The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON—Vicki Zoller from the Friends of the Dayton Community Center was a special guest at the Dayton City Council meeting last week.

Zoller said fundraising efforts for the feasibility study for the pool/community center have slowed due to the COVID-19 situation. She has written two grants which were both rejected.

“There is a lot of need out there right now, and there are not a lot of dollars,” she said.

The group is still willing to be the fundraising arm for the $50-60,000.00 feasibility study and is still talking with the original architecture and engineering firm.

Mayor Zac Weatherford said there is an electronic community survey on the City of Dayton website to assess community feeling about the order of priorities for the City to undertake. A pool is one of the topics listed. The survey will help the City make financial decisions. It is open until the end of the month, he said.

Representatives from the Dayton Chamber of Commerce asked the city council to authorize parade routes for Dayton Days and All Wheels Weekend.

Bette Lou Crothers made her 27th annual visit to last week’s council meeting to ask for the blessing, help, and support for All Wheels Weekend.

“We are going on good faith we are going to be able to have All Wheels, as we have known it, this year,” Crothers said.

All COVID-19 protocols will be followed. There might be changes to the routine, but Crothers is hopeful they will not be too drastic.

Delphine Bailey said the City’s Finance Committee wants to hold a special meeting with the city staff, the Dayton City Council, and Mayor Weatherford to discuss how to mitigate the financial burden placed on the City’s budget because of the new Interlocal Agreement with the county, for Law and Justice, Dispatch, and Municipal Court services.

Mayor Weatherford said changes would need to be made and could include identifying additional sources of revenue or making cuts to services.

“Hopefully, we can make changes internally and keep Dayton successful, beautiful, and a small rural community people want to live in, and businesses can thrive in,” he said.

Sheriff Joe Helm reported on activities in the Sheriff’s Office. He said two new deputies had been hired, and his office is looking into filling the vacant Chief Deputy position with another patrol deputy.

Speeding is an issue on Main Street. He said there were 90 deputy-initiated traffic stops with 71 infractions written in March. Fifty-one of those were within city limits, most of them on Main Street.

Call volume has increased. In March, there were 575 calls made to Columbia County's Sheriff’s Office.

Helm said he would like to recognize Deputy Caesar Rivera, who has worked many overtime hours to bring two burglary suspects to justice.

Also, there has been an increase in underage use of vaping, marijuana, and alcohol. The Sheriff’s Office has provided daily walk-throughs at the school with patrols in the morning, during lunch, after school, and in the city park.

New hire David Walling is interested in participating in school resource officer training to help out at the schools.

Helm said Chelsey Eaton, project coordinator for the Coalition for Youth and Families, is working hard to educate the community about substance abuse, and she has two in-service/town hall meetings scheduled in the coming months.

He said a new program to educate teens and parents about drug and alcohol prevention would be coordinated between the Sheriff’s Office and the Coalition for Youth and Families.

Helm said his office is looking forward to National Night Out, in August, and Citizens Academy in late summer, or early fall, depending on the COVID-19 situation.

He also hopes to have a volunteer posse program in place during the fall months. Community members will receive their training through his office.

His office has partnered with the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Office for a Search and Rescue program, now called the Blue Mountain Search and Rescue.

“We have not had that program in a long time. It is really a benefit to have that resource,” he said.

Helm wanted to recognize City Planning Director Meagan Hayes for doing a good job in communicating any concerns she has to the Sheriff’s Office.

The Dayton City Council considered and authorized the following:

Ordinance No. 1978; amending the Dayton Comprehensive Plan as part of the 2020 Annual Docketing process, to add amended items regarding the inclusion of the Main Street Trees Project and amending the existing zoning map.

Ordinance No. 1979; vacating a portion of J street in Mustard’s Addition to Dayton. A public hearing was conducted prior to its adoption.

Resolution 1462; authorizing intra-fund activity transfers from water and sewer revenue funds to their respective cumulative reserve funds and debt service funds, in support of the 2021 budget, as authorized by Ordinance No. 1970, Dec. 2, 2020

Resolution No. 1463; approving a collectively bargained agreement with American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, Council 2, Local 1191-CD (Term of Jan. 1, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2021). This is a one-year contract providing a 1.5-percent raise.

Resolution No. 1464; awarding a public works contract for the Front Street Bridge Railing Project to Humbert Asphalt, Inc, and authorizing the Mayor to execute a public works construction contract with Humbert Asphalt, for said work. This was the lowest of four bids.

Resolution No. 1465; setting a public hearing to take testimony for or against the vacation of a portion of public right of way on E. J. Street. This action is to get small properties like this one which is owned by the city back on the tax roll.

Resolution No. 1466; authorizing the Transportation Improvement Board Consultant Agreement between the City of Dayton and Anderson/Perry & Associates, Inc. for the design engineering of the City of Dayton, S. Third St. Overlay and Sewer Replacement Project, TIB project No. 2-E-924(008)-1, and authorizing the Mayor to execute and implement the said agreement, and setting an effective date. The pavement portion is from Tremont to School Bus Lane. The sewer portion is from School Bus Lane to Main Street. A chip seal project is planned for spots where the sewer line is replaced. Letters of support were received from the school District, Fire District No. 3, and the hospital District.

Resolution No. 1467; authorizing a professional services contract between the City of Dayton and Blue Mountain Action Council to provide financial relief for third-party low-income residential utility customers.

Resolution No. 1468; awarding a public works contract for Touchet River Trail Repairs Project, FEMA project No. 151200, to Don Jackson Excavation, LLOC, and authorizing the Mayor to execute the contract, not to exceed $74,149.00 excluding Sales and Use Tax. This is for making repairs on the Touchet River levee walking path in the vicinity of the fish pond, which was damaged by flooding in 2020.

Resolution No. 1469; awarding a public works contract for the Cameron Street Pavement Preservation Project, TIB Project No. 2-E-924(007)-1 to Humbert Asphalt, Inc, not to exceed $76,250, excluding applicable Sales and Use Tax. Traffic is heavy on this street, and the street must be preserved, Weatherford said. A small portion will be replaced entirely, but most of the project will be a chip seal project.

Resolution No. 1470; authorizing a Class IV Work Crew Master Agreement between the Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) and the City of Dayton, authorizing the Mayor to execute and implement the contract, and setting an effective date. DOC has done work for the City at the cemetery, park, and levee in the past and will continue in 2021.