I like to start my letter by reporting on the good things we accomplish in our city. It takes a lot of pieces to keep a city running smoothly.
The bulk water station project continues to move forward. The property has been cleared and the construction Request for Qualifications (RFQ) will be out this coming week. The Splash Pad project had two RFQ’s come in so far, but they were both over the allotted budget. We have been told that two more contractors are going to come in with proposals. We have every hope that this project will see major movement forward this year. It has certainly turned out to be much more complex than we first imagined.
Our Public Works Department (PWD) spends a lot of its time keeping up with our aging infrastructure. This includes Water and Wastewater Treatment plants and their necessary resources, maintaining streets and all their issues, and keeping our aging vehicle fleet running. Our PWD is very busy, and they are doing a great job managing complex problems and issues within their budget. As you can tell, I am a big fan of our hard-working crew of nine men (ladies are not excluded- where are you?).
An integral part of keeping a city running smoothly is the front office staff. Ours is small, but mighty. City Recorder (Becky Patton), Planning Clerk (Lisa Richardson), and Utility Clerk (Kattie Bell), are the front-end faces in City Hall. They are there to answer questions, collect utility bills, help with the planning and building process, and keep the city running smoothly. They might not always be able to give you the answer you want to hear, but they are doing a good job keeping the city running efficiently and following all the regulations we must comply with. We are lucky to have such competent staff.
It was with much relief that the summary judgement on the Siskiyou Pines Development vs. City of Cave Junction, Rebecca Patton, Civil West Engineering and I came back with a general judgment of dismissal of all claims with prejudice. This means that the plaintiff cannot refile the same claim again in court. They can appeal, which means a higher court reviews the judge’s ruling, but I am not worried. As Mayor, it is hard for me to imagine how much more our city could have accomplished with the time and money this has cost the residents of Cave Junction.