Talking Kelso

The council voted to accept the resignation of city manager Doug Robinson, appointing city attorney Paul Brachvogel to the position on an interim basis. Mr. Robinson’s retirement is effective November 29, 2007. Due to health issues, Doug will be on medical leave until the date of his retirement.

The council’s resolution commended Doug for his professionalism, work ethic and fiscal leadership of Kelso for the last 17 years. When Doug arrived, the city was in dire financial straits, where we now enjoy a relatively comfortable fiscal position. He presided over the city during major projects like the Allen Street bridge, construction of the City Hall and train depot renovation. He also saw the city through the awful impacts of the Aldercrest disaster.

Personally, I respect Doug’s history in these areas and many more.  He has kept the city running in a way that protected the city from legal liability in many instances.  Government is seen as the deep pocket and gets sued with ridiculous regularity.  In nearly all instances that I’m aware of, we have come out on the positive side of these lawsuits because of Doug and the staff’s commitment to doing business in accordance with all laws and guidelines.  That in and of itself has saved the city and us, its citizens, a tremendous amount of money.

At the same time, the council is committed to improving the environment for growth within the city.  I believe that Mr. Brachvogel will serve ably in reaching for this goal in the interim, and that we can look towards recruiting a permanent employee who continues to share this focus.

Councilmembers and city staff joined the owners, friends and employees of the Kelso Theatre Pub this morning to watch the erection of a new marquee. The marquee is part of a project that was funded in part by the new downtown facade improvement loan fund the council implemented this year.

Under the loan program, businesses can receive up to half of the funding for their projects in the form of a no-interest loan. The loan requires no payments until the building is either sold or refinanced, at which time the loan is to be repaid.

Mike and Dawn Julian, owners of the Kelso Theatre Pub, were the first recipients of this new funding source. Their project also includes renovating the adjoining diner and turning it into a new pizza/salad/dessert/more restaurant. The Julians have shown a consistent concern for the quality of downtown Kelso, which has been appreciated by at least this councilmember (as has their garlic/feta pizza).

I don’t think I’m going to put a whole lot about the upcoming campaigns on this blog. It’s designed to be communication with the citizens from the council, not a shill for my re-election campaign. That said, the shill for my re-election campaign can be located on my website at http://www.davidfutcher.com.

The Daily News had another article this week about the status of the skateboard park and the ongoing efforts to raise funds for it. The article did a good job discussing the recent support received from community donors.

Thanks to all of you who have helped support the park through your contributions and participation in Jeremy Hooper’s fund raising efforts. We still need more community contributions to receive the full matching funds, so if you can help, swing by Plan Z skateboard shop in Kelso to drop off a contribution.

Thanks also to the Daily News for keeping the project in the public’s eye.

The council heard from representatives of the Kelso School District regarding the potential installation of a red light traffic signal at the exit of the parking lot to the high school. If you don’t live on that side of town, you might have missed the huge backups mornings and afternoons on school days. The District has reviewed other options and has worked with engineers to determine that a signal is the best option for the safety of the students and other drivers. No commitments were made regarding the city’s financial participation in the project, though the council indicated support for the concept.

Retail Development

The council approved a recommendation from the planning commission regarding a change to the city’s comprehensive plan and zoning map to allow the possible construction of a retail complex near I-5