City hears requests for funding and safety

RITZVILLE – The mayor and city council heard two requests regarding funding and one request concerning public safety at their regular meeting July 20.

During public comment at the beginning of the meeting, city resident Marylu Hudson brought up concerns similar to those expressed at the previous council meeting.

She said she lived in the 200 block of North Jefferson, and was asking the council to "keep an eye on the residential home" located near her, at 315 W. Broadway.

"This has recently been acquired by the Collective Adventure and George Smith," Hudson said. "It is zoned R1 and many of the elderly and disabled residents in this neighborhood, we're concerned. We are afraid. So I came to tell the council please keep an eye on this property. Thank you."

Hudson didn't provide any further details about her concerns, and the mayor and council did not comment.

Later in the week, Hudson said she was concerned for all the elderly and disabled residents of Adams House, as well as a family with four young children who recently moved into the neighborhood.

She said her understanding was Smith was intending to move unrelated, homeless people into the newly-acquired residence at 315 W. Broadway, despite it being zoned for single families.

"There are 25 people apartments at Adams House, and I assume they are all full," Hudson said. "Why isn't the safety of these people just as important?"

Smith still had not returned phone calls from the Journal when this article went to press.

Hospital requests funds

Corey Fedie, CEO of East Adams Rural Healthcare, appeared to request funding for a mobile clinic.

"COVID taught us a lot about the fact that bricks and mortar doesn't help us when we have to quarantine a lot of people at one time, and how to service this COVID-type situation. Something we've been exploring is developing a mobile clinic that can serve not just Ritzville, but our surrounding really small areas without having to bring everybody right through our ERs and have some potential high risks there," Fedie said. "We are looking for a total of $1.65 million to make this whole project happen. We are looking at federal funding, with matching grants we are hoping to get $800,000 there and trying to raise the rest between the cities and communities and counties that we serve."

Fedie said the mobile clinic will be a larger-size bus, with a couple of exam rooms.

"It could also be used potentially for the fair, to have a nice presence there," Fedie said. "We are trying to extend what we have here, and this would be a great resource to our service area; taking care of people right here."

Fedie said he had put out a dozen requests for funding, including to the Adams County Commissioners.

"We would like to be up and running by the end of the year," Fedie said.

Mayor Linda Kadlec said the council would not be making a decision that evening, but would table the request for the time being.

RDDA requests city to accept funds

Dolly Blankenship and John Rankin, representing the Ritzville Downtown Development Association, presented a request for support in pursuing electric vehicle charging stations in downtown Ritzville.

Blankenship said pre-covid, the RDDA went to Senator Schoesler's office and, combined with a request for a flame-retardant curtain for the Ritz Theater, were successful in being granted $105,000 from the state's capital budget.

"In researching all of these electronic vehicle charging issues, our recommendation for the EV charging stations is that we pursue level-2 charging stations, based on input from Avista, and the City of Sunnyside, who successfully installed them," Blankenship said, adding Avista would pay up to $2,000 per charging station.

Blankenship said the cost to run the charging station was estimated to be $30 per month, and the city would be asked to pass a resolution saying they would absorb the cost.

"It is our recommendation that we take a site that the city owns, that is unimproved property in downtown, and we use these funds to improve that property and put in the EV charging stations.

Blankenship said the chosen site is adjacent to the public restrooms across from the Railroad Depot, one block off the business district.

She said the bulk of the funds would be used for site improvement, including downtown parking, and one of the EV charging spaces would be allocated for handicapped use only.

"Tonight the RDDA is here before you to request of the city that the city accept the funding from the Department of Commerce for this project, and that you agree upon the site location," Blankenship said.

Councilwoman Dede Boyer made the motion to accept the funding and the site location, councilman Dennis Chamberlain seconded it, and the motion passed.

In other business, council

- Approved the mayor signing an application for a Quadco RTPO planning-only grant.

- Approved a first payment to Corridor Contractors for the Main Avenue Seal Coat and ADA Ramps project.

- Approved a contract bond for Weber Way between the City of Ritzville and Precision Paving.

- Approved applying for an NTIA broadband infrastructure grant with application assistance from NoaNet.

- Heard a request for volunteers for upcoming Chamber of Commerce events, from Councilwoman Dede Boyer.

- Set Friday, October 8 as the Budget Calendar Retreat date.