Ritzville City Council approves invoice for well work

During their Sept. 19 meeting, the Ritzville City Council membersvoted 6-1 to approve an invoice from Specialty Pumps for $84,226.30 for the labor, materials and rebuilding the motor for Well No. 8.

The council also voted 6-1 to have Public Works staff remove Well No. 8’s motor and assess its condition because the motor is not working.

Public Works Director Larry Swift said Well No. 9 is almost operational to the point where the City can claim it from the contractors. Ritzville Mayor Gary Cook said a Certificate of Substantial Completion will be presented to City Council at a future meeting.

In other business, Councilmember Michelle Plumb said she found the Revised Code of Washington chapter regarding cities setting speed limits. Plumb explained the City could lower the speed limit around playgrounds, including Ritzville City Park, to 20 miles per hour.

Councilmember Scott Yaeger said if Council wants to lower the speed limit around the park, it should also discuss updating the City’s ordinance regarding the speed limits on Division Street.

In his report, Police Chief Dave McCormick said he and other city police officers attended a training seminar in Moses Lake on how to use the opiate antidote Narcan to treat a drug overdose in an emergency situation.

McCormick said when Narcan is administered to an individual who has overdosed on narcotics, it will block the effects of the opioid and reverse the overdose’s effects.

If an officer administers Narcan to a person who has not overdosed, the individual will not feel any effects from it.

McCormick added all law enforcement officers in Adams and Grant counties are now trained to use Narcan in situations involving an overdose.

Clerk-Treasurer Kris Robbins announced Ritzville Police Sergeant Mark Cameron attended a live shooter demonstration and requested to present the information he gathered from the demonstration to Council.

Robbins said Cameron would also like to conduct an analysis of City Hall to locate any areas where an armed person could enter the building.

Robbins also presented a letter from Dr. April Roybal, owner of Ritzville Chiropractic and Diane Swift, owner of Hand to Hand Massage, regarding the lack of available parking spots in front of their offices.

In the letter, Roybal and Swift requested the City place timed parking signs on the three spots along the east sidewalk of Washington Street, between Main and Broadway streets. They asked to have two designated as 30-minute parking spots and one spot marked for 90-minute parking.

In the letter, both Roybal and Swift explained they provide services to many elderly and functionally challenged residents in the community, and those customers are have to park down the block from those businesses because the parking spaces in front of their offices are occupied for most of their business hours.

Councilmember Dennis Chamberlain asked McCormick how police officers would enforce any of the parking rules in downtown Ritzville.

McCormick explained the easiest way would be to hire someone to mark the tires, check the vehicle registration and write a ticket to the vehicle’s registered owner.

Cook explained the matter is a part of an ongoing issue with the lack of available parking on Main Street during business hours. Robbins said she would contact Roybal and Swift and inform them the city is exploring alternative solutions to their request and parking issues.