Dave Edens new building inspector

At Monday night’s meeting of the Odessa Town Council, Dave Edens was announced as the town’s new building inspector. Edens is a retired cabinet-maker and builder with a wealth of experience in the building trades.

The council approved permits for a new exhaust fan at the hospital and a pole building adjacent to the Finney Field grandstand for bus storage.

The council passed Resolution 2012-7, raising the debt limit on the town’s credit card from $5,000 to $10,000 to provide more purchasing flexibility.

Monroe said he has conducted one interview so far for the open position on the public works crew. Several more applications have also been received according to Mayor Doug Plinski.

Public Works

Public works director Jerry Monroe reported that the town shop building is getting a much-needed facelift. Work began this week on the public bathrooms and the exterior work. The building will also be painted once the new siding is installed, and the colors will complement those used on the Community Center and Town Marshal’s Office.

Monroe also said that town well #3 is back in operation, so folks who are not fans of soft water will be pleased to have their water return to “normal.”

Debris build-up at one of the lift stations is causing the pump there to operate almost continuously. Removing the sludge is difficult, Monroe said, because it is 24 feet below the surface and must be hauled up by the bucketful. The crew is looking at different ways to handle the sludge problem.

Some storm drains turned out to be clogged during the most recent rainstorm. The crew is in the process of checking all the storm drains to make sure they are running clear.

Public works employee Rod Webster said that he is working on an inventory of all of the department’s tools, parts and equipment. He and Monroe are also working on a list of items to be either fixed or replaced as time and finances permit. The crew has also begun patching potholes in Odessa’s streets as time permits.

Police

Police chief Helen Coubra said that arrests had been made by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office in the break-in and theft at Odessa Drug last spring. Warrants were issued for four individuals but not all four have as yet been arrested. Information was also obtained on the theft of used vehicle batteries from the premises of the Odessa Auto Parts store, Coubra said, but did not provide any further details.

Coubra is also creating an inventory of the department’s assets and is planning to bring in an independent auditor to perform an audit of the evidence room, standard procedure whenever a new chief takes over.

Calls received over the past two weeks involved mostly animal complaints and one domestic violence situation.

Council member reports

Council member Lois Harp said there have been times when reaching the pool lifeguards on the pool’s phone has been difficult. She suggested that perhaps a louder ring mechanism could be installed or a longer cord so that the phone could be moved to a more accessible location.

Mayor’s report

Plinski said that council members will be asked at the next meeting to approve setting aside additional funding for the transportation plan in hopes of moving Odessa’s project up the priority list.

Plinski also planned to attend meetings Thursday with the head of the Association of Washington Cities and with the Economic Development Council in Davenport. Also in Davenport Thursday will be a meeting on passive rehydration area water supplies to be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Public Works Building.