City officials preview wastewater treatment plants in other areas

By Jessica Ruffcorn

Dayton Chronicle Reporter

DAYTON-–City Council discussed multiple local projects in process and soon to begin, the Wastewater Treatment Plant Project, and a fireworks ordinance complaint expressed during the meeting August 13.

Public Works Director Ryan Paulson advised the Council that the first phase of the OTTA Seal Road project was fifty percent complete and was going well. He stated that the 4th Street project is moving along at a steady pace and estimates work will begin this fall to make the sidewalks ADA compliant. Once that project is complete, Public Works will begin the resurface portion of the project.

Paulson and Councilman Jim Su’euga went to Enterprise Ore., to tour the wastewater treatment plant there and gather information. Paulson stated the plant was a good option but he plans to look at other plants to get a good comparison before moving forward with Dayton’s wastewater treatment project.

Paulson, alongside Clark Posey, applied for a five-year Hydraulic Project Approval Permit (HPA) through Fish and Wildlife that will allow them to work on the levy system. This will permit minor maintenance that band aids the flood risk issues until the river dredge is done.

“We have initiated the process for application to dredge, and they anticipate it taking about 12 months,” said Paulson. “And then it is a matter of getting funding.” He hopes to begin work within two years, but must navigate through the “red tape” first.

The Public Works Department also accepted a bid from Starbuck contractor Randy Gabaldon to work on the cemetery. They will replace the main line that will improve the visual presentation of the property.

The City Council plans to discuss firework ordinances during their workshop at the end of this month. Complaints about loud or mortar type fireworks being set off at times when fireworks are not permitted is a concern.

During the meeting, Mayor Rodger Trump asked Sheriff Joe Helm if it is possible for law enforcement to increase patrols during times of fireworks. “We have been talking about fireworks,” Trump said. “How hard would it be to crack down on the fireworks for your patrolmen?”

Helm said it varies year to year. “Some years we have a lot of complaints and sometimes we have minimal complaints,” he said. This year Helm recalled approximately five calls about fireworks coming in through dispatch, but that they had approximately 28 other calls that took priority over fireworks. Helm stated when they have availability, there is an effort to locate illegal firework users, but many times locating them is unsuccessful.

Ordinance No. 1960 covers the current laws about firework use in the city of Dayton. It includes permit applications, times fireworks can be discharged, and more. “I would be glad to meet with any workshops to go over anything with anybody to coordinate to see what we can do with any city ordinances as well as state ordinances,” said Helm.

In other city business, the Dayton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Belinda Larsen presented upcoming events and projects on the Chamber’s agenda. Currently, they are investigating how to get bike racks placed along downtown Main Street. They received grants to replace and install a new reader board located at the car wash. They planned the First Annual Music Festival, located at the city parking lot behind Dingle’s of Dayton across from Caboose Park on First Street, on August 17. Larsen also said she received public comments stating that the Dayton Days Rodeo, put on by the Dayton Days, Inc. Board and sponsors, and the Dayton Chamber of Commerce Dayton Days Parade, were a hit. In addition, All Wheels Weekend enjoyed over 300 entries this year and saw an increase in food vendors, golf tournament entries, and more attendees at the Father’s Day breakfast.

The Council approved a housekeeping resolution to update the Electronic Funds Ransfer policy which was required from the audit. The second resolution approved an interlocal cooperative agreement between the city and the county so that the city can move forward with the 4th Street work.

A third resolution approved was Resolution 1549 replacing the existing water service shut off for non-payment during extreme heat policy. A 2023 RCW was passed stating a municipality cannot shut off a consumer’s utilities for non-payment during extreme heat advisories, and states if a consumer’s utilities were already shut off, the customer can request return of service during the advisory. The city is required to turn water service on, then return to non-service when the advisory lifted. City council members Su’euga and Laura Aukerman expressed concerns that the city is not allowed to add additional charges for the reconnection and shut offs of services during these events.

Su’euga suggested the notion to present this situation to the Association of Washington State to see if there is any recourse since this is already a state law that the city must follow whether different policy is approved or not. The city council felt compelled to approve the policy, but hopes to see it challenged so that an amendment can be made later.

Mayor Rodger Trump announced that the City Council is planning to have an informational booth at the fair to highlight the work and projects being done around the city.

City Clerk Deb Hays is presently preparing for a request for qualification for website update and management before publishing a call for bids for the same. She has also begun work of next year’s budget, and is hopeful for a preliminary budget review at the September workshop.

The Deputy Clerk Misty Yost is working on a limited department of retirement systems audit for payroll. She has submitted the requested documents and awaiting a response. She is also toward changing the water bill due dates. There has been a history of mailing services not delivering bills to customers in a timely manner.

City Planner Posey reminds the public that signs stapled to trees, taped to fence posts, or telephone poles are against city policy. When found, the signage will be removed and the person or entity will be cited. Signs placed on boxes at corners are allowed. They must not present a road hazard, and must be removed promptly after the event.