Council considers development priorities

RITZVILLE – The City Council pondered downtown development priorities, traffic impact fees, First Avenue road improvements and the Well 8 pump station during its Feb. 6 meeting.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Ritzville Downtown Development Association President John Rankin introduced himself to new council members and provided a brief history of the town’s economic vicissitudes.

For 50 years, the Columbia Basin Highway went through downtown, he said. Then in 1939, Highway 10 came through, which moved the main thoroughfare across the railroad tracks to First Avenue.

“That changed the whole downtown economy,” according to Rankin. “A lot of businesses closed on Main Street and new ones opened up along the new highway.”

Expansion of the last section of Interstate 90 in Eastern Washington, spanning 26 miles from Schrag to Ritzville, was completed in the early 1970s. That change led more downtown businesses to close, he said.

“These days, probably 1% of the people who exit the freeway are interested in the historic downtown,” Rankin said.

In his view, for downtown retail businesses to survive, they must provide something for local residents all year long. In other words, firms need to cater to “Ritzvillians.”

Rankin added that signage by the freeway won’t really matter if the town doesn’t maintain its historic buildings and amenities.

Impact fees

In other business, the council discussed traffic impact fees to be charged to developers, builders and users to cover a portion of the cost of a proposed roundabout.

As envisioned, a roundabout would be constructed at the Weber Avenue/Division Street terminus of the westbound off-ramp from Interstate 90. Total project cost is estimated at $3,750,000.

The council was provided impact fee schedules broken down by various commercial and residential categories.

Developers of an auto parts store, sit-down restaurant, gas station, hotel, day care and single-family dwelling would be charged different fees, depending on estimated traffic impacts pertaining to those businesses and/or residences.

To give members adequate time to review the material presented, no decision was made at the meeting.

“As a council, this is arguably the most important decision we’ll make all year,” Mayor Pro-Tempore Mike Schrag said.

In other business, the council:

• Unanimously passed the final 2024 budget amendment. The amendment included minor corrections, including a change in the golf course winter rate (from $5 to $10) and deletion of the 3% credit card fee for golf purchases.

• Approved payment of $62,000 to the Spokane contractor Ardurra for design work for improvements to First Avenue, from Division Street to Palouse Street (635 feet). Proposed work includes grinding pavement, replacing asphalt and replacing handicap-accessible ramps. The total project cost of $441,731 would be jointly funded by the city and the state Transportation Improvement Board.

• Approved the first pay estimate totaling $320,155 toward installation of a pump station for newly-drilled Well No. 8. The payment request covers the cost of excavation of the pump house foundation and installation of a transmission line from the pump station to an existing line. The contractor estimates total project cost at $1,988,172.