Waitsburg city council approves skate park

WAITSBURG - Waitsburg City Council met at the Waitsburg City Hall on March 18, 2026, at 7 p.m. Mayor Marty Dunn, council members Jillian Henze, Cindy Bishop, Kevin House, and Brian Richards were present; Jim Romine attended via Zoom. City Administrator Randy Hinchliffe, Library Director Sarah Roberts, and Waitsburg Celebration Days Chair Abbey Grende were also in attendance.

Before approving the agenda, the city's attorney, Jared Hawkins, asked to postpone action on the Waitsburg Celebration Days maintenance agreement to give him time to complete the document. The item was postponed and off the agenda.

During public comment, Stephanie and Tyson Cole requested reimbursement for repairs to property damage caused by the city's recent high water pressure event. The city posted January 1 as the deadline for submitting claims. Hinchliffe said the city's insurance claim is still open, and the city is still accepting claims.

Grende asked whether the WCD committee could obtain a facility-use permit for the Waitsburg Fairgrounds so they could continue work for the May event. Hinchliffe said they could move forward.

Over Zoom, Cindy Daves asked why the WCD committee does not pay for its use of the fairgrounds. She said others pay more than the WCD, and fees should be the same for everyone, especially since WCD makes so much money with sponsorships.

Grende said they do pay the rental fee for the fairgrounds. She said WCD has a $20,000 budget, and even with sponsorships, the event breaks even.

Hinchliffe updated the council on the recent flooding. He said there was 1" of rain in a few days, which caused the Touchet River to peak at 17' on Saturday afternoon. He monitored the gauges on the Touchet and Coppei rivers. The high water overtopped the Touchet along the river east of the Preston Bridge. The water went over at the area of the levee recently repaired by the city.

Hinchliffe said the city reached out to residents in the potential flood zone. Residents had access to 500 sandbags at the city hall. He said early use of sandbags minimized damage from overland flow, speculating that only about 10 homes were damaged, compared with 20 in the 2020 flood.

Henze said the Waitsburg Christian Church had been working with 18 families in need of help after the flooding. Most are the same families impacted in 2020.

When asked why the siren was not used. Hinchliffe said it was not used as he felt it would have worried the whole city over minimal flooding.

Romine said the Health and Safety Committee had contacted the Army Corps to hold a class on the effective use of sandbags.

The council discussed water system connection charges. The city charges a base of $2,500 for water hook-up and $2,100 for sewer. Hinchliffe suggested an increase of $500 and $300, respectively.

Hinchliffe told the council he hoped to secure a 1% loan from the county for water system work around W. 2nd and West Streets. He suggested a $6 monthly rate increase per user would cover interest payments. No action was taken.

The board approved a WSDOT grant for a grind-and-overlay project on Main between 1st and 3rd. The grant is for $100,000 and is a federal match. The city must obligate funds to complete the contract. If the money is not used, it must be returned. Hinchliffe said they would not use the funds if the waterline replacement project on Main could not be done concurrently.

The Washington Department of Health grant will fund the completion of the city's watershed mapping. This is to make sure the city knows where everything is before Jim retires. The commissioners approved the grant.

The commissioners approved a contract with Anderson Perry for engineering services for the watershed mapping project funded by the DOH grant.

Weller Public Library Director Sarah Roberts asked the commissioners to approve Sarah Paul to the library board. She was approved unanimously.

Hinchliffe gave a presentation on the skate park improvements. The plan is to transition the ice rink into a skatepark for spring through fall. He has applied for grants, but won't get any in time for this year. He proposed portable skate ramps and equipment that can be stored when not used. The package is about $10,000 from FreshPark. The ramps could be reused, and if the city decides to install permanent ramps, these could be modified. The council approved the project.