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Posted: Mar 21, 2008 - 09:37:14 PDT
Toledo City Council rejects aquatic district resolution
By Jim Fossum Of the News-Times
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Toledo City Council voted Wednesday to reject a proposed resolution to approve the city's inclusion in the formation of the Central Coast Aquatic District, which is planning to construct, operate and maintain an aquatic recreational facility in South Beach.
The council opted out of including Toledo in the district in lieu of Councilman Wes Chadwick's suggestion that the possibility existed for residents to vote later on a new petition, since several issues remained unresolved in the one presented at Toledo City Hall by Jeff Bertuleit, a member of the board of the Friends of the Newport Aquatic Center, and organization president Katherine Pederson.
Among the reasons cited in the council's decision were uncertainty over the volume of use Toledo residents would get from the facility; the time constraints local children would be restricted by in order to swim after school; and potential logistical and possible transportation problems.
"I'm having a real hard time with this," Councilman Rod Cross said. "The petition hasn't even been filed yet and there is time, and there has been time, when you could have come to us and sat down with us and we could have ironed a lot of stuff out. But right now, the way this is formed, the way this is worded, the citizens of Toledo aren't seeing the benefits."
The proposed district stretches north to Gleneden Beach, south to Yachats and east to Eddyville. In that area, only Newport and Toledo have community pools. Both pools are at least 40 years old.
"Your pool is not like our pool," Cross said. "If our pool closes, my family would lose a family pass to a pool that's three minutes away walking with my five kids, and it's a half-hour away driving to South Beach. That's a whole different ball of wax from my kids walking down to the pool and me using it being up mornings for my lap swim.
"For the citizens of Toledo, I don't see the bang. You're asking for the people of Toledo to support two pools."
Bertuleit and Pederson presented several reasons why they believe residents would benefit from being in the district. They included having use of a family oriented facility; the availability of after-school programs and multiple activities in one location; the benefit to senior citizens requiring affordable therapy and stress-free exercise; the potential for recreational activities to serve as crime prevention; and various economic benefits and employment possibilities.
In other action, the council:
€ Adopted a resolution authorizing public works staff to apply for the 2008 State of Oregon Local Government Parks Grant for infrastructure improvements on Memorial Field.
Public Works Director Adam Denlinger said proposed improvements on the regional-use facility include replacing and relocating fencing around the park; installation and replacement of sidewalks to meet standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act; installation of new restroom facilities; and storm drainage, turf upgrades and irrigation.
Denlinger estimated cost of the improvements at $200,000, with $40,000 matching funds to be allocated from the department's general reserve fund, parks plans and improvements account.
Denlinger said past grant funding went to the purchase and construction of state-of-the-art field lighting, renovation of the electrical system to provide uninterrupted power for events such as the annual Summer Festival and construction of a roof over the grandstands.
€ Authorized Fire Chief Will Ewing to apply for a "Fire Act" grant from FEMA of approximately $100,000 for the purchase of equipment to start the second phase of its firefighter safety enhancement program. A similar grant of $44,000 two years ago helped initiate the department's quest to improve conditions for emergency responders.
Ewing said money approved from the new grant, which would be matched by 5 percent from his department's budget, would be technology-related.
It would include interior radio equipment to allow firefighters to speak clearly to command personnel outside of a burning building; vehicle stabilizers to assist in the rescue of accident victims; a thermal-imaging camera to identify problems during a fire and to locate missing persons; and a hose roller to reduce torque in the nozzles of 5-inch diameter hoses, which put extreme physical stress on firefighters.
€ Adopted an ordinance revision with language changes to allow public works staff to enforce new cross connection and backflow regulations on commercial and industrial water users.
The ordinance revision passed with the council's assurance that the new summary report would include mention of Department of Human Services standards in order to protect residential users.
Jim Fossum is a reporter for the News-Times. He can be reached at 265-8571 or at jfossum@newportnewstimes.com.
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