The Year in Review

Odessa Record continues below for the months of April, May and June.

April

The Stumpjumpers returned to Odessa for the White Knuckle and Frostbite events, which were held south of town near the Odessa Industrial Park. Some riders stayed the entire week and others returned the following weekend for the 41st annual Desert 100 endurance race, which has been held west of Odessa every year since 2003.

Local businesses were able to take advantage of the influx of visitors, either by providing food and/or beverages at the campground site near SR 28 and Irby Road, or by providing extended business hours at their in-town locations. The Odessa Chamber of Commerce sponsored a beer tent to provide shelter for eating during the day and beer sales in the evening.

The second annual ‘Bike Week’ trade show, sponsored by the Odessa Chamber and Experience PowerSports of Moses Lake, was held at the Community Center.

Five Odessa Students were among the 463 competitors at the 54th annual Washington State Science and Engineering Fair held April 1 and 2 at Bremerton High School. Odessa students won three first-place awards, one best-of-category award and eleven special awards, including the C. J. Croswaite Science Student of the Year Award.

Team Got Pink?, comprising Odessa breast cancer survivors, along with friends and family, participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure held in Spokane April 16. The team of 94 tied with another team for the “Many & Mighty” award, which goes to the team with the most survivors (Team Got Pink? had seven).

The Odessa High School FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) came home from the 2011 State Leadership Conference with 10 awards.

Spring Fling included a new feature in 2011, a downtown quilt walk. Many businesses agreed to display a quilt and validate “passports” which could then be entered into a prize drawing. The annual quilt show featured over 250 quilts, and other events around town included yard sales and vendors at the VFW building, sponsored by Helping Hands Catering.

The Wilbur-Ellis Company announced April 15 that it had purchased the assets of Smith Air LLC. Mark Smith, owner of Smith Air, said, “Since we’ve had a continued stream of success, becoming a part of the Wilbur-Ellis family is the next step in growing our business. Smith will continue to manage the business under the direction of Ron Pilkinton, Cascades/Columbia Basin regional manager at Wilbur-Ellis.

May

Inland Empire Oilseeds, LLC (IEO), Odessa’s biodiesel plant that had been running with a skeleton crew of four to six employees since laying off about 20 members of its crew in June 2010, finally found an investor willing to put money into getting the plant back into full production mode. As is so often the case when a new owner of majority shareholder comes on board, personnel changes were a part of the acquisition. Steve Starr, general manager of the plant since late 2008 was let go and one of the principles of the new company took over.

Odessa High School junior and advanced science research (ASR) student Kira Powell returned to Odessa from the 49th Annual Science and Humanities Symposium in San Diego, Calif., having earned first place in Environmental Science. As a result, she will represent the United States at the London International Youth Science Forum in July. Powell’s prize-winning research centered around using a polymer to enhance moisture retention in crop soils in arid environments. Powell’s project, titled “The Use of Sodium Polyacrylate to Increase Crop Production in Dry-Land Farming,” also won a best of category award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world’s largest high school science research competition.

The Odessa Healthcare Foundation’s 20th annual Wine Tasting and Auction raised a reported $40,000, which was to fund new vital-signs equipment for the ambulance.

The sixth annual Friends of the Pool Walk-a-Thon raised over $4,500. The event is the main fundraiser for the organization, which uses the funds to help support the Odessa Aquatic Center.

During a routine inspection by Avista representatives, a major gas leak was detected in the alley just north of east Third Avenue. The leak was repaired within a matter of hours, and a new mobile evacuation system was used to draw the gas out of the ground and capture it.

Council members Lois (Schmidt) Hubbard and Lynn Schmidt, Mayor Doug Plinski and Public Works Director Roger Sebesta met with Avista representatives to discuss the utility company’s plans to replace any gas lines that had been installed prior to 1987.

June

The Odessa School Board adopted a proposal to offer all-day kindergarten to its youngest pupils in 2011-2012, but only for four days per week. The increase in children living below the poverty level was one of the determining factors in the decision, according to school superintendent Suellen White. Giving beginning learners a more solid foundation through extra hours in the classroom, it was felt, would help them overcome the disadvantages of living in poverty. The program will be re-evaluated at the end of the 2011-2012 school year.

The class of 2011 marched into their bright future June 4 during commencement exercises at the school gymnasium. On a picture-perfect day, the 12 graduates said good-bye to their lives as school children and hello to whatever the future may hold for them.

Thursday, June 2, sentence was imposed on Odessa native Steve Finkbeiner by District Court Judge Josh Grant. Finkbeiner opted to plead guilty to three counts of third-degree theft, which led to the cancellation of the jury trial originally set for May 18.

The 75th annual Odessa High School alumni banquet held in the Odessa Community Center June 18 was attended by more than 150 alumni, along with their spouses and guests. The evening was dedicated in part to the Tiger mascot, which has now been retired following the school district’s cooperative agreement with Harrington for a shared athletics program. The Tiger appeared at the banquet, though (with Tasha Parr, class of 2001, donning the costume), and led the crowd in cheers for their alma mater.

Avista Utilities’ much touted replacement project to install new natural gas lines wherever pre-1987 lines exist within the Odessa town limits was begun. Letters from the company to every household let residents know that work would be taking place and asking everyone to be vigilant and report any unusual rotten-egg smell immediately. Original plans to split the existing pipe to make way for the new had to be abandoned almost immediately, and workers proceeded laying the new pipe on a bed of sand, parallel to the old pipe.

Three Odessa businesses were the victims of break-in attempts the last weekend of June. The parts department of the Odessa Trading Company/Ritzville Warehouse and Ramm Hardware in downtown Odessa, as well as the North Basin Seed office at the Odessa Industrial Park on the south hill were all targeted by thieves sometime late Saturday night or early Sunday morning.

To be continued next week...