Along with swearing in newly appointed Vader City Councilor Nicole Hansen during the council’s regular meeting last week, the council also discussed a number of business items on the meeting’s agenda.
While the council vacancy has been filled, a Vader Planning Committee vacancy still exists. According to city staff, residents can live as far as 3 miles outside of city limits and still be eligible to serve on the committee, which meets once a month. For more information, visit the city’s website at https://www.vaderwa.org/planning-committee or email Vader City Clerk Kristyn Miller at cityclerk@vaderwa.org.
Leading off discussion during the meeting was a pair of grants.
The first, a Washington state Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) grant for road repairs on multiple streets throughout Vader, was delayed due to TIB requesting a contract rebid. Conversely, a $443,045 grant was awarded to the city by the Washington state Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) for upgrades at McMurphy Park.
Additionally, the council approved a sewer connection fee credit for Unique Property Solutions, a Vancouver-based realty company looking to build a seven-home housing development on a parcel of property located between state Route 506 and Eighth Street in Vader.
And with threats to government officials increasing nationwide, Vader’s city attorney responded to an inquiry from city staff asking if they can carry weapons while at work.
One grant delayed, one awarded
During a council meeting in June, Vader Mayor Joe Schey stated TIB was preparing to start the bidding process for a $116,000 grant for road repairs needed on Alpine Court, Fifth, I, E, B and F streets between Eighth Street and Ninth Street.
While construction companies did submit bids for the project, TIB declined them all.
“We’ve gotten the grant for $116,000. We had the bid opening last week,” Schey said during the council’s Wednesday, July 2, meeting. “The bids came in at three times that amount.”
He added TIB staff believed the project bids were so high because the bid request was put out at the end of the construction season.
“They want to delay that, and rebid in February. So we’re looking at summer of 2026 to get all of those roads rebuilt. We still have the grant. We just need to wait a little while,” Schey said. “Since they’re the ones providing the money, we do what they want to do.”
Although TIB grant funding for road work has been delayed, Schey also announced the city had been awarded a $443,045 RCO grant for phase one of upgrades planned at Vader’s McMurphy Park.
“The RCO grant we’ve been trying to get for a couple years came through,” Schey said.
With the contract still being drafted, he anticipated construction of phase one at the park to begin next summer as well.
Phase one of the McMurphy Park upgrades involves constructing a small RV camping area with five hookup spots and a space for a permanent park security host, along with a larger restroom with showers.
Once completed, city staff will work toward completing the second two phases of the upgrades. Phase two includes constructing a large event pavilion overlooking Olequa Creek, adding two smaller playground areas and another restroom near the creek.
The final phase includes construction of a concert amphitheater along with expanded paved parking throughout McMurphy Park.
Located at 607 Annonen Road in Vader, McMurphy Park was created in 2001 after former Vader resident Dolores McMurphy donated the land to the city in an effort to better the community and provide local children with a safe place to play.
Despite permitting and funding issues, the park was officially opened in 2007 thanks to McMurphy and other volunteer efforts and donations, The Chronicle reported. McMurphy donated the land to the city with one stipulation — that a certain tree in the middle of the park be left alone.
"When I gave the gift, I said the black walnut tree couldn't be cut down or anything like that. It had to be left," McMurphy told The Chronicle in 2007.
"I had played there myself as a child."
McMurphy’s parents originally purchased the 13-acre plot of land on April 18, 1939, to grow hay next to the family’s home.
Sewer fee credit approved for developer
As communities throughout Lewis County continue to grow, the councilors also approved a sewer fee credit application to the tune of $45,500 for the Vancouver-based realtor Unique Property Solutions.
It was approved by a vote of 4-0-1, with no opposition and Hansen abstaining from voting.
According to Schey, Unique Property Solutions is planning a seven-home subdivision development on a 1.44-acre parcel of land between state Route 506 and Eighth Street in Vader just West of I Street, and are looking to extend the city’s existing sewer line to connect their new development.
“They’re extending the public sewer from Ninth (Street) and H (Street) east and then north to Eighth Street. The developer can ask for a credit … of the new sewer connection fees to offset the cost,” Schey said.
He added the current connection fee to hook up a home to the city’s sewer system is $6,500, meaning the total credit awarded Unique Property Solutions was $45,500.
According to engineers from the realty company, extending the sewer line will cost anywhere between $180,000 to $250,000. No representatives from Unique Property Solutions were present in person during the meeting to explain further development details.
Since Unique Property Solutions is paying for the sewer line extension itself, saving the city that money, Schey stated credits like this help encourage more development in the outlying areas of Vader.
“It’s a pretty standard thing to do,” he added. “... The developer fronts the entire cost, the city pays nothing.”
Additionally, per the credit agreement with the city, the sewer line extension will be built up to city code.
“Our engineers have already reviewed it to ensure they are building it to city standards,” said Schey.
One construction of the new sewer line is completed, the company will dedicate it to the city and the city will officially own it.
Schey also stated while the city was missing out on the initial sewer connection fees, it would only take about six years for the city to recover those fees through regular sewer service billing revenue from the seven new homes.
According to the Lewis County Parcels website, the property has an assessed value of $85,600, and Unique Property Solutions purchased it in July of 2023 for $98,000.
City staff carrying weapons?
With public officials facing a rise of threats of violence nationwide — or acts of retaliatory vandalism including one recently in the neighboring City of Winlock, as previously reported by The Chronicle — Vader city staff recently asked the council about the possibility of allowing them to carry weapons on the job.
“At the last council meeting, some of the employees requested that they be able to carry, either firearms or non-lethal firearm options,” Schey said.
Schey took their request to Vader City Attorney Jennifer Robertson, who advised against city staff carrying lethal weapons.
“One of the examples that the attorney gave was a city that did this and there was an incident, and they were liable for a $6.5 million lawsuit in the end,” Schey said. “The courts did not side with the city, so there’s case law that the courts don’t like this idea.”
Councilors Jason Dailey and Michael Ferguson both concurred with the attorney that arming city employees was too big of a liability.
As for carrying non-lethal self defense options like mace or tasers, Schey was still waiting to hear back from Robertson about those options. Ferguson also suggested purchasing a deescalation course for city staff to complete.
“We hire police officers to do their job. We don’t need to arm our workers,” Ferguson said.
