Nygaard: Water delivery system a priority

May 25—The city of Lewiston has officially received its first chunk of direct COVID-19 funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, and City Manager Alan Nygaard wants to dedicate most of it to the beleaguered water distribution system.

Reporting at a city council budget work session Monday afternoon, Nygaard said the total amount the city will receive is just more than $5.7 million. The first payment of $2.8 million hit city coffers last week, and the balance will be delivered in about one year.

"The city's wastewater facilities are actually in fairly good shape, financially," Nygaard said. "But the water system, as you've seen in terms of our expectations for future increases in cost, just needs some additional support."

The wastewater treatment plant in North Lewiston is in the middle of a $29 million upgrade, and the water treatment plant on Railroad Avenue in East Lewiston is scheduled for a $42 million replacement project that begins this year. But the city's distribution system for water is in dire need of attention, with some pipes well past their expected lifetimes. Some water lines in the downtown core are even more than a century old, a factor that has limited new development and redevelopment in the historic district.

Earlier this year, the council approved a utility rate plan that includes funding about $3 million per year in pipe replacement. But Nygaard suggested that the federal rescue funding could accelerate the pace of that program since one of the allowable uses for the funds is the improvement of public water systems.

City grant writer Jacqui Gilbert explained that the city has three years to allocate the funding and five years to use it, so there is time to discuss other possible uses. But there is an Aug. 31 deadline to supply an interim report to the federal government regarding the city's intentions for the funds. That timeline should work well with the city budgeting process, which began in earnest recently and will run until final approval in September.

City Administrative Services Director Dan Marsh said the city probably wouldn't spend any of the funding this year, so it will flow into reserves. The tentative plan is to use about half next year, and the rest in the 2023 budget.

There are other Rescue Plan funds available for community use aside from the direct payments to the city. Nygaard said those funds will be dispersed to nonprofit agencies on a competitive basis, and city staff stands ready to assist those entities with their applications. For example, the Clearwater Economic Development Agency is seeking funds to help support the expansion of regional broadband internet lines.

Gilbert is available to assist with those applications, and may be reached at (208) 746-3671 or jgilbert@cityoflewiston.org.

Councilors also got updates on a lengthy list of proposed capital projects for the coming budget year.

The Lewiston Fire Department is seeking approval to build a $4 million fire station at land the city bought for that purpose at the northwest corner of Fifth Street and Bryden Avenue. Fire Chief Travis Myklebust has been working to replace the department's aging Station 4 that sits a short distance away near the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport because of its inadequate size and the multiple life- and health-safety issues it presents to the firefighters who use it.

The city has been putting money into a building reserve fund for several years to help cover the cost of the station, and Myklebust asked the council to allocate $2.5 million in the coming budget and $1.5 million in 2023. Councilor John Bradbury said he opposes the project because the existing station is nearby and he didn't see much benefit from building a new one.

Parks and Recreation Director Tim Barker outlined his requests, which include $300,000 for improvements to Community Park that include grading, a new restroom, lighting, landscaping and irrigation. Two new parking lots would also be built, including one that would be able to host food trucks on a longer-term basis that could be easily accessed by foot from the nearby high school.

Barker also asked for $838,000 to repair and expand the popular pickleball courts at Sunset Park. The proposed project would resurface the existing six courts and add three more by utilizing the basketball court just to the south. Several members of the Lewis-Clark Valley Pickleball Club attended the work session to voice their support for the proposal, and to pledge financial assistance with the project.

Public Works Director Dustin Johnson laid out a lengthy list of capital projects for the city's transportation division, which includes the maintenance of city streets. As his predecessor, Chris Davies, warned on an annual basis, Johnson said the network of roadways is in dire need of assistance, and said the council will have to hold tough discussions on how to raise the revenue needed to pay for upgrades.

Options include increases in property taxes, raising the franchise fee the city charges to utility providers like Avista to operate within city rights of way, and a road and bridge tax. There are also other capital needs that would contribute to the overall quality of city streets, like a new paver to continue the city's successful cold-mix asphalt overlay program.

Nygaard proposed spending $60,000 to hire a consultant to clearly define the scope of work for a complete rebuild of Main Street from First Street to Ninth Street. The cost of the project has always been vague, ranging from $5 million to $18 million, so Nygaard said a first necessary step would be to get a more precise picture of what work will be done, and how much it will cost.

Councilors were presented with utility rate increase proposals at their Monday evening meeting. Increases had previously been set and approved, and hadn't changed as of Monday. They include 3 percent for sanitation, 5.25 percent for water and 3.5 percent for wastewater.

Mills may be contacted at jmills@lmtribune.com or at (208) 310-1901, ext. 2266.