Council votes to hire workers from Coyote Ridge
By Briana Alzola
Staff writer
With extra park cleanup and maintenance needed in the summer months, the city council voted to hire a work crew from Coyote Ridge Corrections Center during their meeting July 12.
The crew was unavailable the past two years, so the city hired three seasonal workers to perform the tasks. Council member Ken Caylor said we should keep both groups.
“I think we should grab the (Coyote Ridge) crew while we have a chance,” he said. “And the college kids, I think we should keep our agreement with them.”
City administrator Ehman Sheldon said the city could afford both because of a vacant municipal services coordinator position.
The crew of 10 will work five days a week at a cost of $14.50 per hour. Council member Genna Dorow said while this was cheap, it was not worth it.
“It’s a large group of people but only a small amount of work gets done,” she said. “There is also greater wear and tear on the equipment. They just don’t have an emotional attachment to their jobs.”
Dorow said she thought the group should be limited to working in the park because in larger groups, it will be easier to keep an eye on the workers.
Council member Marc Spohr said he thought hiring the crew was a great idea.
“I still think it is a win-win situation,” he said. “They are working for us and hopefully, we are helping them.”
The council also discussed a current agreement with the Washington State Migrant Council and their preschool on Olympia Avenue. The agreement states the group must pave their parking lot by December 2010. Current migrant council Chief Executive Officer Tadeo Saenz-Thompson said he was unaware of this requirement.
“It’s with embarrassment I come and ask for an extension,” he said. “It’s just a matter of budgeting. I’m not saying it won’t be done, we just need to include it in next year’s budget. It will be done by the spring, if you allow us this deferment.”
The council did grant the extension, under a bond of 150 percent production cost. If the group fails to pave the lot by May, the city will do so and charge one and a half times the construction costs.
“This is the mechanism in place to ensure performance,” City Planner Darryl Piercy said.
The council also talked about large garages being built on to residences around town. Piercy said it was growing to be a problem.
“It has evoked quite a bit of discussion and some emotion as well,” Piercy said.
The council decided to discuss the matter further at their August workshop.
Council granted Adams County Pet Rescue (ACPR) a modification to its contract allowing more than 20 pets to be housed at the city pound. The modification was requested after the shelter was destroyed by a fire in February. The additional pets were originally allowed to stay at the facility until Aug. 31, but council granted a six-month extension, so ACPR has more time to rebuild their shelter.
They have only gone over this 20 pet limit one time, Piercy said.
“It has not been an issue,” he said.
The council members also discussed ordinances to regulate parental responsibility and a juvenile curfew.
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Posted by Eric Lafontaine
on Jul 20 2010. Filed under City of Othello.
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Good choice Council