Lind Council approves loan repayment schedule

During the Sept. 11 meeting, the Lind Town Council approved a loan repayment schedule with the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology).

The repayment schedule is for the loan for the Storm Water Project. The Council terminated the contract with Stantec Engineering at a March meeting. In March, Stantec Engineering Alan Gay recommended the Town terminate the contract because the company could not complete the project before the June 2019 deadline.

Gay said the Town does not owe Stantec any funds. However, Lind would need to pay back the obligation for the loan to Ecology.

Mayor Paula Bell explained the repayment schedule will allow Ecology to close out the project and deobligation of remaining funds.

The principal loan amount is $11,824.96 along with a 2.4 percent interest rate for a total of $15,072.10. According to the schedule, Lind will make an annual payment of $772.92 and split the payments in December and June over a 20-year period. The Town will not have to begin loan payments until June 2019.

Bell noted the Town will not incur a penalty from Ecology if it pays off the loan ahead of schedule.

In other action items, the Council voted to join Adams County Public Works 2018 bridge inspection schedule for special hauling vehicles (SHV) load inspection for Lind’s three bridges.

Bell explained Public Works contracted with a bridge consultant, Nicholls Kovich Engineering, PLLC, to conduct a load ratings analysis on county bridges. If the Council wanted to include the Town’s bridges into the inspection schedule, she will inform Public Works, who will incorporate the bridges into the agreement with Kovich Engineering.

The cost to inspect the Town’s bridges in 2018 will be $3,130.17. She said if the Town waited until 2019, the cost would increase 3 percent, along with another 3 percent increase in 2020.

Bell noted the bridges will be inspected every other year and the Town will receive a report on findings from the analysis. She added bridge inspection is not included in the agreement with the Town’s engineering consultant, Century West Engineering.

The council also voted to purchase three touchscreen control panels for the Town’s wastewater treatment plant.

Bell explained Don Adams, of Controls Instruments Automation in Davenport, visited the treatment plant and helped staff fix an issue with the facility’s control panels, which sustained storm and weather damage.

Adams informed staff the panels were not designed for outdoors.

Bell noted staff purchased replacement parts for the panels, which will be covered through insurance.

She said Adams provided the town with a quote for new touch screen control panels with also weatherproof polycarbonate covers for $1,323.23 each. She added the cost to include programming, installation and touch screens.

Council Members Jim Dworshak, Kathy Vedder and Bell suggested constructing an awning, or a structure to cover the panels.

Bell announced Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) Consultant Dan Bannier visited Lind and collected the final required income survey responses over two days.

Council Member Rose Elkington, who accompanied Bannier around Town but did not participate in the interviews, noted residents were receptive in providing responses after he explained the reason for the survey.

Bell said after survey results are validated, and RCAC will present the data to the appropriate funding agencies. She added Bannier is scheduled to update the Council at a future meeting.