health of the association and the status of the property they are buying. 

• WUCIOA provides a more predictable and transparent legal framework for the Board and property owners. 

Additional information about WUCIOA can be found on the Governance page.

---

RELATED LINKS

• WUCIOA Information #1 (October 21, 2019)

• WUCIOA Information #2 - Q&A (December 8, 2019)

• WUCIOA Information #3 (March 15, 2020)

• WUCIOA Information #4 (January 26, 2021)

• WUCIOA Information #5, #6, #7 (July 7, 2021)

UPDATE: Notice Rescinded December 29th

View/download BOIL WATER NOTICE • Effective 12/27/21

Lost River Airport Customers,

A brief power outage (approximately 1/2 hour) occurred this morning that affected the domestic water service at Lost River Airport.

Typically, the emergency generator would come on automatically and maintain pressure in the water system, but for some reason, the generator failed to start and pressure was lost. We are in the process of trying to determine why the generator failed.

Since pressure was lost in the system, there is a possibility that contaminants could have entered if there are leaks or cross-connections present. At this time, we have no reason to believe that there is any risk, but we are required by the Department of Health to issue a recommendation to boil your water before consuming. Please note that this is only a recommendation, not a requirement, since there is no known contamination.

We are required to mail you a copy of this announcement, so you will receive it in the mail later this week. This email is a courtesy to get the information to you faster. Owners of legal (and illegal) nightly rentals will need to notify their tenants.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at the email or phone number below.

Doug Hale, Operator
Lost River Airport Water System
Alpine Environmental
alpenviro@yahoo.com
(509) 322-0581

We are aware the roads are not optimal right now, especially heading into winter. COVID has taken a toll there, too.

Since we couldn't hold Annual Meetings as usual, we couldn't increase our roads' budget, so we have had to pick and choose projects. This past year, for example, instead of post-winter repairs we had to prioritize funding a county-mandated widening project for a couple of LRAA roads, necessary to keep them safe for emergency vehicles.

By the time our updated budget was approved at September's member meeting every contractor we contacted was already booked (until spring), and then we had early snow. Fortunately, this week's warming trend has provided a small window for at least getting our potholes filled. After next spring's melt we'll have our usual repair and grading done.

Two ways to help...

• Join the Potholes Work Party. If you can lend a hand, please contact us asap via the website Contact Us page, selecting "Potholes Work Party" from the dropdown "Topic" menu.

• Can't join the party? It would be a big help if you could fill large potholes in the road in front of your own property (or that of your neighbors). Piles of gravel for this specific purpose are located on Rainbow Road and the northwest side of the runway (near the yurts).