No. 1: Mayor Dean Bunkers asked for, and received, the go-ahead from council to write a letter to the Teamsters, warning them of more City layoffs or furloughs.

No. 2: Art Wuerth, the new financial director, gave a presentation showing that as much as another $8 million will be needed (on top of the previously stated $32 million) to complete the Street LID. This could translate to another 20-25% in payments; as an example, he said that a $200,000 home might pay an extra $1,175 for the Street LID. It all depends on finance rates and, of course, actual, final costs.

Details to follow.

Answer, from Mayor Dean Bunkers: “It’s 30 days after publication in the newspaper, which I believe is scheduled for this coming Friday the 15^th.”

After Monday night’s busy City Council meeting, I asked Ken Lanfear when he expected the $635,000 grant that the city landed for School Safety to become concrete — literally, in terms of sidewalks. The Public Works director said he does not see construction before 2010, probably next summer. If funding comes in for the Roundabout/sidewalks project, Lanfear will be a very busy man, potentially overseeing four major projects: 1) The $6 million water treatment plant; 2) the final phase of the Street LID; 3) Roundabout/Chance a la Mer sidewalks and lighting; and 4) the Safe Routes to Schools (see below, for details). Oh, and let’s not forget that Illahee/Oyehut sewer line project . . .

Earlier, from Mayor Dean Bunkers: The $635K is State grant money for Safe Routes to Schools. The City applied for this grant last year.  This grant provides engineering and funding to construct a sidewalk on the south of State Route 115, and crosswalks with school zone flashers. Also this grant will fund a sidewalk/bike path from JK Lewis to Ocean Lake Way along the east side of PT Brown. There are several other smaller items also, but it is best to wait for the State to engineer the project for more clarity.

From Mayor Dean Bunkers: The $635K is State grant money for Safe Routes to Schools. The City applied for this grant last year.  This grant provides engineering and funding to construct a sidewalk on the south of State Route 115, and crosswalks with school zone flashers. Also this grant will fund a sidewalk/bike path from JK Lewis to Ocean Lake Way along the east side of PT Brown. There are several other smaller items also, but it is best to wait for the State to engineer the project for more clarity.

At an Ocean Shores Planning Commission meeting last week, Alicia Bridges presented a spreadsheet on first quarter 2009 building permits.

He’s got a dry sense of humor, this Art Wuerth. Says if he had a daughter, he would name her “Annette.” 

He may need comic relief, from time to time, as Wuerth is the new finance director of the City of Ocean Shores. He took over for the retired George Rogers on (no joke) April 1.

“He’s got a wealth of financial experience, and he’s got an MBA degree,” says Mayor Dean Bunkers, of Wuerth. “I’m excited to have him on board.”

Bunkers and the City will need all the expertise Wuerth has, coming off a year in which drastic cuts were necessary to balance a ballooning budget. And 2009 isn’t off to such a great start, as the City’s revenue from building permits for the first quarter was down almost half from the same period in 2008.

Personally, Wuerth is looking forward to reconnecting with Ocean Shores, the setting of his first date with his wife.

The new finance man took time out from his hectic schedule to answer a few questions, via email.

from this week’s North Coast News:

Mayor Dean Bunkers and the rest of Ocean Shores will have to wait: A final decision on $2.9 million to Ocean Shores for drinking water up-grades has been delayed to April 27. The Department of Health’s doling out of Federal stimulus money for “safe drinking water” was originally scheduled for Tuesday, April 7.

 “In order to be fair to everybody we wanted to give them more time” to submit documentation, said Carolyn Cox, of the DOH.

Bunkers spoke at a public hearing at the DOH Tumwater office on Friday. He made a case for why Ocean Shores should graduate from the “draft list” it made, to the final award round.

“I feel pretty good,” Bunkers said. “I feel very confident based on the hearing we will stay where we’re at.”

This week’s top story, “The $3 million question”:

The poker table just got more crowded . . .

The “poker game” that Grays Harbor County and the City of Ocean Shores has been playing over water for the last decade now turns out to be part of a much larger scenario, involving Federal money.

Last week, the Department of Health announced its “Draft Intended Use Plan (IUP)” to use $41 million in Federal stimulus money, targeting safe drinking water.

 Ocean Shores made the draft funding list, to the tune of $2,993,202. This represents roughly half of the cost for Ocean Shores to build a new water treatment plant. City Council quickly voted 4-2 to go ahead with the project, bypassing (for the time being, at least) the option of purchasing water from the County’s new Hogan’s Corner wells.

Now comes the tricky part . . .

According to Ocean Shores Mayor Dean Bunkers, there are several scenarios:

The long-awaited, much-anticipated, all-new . . . task list, from Mayor Dean Bunkers to the Planning Commission:

Initial Planning Commission Tasks

 1.  The #2 Council Goal is to “Create a pro-active cost effective facilities improvement plan that includes an aggressive strategy to market and sell, sellable City-owned properties.”  Based on that goal I would like the Planning Commission to review their September 14, 2007 recommendations and update in accordance with present information and needs.

Specifically:

Permit Center (Parcel 0915000125000) and relocation.  Provide a recommendation for relocation of the Permit Center, and the possible consolidation of other City functions such as Court/Council Chambers. 

North Golf Course Property (15 acres, parcel 090100800006) — Address potential impact and resolutions such as relocation/reconfiguration of holes on the remaining south acreage and eastern course parcels.

Kim Property (2 parcels) – Address wetlands and possible mitigation costs if appropriate.

Public Works Land (19 acres, parcel 617121011003).

Any other City properties you deem appropriate as sellable property. 

Federal stimulus money awarded, Grays Harbor County:

Grays Harbor County. . . . . . . . $750,000 (realignment and paving project)

Aberdeen. . . . . . . .. . . . . ..  . . . $730,000 (sidewalk revitalization, Heron Street)

Hoquiam. . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . $195,000 (downtown sidewalks)

McCleary .. . . . . . . .. . . . … ….. . $86,629 (sidewalk improvements)

Housing Authority of G.H. . . . $627,184 (low-income housing repairs)

Ocean Shores. . . . . . . .. . . . . . .$0 (requested $800,000 for Roundabout/sidewalks)