Citizens sound off over fireworks enforcement

DAYTON— At last week’s Dayton City Council meeting Christine Broughton was selected by the council to fill the remainder of Zac Weatherford’s city council term, which was created when he became Dayton’s Interim Mayor.

The council interviewed Broughton and two other applicants, Cara James and Charity Herren. Mayor Weatherford thanked James and Herren for their interest in serving on the city council and encouraged them to apply for the seat recently held by Kathy Berg. Berg has submitted her resignation from the council effective June 30.

Art Hall submitted a letter to the council regarding “non-consumer, illegal” fireworks being discharged in Dayton, over the Fourth of July, and what he perceives as a lack of response from local law enforcement officials.

Special Guest JJ Dippel said she agreed with Hall’s assessment. She would like to see fireworks held in one safe locale, such as the school football field rather than throughout the city.

Undersheriff Robbie Patterson said the Sheriff’s Department received seventy-one calls for service over two nights during the Fourth of July. He said calls included fights in progress, malicious mischief, narcotic reports, burglaries, and unwanted persons, which kept them busy.

Mayor Weatherford, the county’s prosecuting attorney, Dale Slack, and Sheriff Joe Helm have met about the fireworks issue and are discussing what to do, Patterson said.

Mayor Weatherford said he met with Helm a month before the Fourth of July and asked that the city’s ordinance regarding fireworks be enforced. He said they also discussed the times and dates fireworks are allowed.

“I will be meeting with the Sheriff, and Planning, and the Public Safety Committee to go over the ordinance and see if any changes need to be made,” Weatherford said.

Patterson said the Sheriff’s Department has received interest from many qualified candidates for the Search and Rescue program and meetings are scheduled to begin in August.

He also said National Night Out will take place in the city park on August 6.

Mayor Weatherford said a meeting took place between city officials and representatives from Washington Water Trust, the Department of Ecology, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. They toured the city’s wastewater treatment plant and discussed ways to treat wastewater, rather than utilizing dry land application. They are looking into keeping as much water as possible in the Touchet River.

“They are going to do some research and come up with different options for that,” he said.

City Administrator Trina Cole said the Department of Ecology is open to new ideas that are being tried in other states, such as Oregon.

“It was nice to sit down with them, and them being open to new ideas in Washington State, also,” she said.

The million dollars granted by the Washington State Public Works board to the City of Dayton for scope of land acquisition will have to be turned back, she said.

Planning Director Meagan Bailey presented the semi-annual building department report to the council.

“It does show a lot of money is being put into homes. We may not be seeing a lot of new home construction but we are seeing remodels and improvements all around,” she said.

Bailey said six building permits were issued in June, including one single-family dwelling on South 4th Steet. There were fifteen inspections in June, she said.

Bailey said a public hearing has been set for a variance application from Seneca Foods, Inc. which will be held at the Dayton City Hall on July 17.

She said the Planning Committee has supported an application to be submitted for the Great Places in Washington award for the City of Dayton.

There is still one opening on the Dayton Planning Commission and the commission will be moving back to the City Hall for their meetings beginning in September.

Bailey has been accepted into the Sherwood Trust Leadership Program.

The Dayton City Council approved:

Resolution No. 1384, adopting Residential Historic Design Guidelines, for which some vague language was either clarified or removed.

Resolution No. 1385, amending the Dayton Historic Preservation Commission by-laws to reflect a new meeting location. Meetings will be held at the City Hall beginning in August.

Resolution No. 1386, creating the position of Director of Planning and Community Development, and adopting a job description for that position.

Ordinance No. 1949, amending Title 1 of the Dayton Municipal Code, adding Chapter 1-24, Planning and Community Development.

Ordinance No. 1950, amending ordinances regarding the salary schedule, and creating a new classification for the director of Planning and Community Development. It also amends the salary schedule to provide for the new classification and an effective date.

Resolution No. 1387, authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement for public work services with Walla Walla Electric for the Main Street Lights Replacement Project. The bulbs will be replaced with 45 watt LED lights.