FILE PHOTO — Bob Spahr and Dennis Dawes attend a Chehalis City Council meeting in March.
At the Monday afternoon Chehalis City Council meeting, councilors declared May 10 through May 16 Police Appreciation week, provided an update on the COVID-19 impacts to the city, and approved services for improvements to the city’s pump station.
Mayor of Chehalis Dennis Dawes read a proclamation at the council meeting which was attended remotely via telephone by the council members.
“The members of the law enforcement agency in Chehalis play an essential role in safeguarding the rights and freedoms of those living in Chehalis,” Dawes read from the proclamation.
Congress has designated May 15 as Police Officer Memorial Day and the week in which it falls as Police Appreciation Week. Dawes read a proclamation calling upon all citizens, civic, patriotic, and educational organizations to observe Police Appreciation Week.
“Let us also recognize and pay respects to the survivors of our fallen heroes including our police chief Glenn Schaffer and his wife Sheila who lost their son Justin Schaffer, a Washington State trooper when he was tragically killed in the line of duty in March of this year,” read Dawes from the proclamation.
City Manager Jill Anderson mentioned that the city is still operating with modified conditions and city hall remains closed to the public in an effort to protect the staff and public from the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
“To date, all staff members who have been tested for COVID-19 have come back negative which is very positive news for us. We appreciate the public’s cooperation in calling, in doing business via online availability and on rare occasions via appointment. We are continuing to be able to provide service in a safe manner,” said Anderson.
During the mayor’s report, Dawes spoke about the impending economic impacts that will follow the COVID-19 outbreak.
“I know we signed on supportively with the county commissioners in regards to the governor’s office — maybe we look at giving individual counties the opportunity to work with their local health departments as far as potentially opening up things with the advice of those health officials. I don’t know how that will go over but we are trying to do everything that we can,” said Dawes.
Dawes also mentioned a pilot project at the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce called the Business Recovery Center which is in the process of looking for funding.
“We realize that the health issue portion of this is being addressed and there’s slow, positive progress being made but the second foot that’s going to come down is going to be the economic effects and we’re trying as hard as we can to get ahead of the curve as much as we can,” said Dawes.
In other business, the council approved an agreement for professional services with SCJ Alliance, a consulting services company in the amount of $25,000 for the high-level reservoir booster pump station. The $25,000 is summarized to pay for construction testing, reports and construction assistance, according to the agenda report.
The expense is included in the capital improvements program in the city’s comprehensive water system plan. The pump, located next to the water filter plant, was built in the 1940s and has reached the end of its life, according to the city’s agenda report.
