City council OKs development company
MOSES LAKE — The city's destination is development if the Moses Lake City Council has its way.
Council members authorized an agreement for professional services between the city and Destination Development, Inc., or DDI, at their meeting Monday evening.
The company, helmed by president Roger Brooks, will provide the city with a plan for tourism, downtown development, branding and marketing.
The entire cost of the one-year contract is $155,000, $75,000 of which was committed last year to look at creating directional signage into the city's downtown area.
During the meeting, City Manager Joe Gavinski read from several e-mails between Brooks and City of Moses Lake Parks and Recreation Director Spencer Grigg, which he suggested would give an idea of what Brooks is all about.
"'We're not the politically correct-type of company that you may need,'" Gavinski read, "'because everything we do is based off of real results … I personally try to only accept assignments where the local leaders will take the hits to make the community better. So you might want to reconsider whether or not we're the right team for the city. There are many other good companies out there that will write a plan that will make everyone happy, but my experience is that you will end up with a watered-down brand identity … and a generic, just-like-everyone-else program.'"
Jacie Daschel spoke on behalf of the Moses Lake Business Association in asking the city council for its assistance in putting up several temporary signs pointing to the Moses Lake downtown area for the summer. The results of DDI's plan will not be available for six months, at which time the city will have to make a decision regarding implementation.
The signs, expected to be located at the intersection of Third Avenue and Pioneer Way, Third Avenue and Broadway Avenue and on the Neppel Park side of Alder Street approaching Broadway Avenue, are being donated by Signs Now and will adhere to the city's sign
ordinance.
The city council also discussed the prohibition on the sale and discharge of fireworks Tuesday night.
Moses Lake Mayor Ron Covey said he had heard from representatives of several nonprofit organizations that fund-raise by selling fireworks and were not in support of the ban.
"That's the only real hang-up that I can see with this ban is that they will have to find another avenue for moneymaking projects," Covey said, noting that he is a member of the Lions Club, which used to sell fireworks and put on a firework display until the organization realized that it spent the majority of its time supporting sight conservation, but then sold fireworks for one week out of the year that could cause eye damage.
Covey said he thought it was time to ban fireworks.
"I don't want to wait until somebody is killed as a result of fireworks, or somebody who loses their home as a result of fireworks," he said, noting the ban would take effect in 2007 if approved. "I think it's just prudent on our part to be proactive instead of reactive."
City councilman Jim Liebrecht suggested putting a fireworks ban on the ballot for the public to vote upon.
Council members Bill Ecret and Richard Pearce responded that the council has an obligation to protect the citizens of the community, and stated they were in favor of banning the sale and use of fireworks in the city.
Following their comments, the city council moved to bring the ban back as an ordinance for first reading at the next city council meeting, allowing members of the public several weeks to voice their opinions.
"We may have enough seating at the next meeting, and we may not," Covey commented.
Other items on the meeting agenda included approval of an ordinance establishing the speed limit on Stratford Road from Broadway to the north city limits at 30 miles per hour and the development of a shared-space, shared-function museum and art center.