Ritzville Council reviews traffic concerns on Main Avenue

The Ritzville City Council discussed revising the speed limit on Main Avenue and possible traffic safety precautions, during the regular meeting on Tuesday, April 4.

Ritzville resident Scott Carruth brought the issue to the council’s attention by stating when cars are parked on the road the intersections connecting to Main Avenue provide little to no visibility to see oncoming traffic.

He said the lack of visibility and speeding cars has caused many close calls for traffic accidents on the road and he suggested the speed limit be reduced to 15 miles per hour.

Mayor Gary Cook said he has spoken to residents about the issue before and locals recognize the lack of visibility to take the necessary precautions when they back out of parking spots.

Councilperson Scott Yaeger said he believes the problem is some motorists are driving over the posted 25 mile per hour speed limit and not acknowledging the vehicles yielding at the intersections.

Ritzville Police Chief Dave McCormick said it would be difficult to raise awareness about the speed reduction and the department does not have enough manpower to monitor the traffic on Main Avenue regularly.

He suggested they discuss placing a stop sign at the intersection on Washington Street to encourage people to be cautious of throughfare traffic.

Councilperson Dennis Chamberlain said he supports placing a stop sign on Washington because as a business owner located on Main Avenue, he sees the amount of traffic issues the street has on a daily basis.

Yaeger said there are magnetic imaging traffic counters available for rent but it would be an additional cost to the city and they would be responsible for any damage done to the equipment.

The Council decided to discuss the subject at a later date.

Yaeger then presented the city’s six-year transportation improvement plan. The council reviewed the document and scheduled a public hearing for the start of the next regular meeting on Tuesday, April 18.

Clerk-Treasurer Kris Robbins said the discussion of reclassifying as a code city began after the city had difficulty in previous elections finding candidates to run for each ward.

City officials are concerned the state will pass regulations, which do not pertain to second class cities, forcing a reclassification in the future, she explained. The council agreed they would need to further research the benefits of reclassifying before making a decision.

Public Works Director Larry Swift provided an update regarding the Well No. 9 Pump Station.

He said the parts to fix the pump have been ordered and he expects them to arrive on June 2. The Public Works Department will then begin the repairs immediately after receiving the parts, he explained.

Ritzville Fire Chief Bill Banner said the department has responded to 17 calls this year.

On Monday, April 3, the department responded to an uncontrolled burn in an alley on west Main Avenue, he explained.

Banner said they were able to extinguish the fire without difficulty and he instructed the responsible party about safe burning practices and safety regarding burning yard waste to avoid future incidents.

He informed the council Ritzville City Fire Captain Chad Hoeft has announced he will be resigning from the department and they will be accepting applications to fill the vacancy.

Hoeft also served as a representative for the Adams County Development Council and they will also be looking to fill his position, said Councilmember Corey Umland.