Support Fire District 3 Levy

As residents of the area, my family and I actively encourage voters in the upcoming Aug. 1 election to vote Yes for the fire levy.

We all feel a special connection to the Leavenworth area.

This connection may be based on our appreciation of the natural wonders of the surrounding mountains and forests, the unique mix of downtown shops and restaurants, or the basic fact that this is where we live, the place we call home. However, the potentially devastating impact of fire is a constant risk. A risk that is all too familiar to all of us! A risk that requires the ever vigilant protection provided by the dedicated fire fighters of Chelan County Fire District 3 (CCFD#3). 

My encouraging you to vote Yes is motivated, in part, by the fact that our family has a five-generation history in the area. My grandparents (Edgar and Hazel Connon) settled up the Chumstick in 1920, my mother and her sister and brother were born and raised there, my brother and I made frequent family visits to my grandparents for over 40 years until their passing, my wife and I brought our daughter and son to visit my parents when they built a home in 1983 on land settled by my grandparents, and, more recently, our grandchildren regularly visit my wife and I at a house built on the same land. Calling Leavenworth “home” is a legacy that we have actively pursued and want to see continued for future generations and a Yes vote would help preserve that legacy for ourselves and other families in the area.

A second reason I am encouraging you to vote Yes on the fire levy is based on my experience and involvement with a planning committee that conducted a thorough, 2-month long assessment of whether or not an increase in the financial support provided the fire district was warranted. The committee was composed of 15 concerned area residents and documented the operational and financial needs of CCFD#3 and the ever-increasing demands placed on the department. CCFD3# faces some exceptional operational challenges; they are responsible for protecting our community against both structural and wildland fires, as well as responding to a myriad of non-fire emergency calls. Moreover, the unprecedented growth of the Leavenworth area both in terms of population and the number of personal residences and commercial buildings being built and planned to be built means that the department is facing even greater future challenges. In reviewing these and other factors, the committee concluded that the current operating budget of CCFD3# is not adequate to meet the future needs of the Leavenworth area and unanimously recommended that the CCFD#3 fire commissioners pursue the fire levy. 

A Yes vote for the fire levy will ensure that the fire fighters of CCFD#3 will receive the support they need (in terms of advanced training, updated equipment, and an increase in the number of fire fighter personnel) to protect our expanding community well into the future.

For the safety of both our community and our fire fighters and for the sake of future generations of residents, I encourage you to vote Yes on Aug. 1! 

David Nickinovich

Leavenworth