Metro Park District reps discuss pool

ODESSA – A full complement of council members met Monday night either via Zoom or in the clerk’s office. Several members of the newly formed Metropolitan Park District board also attended via Zoom to discuss funding and various legal matters regarding the Odessa pool. One of the main issues of concern to the board was funding for 2021, since the taxes due the district will not be collected until 2022. Council members reassured the board that they were well aware of that fact and had already included pool maintenance and operation in the 2021 budget. The council’s pool committee, comprising Landon Lobe and Amy Hunt, will continue to meet with park district board members Kelsey Scrupps and Kimberly Ryan to work out the best levels of funding for 2022. Town attorney Mark DeWulf also logged into the meeting to provide answers to legal questions.

The board plans to provide a contract to the town, to be approved at the council’s next regular meeting, to have the town’s public works employees continue to provide maintenance for the pool after 2021, with funding for that work coming from the park district beginning in 2022. Urgent repairs to the pool decking will be required this year, and the board is awaiting a quote for the concrete work needed. Board members said they would consult the Friends of the Pool regarding possible funding for that work.

Council approved a request from Rolling Thunder Pizza’s Nate Lathrop to close north and south Division streets downtown on July 4, 2021 in order to hold a car show. In a related matter, Mayor Bill Crossley reported that some downtown business owners felt that Rolling Thunder’s use of traffic cones and sidewalk displays was becoming excessive and encroached on parking spots convenient to other businesses. Police chief Les Jimerson offered to speak with the owner regarding the matter.

Cardboard recycling and related issues

There was a lengthy discussion regarding the use and/or misuse of Lincoln County’s recycling bins. Councilman Landon Lobe reported his discussions with Consolidated Disposal Services, Inc. of Ephrata, the town’s garbage collection contractor, regarding costs for them to provide a recycling service. He provided some numbers on tonnage rates and other costs. Other council members felt that having recycling bins at every residence in addition to the regular garbage bins would be an eyesore.

Public Works Director Rod Webster said the biggest issue with the recycling bins was misuse by out-of-towners and by businesses, since the bins are intended for residential recycling. He suggested citations and fines for the most blatant offenders. Given the out-of-the-way location of the bins, however, most council members seemed to doubt how effective that would be. Zoning inspector Bill Knerr suggested moving the cardboard bin back to its prior location near the police station on First Avenue and leaving the other recycling bin at its current location.

The issue was tabled until the next meeting, when Lobe said he would provide more accurate cost numbers and proposals for utility fee increases.

Recurring issues at the town dump also came up for discussion. Keys to enter the dump have not been returned to the clerk’s office recently, prompting the need for changing the lock and producing new keys at the town’s expense. A $20 deposit for each key issued, on top of the regular dump fees, was proposed by council members. When the key is returned, the deposit will be returned.

Police report

Police chief Jimerson reported that there are 15 candidates being considered for the open officer position. The police committee of the council will meet with him Wednesday to review the applications and select the top three or four candidates to invite to have interviews via Zoom.

He also reported eight stops for speeding, one for a parking infraction, one erratic driver, one request from Rural Resources for assistance with conflict resolution, two dogs at large, one theft, one auto equipment issue, two trespassing incidents, one request from EMTs for help with a combative patient, one suspicious person, one bonfire and two incidents of speeding or failure to stop at a stop sign within the school zone.

Public works report

Webster reported the need to rebuild a sewer system pump, work on layout of the proposed drying beds and plans to flush valves prior to the start of the upcoming street/water system project. He will provide notification to the public that dirty water can be expected following flushing of the valves.