Float trailer purchased for city

The Odessa Chamber of Commerce bought a new trailer for hauling the community float to parades and gave it to the Town of Odessa. They then requested that the town give back the old trailer, so the Chamber can sell it and recoup some of the money spent on the new one. These measures were approved by the Town Council on Monday, March 24.

An offer has already been made and accepted to buy the old trailer from the Chamber for $1,500.

At the Chamber’s regular meeting on March 25, Marlon Schafer asked whether the trailer might be used on the weekend of the motorcycle races to help block the wind at the site. It was generally agreed that special permission would have to be granted by the town council for that to happen. Then it was suggested that maybe it would be better to keep the trailer under control of the Chamber in order to use it for other events.

As things stand now, the trailer can be used only for hauling the float, and since that is why it was purchased and what it is mainly needed for, some Chamber members thought it was best to leave it at that. Using it for any other purpose could damage it and if it were out of commission when the float had an engagement, the float committee would be inconvenienced, members said.

It was also noted that the trailer had just been deeded to the town of Odessa, so it was too late for that discussion. There were also insurance considerations for the trailer to be taken into account.

Some of the trailer’s cost will be recouped by selling ad space on its sides to local businesses.

Kitchen completed

Lindsey Starkel reported that health inspector Kim Johnson came for one last inspection of the commercial kitchen in the community center. Johnson required one new faucet and temperature gauge and then the kitchen could be officially approved.

Lighting

Lisa Ott brought up discussion of new lighting for the community center. Reporting on the Quilt ‘til You Wilt event held in the Heritage Church basement, Ott said the event is getting bigger each year. This year there were 107 registrants. Participants bring their sewing machines, irons and projects and spread them out on tables set up in rows the length of the room. With demonstrations being held in another room, a potluck at lunchtime and various other activities, the event has outgrown the space.

Ott asked that the Chamber look into installing better lighting in the community center, so it can be used for quilting events and also be more suitable for events such as receptions, dinners and fund-raisers.

Ott said the Quilt ‘til You Wilt event draws quilters from all around the area and that this year it was the biggest day for sales her shop, Experience Quilts!, had ever had. In light of that, she said she would be willing to pay half the cost of renting the community center for the day by herself.

It was agreed by the Chamber to look into the cost of better lighting in the community center.

Lake Roosevelt

At Mondays’s Town Council meeting, Mayor Doug Plinski asked for and gained approval to sign a letter supporting a modification to the National Park Service Contingency Plan. Plinski said that when the federal government is shut down, the Wilbur area, especially, but conceivably all the communities in Lincoln county are adversely affected because of the loss of visitors to the facilities at the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area.

The cover letter for the resolution mentioned that “during the recent government shutdown, the park service closed LRNRA, which coincided with hunting season. Rural Lincoln County is a popular hunting destination and many hunters regularly camp at the park. The closure left hunters seeking alternative areas in which to hunt, causing economic loss for our communities. Had this happened during the summer the consequences to our cities and towns would have been far worse.”

Plinski asked the council to support an appeal to the National Park Service that, should there be another lapse in approprations from Congress, the boat ramp and park on Lake Roosevelt not be closed.