Talking Kelso

After the lone skate park bid we received last month was rejected by council, we asked that a request for bids be sent again. A local contractor pointed out that in our original request, we had required bidders to have extensive skate park construction experience, and that item limited the number of prospective bidders.

For the second round, staff changed that provision to require experience in similar concrete construction, but removed the requirement that the experience be specifically in skate parks. The hope is that expanding the potential pool of bidders will result in more, cheaper options for construction.

From what I’ve heard so far, it might be working. The city manager indicated that several bids have been received so far. Though I have no idea what the figures on them are, the mere fact that we have multiple options to choose from would seem to imply we’ll get a better price than the first time we tried. We expect to hear the results of the bid and choose a contractor (or not!) at our July 7 meeting.

The community assessment task force held meetings in various parts of the city to help us identify ways we could improve Kelso. Their report will be presented to the council in a special workshop on Tuesday, June 30 at 6PM. Everyone is welcome to join us!

We never know what we’re going to end up with when a council position becomes vacant. You might get a candidate with a good background in local government, or a person who’s never been inside city hall before. We’re fortunate to have four experienced individuals to consider for our latest council opening.

I found a copy of the paper from the day after I was appointed, and recalled that while the guys who interviewed against me for the position seemed friendly and dedicated, they generally didn’t have much knowledge about what’s involved in running a city. Thankfully, that won’t be a problem we face this week.

We have two recent councilmembers, Mark Chester and Jack Keolker, who have applied for the spot. The other two applicants, Rick Von Rock and Gary Schimmel, have both been attending council meetings regularly, Von Rock for well over a year.

Both former councilmembers were defeated in recent elections, Chester by Dan Myers in 2007, and Keolker by John Karnofski in 2005. I’ve heard thoughts in the past along the lines of, “If the citizens just said they don’t want this guy, why would we appoint them?” On the other hand, they have experience and are known factors in terms of how they relate to other members. The newcomers bring a fresh perspective and both have experience that could benefit a councilmember. Plus, they’ve already shown commitment by educating themselves on the position, with no requirement to do so.

As always, I’ll be looking for the one who I think will be able to mesh well with the rest of the council. I care less about their positions than how they express them.

Daily News – Four bid to fill seat on Kelso council