TOWN OF WILSON CREEK
REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
July 9, 2020 – remote/online meeting via Zoom

Council Present: Mayor Kevin Newland, and Councilmembers Scott Mortimer, Raymond Kelby, Earl Justice, and Debbie Moore. Staff Present: Kaci Anderson.

  1. Open Meeting: Mayor Kevin Newland called the meeting to order at 6:03 pm.
  2. Approval of Minutes: Motion made by R. Kelby, seconded by D. Moore, and carried to approve the minutes for the regular meeting on June 11, 2020.
  3. Public Comment:
    1. Metal detecting request: K. Anderson provided a copy of an email from a couple who are requesting permission to metal detect on Town-owned properties. After discussion of previous metal detecting incidents, Council decided to allow metal detecting on Town-owned properties by the requesting parties, with the exception of the city park.
  4. Council Concerns:
    1. Tree trimming to north and west of intersection at 6th & Sprague streets: Council discussed the need for tree branches to be trimmed in the area of 6th and Sprague streets to allow for vehicles.
    1. E. Justice asked about the status of an alley off 6th Street between Sprague and Spokane streets. Council and mayor discussion led to the decision that the alley was likely vacated in the past and is no longer Town property.
  5. Reports
    1. Mayor’s Address: Mayor Newland discussed the following:
      1. Word from the City of Ephrata is that we need to purchase more paint to complete the street striping project, in order to ensure crosswalks can be completed. K. Anderson will order 10 more yellow and 5 more white. Work is scheduled for next week, July 15-16. The Council also discussed the crosswalk striper currently in the shop, as it’s not being used. Mayor Newland is going to ask Ephrata to look at it.
      2. Town Hall’s garbage pickup is being upgraded to weekly.
      3. The Community Clean-up event is happening now and will conclude at the end of this month.
      4. Water tank cleaning is tentatively scheduled for some time in August/September. Mayor Newland noted the fire hydrants may need to be purged afterward, and S. Mortimer reported about half of the hydrants have been done already.
      5. The Town received an email from Northwest Ag that tanks left at the airport will be removed this fall. Mayor Newland thanked S. Mortimer for contacting Mr. Meise regarding the tanks.
      6. To Jerry and Lorry Pearce, and Mark and Brenda Bise, and their families, Mayor Newland expressed his thanks for and recognition of all the work that went into the construction of the new playground equipment at the park. It looks fantastic!
    2. Maintenance/Public Works Report: Mayor Newland discussed the following:
      1. Lava rock was installed around the caboose.
      2. The airport gate is almost done but some more work is needed to fix it completely. S. Mortimer suggested eco blocks as a possible deterrent.
      3. According to C. Stout, the on/off valve at the airport has a slow leak unless it is all the way open. It is possible there is no pressure relief valve. Chris Hochstatter has been asked to fix the airport bathrooms, so he may know more about the valves.
      4. Sprinklers at the ball park need work. The auto system isn’t work but they work fine manually. Kosa is coming to work on them with Chris.
      5. We have seen an increase in people inquiring about vacant lots in Town. This led to a discussion about the ongoing research being conducted re: FEMA and the floodplain/floodway.
    3. Clerk/Treasurer Report:
      1. Motion made by S. Mortimer, seconded by D. Moore, and carried to approve the Town’s current fiscal status and to pay the July 2020 bills as follows:
        Accounts Payable
        Claims #10469 – 10478      $     4,581.75                              Payroll #10479 – 10487     $     4,762.79
        EFT payments                    $     1,857.73
        Total                                   $     9,344.54
        Bank Account Balances
        US Bank              $       160,373.15
        Grant County      $       111,933.89
        Total                    $       272,307.04
  6. Old Business: None.
  7. New Business:
    1. Handicap Parking Bid: The Town received a bid from PT Construction to install a handicap-accessible parking spot behind Town Hall, in the amount of $4,208. Motion made by D. Moore, seconded by E. Justice, and carried to accept and approve the bid as provided.
    2. Approval of Proposed Airport Land Lease Agreement: Motion made by D. Moore, seconded by E. Justice, and carried to approve the lease agreement as provided, to start August 1, 2020.
  8. Adjournment: Motion made by S. Mortimer, seconded by D. Moore, and carried to adjourn the meeting at 7:04 pm. The next regular council meeting is Thursday, August 13, 2020, at 6:00 pm.
Filed under: Council Meeting Minutes