Friday, March 29, 2024

Larsen set for another two years on city council

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Elmer Larsen, 75, is the elder statesman on the Leavenworth City Council. He started in 1987, then left as mayor in 2000, when he started working in Wenatchee. He stayed away for eight years. Then came back to the council when there were some things that concerned him. 

He was planning to retire from the council this year, but changed his mind. Now, he’s running unopposed for Council Member position 7, which has a two year term. He said he decided to stay on the council to give the newer members some historical perspective on city issues. 

“I don’t see the history. The council has changed and the history is not there. The understanding of rationale why we did something or what we’re trying to achieve. I felt there was tremendous value in having that historical point of view,” Larsen said. “I have so much vested in the city over these number of years, I felt some ownership.”

Larsen cites the WSDOT parking lot at the west end of town as one example. 

“For 20 years, we’ve been trying to get the WSDOT parking lot. At that time, we wanted it for log trucks and oversize vehicles. Today, we still need it, but now it is RVs and oversize vehicles,” Larsen said. “The need has been historical. Right now, we are seriously looking at how we acquire that. It’s taken 20 years to get to the surface. That’s an example of some of the things I would like to try and get accomplished.”

Some council candidates are running on the encouragement of others. That is not the case with Larsen. 

“I’ve been telling everybody I was not going to run. I was looking at the changes occurring in the council, I thought there was value,” Larsen said. “I realize the council’s direction is changing, but if somebody does not present this point of view, then it gets missed entirely.”

One of the trying times for him on the council was when the Volksmarch came to the council and wanted to use the cemetery for a fundraiser. Nobody asked the question, what happens if there is a funeral planned for that day?

“There was and some of the kids playing football wouldn’t quiet down. It was very disheartening to the family. I almost got off the council because nobody thought to answer that simple question,” Larsen said. “That has been one of the motivating factors for me. Try to ask the question even if you know the answer. You get other people thinking. It’s that perspective I hope to convey, especially with new council members. There is no dumb question.”

Over his long tenure on council, he’s dealt with parking issues a lot, as you can imagine. There is a new parking study coming out. Larsen has been down this road before. 

“We’ve had a number of parking studies. We knew parking is a problem. I would probably have looked at a parking structure over the old warehouse. Can we phase that in? How much would it cost? Those kinds of things would be more targeted,” Larsen said. 

The parking study is more important for the new council members, he believes. 

“It’s a learning process. There’s no easy way to collect that information. You don’t understand the limitations of the tax money, like property tax or hotel-motel tax. Very limited how we can deal with those dollars,” Larsen said. “There is learning process they all have to go through. I try to talk to the audience too, because that is an opportunity to talk to other council members..we are doing this because or we are limited here. By sharing it with the audience, it is also sharing it with the council. That’s my approach.”

Pine Street has been long term project. He wants to see that get done. While pleased with separating the multi-use trail from the road, he is still concerned about the drainage ditches, which could be problematic over the long term. 

Of course the city is also in the midst of a multi-million dollar sewer plant upgrade. He is disappointed this process is being driven by phosphorus. 

“On the sewer plant, we have capacity, and yet we’re going to spend a tremendous amount of money to deal with phosphorus a few months a year,” Larsen said. “I would like to have seen creative solution that was financially feasible. They did explore it with using it for irrigation. It should have been a viable ecological fit. It’s frustrating it is driven by the phosphorus.”

Larsen has been an outspoken advocate for the creation of a regional water study, but the current study is not what he had hoped. 

“I was hoping we would look ahead at an engineering study. If you look ahead and plan for it, you can figure it out. The study we are having now is about administration, which misses the target entirely,” Larsen said. 

He is also advocating for a new parade route which does not force parade entrants to go to the Fish Hatchery and back. He said they need to consider some sort of enclosed loop. 

“With Pine Street being upgraded, that becomes an obvious candidate. We need to plan ahead to make the connection. We need to move forward and make sure we have it on our planning,” he said. 

Advice for the newer council members?

“Ask the question. Maybe say why or how come. Ask the question because every question leads to a better understanding of the issue. Don’t be afraid to look silly. There is no silly question. Every question helps us sort out the issues,” Larsen said. 

Ian Dunn can be reached at 548-5286 or editor@leavenworthecho.com.

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