The Leavenworth City Council prepares for summer

The Leavenworth City Council met on Tuesday, April 25 for their bi-weekly meeting in City Hall at 7:00 p.m. This meeting had a large focus on public hearings and discussions surrounding code changes that needed in-depth input and conversation amongst the council. Firstly, a public safety report was given by newly appointed Sheriff Morrison. This report detailed the happenings within the city in the past month and the different types of public safety calls that were made and warranted a response. There were few critical pieces of information, but things are beginning to ramp up in preparation of incoming summer tourism. Shortly after this presentation, there was a Fire safety report given by Mike Smith. He outlined all the upcoming dangers of fire season and how to prepare for them in multiple different ways. These reports were good insights into the coming summer season and warmer temperatures starting to become prevalent in the city. Next on the agenda was a discussion of some code changes. The first revolved around the cemetery, as they wanted to conduct simple changes to things in the area. The next set of codes were connected with parking lots and bed and breakfasts, which hold a large amount of concern in the community. Following the announcement of these code change propositions, there were many public people that came to speak in opposition of the amendment. Most felt that the changes were not well thought out and were lacking explanation to the public. There was a stern feeling that codes should not be pushed through expeditiously and the council came to an agreement to reevaluate these changes in two weeks’ time. The council wanted to establish clarity and make a point of not blindly passing these amendments. This discussion will continue the next meeting, May 9 in City Hall. Following the long public hearing regarding these possible code changes, the council moved onto the installation of new parking sensors in three paid parking lots. The Cleverciti aerial parking sensors would allow for detection of cars that park in paid parking spots and give ideas of lot capacity and other observations. This agreement would give two sensors to the Aasgard lot, four sensors for the Blewett lot, and one sensor for the Colchuck lot. Public Works crew will carry out this installation and the total cost of this one-year program is $31,316. Other news was reported throughout this meeting, such as the construction of the roundabout up Icicle Road scheduled to begin in July. This project should not block traffic by any means and will allow for smoother travels into that part of Leavenworth. There have been a reported 1,400 responses to the pool survey thus far, which has been making a large impression on the community. The survey will remain open until May 12. The Leavenworth Jazz Festival kicks off during the first weekend of May, bringing bands and artists to showcase talent throughout the weekend. This event will be fun-filled and is poised to create family fun activities. The next Community Engagement Night is slated to be on May 2, in the Festhalle at 5 p.m. This event will showcase four major city projects and a variety of other information relevant to the general public. The council encourages attendance, as the new pool will be a topic of conversation during this event. The council will reconvene for their regular biweekly meeting on May 9, at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall.