A pair of local organizations – one feeding Enumclaw’s artistic soul and another serving the business community – will continue to operate, as anticipated, from city-owned quarters.
During their second meeting of January, members of the City Council unanimously approved continuation of the city’s relationships with both Arts Alive! And the Chamber of Commerce.
The two entities operate from side-by-side buildings fronting Cole Street in the southern end of the downtown core. For 2021, the Chamber’s rent subsidy amounts to $9,000 while the subsidy for the art boosters totals $7,500.
While getting a significant break on rent, the two tenants are responsible for paying real estate taxes and utilities.
On a related resolution, the council appropriated $68,000 that will be divided among six agencies that provided good deeds for the community.
Every year, the municipal budget includes “outside agency” funding to support nonprofit groups. The financial distributions were included as part of the 2021 budget that was approved late last year. Everything was made official with a Jan. 25 vote.
Getting the biggest city gift by far was Plateau Outreach Ministries, which received $33,000 to support its many programs benefitting those in need. Getting $10,000 each were the Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation and the Enumclaw Chamber of Commerce; rounding out the cash allocations, receiving $5,000 each, were Visit Rainier, the Enumclaw Expo Center and the Enumclaw Plateau Farmers Market.
OTHER ITEMS ON THE AGENDA
In other items on the Jan. 25 agenda, members of the Enumclaw City Council:
• Heard Mayor Jan Molinaro’s announcement that the application process is under way for two council vacancies. During the group’s first meeting of the month, Tony Binion stated he was leaving the council immediately due to a move outside the city limits; also, Councilman Kyle Jacobson noted he would leave his council seat at the end of the month due to a move to Texas.
Anyone interested in learning about the application process can find details on the city website, cityofenumclaw.net.
• Signed off on a project that saw improvements made at the Enumclaw Aquatic Center. The contractor, MJ Takisaki, was responsible for resurfacing the pool deck, replastering the pool liner, repairing cracks, installing a new diving board, adding a climbing wall and enhancing accessibility.
The final contract amount totaled $694,100, or $59,225 over the original bid. A memo to council from Parks and Recreation Director Michelle Larson explained that the overage was due to extra time needed for additional crack repairs, drain corrosion and plumbing clean-outs.
Money for the project came from state and county grants, along with city funds collected through real estate excise taxes.
• Awarded bids totaling $1.2 million for a pair of public works projects.
The more expensive of the two will see improvements to water lines and the city sewer system. Bidding was competitive and came in under the engineer’s estimates; doing the work will be A-Advanced, which submitted a bid of $728,192.
Work is to be completed during the first half of this year.
The second project calls for a replacement culvert under Battersby Avenue to allow for the flow of Watercress Creek.
The project began in 2018 and is environmentally sensitive, requiring permitting from both the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It was dictated that the new culvert must be “oversized” to meet current guidelines for fish passage.
Eventually, the city received 13 bids, many coming in under the engineer’s estimate. The contract was awarded to Northwest Cascade, which submitted a bid of $461,296. Construction is expected to begin in mid-June and be completed no later than Sept. 30.
