The Elma City Council met on Feb. 6, discussing a resolution and hearing a presentation from the Port of Grays Harbor.
The resolution discussed by the council asked for support of a grant application in relation to a PUD project.
As explained by the council and through a subsequent memo, an approval and implementation of the project would greatly increase the availability of fiber optic facilities in the city of Elma and in the Satsop School District.
“I think this could really help out the city of Elma,” Mayor Jim Sorensen said.
The project could serve to increase the number of potential broadband service providers so as to give residents more choices when choosing a provider. The council also noted that implementation could pave the way for businesses to look at Elma and the surrounding areas in a new light, increasing the likelihood that business is brought to the area.
The lines installed would serve all of East County.
The council voted unanimously in favor of the resolution. Pat Miller was absent from the day’s meeting.
Additional business
The Port of Grays Harbor, represented by Alissa Shay and Kayla Dunlap, presented on the current state of the Port, as well as plans for the future.
“There has been nothing but good news from the Port for the last six months,” Sorensen said.
There seems to be no indication of news changing from good to bad, as the Port is currently progressing with multiple endeavors, including bringing a customer care call center to Satsop Business Park courtesy of Overstock.com.
The council unanimously approved a request to obtain appraisal services of sewer outfall property on Wenzel Slough Road. The public works committee has endorsed the proposal, leading public works director Jim Starks to make a formal request. The city currently is working on replacing their sewer outfall pipe because of an eroding river bank.
The city of Elma’s water system plan is being prepared for an update. The council unanimously approved authorization for engineering services to make the updates. The process has been ongoing since 2012, but issues with the city’s water rights slowed progress until those issues were resolved in 2015.
An approved request to advertise landscaping services for the cemetery, library, Police and Fire Departments came as Starks noted in a memo that the previous contract and the ability to extend that contract have expired.
The Boundary Review Board’s decision to reconsider in regard to the dimensions of the proposed annexation has prompted a new hearing scheduled for March 20.
