The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG--How to move forward with the Waitsburg Fairgrounds, and particularly the grandstands facility, continued to be a major challenge for the Waitsburg City Council this year. A fairgrounds task force, which was formed in 2017, asked the told the council in February that they would like to receive more community input regarding options for the grandstands.

The council agreed to add an advisory item on the April city election ballot, asking voters to select their preferred option for the grandstands. Options included demolition ($20,000-$25,000), a combination demo/rebuild (approx. $500,000), or rehabilitation ($41,000 - $70,000).

Election results were: Demolition – 124; Rehabilitation – 81; Rebuild – 6.

During its May meeting, the council chose to delay a final decision on the fate of the grandstands. It was decided to reactivate the city's Parks & Recreation District and appoint a parks and recreation board. The board would have a broader mandate, including advising the city on the fairgrounds and Preston Park, and the city pool and cemetery. It would also help establish new activities and events and address fundraising issues.

The board began meeting in the fall and had not made a recommendation on the grandstands or fairgrounds facilities by year end.

The Parks & Rec Board has begun its strategic planning process, and it has taken several steps, including establishing monthly movie nights – in Preston Park in summer months and in Waitsburg Town Hall in winter months.

Waitsburg's city elections also saw Mayor Marty Dunn re-elected, and council members Kevin House, Kate Hockersmith, Jim Romine, Terry Jacoy and KC Kuykendall also elected.

The Waitsburg School District also completed its capital improvement projects, this year, which were funded by a $3.8 million bond approved by voters in November 2018. Projects included new HVAC equipment for Waitsburg High School and Preston Hall Middle School Waitsburg elementary school, renovation of the district kitchen facilities, as well as construction of a new athletic field house at the Waitsburg Fairgrounds football field.

The Kenneth M. Zuger Field House was dedicated during a ceremony on Oct. 19.

The Waitsburg School board gave final approval in late February to moving ahead with the Dayton-Waitsburg Athletic Combine. The final decision followed some controversy, after an earlier agreement had been rescinded, by the Waitsburg School Board earlier in the month.

The combine will include all middle school and high school sports teams. A DW Combine Committee began meeting and working out schedules for games and practices.

Combined DW football and volleyball teams began playing in the Eastern Washington Athletic Conference in September.

During their August meeting, the Waitsburg City Council discussed potential solutions to ongoing issues with the city's wastewater treatment facility. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe reported that the system's two digesters are nearing capacity.

In September, the council approved purchase of an Aero-Mod belt filter press system to replace the current digesters. The cost was not to exceed $350,000, to be covered by the city's emergency funds. Installation will take place in early 2019.

With this agreement, Aero-Mod provided a temporary press, installed in October, to avoid any potential emergency situation.

In December, City Manager Randy Hinchliffe announced that the city has entered into an agreement to purchase the former Jehovah's Witness building, next to the city shop. Plans are to move city hall to this building. Hinchliffe said the move is being proposed because the current city hall building is in need of extensive repairs and does not have room to hold city council meetings.

In February, the Walla Walla County Planning Commission voted to recommend denial of a zoning change requested by Waitsburg area farmers Perry and Darlene Dozier, to allow water bottling on agricultural land.

Despite that recommendation, in March, the Walla Walla County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve including that zoning change in the final list of the county's development regulations, which will be approved by the county within a year.

In May, Luke Chavez and John Avery opened a new coffee shop on Waitsburg's Main Street, called 10 Ton Coffee. It is located in the building owned by Chavez's mother, Lane Gwinn, which also houses the 10 Ton Press art studio and gallery. The building was formerly home to the Farmer's Café. Chavez and Avery both have extensive experience as baristas in several coffee shops in Seattle.

In February, a fire destroyed a shop and badly damaged an adjacent home belonging to Waitsburg Public Works Director Jim Lynch and his wife Becky. The fire was believed to have originated in the wood stove in the shop.

In September, a spectacular fire broke out in a wood frame building on Main Street that formerly housed Hugs Gifts and Collectibles. The building, owned by Waitsburg resident Skip Carpenter was completely destroyed. After an investigation, fire officials reported that the cause of the fire is unknown.