Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Pool property could be used as a skate park and winterime ice rink.
WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg City Council met on Tuesday, August 12, at City Hall. Jillian Henze, Jim Romine, Kevin House, Cindy Bishop, Mayor Marty Dunn, and City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe were in attendance. Court Ruppenthal was absent.
The council unanimously approved the Capital Facilities Plan update for 2025.
Resolution 2025-794 was passed authorizing Hinchliffe to sign documents for the transfer of property from the Washington State Department of Transportation. The property at the end of 6th Street will be used to create access to properties that do not have road or utility access. The WSDOT gave the property to the city under the condition that it be used for that purpose.
Common Roots Housing is applying for a state Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program grant to fund projects in Waitsburg. The community-based organization purchases land to develop permanently affordable homes. It has plans to build six to ten affordable housing units in Waitsburg and asked the city to waive utility hookup fees, estimated at $3,800 for sewer and water per house. The waiver is a requirement under the CHIP grant. The council approved Ordinance 1097 to waive the connection fees.
Hinchliffe presented plans to convert the old city pool into a skate park and winter ice rink. The filled-in pool would be capped with asphalt with a surface suitable for a skate park. There would be removable ramps and other skate fixtures. In the winter, the park would be converted into a synthetic-ice skating rink.
Hinchliffe provided a plan and budget, with most of the cost covered by a 9/10th sales tax economic development grant from the county for $102,000. The city would purchase a synthetic ice rink system from KwikRink. The package would include 50 pairs of skates for rentals, a decorative fence around the rink, and an automated skate sharpener.
The plan includes improving the old pool building for winter use, moving the ADA mobile restroom from the fairgrounds to the ice rink during winter, and outdoor heaters, seating, and a large sun shade to cover the rink.
Henze expressed concern about the quality of the proposed product and asked to table the decision until next month to give the council more time for review.
Hinchliffe described how he decided on synthetic ice and the vendor. He said he visited a facility in Spokane that uses KwikRink for a smaller rink to teach kids the basics of hockey. The director noted that while there are drawbacks to synthetic ice compared to real ice, the product would enable the city to create a winter attraction that is easy to install and maintain. Since the county will not reimburse the city for the costs until the project is complete, he would like to have it finished by Hometown Christmas.
The council voted to delay a vote until the next meeting.
Reader Comments(0)