Leavenworth council approves right-of-way vacation requests

The Leavenworth City Council had a light agenda on July 9, including three ordinances.

The Council approved an ordinance to vacate a right-of-way on Summit Street.

The city received a request to vacate a portion of Summit Street, located between property owned by Bruce and Margee Peterson at 508 Birch Street, and land owned by Mike and Sandy Cecka at 510 Birch.

During the public hearing for the Summit Street Right-of-Way Vacation, Development Services Manager Lilith Vespier said the section of Summit Street has not been developed.

The Council also approved an ordinance vacating a portion of Woodward Street with amendments.

Vespier said the second ordinance was different in that the portion of land includes a 10-foot easement that was granted from the property owners to the city for the walkway from Whitman Street to the City Hall parking lot. The ordinance notes that the city will retain a perpetual easement that will stay in place while the right-of-way will be split between the two property owners.

She added that one of the property owners, Andy Barber recently purchased the property with a single-family residence which is currently accessed through the city parking lot. Any changes of the use of that property require a review of the access. Both Vespier and City Attorney Thomas Graastra informed council that the vacation of the right-of-way was the only matter pertained in the ordinance.

Council member Clint Strand voiced concerns about a future project potentially encroaching on a portion of the trail outside of the easement.

Architect Steven Booher, who spoke on behalf of Barber, explained the application he is planning to submit for a multi-family project on the property does not include plans to modify the trail.

"If we touch the trail, we would have to go through the right process," Booher added. 

Graastra suggested amending Ordinance 1592 to include language that would protect the "easement of record and the trail as built," which the council approved.

The Council adopted a third ordinance, one that sets a quarterly budget amendment.

Finance Director/City Clerk Chantell Steiner explained the budget amendment mainly consists of salary increases to the Street, Water and Sewer funds to offset the reductions in the Garbage Fund earlier in the year. Other changes in the budget amendment include estimated adjustments needed for the Pine Street Reconstruction Phase 1 Project, and actions approved by the Council earlier in the year.

“There’s still some money that we're going to need to move, possibly from the Street Fund or the Transportation Benefit District,” Steiner said in regards to the Pine Street project. “We have the money, it’s just we have to move it from one place to another.” 

In the final action item, the Council’s approval the Parking Advisory Committee’s by-laws.

Council was asked to review and consider approval of the committee’s by-laws, which include the group's mission, committee members and which they will meet.

Farivar noted the committee has one new member, Kayla Applebay, who is the representative for the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce. She clarified that Michael Buddard and Ann Hessburg, who are listed as "residents" on the Parking Advisory Committee section of the city's website, are Leavenworth residents but also represent the affected parking area and Planning Commission, respectively. 

“Everyone on this particular committee has a specific reason to be on the board,” Farivar added.

The council also received an update from Chelan County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Scott Lawrence. He noted the department responded to 119 incidents, generated a case number in city limits and 97 incidents in April. Deputies also responded to 154 incidents in unicoproated areas around Leavenworth.

The Sheriff's Office issued 15 citations in May and 14 in April. Deputies responded to six traffic accidents in May and four in April, and made 10 arrests in both months.

When asked about July 4, Lawrence said there were not many complaints.

"Just the typical campground disturbances around the holiday," he added. "It was a typical Fourth of July."

In other business:

• Graafstra announced the hearing date for Chelan County Superior Court's hearing for the Adventure Park will be scheduled for the week of Oct. 14. He added the date could be pushed back to November.
• Chelan County Sheriff Sheriff Brian Burnett will present his annual report at the Aug. 13 meeting.