Autumn Leaf Festival - weekend of September 25th

Leavenworth is kicking off it's festival season in just a few short weeks with the 46th annual Autumn Leaf Festival! As Leavenworth's longest running festival, established in 1964 by the Autumn Leaf Festival Association (http://www.autumnleaffestival.com/), it began with the adoption of our much loved Bavarian Theme. From the famous Royal Ladies and Royal Bavarian Kanzlers, to the Grand Parade, Gazebo Entertainment and Street Dancing, this festival is quintessentially Leavenworth!

The festival begins Friday, September 25th, running through Sunday, September 27th. There will be food, fun, and entertainment for all ages. Come watch and cheer for your Bavarian Royalty at the Grand Parade on Saturday starting at noon, and check out the climbing wall and inflatables in the Front Street lawn.

This is not a festival to miss! I will be volunteering in a food booth on Saturday the 26th from 10am to noon. Come on down and support your local community, and be sure to stop on by and say hi. There are still some volunteer opportunities available at the festival. If you are interested, please contact the Autumn Leaf Festival Association or the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce. See you there!

City Council Meeting 9/8/09

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!

Chamber of Commerce

Last week I joined many of the Leavenworth area business owners at the Chamber of Commerce General Meeting. It was great to sit down with many of the business owners that I know, and to be able to meet many that I didn't.

The Chamber memebers recieved an update on the Russian trip that our Mayor, Rob Eaton, and Community Development Director, Connie Krueger are currently on. It is a cultural and economic exchange program between a similar small, recreational town in Russia and Leavenworth. Rob and Connie will be away for about two weeks on this educational exchange.

There was also an update on the Icicle Train Station project. As many already know, the first stop at our amazing station will be on September 25th! The project is nearing completion, and with the date quickly arriving, there is an excited buzz of anticipation in the air. I can't wait to take a trip over to Seattle on the train!

There will be a celebration at the Icicle Station beginning around 6pm the evening of the 25th, just prior to the first evening stop around 8pm. The Chamber may be supplying bus service to the station since there is limited parking.

The Chamber is still working on a few long term transportation details. Many will most likely rely on Leavenworth Shuttle and Taxi to take guests from the station into town, but some businesses have expressed that they will be taking care of their personal guests; ie. lodging guests.

For those who are Chamber members, the Chamber Board meets the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at 8am at Krystals. Members are welcome to attend.

The next general meeting will be held later this fall.

Affordable Housing

Hand in hand with development and the desirability of our setting, the relative price of housing costs have increased dramatically in Leavenworth over the past 20 years. While this is largely seen as a strong sign of economic heath, we need to continue to work with organizations like SHARE to making housing affordable to the residents and employees of our community. Many tourism and recreation communities pay attention to this important issue too late, and as a result, isolate members of the community on all sides of this issue. Having worked for seasonal employers such as the Forest Service and Stevens Pass in my past, I understand the strain of finding affordable housing, and what the potential long term consequences can mean in this community. We need to find a balance between the growing market values of homes in this amazing mountain town and the growing need to keep our valuable employment base living and working in our community.

Residential Infrastructure

As many residents have observed, a number of our residential neighborhoods are in need of facelift. The reinvestment of city revenues into upgrading and renewing the infrastructure of our residential neighborhoods merits equal focus with projects intended to serve our tourism guests. As a member of the Leavenworth City Council, I will advocate the upgrading of roads, the assessment of storm water capture and treatment systems, an examination of our solid waste infrastructure, and the integration of focused stream street lamps. These amenities will in turn contribute to the safety of our residents and add to the long term value of our community as a whole.

Development

As more families and individuals recognize the many qualities of our beautiful Cascade mountain town, the demand for housing, commercial space, and community services continue to increase. With our new residents, our community on the whole benefits from increased diversity in our schools to new volunteers and contributors at our festivals. At the same time, population growth and community expansion exert pressures on our current residents, our surrounding natural environment, and our community services as a whole.
In my position at the Chelan County Community Development office, I balance and manage issues surrounding community growth every day. I am already familiar with the current issues facing our town. Additionally, I understand that the ability to reach out and communicate the needs, concerns and desires of all Leavenworth residents, regardless of duration, economic status, or generation. This cross-community understanding is the starting point for any development project; with the support of our valuable community, Leavenworth will see sustainable development and progress for the future.

Tourism

The development of tourism surrounding our unique Bavarian theme and outdoor recreation has served to truly differentiate Leavenworth over the last four decades. It is our loyal and dependable tourists that generate millions in sales tax revenue each year; funds, when allocated practically and appropriately, serve to better the lives of our residents and community, while at the same time ensuring the financial health of our town in the future. Balancing public investment to serve the needs of our residents, businesses, and tourists, is an ever-moving target that merits close attention and public discussion. As a member of the city council, I will work to achieve and maintain this balance, with an eye to both the health of our business community, and the wellness of our residents.