Cashmere City Council tackles multiple issues: library relocation, code updates, and wastewater treatment

CASHMERE - The Cashmere City Council voted unanimously to approve a building use and maintenance agreement with the North Central Washington Library (NCWL) The agreement will result in the Cashmere Library relocating to the Riverside Center (RSC). The vote received enthusiastic applause from the over one dozen local residents in attendance at the April 22nd Council meeting. Over half of those in attendance addressed the Council members and spoke in support of relocating the library, and no one spoke against the proposal. Although the vote was unanimous, some Council members expressed concern about the agreement and the extra operating costs that the city will incur.

Explaining his strong support for the agreement, Mayor Jim Fletcher said he wants to “… make Riverside Center useable to all Cashmere residents, daily, for free and for relevant information.” “That’s the goal, the investment I want Cashmere to make in that building”, which he added was built with taxpayer money, and to be a community center. “How can we make Riverside Center serve this community?” Fletcher pointed out that currently the city-owned $2 million dollar building is rented out for events but mostly just sits empty and unused. He argued that if the city sells the building that currently houses the library, maintenance cost will be reduced. 

The council had discussed the pros and cons of the agreement during previous meetings and in a workshop just prior to the meeting. All of the Council members described their support for the Cashmere Library. Still, they also expressed concern about the rate of compensation from NCWL and an increased annual operating cost to the city of approximately $13,000, primarily due to maintenance costs and janitorial services for the larger RSC.

NCWL’s Executive Director, Barbara Walters, addressed the Council during the study session. She told Council members that NCWL has no say in where the city decides to house the library but is excited about the opportunities provided by the RSC. Walters reminded the Council that the current building also needs about $120,000 in repairs and upgrades, which would be the city's responsibility. She explained that NCWL’s contract with all of the cities in the region is consistent, and the rate used to compensate for building use is $4 per square foot, with a 25-cent increase every three years. According to Walters, NCWL receives 97% of its revenue from taxes and, like the city, is limited to a 1% levy increase, which does not keep up with inflation. Walters explained that last year’s revenue from the Cashmere Library was $141,742. She compared that amount to the $405,225 that Walters said NCWL used from its general funds to support the Cashmere library. To address some of the Council's concerns with the terms of the agreement, she compared NCWL’s financial support to the additional $13,000 cost to the city. 

John Perry and Chris Carlson expressed concern about the $13,000 additional cost to the city, and that the compensation from NCWL for the use of the building will not keep up with inflation. They argued, that as a result the city’s cost would be increasing annually. Carlson said he considers some things as “must-haves”, like water and sewer, but that things like the pool and the library are “nice-to-have”. He argued that the city has to pick and choose what it can afford and the cost of the relocation will be a long-term expense. He explained that the city has received multiple price increases for services, such as from the sheriff’s office, for which the city has no option for negotiation.

Council member, Jayne Stephenson described her view that the NCWL contract seems outdated but that the RSC is a beautiful spot for the library and that the city needs to support the move for the community, and that the additional expense is not that significant. She added that neither the pool or library are money makers but both are valuable community assets. Member Jeff Johnson echoed Stephenson’s comment by arguing that some things in the community are not intended to be “revenue positive”, such as parks, streets, libraries and pools. 

In other business the Council voted unanimously for 4 additional items

• Update the city’s code for RV Campgrounds
• Accept Orange Electric’s low bid ($129.721) for contractor for emergency generator improvements
• A change order ($2,374 ) to repairs on the RSC HVAC system
• $41,927 for UV disinfection lights at the Waste Water Treatment plant.

Dorien McElroy, Wastewater Plant Manager, told the Council that there had been an industrial discharge of a chlorinated cleaner from Blue Star in mid-March into the city’s wastewater. The discharge killed off the “bugs” at the wastewater plant that consume solids at the facility. She said that they have been working with the company to make sure a similar discharge does not reoccur, and that the “bugs” and their biological activity are making a comeback.

Maintenance on the pool is beginning getting it ready for the summer, according to Steve Croci, Director of Operations. He added that water levels were, and will be, kept lower during the off-season to reduce leakage from the gutters. Johnson recommended seeking grants to help funded the needed repairs to the pool.