On Tuesday I attended the Leavenworth City Council meeting, as I have been for the past year. I enjoy knowing what is going on in my city. With the Mayor and the Community Development Director still in Russia on their cultural and economical exchange, the meeting was conducted by our Mayor Pro-Tem, Peter DeVries.
The Public Works Director, Dave Schettler, mentioned that the city is looking at conducting a few small road projects before the snow begins to fall. He did not mention which roads would receive maintenance, but I'm sure that this type of project information can be obtained at the Public Works Department in City Hall. I did not have the chance to ask for this information, as the council went into Executive Session at the end of the public portion of the meeting.
Peter DeVries told the council that they will be receiving a complete list of the proposed revitalization projects for the city. The council will review all these projects so that money can be appropriately allocated to fund the chosen projects.
RECYCLING! Currently, the city conducts the pickup of recyclable cardboard from our businesses in the commercial district, and Leavenworth Recycles runs the drop off site on County Shop Road. At the end of the year, Leavenworth Recycles will run out of funding and will not be able to keep the drop off site open any longer. With the rising desire for a city recycling program from residents, the City has been researching recycling options for the city as a whole for quite some time. You may have recently read in the Leavenworth Echo that several city employees took a field trip up to the City of Chelan to take a tour and get a better understanding of their city-run recycling program. Chelan runs a successful drop off site, and the City of Leavenworth is researching the possibility of doing the same. The City recently obtained a $125,000 grant to help with the funding of a recycling program. This money will be available in January 2010.
Additionally and recently, Dave Torgler, our City Administrator, has been talking with Waste Management about a personal pickup/home-by-home curbside recycling program within the city limits for individual residences. Essentially, the City and Waste Management would have to work up an agreement that would allow Waste Management to conduct business within the city limits at individual residences who have personally contracted with them for recycling pickup. All the details have not been worked out yet, but Dave is hopeful that a draft agreement may be ready for council review and approval as soon as the next City Council meeting on September 22, 2009. Dave told the council that it looks like the service and rate to be charged would be the same as what is conducted and charged within the County; pickup would be every two weeks, and billing would be directly with Waste Management. The City would not require residents to contract with Waste Management for recycling pickup. It would just be an option made available.
The City is also exploring other city-wide commercial and residential options. They may be maintaining the drop off site on County Shop Road once Leavenworth Recycles is no longer able to do so.
Dave Schettler reported that the Icicle Train Station project is progressing on time. The lights are up on the station and asphalt should be complete next week. Chelan County Public Works is hoping to have one lane on North Road open to local traffic in time for the first train stop on September 25, 2009.
City Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. I will be at the next meeting on the 22nd. I hope to see you there too!
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