| Cottonwood
City Council meets
The Cottonwood City Council passed an ordinance to adopt the 2009 International Building Code at their March meeting Monday, March 14. The council also passed a resolution setting a fee for vehicle extrication. Any fees collected would go into the fire department’s dedicated equipment fund. The fee set was $250 per vehicle involved. The damage at the edge of City Park due to 4-wheeling was discussed. Jack Duman said this area is one of those that will be looked at to resolve drainage problems. 3 teenagers caught causing some of the damage have been offered for community service work. The council members will discuss with Public Works Supervisor Roy Uhlenkott on what needs to be done but for now the area will be staked off as a no admittance area. The annual Cottonwood Community Cleanup is upcoming where the city will have a dumpster set up near the city maintenance shop for inert waste as in the past. They will also check into getting a temporary recycling site set up there as well. Last year it ran fro April 15 to May 15. An alcohol beverage license for Lowell’s Saloon was approved pending receipt of a state license. The Cottonwood Youth Sports lease of the Wimer ballfields was approved for another year. Rich and Laurie Workman’s lease of the pasture above those fields was approved for another 5 years. City clerk Carol Altman brought up the Walco contract as it is set to run out April 15. Action was tabled pending contact with Walco. In reports, Shaun Riener, in attendance via telephone, reported 2.65 million gallons were pumped in February with 2.37 million sold for a loss of about 10%, which is way down from the 27% at this time last year. No new leaks were reported and the random test samples came back clean. In the sewer report Ron Grant said that Uhlenkott has found a used sewer jetter that also has a cutting attachment that can trim out trees roots invading the sewer lines for $5,000. Grant said they pay a firm about $6,000 per year to come in and do this kind of thing. They still may have to come in occasionally but it would be a lot less often if they have their own equipment. The equipment is located at Orofino and they would be willing to take two payments of $2,500, one in this fiscal year and the other in the next. The council approved authorizing Uhlenkott to purchase the equipment. Jack Duman reported that Ferdinand was awarded a chip seal grant. Cottonwood was also involved in this grant request and will receive $50,000. This money won’t be available until October. Duman said he will be working on drainage issues this summer and on prepping streets for chip seal. The chip sealing planned for this summer is primarily Lewiston Street where the new paving was done last summer. Shelli Schumacher reported the only thing going on in the land and buildings department is some odds and ends being finished up at the hall. Grant reported the fire department only had 2 calls, both for chimney fires with no structural damage. They have 7 men going to a fire academy in Orofino this weekend. They are also looking into an Explorer program which would involve younger people. He has Joe Wright looking into liability issues for such a program. A request by the North Central Health District to adopt a smoke-free parks and playgrounds ordinance was tabled indefinitely. A request to use the upstairs hall for a yoga class 1 night per week for two months at $30/month was approved. This is similar to the rate granted to Brittny Mundt for her Jazzercise classes. The council adjourned to a short executive session regarding personnel at 9 p.m. The next regular meeting will be Monday, April 11 at 7 p.m. |
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