Warden mayor talks business with council

WARDEN -  Warden Mayor Tony Massa spoke with members of the Warden Development Council (WDC) about bringing business and infrastructure to the city.

Issues discussed at the meeting included inadequate wastewater infrastructure, inadequate housing, junk vehicles, ordinance enforcement, and an unpleasant odor affecting the city.

Many of the issues stalling business growth in the town have been problems for 30 years, said Massa.

While the city has its challenges, it's also had its successes, with two new retail businesses, a new factory, and five reopened businesses, he said. Two new homes were built in the last three years, he added. The next newest home was built 15 years ago, he said.

One of the key issues is housing, he said.

"We have a lot of jobs in this town, but a lot of (the employees) don't live here," he said. "How do we solve that problem?"

The city can't compel a builder to build homes in Warden, he said. The city and the WDC may be able to send surveys to employees in Warden to gauge the size and prices of homes they would buy in Warden if they were available, he said.

While there are many vacant lots houses could be built on in the city, developing them can be costly, he said. A developer usually has to invest in infrastructure such as building roads and curbs, and connecting to city water, he said.

"If I'm a developer ... if I have the same cost in Moses Lake that I have in Warden, where am I going to build a house? ... The city's not rich and doesn't right now have money to go subdivide a bunch of property and get water to it," he said.

When it comes to beautifying Warden, Massa plans to clean up city properties to "lead by example," he said.

"If we want the citizens of the town to beautify their property, the city's going to have to start stepping up and beautifying their properties and we're challenging industry to do the same," he said.

Both the city council and members of industry in Warden are working to alleviate the foul odor in the city, he said.

"It's not something that's going to go away overnight, but it's something that the city and industry is committed to fix," he said.

Warden Police Chief Rick Martin noted that merely taking care of junk vehicles is only one small part of beautifying the city.

"I see us as a tool in the big picture, but I don't see us as a solution of the problem of getting more people to come to this town," he said.

The city is working with Martin to ensure such codes are enforced fairly and equitably, said Massa, but the city's priority is on eliminating threats to life and safety, such as recently removing burned-out trailers that posted a threat to safety.

The city probably won't be able to increase code enforcement due to budget cuts, said Massa. The city will lose $20,000 for law enforcement from state liquor revenue, he said.

"I'm praying I can hold on to my officers ... Like all small cities, we're going to have to work more efficiently with what we have," he said.

"The questions you guys are asking yourself are the same questions we're asking," said Massa. "But we are taking small steps along the way."