Plains council discusses pool, streets

The Plains Town Council had a busy time last Monday, passing two resolutions and the first reading of a new ordinance, and discussed numerous items presented to them from the mayor’s report, including bad news on the E.L. Johnson Memorial Pool.

Mayor Dan Rowan reported there’s a good chance the swimming pool will not open this season. Repairs got backed up to the end of July and with a lack of staff hiring at that point, Rowan said he was leaning toward keep the pool closed until next year. However, the Plains Lions Club opened the wading pool on Saturday. The mayor is confident that the work done on the main pool will mean that it will open for sure in 2020. He hopes the patchwork will give the pool four or five more years of life. A Missoula-based firm gave an estimate of $380,000 to $420,000 for a permanent fix, but the cost is nearly as much as the town’s entire general budget.

Staff members are working on the 2019-2020 budget. A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for July 1 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall just before the regular monthly council meeting, when council members will go over the preliminary budget, which must be done by the “first Thursday after the first Tuesday in September.” Rowan told the council the biggest single-ticket item would be the roof repair of the public works/fire department building. There was a proposal last year for public works to have its own building, but that plan was abandoned due to costs, as were plans for the town to pay for a steel barrier to protect the UV station at the Plains Sewage Treatment Plant from the Clark Fork River.

The decision to not go forward with the barrier was based on talks with the Army Corps of Engineers, which saved the lagoon with tons of riprap last year. Rowan said the problem with the barrier plan was that the river could just work its way around the barrier. He said the barrier could be extended, but the cost would be in the millions and possibly end up being more than it would cost to move the lagoon to a different site.

Rowan doesn’t believe there will be a problem from the river this year because there is less snow pack and there wasn’t a quick runoff like last year. The boulders at the discharge pipe near the UV station are holding, although much of the sediment between the rocks is gone and there is some erosion up and downstream of the lagoon.

Roadwork on Willis Street from the railroad tracks to Meany Street will start in early July. The town’s public works staff will construct the drainage ditches to save money. The mayor hopes to start getting bid packages this week for the two-part project – drainage and paving. He said that public works discovered that eight residents have fences on the town’s public easement – one that is 12 feet over – and some might have to be moved for the roadwork.

The town council unanimously approved the first reading of “An Ordinance To Adopt Storm Water Control Title 15 Buildings and Construction,” which would mean a builder would have to incorporate some sort of storm water plan without impacting town roads. Storm water that flows into the streets becomes standing water, which seeps below the surface and weakens the road base causing potholes and the sinking of portions of the road.

“There was no mechanism in town to prevent an existing property owner from running storm water into the town’s right of way and it has caused problems,” said Rowan. The ordinance will have its second reading at the July meeting.

The council also unanimously approved a resolution to appoint Rowan as the town’s floodplain coordinator, an unpaid two-year position, but one that is mandated by the state. The floodplain coordinator is responsible for approving or denying building permits within the floodplain area of town.

A resolution was also approved to appoint Shari Johnson as the consulting engineer for the town. The job is similar to a retainer position, like the town attorney. Rowan and Johnson will negotiate a contract for payment. She has worked on numerous projects with Plains for several years. Rowan said it’s a one-year trial period.

Jen Kreiner of the Sanders County Community Development Corporation in Thompson Falls offered her services to Plains to apply for a grant to update its growth policy. “As a result, the project outcome would help the town efficiently manage growth and budget for areas, such as infrastructure, land planning and housing,” said Kreiner. The town growth policy was last updated in 2014.

“Sanders County will be conducting a countywide housing needs assessment in 2020 and offered for all of the incorporated towns to participate. The cost would be $5,000 for the fiscal year 2020 and in-depth information gleaned from that assessment would be used in the Plains growth policy,” she added.

The council also approved the confirmation of Dennis Evans to the police commission, an unpaid position. Connie Foust and Ron Robinson are also on the commission, which was created to screen potential police officer candidates to ensure they meet the minimum requirements and to look over disputed disciplinary actions of officers.

The only item on the agenda that was tabled was the dog fine item. As a result of complaints in the April council meeting concerning loose dogs, the council is considering raising the fine from $50 to $100. Council members will discuss the situation in July. Rowan said it’s not a widespread problem, but raising the fines might encourage owners to take responsibility for their animals.