Koch Well rehab, standpipe re-coating on deck for City

The Ritzville City Council met for a regular meeting on June 18, where they received an update on a list of City projects currently in the works, including the Koch Well and the park reservoir.

Ben Varela, a principal engineer from Varela & Associates out of Spokane, was at the meeting to provide the council and staff with an update of projects that they are involved with on the City’s behalf. Two of the bigger projects that Varela highlighted were the electrical rehabilitation of the Koch Well and the re-coating of the water storage standpipe.

In regards to the Koch Well, Varela said that the bid advertisements for the electrical upgrades are currently running. The project will be open for bids on July 9, and the engineer’s estimate for the cost of the project is $176,000. At the moment, the required completion date of the project is mid-September, assuming the company that has been awarded the bid begins in early August.

Varela said that there’s nothing “exotic” in the pump station, so the needed parts can all be purchased off-the-shelf. Mayor Gary Cook asked Varela about the prospect of replacing the well’s motor, and Varela said that it’s possible, but it might be something the City should address in the future, possibly during the winter season when project work is slower.

In regards to the standpipe re-coating, Varela said that the hope is for bid advertisements to begin running in the first week of July. He said it’s likely that the project will need to be completed in phases, with the exterior likely to be painted by the end of this fall.

Varela said there’s a little more work required for the interior because the tar coating needs to be removed and the interior needs to be in a place where it’s ready to be re-coated and get rid of the grease that’s currently on the inside. Varela said the contractor will have the option to include the interior work, but they will not push them into doing it, in case the weather quickly turns south.

In related project news, the council unanimously voted to authorize a maintenance agreement with Bruce Larkin out of Dayton to conduct structural repairs on the park reservoir. The reservoir, which can hold up to 200,000 gallons of water in its tank, was built in 1926. The repairs are required for compliance with American Water Works Association standards.

In all, the repairs are expected to cost roughly $32,000. That includes an expected $20,000 to clean grease from the tank interior, collect waste and dispose the waste at a landfill. The interior of the tank will also need to be cleaned to remove dirt, debris and birds prior to conducting a leak test. There was also some discussion about putting the City of Ritzville’s logo on the tank.

In other news at the meeting, the council approved Ordinance No. 2133, which amends Fund 120. The fund, previously called the Police Drug Fund, is now called the Police Investigative Fund. Ritzville City Code Chapter 1.60 was amended and fleshed out to explain how the fund accumulates money and what the funds shall be used for.

Chapter 1.60 explains that the Revised Code of Washington provides for the seizure and forfeiture of property that is connected with the manufacturing, compounding, processing, delivery, importing or exporting of illegal narcotics and drugs by law enforcement agencies, including the Ritzville Police Department.

RCW also provides for the seizure and forfeiture of a vehicle that is connected with a person who has been convicted of a DUI, and who has had a prior conviction within the past seven years. It also provides for the seizure and forfeiture of proceeds and property connected with money laundering. The other way that the Police Investigative Fund can receive funds is through donations, allocations made by the city council and all fines, forfeitures and penalties that a court orders be paid into the fund.

The money in the fund may be used for the following purposes, according to Chapter 1.60:

-For payment of all proper expenses of the investigation leading to the seizure of money or property from an investigation of controlled substance law violations.

-For payment of the costs of proceedings for forfeiture and sale, including the expenses of seizure, maintenance of custody, advertising, actual costs of the city attorney and court costs.

-To provide funds for replenishing the petty cash drug fund.

-To provide funds for drug awareness educational purposes.

-To provide funds for the purchase, lease and maintenance of equipment and other items necessary for investigative.

Clerk-Treasurer Julie Flyckt also informed the council that the City will see an annual decrease in its streetlight service costs of about $4,200 from Avista. The savings come as Avista evaluates the role of streetlights in the communities it provides services for.