By JAMES EIK
Staff Reporter
At the Feb. 6 Airway Heights City Council meeting, Mayor Patrick Rushing updated the council about recent discussions regarding the only known encroachment to Fairchild Air Force Base from the city.
Rushing said he had been in meetings with representatives from the offices of Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Maria Cantwell and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, as well as other local state representatives from Legislative District 7. They continued discussing options regarding the housing development on the southern side of the city, which extends into Fairchild's Accident Potential Zone II.
In that zone, only two housing units per acre are allowed, but Airway Heights currently has 10 to 15 homes per acre in that area.
Rushing again emphasized that the city was nowhere near taking any action on the issue, that the city wasn't evicting anyone and that talks were still continuing. He said he hoped an alternative housing option could be provided for residents in the area.
Those residents could then choose between their current residence or the alternate option. Catholic Charities of Spokane, Habitat for Humanity and Community Frameworks were also part of the discussion, in hopes they could provide assistance.
“This is simply an option to provide a better housing availability,” he said.
The offer to residents, however, would have to be irresistible, in the form of equal or lower costs.
“The first thing I made clear was that this needs to be an offer these people just cannot refuse,” he said.
Last month, councilman Steven Lawrence wasn't in favor of the city's discussions regarding the homes on the southern side of the city. He attended some of the meetings with Rushing, echoing the mayor's statements.
“The main point we're trying to get across is to try and reduce the encroachment,” he said. “But, anybody that doesn't want to move doesn't have to. But it sounds like quite a deal for the residents on that side.”
Rushing said the goal of the discussions was to show the committee that the community was continuing to mitigate the issue of encroachmen, an issue that could be used as a reason for closing or changing the base. The next Base Realignment and Closures committee is set to begin after the November elections later this year.
“Fairchild is one of the most protected bases in the Air Force,” Rushing said.
The City Council re-appointed Rosemary Combs to the planning commission, for a term expiring Jan. 31, 2016. Combs is currently the vice chair of the commission.
Also at the meeting, the council passed an action item declaring the Lawson Street reconstruction project as finished. A final payment of $13,699.92 will be withheld and released once the city receives final documentation from the contractor.
The City Council also approved an upgrade for the city's firewall system. According to City Manager Albert Tripp, the current computer firewall software was installed with the last major upgrade seven years ago. The estimated cost for the software and installation is anywhere from $8,553.53 to $10,118.81.
City officials had traveled to Olympia twice since the last City Council meeting, meeting with legislators and learning what was currently being considered in the session.
One piece of legislation currently under review in Olympia would require public officials to pay $200 to file their financial statements with the state, Rushing said.
At the beginning of the meeting, the City Council awarded CPR SAVE pins to members of the Airway Heights Fire Department. Fire Chief Mitch Metzger said the department's actions in August 2011 and January helped revive the lives of two citizens at fire scenes.
Metzger said 45 people attended an open house at the fire department last month. The department also received 18 applications for its upcoming training cycle with Spokane County Fire District 10 and the Medical Lake Fire Department. Applicants will need to pass both written and physical agility tests before moving on to the actual training classes.
The City Council met in executive session to discuss collective bargaining strategy. No action was taken on the discussed item.
James Eik can be reached at [email protected].
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