Othello pool parking discussed

OTHELLO — The Othello City Council discussed creating additional parking for the city pool.

City Administrator Ehman Sheldon discussed a few options available to the council but no action was taken.

"We came to brainstorm with you tonight," he said.

One option is to create a parking lot perpendicular to the current lot, Sheldon said. A three-sided mural and several trees would have to be removed. It would be leveled and graveled.

"Gravel's always a problem," Councilmember Kathy Carlton said.

It can be a hazard because it can get caught in a lawnmower blade and hit someone, she added.

The proposed area was dug up by the contractors during construction and they are obligated to return it back to the original shape if requested, Sheldon said.

"If the remodel made a mess, plant grass," Carlton said.

Councilmember Dale Wyman recalled how businesses are discouraged from having gravel lots. It would be inappropriate for the city to engage in a practice they discourage, he added.

Carlton was opposed to the idea because by installing a perpendicular lot extending from the existing lot to the street, it creates a full loop. The loop might encourage people to speed through the area where youth play nearby.

A second option is to install a lot near the basketball courts.

A third option is to extend the existing lot, as suggested by Councilmember Eleanor Brodahl. Extending the lot would call for removal of one tree, she said.

A final idea is to extend the parking to Cedar Street.

"I don't think we should ruin our parks. Extending to Cedar Street would be less evasive," Councilmember Ken Caylor said. "There's a lot of kids playing in that particular area."

Councilmember Tim Wilson said he was opposed to extending parking to the street for safety reasons.

Children often fail to look both ways before crossing the street, he said.

Projected costs for the lots were not prepared for the discussion.

After a consensus, Mayor Shannon McKay requested more information on the third option to extend the existing lot because it appeared to be the least evasive and safest.