City council gives OK for new fire truck purchase

The Ritzville City Council met for its regularly scheduled meeting on March 19, as they addressed a laundry list of items on the agenda.

Ritzville Fire Department Chief Joel Bell notified the council that he traveled to Touchet on March 17 to take a look at and test-drive a used fire truck that could be purchased to replace the department’s current No. 3 truck. At a council meeting in February, Bell told the council that the department has been having problems with the current truck, which he said hardly ever gets ran due to problems it has and was purchased more to help the department’s fire insurance rating than anything else by a previous fire department chief.

The fire truck that Bell looked at on March 17 came off the line in 1994, while the current truck owned by the fire department is believed to be from the 1960s or 1970s. Bell said that the truck he looked at is owned by Walla Walla County, although it is no longer in service and has been advertised for sale for about 18 months.

According to Bell, the newer truck has a bigger pump than the older truck and has the same type of pump that the department uses. The truck has about 88,000 miles on it and 6,000 hours of use on the motor. Bell said it is a “great deal” in his eyes due to how cheap the truck is currently listed at, which is $10,000. He said he drove the truck and “ran it hard” for about 40 miles, and said it performed really well.

After a brief discussion about what the City could do with the current truck, the council unanimously authorized Bell to spend up to $12,000 to purchase the new fire truck. That figure accounts for expected additional costs, such as Washington state’s sales tax and purchasing licenses and certifications for the truck.

The council voted to set a date for a public hearing on April 16, as the process continues for East Adams Rural Healthcare’s annexation request of property it owns. Sherri Brewer, Adams County Assessor, confirmed in a letter to Clerk-Treasurer Julie Flyckt that EARH does indeed own 100 percent of the property that they are requesting to be annexed. Brewer said that the Assessor’s Office therefore has no issues with the annexation.

According to a timeline from the City on what steps remain in the process, the earliest the council could approve—or deny—ordinances regarding the proposed annexation and amendment to the Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Designation and Conditional Use Permit would be on May 21, following a final public hearing held earlier in that regularly scheduled meeting.

Bids for the 1st Avenue Project from Jackson to Clark Street were received just prior to the previous council meeting on March 5, with Wm. Winkler Company being the lowest of the three bidders at $480,735.75. That bid came in at lower than the project engineer’s estimate of $494,015.75.

Varela and Associates, a consultant that the City uses to help with its public works projects, reported to the council that Wm. Winkler Company’s performance record and financial status reports are satisfactory and recommended to award them the contract. The City has worked with Wm. Winkler Company on past projects, and councilmember Scott Yaeger said that the company, along with the other two bidders, are all very qualified. The council unanimously voted to award Wm. Winkler Company the contract for the 1st Avenue Project.

In other news, the council unanimously accepted a street closure request from the Ritzville Classic Car Club for its annual Memorial Day weekend car show. The car show is held on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, which is May 26 this year. Main Avenue, from Adams Street to Columbia Street, will be closed for the car show beginning at 7 a.m. on the morning of May 26.

Additionally, the “Music on Main” concert will be taking place in conjunction with the car show on May 26. The event organizers for the concert requested and unanimously received approval for a street closure beginning at 7 p.m. on May 25 to set up a 16-foot by 20-foot stage on Washington Street the night before the event in order to ensure they have enough time to get everything set up in the morning. The street closure will approximately last until 9:30 p.m. on May 26, which leaves that section of Washington Street closed for almost 27 hours.

Mayor Gary Cook announced that Richard Koss talked with the Planning Commission and wished to rescind his resignation from the commission and stay on the board. None of the councilmembers objected to Koss wishing to stay on the Planning Commission. With Koss rescinding his resignation and John Rankin still on the board following his appointment after Koss’ initial resignation, the Planning Commission now has a full slate of board members.

Cook also announced that the City might begin looking into adopting quiet zone rules for trains traveling through Ritzville. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, a quiet zone “is an FRA exemption to the rule requiring trains to sound their horns when approaching public highway-rail grade crossings.”

Within a quiet zone, upgraded warning devices and additional safety measures would need to be installed at grade crossings. Train horns may still sound, as quiet zones only prohibit horns from being routinely sounded as a train approaches a grade crossing. Train crews will still be able to sound horns in emergency situations or for other safety reasons.

Cook said that he would just like to receive public input on whether this is something the community would support. Quiet zones are currently enforced in Connell, Spokane Valley, Wenatchee, Seattle and Vancouver in Washington state, among other cities.