A little Q & A with Medical Lake's City Council candidates continued

(Editor's Note: Some portions of responses may have been edited for space concerns.)

Ted Olson won a three-way primary race with 46 percent of the vote and will face Gary Plumlee at 27 percent.

How do you feel about Medical Lake's policing, contracting with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office:

Olson: If there is any way to get our own police force back without financially crippling our fine citizens, I would be in favor. At the budget meeting on Oct. 19 the city proposed even less coverage for Medical Lake.

Plumlee: Medical Lake deserves to have a police force again. Under the current budget this is not something that can be undertaken, however if the council and mayor were to make it a priority for the upcoming years I firmly believe it is possible. The Spokane County Sheriff's Office has done a phenomenal job in the absence of a local force, but I believe it is time to transition once again.

What about the challenge of growth?

Olson: Eastern State Hospital and Lakeland Village are included in our census. If Medical Lake opted not to include these, that would reduce the count by around 500. When we go over 5,000, it's not the end of the world. In fact our grant competition would favor us. None of the candidates, to my knowledge, want our town to grow into another Cheney or Airway Heights. New businesses should be welcomed with open arms. 

Plumlee: Growth of the city is an interesting dilemma. While growth within a community is almost always a good thing, the lack of amenities such as water hookups and expansion boundaries from the surrounding communities are going to make that difficult. I believe that we as a city have a responsibility to maintain the service that we provide now, but at the same time we should not be purposely limiting the growth of Medical Lake.

What about issues with water on the West Plains?

Olson: Lower the home usage numbers. It is set at 1,000 gallons but based on calculations it could be reduced by 40 percent to 600. Suddenly, we are just fine. Install another storage tank, fill it in the off-season and have an abundance of water. 

Plumlee: Water is a priceless resource and we are lucky to have great water and service. The city engineer has said that the level of service required per hookup is 1,000 gallons per day. In order to maintain this level, the city only has around 14 hookups remaining. One option is to purchase water from Spokane. While this is a viable option to support growth of the city, it will increase the prices of water throughout the area.

Pick an issue:

Olson:  Medical Lake has not been well cared for lately. Our lake has invasive weeds that possibly are hurting the water quality. It is the jewel of our lovely town. An assessment of the lake must be done. Secondly, the deterioration of the downtown corridor needs to be tenaciously pursued until all buildings are up to code, cleaned up, ready for business or torn down.

Plumlee: The fire department in Medical Lake is in need of assistance. We have a fantastic group of volunteers that put their lives on the line to ensure our safety. We need a new or remodeled fire department as well as the addition of some full time positions.