By PAUL DELANEY
Staff Reporter
Some people got what they wanted with the possibility of more. Others didn't hear what they wanted at the July 16 meeting of the Medical Lake City Council.
While one citizen, Jim Johnson, asked and received approval to have land vacated by the city to assist in the remodeling work planned for the old Masonic Hall as it's converted to a community center, another, Sandy Staples failed to get the result she had hoped when it came to the city's police department.
The council was meeting for their only time in June as they switch from twice-monthly to monthly meetings during the summer. The agenda was full with a number of reports, but moved swiftly. Votes were all unanimous, but conducted without John Paikuli who was granted an excused absence from the meeting due to a commitment to the Boy Scouts.
Johnson, a volunteer for the Jensen Memorial Youth Ranch, and chairman of the community center project, asked the council to authorize vacation of 17 feet of land along Percival Street and 7 ½ feet on Stanley in order to accommodate expansion plans. That includes a larger building, more angled parking and a sidewalk on Percival.
“Safety is probably the biggest (reason),” he said, noting the new facility will have a mixed-use ranging from youth to seniors and there is a need for more parking.
City Administrator Doug Ross reported that there may be a conflict over the request for 7 ½ feet due to easements needed for Avista power lines and suggested shortening the request by 2-feet on both streets, which council approved. The original request could be revisited Ross said after the meeting, pending further study of engineering plans.
Staples' made an impassioned plea to the council to maintain the current local police force in Medical Lake. She presented the council with a petition from what she called “concerned citizens,” who did not want to see their homegrown Police Department replaced by one that could be contracted with, at this point, either Airway Heights or Spokane County.
Staples asked the council for a pro and con list of why the city was considering elimination of the local Police Department.
Mayor John Higgins told Staples the council had been discussing the proposal for a year-and-a-half now and were moving towards a decision. This comes despite not having any official bids for service. Everything is still out for discussion Higgins said, but added, “We're getting to the point now where we have to make some decisions.
Staples indicated, “there were many of us,” who favored keeping the present policing program in place. The customer service approach that Staples saw MLPD exhibit on at least two occasions was something she thought might be lost if services were contracted out.
Staples indicated there was a group of retired citizens to help the department, should it remain.
In other business, council heard on one hand about the impending closure of one living unit at Pine Lodge Corrections Center, and the other about plans to once again try to have a new Spokane County jail facility located somewhere on the West Plains. Proposed sites included the I-90 interchange, one in Airway Heights and another at Pine Lodge.
Councilwoman Shirley Maike announced that Medical Lake had been selected to be the site of a movie, the filming of which would begin near the end of July and last until mid-September. She did not offer further details other than to say some of the hospital facilities offered the perfect setting for producers. Ross also put in his request to have a cameo role in the film.
Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected]
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