By JOHN McCALLUM
Editor
Cheney Mayor Allan Gainer believes the city is moving in the right direction.
In a “State of the City” address, Gainer told a Cheney Rotary Club audience at their weekly lunch meeting last Tuesday that residents can expect “lots of changes” over the next several years, beginning with something Cheney hasn't had in over a decade – a new city administrator.
The city has hired Robert Strope, city administrator at Long Beach, Wash., to replace former Cheney City Administrator Paul Schmidt. Schmidt left in early November to take up similar duties in Oak Harbor, Wash., and Strope begins work in Cheney on Feb. 26.
Gainer said what stood out about Strope over the other finalist, Federal Way assistant city administrator Derek Matheson, was his answer to Gainer's question to define economic development.
Where Matheson said working with local civic groups to recruit new business for Cheney was key, Gainer said Strope felt it was more important to work closely with current businesses to create an environment for success that would make them stronger, and thereby attract new business to the city.
“Cheney needs and is encouraging more business,” Gainer said.
Much of Gainer's speech to the Rotarians centered on growth – growth in Cheney and growth at Eastern Washington University. Both entities have seen increases in their populations, which have in turned required expansion of their facilities.
Cheney will begin to see some of that this summer when the city starts looking at sites for drilling a new water well and, officials hope, embarks on design work for a $12.1 million expansion of its wastewater treatment plant.
The plant is running at near maximum capacity, Gainer said, and must expand to handle current and future planned residential developments.
The response prompted an audience question on whether the city was considering a building moratorium until the plant's capacity could be increased.
Gainer said no moratorium is planned, noting the plant has about a 10 percent leeway to handle current growth.
Rotary Club acting president and EWU Geology Department chair Ernie Gilmour asked Gainer about water, and whether there was enough.
“We're in good shape. Cheney is not in the same situation as the West Plains and Spokane because we're in a different aquifer,” Gainer said. “However it is a concern and we have to conserve it and keep our minds on it.”
Cheney is planning on spending $800,000 this year to identify the location of and the drilling of another well – No. 8. The city also has rehabilitated Well No. 4 with the objective of utilizing it solely for the purpose of irrigation – watering Sutton, Moos and Salnave parks, thereby freeing more of its potable water supply.
Gainer also told the Rotary that he plans to sit down with new Spokane County Commissioner Bonnie Mager and renew discussions about locating a county aquatics park in Cheney.
Gainer had discussed the proposal with former commissioner Phil Harris, who seemed receptive and willing to help.
Mager defeated Harris in November's general election, and Gainer said now that she is getting up to speed on county issues, he wants to renew discussions about the park, which could be built north of Betz Road on land the city owns near the Betz and Washington intersection.
Besides water slides, Gainer said he would like to see a lazy river configuration, much like that at the Silverwood Theme Park in Idaho, as well as relocating the Cheney swimming pool to the park, the building of four baseball diamonds and other family-activity attractions.
“It'll take a couple of years to finance and build,” he added.
Cheney's Rotary Club meets every Tuesday at noon at the China Buffet.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected]
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