DAYTON—At their February 27 meeting, the Dayton City Council approved an agreement between the city and Columbia County for the city to provide code compliance services to the county. The City Code Compliance Officer’s weekly hours will increase by eight, and the county will pay the city $11,000 per year.

Councilman Dain Nysoe said the city’s approach to code enforcement has been proactive, but the county “only responds to nuisance issues if someone complains.”

Nysoe asked the County Planning Director Kim Lyonnaise, if that approach would change. Lyonnaise said that he follows the lead of the Board of County Commissioners.

“Today, they are firm on reaction … I don’t see that changing. I think we have a pretty streamlined process. We do pretty well with one or two letters out, and the time it takes to fix it,” Lyonnaise said. “We are short-staffed, the reason we are here. It has been in the makings for quite a while. I think it’s got a win/win possibility.”

The city’s Code Compliance Officer, Clint Atteberry, said there is a 30-day notice of exit, if either party wants to terminate the agreement. He said he will be using a city vehicle while on duty for the county.

The council also received updates from City Administrator Trina Cole regarding timelines for the South First Street reconstruction project, the West Main Street sidewalk safety enhancement project timeline, the Washington State Department of Health pre-construction grant application for Syndicate Hill, and north hill pressure zone system improvements, and the Touchet River levee improvements project.

Cole told the council that a design review meeting for the South First Street Construction Project took place with the engineering firm Anderson Perry and Associates, on Feb. 8. The design of the project has been increased to incorporate additional services, including replacing some asbestos water line, replacing one section of sewer line, and increasing the six-inch school fire flow water line, from Oak Street to S. Second Street, with 12-inch line.

“We thought the sewer line all needed to be replaced. Actually, the sewer line is not in as bad a shape as services,” said Cole.

Bid advertising will take place March 8, and bids will open on March 29. The council will make the award at their April 10 meeting, and construction will begin mid-May.

The West Main Street sidewalk project will be go out to bid at the end of March, with awards made in June, Cole said. Construction will begin in July.

Cole said the city is seeking a $30,000 preconstruction grant to develop a design plan to perform an inventory of booster pumps and identify the needs in water pressure zones on Syndicate Hill, and on North Hill.

Public Works Director Jim Costello told the council that the state Department of Health wants water pressure brought up in several areas, individual booster pumps for homes, and a separate pressure zone on Syndicate Hill.

“This design plan will give insight into what that would mean if the city takes on individual booster pumps,” said Cole.

Cole said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is asking for fixes on the Touchet River levee, and in the river, as soon as is possible.

The Corps performs a survey of the dike every July, and is requiring some fixes, to include removing brush and trees so that the rip-rap, or big rock, can be seen. Some of the rip-rap is missing, and one of the culverts needs a flapper valve.

“We can only be in the river certain times of the year, plus we need some engineering”, Cole said.

Those fixes will be done when the water level is down, sometime from mid-July to October, according to city officials.

The council also approved County Planner Greg Abramson’s re-appointment to the Dayton Planning Commission for 2017-2021, and Ginny Butler’s reappointment to the Dayton Historic Preservation Commission for 2017-2020.

City Planning Director Karen Scharer requested that Mayor Craig George and City Administrator Trina Cole sit in for her on the Dayton Development Task Force when she is absent, and the council also agreed to that.