Council Rejects Lot Purchase, Applauds YEAS Effort as Construction Nears Start

Though Councilman Jim Hogan was absent from Monday night's City Council meeting, his colleagues moved forward with a decision to reject -- by a vote of 4-2 -- the purchase of the  for $295,000.

Council had postponed acting on this resolution at  in May because not all members were present, though several members of the community came forward at that time to speak both in favor and against the potential purchase. 

Councilmen Rich Elfers and Jeff Beckwith voted for the purchase though Beckwith reiterated his preference to see how well the space would be utilized by the community before any major funds are put forth to renovate it. 

The Council agreed, however, to bring the issue back to the Community/Economic Development Committee to better flesh out how the property might be used and address unanswered questions regarding its overall value and long-term use. 

Meanwhile, according to City Attorney Mike Reynolds, local developer and business owner Carl Sanders has also made an offer on the property for $315,000.

See pages 95-108 of the agenda packet (PDF) for more information. 

Enumclaw Stadium Issues Finalized

Monday night also saw a wrapping up of sorts for the Your Enumclaw Area Stadium Committee (YEAS) and all the work it and the rest of the community has put into constructing the multi-sport facility.

Funding: Council passed a resolution solidifying a funding agreement with YEAS that ensures the committee will pay $18,750 in a match as part of receiving a King County Youth Sports Facilities grant of $75,000. (The city will also be responsible for $18,750.) The funding agreement also ensures YEAS will pay for the difference between the final cost of the turf to be installed and the total sum of grants received, which is estimated to be about $51,000, according to City Administrator Mike Thomas. 

Councilman Sean Krebs helped to clarify that this funding agreement applies to construction and turf work only. Additional features of the stadium, including signage and a scoreboard, are also accounted for through city permit procedures, said Jeff Coats, vice president of YEAS. But the city is only obligated to the $18,750 it will contribute for receiving the King County grant, he said.

Construction: Council passed an additional resolution agreeing to have Carl Sanders Construction, Inc., be the general contractor on the project. Sanders is also a member of YEAS. According to Thomas, "he [Sanders] is volunteering his company to do the work" of preparing the property for turf installation and will then oversee that installation by the chosen contractor for that portion of the project. "They're responsible for construction activity for the entire project," Thomas said.

This is an example of the generous in-kind contributions that YEAS has received from the community, Coates said. 

Krebs expressed his thanks for Sanders taking on the responsibility. "It's quite an extraordinary thing he's taken on here."

Turf Bid Award: After Sanders' company has completed the first phase of the project in preparing the property for turf installation, the city will line up a contractor to perform the installation, said Public Works Director Chris Searcy. In soliciting bids, the city received four with the lowest bid at $445,000. Searcy said the bid was provided by AstroTurf, Inc., but Patch has not been able to verify the correct company as the name was not provided in agenda documents Monday.

Between the King County grant of $75,000, a state Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) grant of $300,000 that was secured in state funding, $18,750 in matching funds and additional park impact fees, Searcy said the city has $393,750 to spend on turf. As Thomas had mentioned, the difference of about $51,000 would fall to YEAS to cover as part of the funding agreement.

The difference was not a surprise for YEAS, according to Coats. "We anticipated it costing more. ... so we're in good shape," he said.

YEAS is aiming for a ground breaking ceremony on June 29, with official construction to begin on July 1, Coats said. The goal is to have the stadium ready to host the first game of the Enumclaw High School varsity football season this fall on September 2.

Mayor Liz Reynolds commented on how YEAS' success reflects a community power. "To have a community group rise forward and come up with this kind of money is unprecedented," she said.

She and Coats also took the opportunity to thank state Rep. Cathy Dahlquist (R-Enumclaw) who helped to secure the RCO funding of $300,000, which of this year, was still not confirmed. 

"Without Rep. Dahlquist, I don't think we'd be sitting here with all the smiles that we have," Reynolds said.

Coats added, "I'm very proud of our community."

YEAS is continuing to raise funds for the stadium project, he said. For more information, contact Carl Sanders at his office on 1327 Cole Street or 360-825-3800, or check the YEAS website for more information on how you can help. 

Other Council Items:

• Council approved an ordinance concerning the Elk Meadows Preliminary Plat project that seeks to subdivide 2.07 acres into 12 single family residence lots and one stormwater management tract at the northeast corner of Warner Avenue East and Watson Street North. Beckwith reiterated his concerns regarding the types of streets planned for this plat but acknowledged that there was nothing in current city code to support his objection. He plans to bring the issue up at the Council's upcoming retreat for further discussion.
• Council authorized a city agreement with the Enumclaw Rotary Club for them to use the rabbit barn at the Expo Center for fundraising events that feature their new mobile miniature golf facility. Thomas described the agreement as a symbiotic relationship in which Rotary would cover their own incidental costs while the city would benefit from their fundraising efforts. Council requested that quarterly reports be provided reflecting the success of the agreement. Rotary representative and local business owner Chuck Bender said that shouldn't be a problem.
• Council authorized that city property including a mobile office trailer, a portable sewer trash pump, a pavement crack cleaning wand and a Ford E-350 cargo van for police use -- all of which are either inoperable or of no further use for the city -- be deemed surplus, which authorizes their sale or disposal. Any money collected from the sale of this equipment will return to the appropriate city fund that had ownership of that particular item.