A Letter to the Citizens of Waitsburg

The City of Waitsburg has several items it would like to share with you related to City activities for 2018. First, you probably have noticed that your utility rates went up with the January billing. This increase was approved early in 2017 and covered 2017, 2018 and beyond. Its sole purpose is to cover debt service on loan dollars for improvements to the City’s infrastructure; I will get to those details in a moment.

Second, with the cleanup of the Wastewater Treatment Plan (WWTP) area complete, all recycling has been moved to that facility, which is located at 16531 E. Highway 124. This includes cardboard, which can be unloaded inside the baler building, as well as the big BDI drop box for recyclables. In addition to moving recycling out to the WWTP area, the City is going to begin opening the gates on Saturdays for people to drop off recyclables as well as yard debris (only wood material that can be chipped) during the weekend. This service will continue as long as the area is treated with respect and materials are not removed (rock, gravel) or items dumped there that don’t belong there, i.e. grass, leaves, etc. Should the area be used for something other than its stated purpose, the City will shut down the site completely and do away with the recycling bin. Recycling currently costs the City in excess of $1,500 per year to provide to the citizens with little or no return on the service.

Last, puncture vine (also known as goat head) is a serious issue around the City and can get out of control very easily once warm weather sets in. The City cannot control all of it everywhere and needs to ask that should you see a plant near your property or along the road edge that you either spray it before it buds out or dig it up and put it in your garbage as means to help slow the spread of this noxious weed.

As for planned infrastructure improvements around the City, you may have noticed the large hole and machinery in Preston Park last fall. This work was related to the sewer siphon that runs under the Touchet River that carries all of the sewage from the east end of the City to the WWTP. The siphon area was determined to be damaged to where the connection between the two piping materials had begun sucking river water into the sewer system. Rather than dig up the entire line and do instream repair work, the City decide to do what is known as a pipe burst; whereby we have a new larger line forced through the existing one. This type of work is far less expensive and requires less labor, no permits and does not disturb the ground, leading to project cost savings. In the end, the project went extremely well and was completed in just a few days.

As with just about all the water and sewer lines around the City, the vast majority of water meters are in excess of 50 years old, with several slowing down or stopping completely and not accurately reflecting the actual amount of water used. For 2018, the City is planning on doing a city-wide water meter replacement project, upgrading all the water meters to high-efficiency radio read meters and doing away with the old manual read meters. This work will represent the largest single meter upgrade done by the City with the cost expecting to exceed $350,000. This project will allow the City to recapture volumes of lost water while improving employee efficiency, as it will require only one employee over a few hours to read all meters in the City, rather that two employees for the course of several days.

For 2019, we are in the planning phases for a waterline upgrade project in the Taggart/Dewitt Road area that should eliminate all the pressure and water quality issues on the east end of the City where the mainline is undersized and cannot provide enough flow to accommodate the needs in that area of the City. As a secondary component of the waterline project, we are also designing a new road that will straighten out Taggart Road back to Highway 12, hopefully reducing or eliminating the issues associated with the current intersection at the Midway Food Mart.

Other tasks being done this year include the completion of the Main Street Bridge, sidewalk improvements around the City, as well the development of a Park and Ride facility served by Columbia County Public Transportation and located at the old County Shop yard at the north end of Main Street. We continue to look for ways to try and revitalize the fairgrounds and recreational opportunities at Preston Park.

The City is rapidly approaching the next historical flood event with our hope being that the improvements completed since the last flood in 1996 will be enough to mitigate the majority of the flooding issues we face during high water events. As a way to mitigate these impacts, we are getting ready to start on of our Flood Feasibility Study being done through a cooperative effort with the Army Corp of Engineers. The flood study will span at least two years, with the end product being the first major improvements to the levee system since they were built in the 1950s/60s, as it guarantees construction dollars by the Army Corp of Engineers at the end of the study.

Going forward, my plan is to keep you updated on these and other items as they progress. My door is always open should anyone want more information about activities within the City or ways they can participate in our local government through various committees or on the City Council, which is up for re-election in April. If easier, I can also be reached by email at rjhinch@gotvc.net.