The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON— In her report to the Dayton City Council, City Administrator Trina Cole said the Army Corps of Engineers has been in touch with the city about the levee system rehabilitation. Because it is a federally classified levee system, costs are covered at 100 percent. However, there are caveats for the city to provide easement information, along with some other legal requirements, Cole said.

Approximately, 2,000 lineal feet, in multiple locations, on both the right and left banks of the levee are damaged due to the flood.

Cole said FEMA will only cover 75 percent of costs of damage to city infrastructure from the flood. The city will be responsible for a 25 percent match, which will come from the reserve budget.

Damages are as follows:

There is damage to two water mains crossing the Touchet River at the Hwy. 12 Bridge. The Wastewater Treatment Plant UV system was flooded causing damage to several of the modules and the manhole and outfall pipe washed away. The Front Street Bridge lost revetment around the footings. There is woody debris lodged in the flood channel that will need removal. The drainage culverts throughout the levee system are filled with sediment and flap gates are damaged or buried. And there are rock sediment deposits throughout the Touchet River channel.

The expenditures from reserves for the recovery effort will probably create a delay in future-planned capital improvement projects, Cole said.

Also Cole said there has been a loss of revenue to the city because of the COVID-19 shutdown. The best guess estimate is a $210,000 loss in tax revenue for the city, through Dec. 31, which will mainly impact the current expense fund, and city road fund.

Cole said the city’s reserve budget will allow operations to continue at the level at which the city is currently functioning.

The Finance Committee will discuss budget recommendations for the city council to consider.

Cole also said there was very good news on the wastewater treatment plant front from the watershed unit of the state Department of Ecology regarding the city’s desire to treat wastewater using a Floodplain-by-Design treatment method.

The city, along with representatives from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Washington Water Trust, and Anderson/Perry & Associates just learned constructing wetlands for effluent treatment will work, given the right property, Cole said.

The water resources division at the Dept. of Ecology will review the plan, after which it will be reviewed by the shoreline division, she said.

Mayor Zac Weatherford said the city has purchased a used water truck out of the capital improvement budget, and the Public Works Department crew is happy with the purchase.

The unavailability of the Department of Correction crew to help with maintenance in Dayton, has been keeping the crew fairly busy.

They have been making road repairs, cleaning up tall weeds and grass, and cleaning up the cemetery for Memorial Day, Weatherford said.

“All the guys there have been putting in a lot of work and I think that is something they are really proud of,” he said.

In April the crew finished regrading and improving alleys citywide. Using time remaining on equipment rented for the month, the crew was able to make additional road repairs around the fish pond at the city park and at the cemetery.

Dain Nysoe, Chair of the Affordable Housing Commission, said he attended an informative virtual meeting sponsored by the state Dept. of Commerce, which was attended by 85 people from around the state.

Nysoe said there is one vacancy on the Affordable Housing Commission, left to be filled.

The Dayton City Council authorized the mayor to execute and implement an interlocal agreement between Columbia County and the City of Dayton, to complete the South Third Street Sidewalk Replacement Project.

This resolution will allow the city to receive funds allocated by the Transportation Alternatives Program in the amount of $211,000. The city has budgeted an additional $74,000 for the construction and engineering of this project originally scheduled to take place in the middle of summer, 2020 though that date is subject to change given the current COVID-19 crisis.

Special guests

Special guests County Public Health Director Martha Lanman, Port Executive Director Jennie Dickinson, and Dayton Chamber Manager Molly Weatherill-Tate updated the city council on impact from the COVID-19 situation.

“I’d like to congratulate everybody in the county, and everybody in the city, going to Phase II,” Lanman said.

Lanman said the county will be in Phase II for a minimum of three weeks or until the Stay at Home order ends on June 1.

She said the county wouldn’t necessarily go back to Phase I in the event of another positive test. It would depend on the circumstances and whether contract tracing can be handled by the public health department.

“Every circumstance will be different,” she said.

Tests are currently being performed by a lab in the Spokane Valley with 24-hour-turn around.

Lanman said 97 people have been tested for the coronavirus. There have been 94 negative tests and two people are being monitored. There has been only one positive test, back in March, and that person has recovered.

Her department has received a grant from the state Department of Commerce for housing people who want to be quarantined away from family members.

Mayor Weatherford asked whether or not playground equipment in the city park could reopen.

Lanman said playground equipment is attractive to children and it is difficult to monitor its use and keeping gatherings to fewer than five people. She said the virus can easily spread from child to child and from family to family.

Opening the playground equipment could take place in Phase III, she said.

Port of Columbia Executive Director Jennie Dickinson said she is spending around 90 percent of her time on COVID-19 related issues and is working with the Dayton Chamber manager and the City of Dayton Planning Director to interface with the community.

“We really appreciate that relationship and all the help,” she said.

Much of her earlier work focused on obtaining funds to assist individuals who don’t normally need help with rent, utilities and food, and to pay staff at the Club for providing childcare services for families of first responders.

Dickinson has been participating in weekly meetings with county Emergency Management officials and Public Health officials.

She and the Dayton Chamber manager are posting joint newsletters, twice a week, with updated information about loans and other resources to businesses.

“I am happy to say that many, many local businesses have received either one, or both, of those loan programs, much of which is forgivable,” she said about the Small Business Adminsitration’s Paycheck Protection Program(PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL).

Local nonprofit organizations have also benefitted from those loans, she said.

Dickinson is now working with the public health department to source Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for businesses to use as they re-open. The goal is to provide one week’s worth of hand sanitizer, masks and gloves before they have to start buying PPE, themselves.

The Port’s Economic Development Steering Committee meetings are now held twice a month and Town Hall type meetings have been held to discuss impacts with the business community.

Dickinson said the Port’s Industrial Park businesses and the Blue Mountain Station vendors are doing okay. Ag-type businesses are doing okay, as well, she said.

Dickinson reported an increase in shopping locally because of the Stay at Home, Stay Healthy campaign.

“That’s a very interesting twist that I am glad to see,” she said.

Historic Dayton Chamber Manager Molly Weatherill-Tate said she has been promoting a Shop Local, Share the Love social media campaign, and promoting a joint effort with the city, and the Port for a Big Hearts for Small Business social media campaign.

The Chamber’s flyer with restaurant information has been updated with information about salons and other retail businesses and has gone out to all households in Dayton.

Mule Mania, Dayton Days and All Wheels Weekend have been cancelled. Brix and Brew has been moved to November 6, and the Dayton Chamber Banquet might be moved from November to January 2021, because businesses are hit pretty hard for donations in the spring months, Weatherill-Tate said.

“Luckily a lot of the sponsorships for All Wheels Weekend gave the money as a donation. That will help with the budget for the rest of the year,” she said.

Weatherill-Tate has also been fielding calls from small business owners who are in the process of reopening. She has printed paper menus and guidelines for use in some of the restaurants.

The Dayton Development Task Force is working with the Washington Main Street Program. A template for recovery for Main Street businesses through the Washington Main Street Program will be shared, she said.