Just a quick reminder of a town hall meeting on May 10 at the Wallace Elementary School. The meeting was originally initiated by the mayor as a south Kelso ward meeting, but the mayor has been asked to testify in front of Congress regarding mining and will be unable to attend. Todd McDaniel and I will lead the meeting in his absence. Any citizens are welcome to attend, even if you’re in another ward. The meeting will run from 7 PM to 9 PM.
HOME Fund Allocations
Kelso receives funds through HUD which are to be used for various low-income housing projects. Each year, we hear proposals from various organizations for ways to use the funding. This year, we heard presentations from the housing authorities for the SHARE program and Phoenix House. Phoenix House is a proposed transitional group housing project for mothers recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. The request for this project was $50,000. The SHARE program was funded last year, and helps low income individuals purchase and renovate an existing home, increasing the assessed value and improving the look of the entire neighborhood. The SHARE program requested $43,000.
As is always the case, the requested funding exceeded the available HUD money of $66,748. The council voted to split the money evenly between the two projects, giving each just over $33,000.
Backflow Prevention
The council approved on second reading changes to rules about water connections that are intended to eliminate backflow and control cross connections. These measures are designed to meet requirements of mandated programs and to prevent public health issues that can arise from backflow contamination.
ADA Bathroom for the Library
Council approved a bid from Five Rivers Construction to add an ADA accessible bathroom at the Kelso Library. The library continues to have difficult access for the disabled, which is one of the reasons the council has interest in an updated facility. This new bathroom, though, will help resolve one issue complicating life for some users.
Allen Street parking
The state will resurface Allen Street this year, so the public works department has taken the opportunity to evaluate the option of moving the parking area from the south side of the street to the north side. The thinking was that the north side is closer to the housing, which uses the area the most. Studying the issue revealed that the businesses actually count on the parking spaces for their employees as much as the residences. Furthermore, the renovation would reduce the available spaces by 40%. Given that fact, and that any change to the construction would have to be paid for by the city, the council decided to leave the configuration as it is.
KHS Pedestrian Crossings
The council has instructed staff to investigate possible solutions for increasing the visibility of the three crosswalks on Allen Street near Kelso High School in the interest of the students’ safety. After reviewing bids, the public works director gave the council three options, ranging in price from $12,870 to $31,555. The council asked for images of the proposed options, in order to help determine which choice would produce the best visibility for the crosswalks.
Community Center Survey
The council approved $3,200 as the Kelso portion of a joint effort to determine the community’s interest in a new community center. Each of the other jurisdictions has approved their portion of the funding. I think the council had some mixed thoughts on the center planning, but hopefully the survey will clarify what the citizens want, if anything. See my previous post on the community center summit.
Liquid Natural Gas
The council voted unanimously to indefinitely postpone any discussion on a resolution opposing the potential LNG facility on the Columbia River. Opponents of the project presented their side of the issue to the council at a March meeting, where they asked us to consider formal opposition. Council members also heard later from supporters of the project.
It became clear that those involved in the issue are very zealous, and equally clear that the issue was outside of Kelso’s jurisdiction. Weighing in on an issue to be decided by a federal agency would likely have the same effect as our passing a resolution on the Iraq war or abortion. The process would have been divisive and at the same time, likely fruitless. Personally, I felt like we run into enough divisive issues in what we are required to do without taking on this one voluntarily.
LNG Resolution
A number of citizens came to express their opinions on the liquid natural gas facility proposal on the Columbia River. The council put off action on a resolution opposing it until May 1, so that the proponents of the facility may have an equal opportunity to get in front of the council with their information.
Tourism agreements
The council approved two agreements to provide tourism services. One was with the historical museum, and the other with the Columbia Theatre. These agreements were basically technicalities required under a recent attorney general opinion that restricted the use of the hotel/motel taxes. Since these organizations are agreeing to provide tourism services, we’re able to provide the same funding that we’ve provided in the past.
Cross Connections
The council approved changes to rules regarding water hookups that will strengthen requirements for preventing backflow. This can be a serious health issue if contaminants were ever allowed to enter the water supply.
Skate Park Grant
An anonymous donor offered to match private contributions up to $10,000, in the event that the city would then match the combined total of $20,000 with a like amount. The council voted to allocate $20,000 toward the skate park project to take advantage of the donors’ generosity.
Kelso News