Council approves airport lease for Odessa Air Service

Meeting Monday, April 13, in the public library, the Odessa Town Council approved the termination of the airport lease of Wilbur-Ellis and then approved a lease for the newly formed Odessa Air Service company. Mayor Doug Plinski said he had researched other small airports to see whether Odessa’s charges for space were in line with industry standards, as well as with insurance issues and environmental requirements. Although Odessa’s charges are on the low end, he said, he did not feel that local users could absorb an increase and therefore left the current charges as they were. He did, however, recommend inclusion of a three percent cost-of-living increase per year in the contract language. The resolution reflecting the charges to be imposed was approved by the council.

Building permits for a deck and a garage requested by local residents were also approved.

Council members Lois Harp and Lois Hubbard agreed to join the mayor in attending a conference of the Association of Washington Cities in Wenatchee in June.

Departmental reports

Town fire chief Don Strebeck reported that the open burning season has closed. However, he said that individual burns might be allowed if conditions are right and people call him first for permission. He also said the firemen’s masks and tanks were due to be tested soon and the testing will be paid out of the department’s budget.

Council member and volunteer fireman Landon Lobe reported on the use of the department’s water truck to keep the dust down at the site of the Desert 100 motorcycle races. He also said he thought the site was laid out much better this year, with more adequate spacing between campers and better fire lanes for emergency access.

Odessa Police reported few problems over the weekend, although they answered many calls for directions, location of the gas station and general information about Odessa and or the races.

Public Works spent the Odessa clean-up days picking up items from all over town, although there was not as much as in some previous years, said director Rod Webster. He and his crew also have been spraying weeds, putting the benches out on the First Avenue downtown sidewalks and setting up the picnic tables at Reiman Park.

Webster said three grinder pumps in the sewer system failed last week but that they were all original pumps and had lasted 13 years, three years beyond their expected service life. Webster also applied for two grants from the Association of Washington Cities, one for filling potholes in the town’s streets and one for pruning of trees at Reiman Park.

Lois Harp reported that she has received six applications so far from people interested in being lifeguards at the pool this summer.