Fire hydrants, Park & Rec focus of March Council meeting

WAITSBURG-The Waitsburg City Council met for its regular meeting on March 23, 2022. Councilmembers Jim Romine and Jillian Henze were unable to attend the meeting. Mayor Marty Dunn, Councilmembers Kevin House, Court Ruppenthal, and Randy Charles were present. Twelve community members attended the meeting.

After holding a brief public hearing, the council voted to vacate a defunct alleyway and give ownership to Paul and Karen Gregutt, who own the adjacent property. The alley has no utilities attached and provides no income or purpose for the city. There was no input from citizens regarding the vacation, and the council vote was unanimous.

The council approved payment to Don Jackson Excavation for $58,398.56 for the 2nd Street Culvert Project.

City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe presented the council with two bids for the splash pad project, tentatively scheduled to break ground in May. He estimated that the project, including parts and construction, would total roughly $104,000. When budgeting for the pad, the city had initially set aside $50,000 from the general fund and an additional $40,000 from the municipal capital improvements fund to cover the project's cost.

"Past performances of Municipal Capital Improvements have trended above budget estimates, so any additional cost should be able to be covered through the general fund or Municipal Capital improvements," Hinchliffe shared in a memo to the council members on March 18 of this year. He noted that original estimates have continued to increase due to abnormally high inflation, coupled with other unspecified price increase factors, which have led to a 'relatively high' budget for the project.

Based out of Walla Walla, ESF Solutions was the lowest bidder, totaling $69,048.25 for the civil scope of work, excluding taxes, around $5,600. Owner Aaron Grimm included a $7,650.00 add-on for irrigation restoration and sod placement.

During the review of bids, councilmember Ruppenthal raised questions regarding plumbing, gravel, and fill work. The cost of gravel was not included in the ESF Solutions bid. Hinchliffe said it was included in the company's grading, excavation, and subgrade prep estimate, and the bid was accepted.

Council members approved an agreement between the State of Washington Department of Ecology and the City of Waitsburg for the Shorelands-Shoreline Master Program periodic review. This review happens every eight years. The project is funded by the Department of Ecology for $11,200, with the agreement expiring on June 30, 2023. The council approved the scope of work and budget proposal from the Watershed Company, which will guide the city through the review steps. Further details regarding the agreement can be viewed on the city's website.

Councilmember Charles expressed concern about the proposed agreement between the City of Waitsburg and Anderson Perry & Associates relating to the GIS Mapping services. The city added an amendment to include fire hydrant flow and pressure testing of all hydrants in the city. The testing would cost an estimated $150 per hydrant. Initially the city and CWWFD2 discussed having the district provide the service. This would just be for hydrant checks to insure they are operational.

Charles said he did not have issue with the entire amendment. However, the plan Hinchliffe presented dividing the city into four quadrants, with one quadrant tested each year, did not meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requirements. Should the city's ISO ratings (water system's fire suppression capabilities) fall below NFPA standards, it could impact homeowner insurance rates in the City of Waitsburg and public safety.

Charles said, "There is a requirement that a water system is tested for its pressure and flow every five years. That doesn't mean that every hydrant in the city needs to be tested, but it must be done in a fashion where there are enough hydrants tested to ensure the entirety of the water system has enough flow for fire suppression."

He asked for language stating hydrant flow and pressure testing of the Waitsburg City water system to be in accordance with NFPA 291 to be added to the amendment. The NFPA recommends annual water flow testing and marking of hydrants.

NFPA standards require an annual functionality check for each hydrant. This involves opening the valve and letting water flow briefly, checking the drain valve, clearing gravel and other debris, and basic maintenance.

Since the amendment is only one line and does not specify what service Anderson Perry would be providing, Charles requested more information be provided.

He also requested Anderson Perry provide testing reports to be kept on file by the fire district and Waitsburg City Hall.

Charles clarified that there is a difference between pressure and function checks and flushing, which must be done accordingly. During pressure checks under the NFPA guidance, one hydrant would be checked in a specified area, while another hydrant is opened to see if the water pressure remains stable and adequate.

Fire Commissioner Ashley Strickland disagreed with Charles, and felt the amendment was sufficient. The amendment states that each hydrant would be pressure and flow tested this year and then the city would take on the testing in quadrants, annually. It did not specify whether the firm would complete hydrant checks. These would then have to be one annually by the city.

After some back and forth between the commissioner and councilmember, Charles requested representatives from Anderson Perry come to the next meeting to clarify services. Discussion regarding hydrant flushing and testing was tabled until the councilmembers could explore needs more in-depth.

Park and Recreation District (P&R) commissioner Leroy Cunningham approached the council with an update and to voice some requests and concerns.

Cunningham said it is required by law to have a dedicated office space and requested the use of the upper floor of the library building for the P&R office. He said the district would apply for funding to make necessary repairs and seek ADA-related grants to extend the chairlift to the second level. If the city were to agree, P&R would also need the library's Board of Trustees' approval. The the new lift installed at the library does not have the capability to extend to the second floor, according to the Friends of the Library.

Next, Cunningham discussed the pool and referred to the leak report and a recent assessment from Cortner Architectural that estimated $850,000-$1m to build a new pool facility. This estimate includes parking, a new changing and shower facility as well as replacing the pool. The Cortner report is available to view online at http://www.cityofwaitsburg.org.

Cunningham said P&R would like to take over the pool's management and explore replacing or relocating the pool or repurposing the current site for another use. He said the district would make a formal request later.

He then referred to the district's mission statement, saying that there were three words that were the guiding principles: communicate, cooperate, and collaborate.

He read a letter from the district previously sent to the city, asking the city to waive rental fees for the Lions Club building for a one-year period.

The Waitsburg P&R district was created in 2018 and has been unable to successfully pass a levy for funding. Cunningham said he did not expect a levy to pass soon. The Waitsburg School District passed a levy in February, and he did not think residents would want additional taxes without a solid direction from the district.

Cunningham said that the district had not received a response to the letter from the mayor or the council. After discovering that councilmembers had not received the letter, he questioned why it had not been shared. He said it set up a trust issue between the district and the city.

"When we have something like we have going on, that we don't have a home, and we send a request letter out, and we don't get any feedback, it really makes me think badly of the city council and the mayor," Cunningham said. "Like, what do you guys think we are? We are trying to do a job, and you won't even acknowledge us?"

He went on to question who decided to keep the council out of the loop and reiterated that the lack of communication sowed distrust.

Dunn said an agreement with P&R to maintain entities such as the fairgrounds would not be viable due to the district's lack of funding.

Bart Baxter, P&R Commissioner, clarified that they did not want to maintain but rather manage entities like the fairgrounds. The district would oversee events or activities until P&R can get sufficient funding. Baxter said this could prove to the city's residents that the district is capable of functioning.

By the end of the discussion, it was agreed that the district and the city council liaisons, Ruppenthal and Henze, need to meet and discuss their plans, with the liaisons reporting back to the council.

The meeting was adjourned after the approval of bills.