Harrington news

The Harrington Opera House Society met Monday, February 6, in the Art Room with Ed and Bunny Haugan, Mark and Sheryl Stedman, Gordon and Billie Herron, Linda Wagner, Carol Giles, Marge Womach, Cade Clarke, Karen Robertson, Cherie MacClellan and Dillon Haas present.

The revision of the rental agreement for the facility was presented and accepted. Discussion was held on grants in general. The building committee has accepted the work of architect Sue Lani Madsen and the completion of the as-built documents on the thumb drive which allows the Society to pay her and close out the account.

Discussions were held on creating a sensor system with WiFi, and on starting a weatherization project. Upcoming events will begin with the Gonzaga group with Russian music, cello and accompaniment on April 7 and folk music on April 29. Mention was made of the Car Show and Quilt Show on May 20. Events are also filling in for later in the year.

The Harrington Historic Preservation Commission met Tuesday evening, February 7, at city hall with Celeste Miller and Karen Allen by phone and Aileen Sweet and Marge Womach present in person. The main discussion continued to be the pillar project in which the Commission is attempting to obtain a grant for the repair of the four stone pillars that marked the entrance to Harrington on the old North Central Highway, as well as to move the two pillars that are presently on private property. The Commission is also writing a proposal to accept bids for the job. Discussion was held regarding allowing the citizens to vote for their preference as to where the two pillars should be moved. Comments were also made regarding potential changes for the by-laws in order to hold quarterly rather than monthly meetings.

The Chamber of Commerce met February 8 at City Hall led by President Tim Tipton with the following present: Tiffany Aldous, Allen Barth, Bunny Haugan, Cade Clarke, Jay Gossett, Cindy Haase, Lexi Hottell, Cassie Nixon, Cassandra Pfaffle-Dick, Jill Plaskon, Paula Pike, Mark Stedman and Heather Slack. Haase reported she has filed the Chamber’s 501(c3) status with the state and the IRS.

Tipton welcomed Lexi Hottell who introduced herself and two friends, Tiffany Aldous and Cassie Nixon. Prior to Cruizin’ Harrington, they intend to open an art studio and home decor walk-in/Internet sales business in Jay Draper’s old building, the former Challenger Cafe. Those present discussed the vacant lot on the corner of 3rd and Willis, which is owned by the city. Chamber members would like to see the area developed.

Stedman announced that the Landmark Apartments are nearly ready for occupancy. There will be four one-bedroom apartments and four studios. The facility will be geared toward veterans with very reasonable rent and will be smoke and animal free, unless an animal is a service animal.

The by-laws committee has updated the Chamber by-laws which have been sent to members who will need to be prepared to vote on them at the March 1 Chamber meeting. A newsletter will be available quarterly. Much of the meeting was geared toward supporting and advertising Cruizin’ Harrington.

The Harrington City Council met February 8 with the following present: Mayor Dillon Haas; council members Richard Becker, Michael Cronrath, Peter Davenport, Levi Schenk and Justin Slack; city clerk Bunny Haugan; maintenance supervisor Scott McGowan and visitors Paul Charlton, Crayton Oestreich, Tim Tipton and Chris Courtney (of the Dept. of Transportation). The Council discussed a “Road Haul Agreement” for the Dept. of Transportation. They are putting a project out for bid on SR 28 and have requested permission from the city to haul gravel from their pit on Coal Coulee Road along 4th St. to Main, and from Main to SR 28 if necessary. The number of trucks was not known. It was noted that the city will have two other projects in the works, and it will be necessary to coordinate them. Some recommendations and comments were as follows: position a speed limit trailer on the road, inspect the property and road conditions before and after usage, communication and updates among city, DOT and contractors will be vital, consider school bus routes if school is still in session. Following discussion, the Council approved the agreement and authorized the mayor to sign it.

The Lions Club continues to be looking for a place to store their memorial flags. They are interested in a storage unit to store flags and Christmas decorations and a place to put it. The options presented were a storage container or to repair the existing shed at the cemetery. The Lions would like some financial help in purchasing a storage unit. Some of the questions that arose were: 1) Does the building code restrict where storage units can be located? 2) Does the city have funds available to help support this project? 3) What size of container is contemplated? It was decided to have a council representative meet with the Lions to discuss this issue. Justin Slack volunteered.

An incident of frozen water lines and a customer without service prompted the mayor to propose establishing a policy that would address water billing. Currently water is billed on a flat rate during the months of October through March to encourage customers to let their water run in a small stream to prevent freezing of city and customer water lines. A customer failed to let his water run in prolonged freezing temperatures and froze a city water line, which in turn created a major water leak during the thawing process. The council commented that the city crew worked diligently to get the service line thawed. Provisions were made to furnish water to the residence. The feeling of the council was not to set a policy that could create more problems.

McGowan reported that there is a sinkhole on Marin between Fifth and Fourth which is weather-related. Another was reported on First between SR 23 and Douglas. A sidewalk on Fifth was affected by the water leak incident. The question remains, who is responsible for fixing it, the homeowner or the city?

The vacant lot south of the Opera House is city property. Chamber President Tim Tipton was present to inquire if the city had any plans to develop this lot, as the Chamber would like to help. No action was taken. Ideas for beautification would be welcome and hopefully a community project could develop.

Mayor Haas will send a re-draft of the Chicken Ordinance to the city attorney for review. A work session on the subject will be held February 13 at 6:30 p.m. A work session with Belsby Engineering was set for February 15 at 5:30 p.m.

The Barr-Tech facility has been on vacation, and information on bins for green waste has been delayed. Mayor Haas shared with the Council the research he had been doing on available grants. The snow plow frame that was damaged is still at Harrington Truck and Auto. No estimate has been given. The bill for the power pole labor and replacement was received from Avista and totaled $5,117.74. Council members and the mayor are concerned about the lengths of their meetings and are making an effort to shorten them.

Ads are out for another PTA fundraiser for the stage curtains for the school multipurpose room. This event will be a “Dinner and Movie Night” on Friday, February 17, in the multipurpose room with dinner from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. at $5 per plate. Dinner will include spaghetti, garlic bread, lettuce salad and a cookie. The movie is “The Secret Life of Pets” and will be shown beginning at 6:30 p.m. Admission will be free. Popcorn, candy and beverages will be available for purchase. An invitation is extended to all to join this fun family event.