Church Street water repairs to begin

The Thompson Falls City Council awarded a contract for the Church Street emergency water project at its monthly meeting last week.

The council met on Tuesday as Monday was a holiday, awarding the $338,960 contract to 40/50 Development of Ennis. 40/50 owner Michael Sprout said the company wanted to get started on the project as soon as possible. The company has a crew of 10 employees who will work on the project and is hoping to complete the project within three weeks. “We have a young, energetic crew. We’ll get it done,” Sprout said, adding that they have a solution for providing temporary water to residents during the construction. 40/50 has met with project engineers from Great West Engineering and the city’s public works staff. The council was unanimous in awarding the contract to 40/50.

Also Tuesday, the council tabled a discussion to correct the legal description of property that was annexed into the city. Property owner Kristen Wing expressed concern over why her home was included in the description, when the annexation action only included .2 acres of property that was encompassed by city property within the city limits. Wing asked that she have time to have the proposed resolution reviewed by a third party.

The council approved a request by First Baptist Church to close Broad Street for the church’s annual trunk or treat on Halloween. The street will be blocked off 3-7 p.m. on October 31 in order to ensure the safety of participants.

As the city looks to update its growth policy, the council voted to apply for a CDBG planning grant to help with the effort. Mayor Rusti Leivestad said the policy was last updated in 2020 and looks 5-8 years in the future. “There are a lot of different partners and a lot of people impacted by it,” she said. Council member Katherine Maudrone said the document is important for the city to have for future planning and funding. “This keeps it a working document,” she said.

Gussie O’Connor of the Thompson Falls Woman’s Club approached the council about the club’s desire to apply for grants to install flashing crosswalk signs on Main Street. The club recently raised about $10,000 for radar speed signs on the east and west ends of Main Street, which the city installed. The council moved the matter to the street and alleys committee for further discussion, including meeting with the Department of Transportation.

Mayor Leivestad also said that Intermountain Infrastructure Group plans to install conduit and fiber along Main Street, on the north side of the highway under the sidewalk.

The next Thompson Falls City Council meeting will be Tuesday, November 12, at 6 p.m. due to the Veterans Day holiday.