Get Your Shovels Ready!

The City Council is in the process of setting priorities for infrastructure projects that could qualify for federal funding when and if economic stimulus legislation is passed through Congress. Using projects from previous years, we have discussed several undergrounding projects in our electric utility, a downtown revitalization effort, improvements to Tooth Rock Park, curbing and sidewalking on city streets and wind energy projects. The goal for these projects is to qualify as "shovel ready," meaning work can begin and workers can be employed as soon as funding is approved. There may also be another wave of stimulus coming for projects that can be ready in about a year. Which of these projects would be a priority for you and what other possible projects in town should we be looking at?

Let the Good Times Roll

Monday Jan. 12 was my first council meeting as a member of the Cascade Lock City Council. Just before the meeting, Tiffany Pruitt and I were sworn in by Cindy Mitchell and took our seats to the right of the Mayor. It was a humbling experience to take my seat on the council and represent the people of Cascade Locks. It is an honor to serve. I will always be grateful for the faith they put in me during the last election. The city staff was very kind in putting together a reception for the new councilors and mayor complete with a deliciously sweet cake and special recipe fruit punch.

While the agenda for the meeting was relatively light, several issues were raised or tabled that make our next meeting loom large.

First, there is an important public planning hearing on which I won’t comment here.

Second, that resilient serpent of an issue – fire hall funding – raised its head yet again. It appears there is some interest in revisiting how we will service the loan that the previous council approved from Oregon Investment Bank. While I place high value on examining these kinds of financial decisions from a variety of perspectives, it would seem that after nine meetings, we will have exhausted the possibilities. My commitment will be to working hard in the next weeks to insure that if we do raise the issue yet again, we can find a comprehensive solution and put the issue to a final rest.

Third, there is the issue of a tourism committee recommendation to award a grant to a sailboat racing association. This is crucial because it helps to identify our town as an international sailing destination. As I understand it, the funds will be used to market sailboat races - that will happen this summer in Cascade Locks – to a multi-national sailing audience. I hope the council will have the opportunity to hear from the organizers of this event and further strengthen our partnership toward bringing world class sailing to Cascade Locks.

These are only three of the many issues up for consideration at our next meeting. I hope our council will carefully select the priorities and not bite off more than we can chew. Our plate seems extremely full this month and I believe we are ready for the challenge.