Summerfest, library discussed at Royal meeting

ROYAL CITY — Summerfest, the library and a U.S. Department of Agriculture loan were among the topics of Tuesday’s Royal City City Council meeting.

Grant County Commissioner Cindy Carter addressed the council regarding arrangements for the car show that’s a traditional part of Summerfest. In the past cars have parked on the pavement, but Carter requested the council’s permission to put the cars on the grass toward the south end of Lions Park on Friday.

Council member Michael Christensen, who attended by phone, wondered about the environmental implications of the arrangement.

“If oil or other fluids out of the car leak on the grass, that could be an issue long term,” he said. “Is it possible to have cardboard or something that would go under each car to kind of minimize and mitigate any problems that might have happened?”

“You know, when we had it at the bank, I don't remember a drop on the asphalt so I don't think there's going to be a big problem,” said Mayor Kent Anderson. “People like these cars.”

“The only downside I see is, permitting cars in there can give the general public the idea that it's okay to (park) their cars there,” said City Public Works Director John Lasen, adding that it would probably not be an issue if it’s announced beforehand that the arrangement is only for the event.

City Finance Director Shilo Christensen brought up the matter of a water line project for which the city has received a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA requires a bond of $235,000 for the loan, Christensen said, and Cynthia Weed, a partner in the law firm of K&L Gates, had been recommended to facilitate the bond.

“If we want the grant and the loan, we have to go through this bonding process, if not with them then with someone else, and they've been highly recommended,” Christensen said. “Cynthia Weed has been excellent to talk to, very knowledgeable.”

“She’s great,” said City Attorney Katherine Kennison. “She's been doing this bond work for a lot of cities across Washington, most of the cities in Grant County, for years. And her quote was very reasonable as a bond ordinance because she'll put together the bond ordinance that you’ll adopt. And it has to be consistent with all the SEC laws and all of that, because those bonds are made public. So it's a specialty area.”

Susan Piercy, president of Royal City Friends of the Library, was at the meeting to discuss a draft of a possible lease for the city land being eyed for the new public library. North Central Washington Libraries, of which the Royal City Library is a branch, has committed $322,500 for the new building. The Friends of the Library is responsible for the building itself – foundation, walls, plumbing, electrical and HVAC – and when that’s done, NCW Libraries will finish the process with interior design, as well as furniture, books and equipment, Piercy said.

Kennison raised the question of security for the city in the event something delays or cuts off the building’s construction.

“There needs to be a written commitment, there needs to be a contract,” she said. “And that contract could be between you and (NCW Libraries), making the city a third-party beneficiary of that contract simply so that we could enforce the terms of that contract … The challenge, from my perspective, is crafting this agreement so that the city is fully protected because you have that fiduciary duty to your citizens. And I don't think it serves them well if you enter into a relationship where you might get left with the burden of finishing a half-finished project or a partially-finished project.”

“This is a great project with highly motivated people who have nothing but the best of intentions,” she added. “I just want to make sure that the city isn't bearing the brunt of the risk if things fall apart, because that's going to be a sizable project.”

“I think if you sit down with the architect and whoever is gonna build it, and let's say they said, ‘Okay, from point A to point B is gonna take two months,’ we might give you three months. We're going to give you excess time from what you say, just because things come up. The idea is not to hold you to the fire and try to penalize you if it's not done, it's just it's just see the process is moving forward. So you can be generous on your timeline and we can be additionally generous.”

Joel Martin can be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.