Spring launches projects and preparations for City Council

The Leavenworth City Council met for their biweekly regular meeting on Tuesday, April 11 in City Hall. The meeting began with discussion of the Affordable Housing Grant Agreement for Upper Valley MEND. Earlier this year, the Council voted to ask to receive a grant of $600,000 for 31 affordable housing units around this city. Funds from the city will be used to obtain four of the units to service them for families that earn no larger than 120% of the average area income. The Council was asked to approve this agreement which would include a deed of trust and declaration of convents, conditions, and restrictions in order to keep the specific units within this margin of affordability. They are being used to become a section that is specifically for families with earnings no more than 120% on average and will take place towards the end of this year. The Council also opened conversation about a Professional Services agreement of Gray & Osborne for on-call engineering services. The agreement will cover general engineering services for the city and items related to Public Works. This discussion revolved around increasing the original do not exceed limit of funds from $38,000 to $108,000. This $70,000 increase will allow for these services to be utilized for more city public works needs and will help support the ongoing projects taking place within the town. Next on the docket for the Council was the Wastewater Treatment Plant capacity analysis. This project was originally set to remove the phosphorus from the water coming from the Wenatchee River in order to create a cleaner and more sustainable water supply. An analysis is wanted to get a head start on figuring out the treatment and updates needed for the wastewater management system. The last capacity analysis took place in 2000, which makes this all the more important. It’s critical to consistently complete these analyses to ensure the quality of wastewater treatment that is taking place. The Public Works department has made it a priority to change their viewpoint from reactive to proactive, and by jump-starting this analysis process, it will allow for a head start in obtaining knowledge for the betterment of the city’s wastewater treatment facility. With the help of Gray & Osborne, the Public Works department will be able to determine the remaining available capacity which will give way to understanding the budgets and funds needed going forward. This matter was approved unanimously by the Council and will prove to be a very important notion for the city of Leavenworth. Moving into reports from council members, there was discussion about increasing the wage rates for lifeguards in the community pool. It is important to have lifeguards on duty during the warm summer months and the Council made a point of recognizing the necessary work done by these lifeguards. The Loft’s new design process is advancing and there were points to figure something out for the side facing the Festhalle, which mostly contains windows. Venturing into summertime, the river is beginning to incorporate new signs and markings being put up to direct people floating in the water. The goal is always to create a safe and well- explained environment for people enjoying river activities in order to reduce the number of accidents and mishaps that take place. The online survey for the new community pool has begun circling the residents of Leavenworth, and as of Monday, April 10, over 920 people have begun taking the survey. This response is very promising and shows how many people care about this project within the community. The preliminary results of the survey will be revealed during the next Community Engagement Night, which is set to take place on May 2 in the Festhalle. Along with the results of the pool survey, there will be four total city projects that will be showcased during the event. More city staff are being hired this month to help with summer activities and maintaining the well run operations of the city. Tubing and river rafting permits are beginning to surface, as the seasons begin to change, and warmer weather is becoming more prevalent within the area. The Council encourages city residents to come show support during this Engagement Night and continue to take part in the online survey. The Leavenworth City Council is set to reconvene on Tuesday, April 18 for their regular meeting scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in City Hall.