MLIRD to sell mobile home intended for Connelly Park

MOSES LAKE - The Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation Board of Directors approved the sale of a mobile home purchased last year during a Tuesday meeting.

The mobile home was purchased around April 2012 for about $79,000 and was intended to house a full-time employee at Connelly Park. According to directors, the manufactured home is currently located in Pendleton, Ore.

Board chair Ken Kernan and director Ron Covey voted in favor of the motion to sell the mobile home, while director Mick Hansen voted against it.

Covey made the motion to put the motor home up for sale, and said the district should try to recapture as much money from the sale as possible.

"It should have never in my opinion been purchased," he said during the meeting. "I think we need to salvage whatever we can."

Hansen stated having a full-time employee housed at Connelly Park would be a benefit to MLIRD. The purchase of the mobile home was an important step in that direction, he said.

"It would take care of a lot of the graffiti and it would take care of a lot of the vandalism," he said during the meeting.

When asked if staff saw any value to having the mobile home, MLIRD General Manger Curt Carpenter told the board the district didn't have any use for a residence at Connelly Park.

"We're limited funds out there," he said. "That's a huge fixed cost you're putting out there now with maintenance, utilities and services."

Carpenter also told the board there are professional camp hosts who already have their own motor homes.

"They're looking for a place to camp for free for several months and for payment of that they take care of the campgrounds," said Carpenter. "You don't provide a facility for them other than a pad and hookups."

Kernan said he wasn't opposed to the concept of a camp host, but he thought the district should put their time and money toward other projects.

"The Connelly Park project is an important project, but I don't think it's the most important project," he said. "I think that water quality is the most important...first and foremost we're obligated to that water and my call on this is going to be based on that."

The board also chose Lakeland Restoration Services to carry out the 2013 aquatic herbicide project during Tuesday's meeting. According to MLIRD staff, Lakeland was the lowest bidder at approximately $152,182.

That bid breaks down to about $908 per acre to treat aquatic invasive species and $197 per acre for algae treatment, according to Carpenter.

There is $300,000 earmarked for herbicide treatment in this year's budget, said Carpenter. The additional $147,817 will be used for algae bloom treatment as needed, he said,

The board approved a motion to terminate attorney Harold Moberg's services, effective immediately during Tuesday night's meeting. The board then approved a motion to offer attorney Brian Iller the position of legal counsel for MLIRD.

His rate is set at $175 an hour, according to directors.

The board also swore in Sheri McFall as the new secretary to the board of directors.

The board postponed discussion on the possible purchase of a CAT D6-T bulldozer to their next business meeting in March. Carpenter told the board staff would need the new equipment to keep up with the dredge projects scheduled for this year.

MLIRD currently operates a D5 bulldozer, according to Carpenter. He said the D6 has a 60 percent capacity increase over the D5 model.

MLIRD accepted bids for the new equipment earlier this month. According to Carpenter, the district could purchase the new equipment from the lowest bidder for about $201,773, with a trade-in value of $72,000 for the D5 included in that price.

Carpenter said there is about $102,000 in the 2013 budget earmarked for new equipment purchases. However, there is about $164,697 in rollover from the same category of last year's budget, he said.

Almost $65,000 would be left for new equipment needs this year after the purchase, said Carpenter.