Infrastructure work to continue in 2020

Monday evening’s meeting of the Odessa Town Council lasted less than an hour, and only a few visitors attended.

Infrastructure upgrades

Steve Nelson of CenturyWest Engineering in Spokane was present at Monday’s meeting to report on the status of various projects under way in the Town of Odessa.

The water system project funded by the Economic Development Administration is awaiting final legal review and approval to release the funding.

Frost-heave roadway repairs funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency have been completed, and the project will be closed out.

Phase 1 of the water system upgrades funded by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and Community Development Block Grants has been completed, and the project will be closed out. The next phase is slated for 2020, and CenturyWest will design and bid the project as early this year as possible. The Phase 2 funding from the ag dept. has been received.

Funding for repairs to the roof of the Odessa Community Center has been receivedd and the work will be completed soon.

The airport runway project has been completed and will be closed out.

A project for replacement of sewer lift stations, establishment of drying beds at the water treatment plant and the installation of a supervisory control and data acquisition system for Odessa’s sewer has been approved by the Dept. of Ecology. The funding currently involves a combination of grant money and loans, but in June CenturyWest will apply for Community Development Block Grants to cover the loan portion.

In June 2020, CenturyWest will revise/resubmit a Community Development Block Grant sewer application and will also submit an application for a planning-only grant for geographic information system mapping.

Nelson will also plan and schedule an open house to be held in Odessa in March, explaining to the townspeople the scope of impending work to be done to upgrade the Odessa sewer system, an approximately one-million-dollar project funded through grants/loans.

Avista agreement

The contract with Avista for the provision of natural gas to the town that was introduced for discussion at the last council meeting has been looked at by town attorney Mark DeWulf, who told Mayor Bill Crossley that he would report his findings at the February 10 council meeting. The agreement comes up for renewal every 25 years, and the council wants to ensure that the changes made by Avista to the contract do not place undo burdens on the town.

Spring Fling

The council approved a request from Nate Lathrop to close Division Street within the downtown business district during Spring Fling on April 25 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for the car show to be held in conjunction with that event.

Surplussed property

The town council voted to declare the following items surplus: A Chevy pickup from the public works dept., a Crown Victoria police cruiser, a printer, a Brother fax machine and a computer with monitor and keyboard. The items will be placed into the firemen’s auction to be held February 29.

Council reports

Councilman Kelly Watkins reported that a sweep of the Odessa schools was conducted Monday by the drug-sniffing canines of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. Watkins was happy to report that the school was found to be drug free.

Town Marshal Brent Dell informed the council that he will post a Code of Conduct outside the entrance to the clerk’s office to enable law enforcement officers to escort from the premises any individuals or groups causing a disturbance inside said office.

Public works director Rod Webster plans to apply for additional energy-assistance grants, having already seen the benefits of reduced lighting costs in the shop following a conversion to LED lighting.