BINGEN CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
 

July 5, 2005

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Prigel at 7:00 p.m. Council members present: Terry Trantow, Betty Barnes, Randy Anderson and Laura Mann. Council members absent: Barbara Hylton. City Clerk Jan Brending and City Attorney Tad Connors were present. Audience: Tim Hearn, Wayne Wooster, Jesse Burkhardt.

Approval of Minutes – June 21, 2005
Laura Mann moved to approve the minutes of the June 21, 2005 council meeting. Randy Anderson seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved.

Sign Application – Country Ladies Quilt Shop
Jan Brending said the County Ladies Quilt Shop will be located in the east unit of the old Dickey Farms fruit stand. Brending said the total square footage of the signs on the building do not exceed 150 square feet.

Brian Prigel said the city’s sign ordinance does not specifically deal with individual signs for units within a single building.

Betty Barnes moved to approve the sign application by Country Ladies Quilt Shop. Terry Trantow seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.

Sign Application – Novedades JJ
Jan Brending said Novedades JJ is moving into the space previously occupied by Sportsman Barbershop. She said the business is selling clothing, linens, and wedding flowers.

Terry Trantow moved to approve the sign application by Novedades JJ. Randy Anderson seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously.

Dangerous Abatement Policy Discussion
Brian Prigel said there are several buildings in Bingen that could fall under the definition of a dangerous building. He said the city has not used an abatement process in the past and felt it was necessary to have a discussion of the issue prior to implementation.

Jan Brending noted that the city’s building ordinance adopted the “1997 Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings.”

Tad Connors provided an overview of the process provided in the document. He said the city council needs to appoint a Board of Appeals to hear appeals of decisions made by the city’s building official.

Brian Prigel said it is important the City have everything in place before beginning any abatement procedures.

City council discussed the options of appointments to the Board of Appeals. It was agreed to contact the building officials with Klickitat County, City of Hood River, City of Stevenson, and City of Goldendale to see if they would be interested in serving on the Board. In addition, the city council asked that one position be a resident with general construction experience and that the position be advertised asking for letters of interest and resumes.

Mayor’s Update
Jefferson Street Bridge
Brian Prigel said a contract with Bell Design Company has been signed. He said the survey crew will be on site the week of July 11 with final plans to the city by August 1. Prigel said the new bridge needs to be in place before the rainy season starts.

Terry Trantow said he would like to see the bridge closed temporarily to traffic until it is replaced. He said there should not be any deflection of planks on the bridge which is currently the status. 

Prigel suggested that “slow” signs could be placed on both sides of the bridge.

Trantow said that he does not think slowing traffic will make the noise any less.

Randy Anderson said he feels the bridge is a safety hazard.

Brian Prigel said that when the engineer previously looked at the bridge it was determined to be safe and can hold weight. He said that he will have an engineer look at the bridge before the next council meeting.

Jan Brending said she will put the issue on the agenda and draft a resolution closing the bridge temporarily for safety reasons.

Well Rehabilitation
Brian Prigel said the contract with Holt Drilling has been signed. He said they are expected to be in Bingen either July 11 or July 18.

Fireworks at Bingen Point
Brian Prigel said that the fireworks in Bingen this year was quieter than in past years.

Jan Brending said approximately 150-200 cars went through the check point at Bingen Point. She said there was one minor incident.

Brian Prigel said the fire department should be given credit for taking the initiative to hold a barbecue even though they did not make any money.

Brending said there is still discussion of trying to make the event better by starting the planning in April instead of in June. She said she hopes that music can be added to the event next year along with games for children.

Laura Mann said she feels that property owners who live in the area of the two tribal trust properties should be notified that fireworks stands can be located on the tribal trust lands and the city has a lack of authority.

Brian Prigel said he feels the properties should be identified on all city zoning maps so that it is evident to people making inquiries about properties that are in the vicinity of the tribal trust lands.

Laura Mann said she would like the city to send a letter to the Yakama Indian Nation about the city’s concerns and expectations including keeping the site cleaned up.

Jan Brending said she will drive by the property and make a phone call to the Yakama Indian Nation to identify to whom the letter should be sent.

Grant Opportunities
Brian Prigel said that there may be a grant opportunity for the city to develop a pedestrian/non-motorized transportation facility with information and a gateway park at 400 W. Steuben. He said several people have suggested the city allow public parking at 400 W. Steuben.

Jan Brending said the property should be posted with any restrictions the city might want to place on parking such as no overnight parking.

Brian Prigel said the city has the opportunity to submit a grant application to the Transportation Improvement Board. He said the city previously submitted an application for South Maple Street that did not receive funding. He said he would like to prepare a new application for the same property. Prigel said the city will need to hire an engineer to help prepare the application.

Mayor Position
Brian Prigel said that he will not be running for the position of mayor unless something drastically changes in the next three weeks. He reminded council members that the filing period for council positions begins July 11.

Laura Mann said that she does not intend to file for her position. She said that in the case that no one runs for the position she will continue to serve.

Lincoln Street
Laura Mann said she reviewed the traffic patterns at W. Lincoln Street and Ash Street. She said that she does not believe a change in the traffic pattern is required.

The council was asked to review the traffic patterns. The issue of Lincoln Street will be placed on the July 19 agenda.

Community Action Plan
Brian Prigel said he would like to update the city’s Community Action Plan in the fall. He said that the update may require the hiring of a facilitator.

Jan Brending said she will pull the files on the previous process and develop a scope of work for hiring a facilitator.

Vouchers
Vouchers audited and certified as required by RCW 42.24.080 and expense reimbursement claims certified as required by RCW 42.24.090 as of this date July 5, 2005. The council by unanimous vote does approve for payment the following list: warrants 6831 through 6852 totaling $10,682.04 and   payroll warrants 6299 through 6310 totaling $14,061.15, and manual warrant 6827 through 6830 and 10006 for $7,182.00 for a total of $31,925.19: Current - $7,076.11; Street - $3,069.32; Water - $5,839.19; Sewer - $1,061.42; Treatment Plant - $3,513.80; Dallesport Treatment Plant - $3,742.30; 1989 Water Line Redemption - $5,928.00; Water Construction and Maintenance $2,145.05.

 At 8:40 p.m. the Council adjourned.

Jan Brending                                                            Brian Prigel
City Clerk                                                                Mayor