Town Council considers hiring grant writer

Faced with future major fire protection costs – including purchase of a fire boat and replacement of a 30-year-old fire truck – plus pending necessary upgrades to La Conner’s wastewater treatment plant and aging water lines at Skagit Beach, Town officials are weighing the merits of hiring a municipal grant writer.

Town Councilmember Ivan Carlson, noting the fire department’s pressing equipment needs, raised the prospect of a professional grant writer during the panel’s Feb. 14 hybrid session at Maple Hall.

“The fire department will have more expenses than the fire boat,” Carlson said as part of a roundtable discussion. “I think we need a grant writer for all the grants the fire department will be pursuing.”

“We’ve been talking about grants for the past few years,” he said. “There aren’t any easy grants out there. There’s no guarantees.

“The fire boat we have,” he added, “has been out of service for a year-and-a-half. Right now, we have no protection for millions of dollars of property on the waterfront.”

Fire Chief Aaron Reinstra said he has been working closely with Mayor Ramon Hayes and Town Administrator Scott Thomas on securing funding for the fire boat and other firefighting needs.

“We’re doing everything in our power to move this thing forward,” said Reinstra.

“We’ve also talked about doing that with transportation grants and the wastewater treatment plant,” said Thomas.

“Maybe we could find a grant writer for all of it,” Councilmember Mary Wohleb suggested. “I know there are a lot of grant writers who work on a commission basis. They often take a portion of the grant award.”

The Upper Skagit Tribe is a possibility. It has offered grant writing services for flood control funding.

“We’ll look at any help we can get, for sure,” Thomas vowed. “Several grant opportunities are available and we are developing plans to pursue those opportunities,” he emphasized in the report he filed prior to the meeting.

For flood management, initial steps have been taken by establishing a Emergency Management Commission. Thomas and Councilmember Rick Dole said application materials have been developed for the five-member commission, which will also address earthquake and tsunami preparedness. Members will be appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council.

Council adopted planner Michael Davolio’s proposal for implementing development impact fees to support the fire department and the park system.

Resident Jim Matthews asked the Town consider using funds collected from businesses that cannot provide required parking spaces – an estimated $35,000 at present – to purchase property that can be converted to parking. He suggested the Greg Ellis lots behind Pioneer Market.

Matthews said the 20-unit multi-family complex planned behind The Slider Café will provide just 20 parking spaces.

“How many families have only one vehicle?” he asked, rhetorically. “Not many. Maybe we could apply a good amount of money in the parking fund to find more parking (spaces) in town.”

For private property to be used for parking, the Town would have to enter into negotiations with the owner, Hayes said.

For new housing, Hayes again voiced support for a model tiny house development on the former Jenson property near Channel Cove.

Council approved an infrastructure improvement agreement with C.J. Ebert regarding construction of two Snapdragon Flats triplexes off the intersection of Maple Avenue and Hill and Park streets.

“This is not a building permit,” Public Works Director Brian Lease pointed out. “The structures haven’t been approved or are even on the table to be approved.”

Dole ended the meeting noting he had seen two near traffic accidents at Morris Street and Maple Avenue, where the free left-hand turn for westbound motorists turning south catches some out-of-towners by surprise. A westbound stop sign there has since been nixed because it would clog the roundabout at the entrance to town during peak traffic volumes.