BINGEN — The Bingen City Council met on March 17 to discuss city business and policy. Topics included the proposed underground cable in the Columbia River, the city’s time capsule, a community support statement, and numerous project updates.
Sargent Garique Clifford gave the council an update on local law enforcement to kick off the meeting. In addition to continuing education and training, the force handled 99 incidents in Bingen, mostly traffic stops, agency assist calls, animal concerns, and citizen assists.
Next up was a discussion with Lance Caputo, a representative of the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC), whose purpose is to analyze a proposed “facility,” a 12-inch underground power cable buried in the Columbia riverbed, to see if it can proceed to the next level of review. Part of the initial analysis is to see if the power cable would have a boundary within the Bingen city limits. The group seeks a representative from Bingen to sit on the review board. Councilor Eric Shroder has temporarily served as the liaison with the group, but the council will soon appoint a permanent representative to join the review board.
City Administrator Krista Loney has been tasked with accumulating the items to be included in Bingen’s time capsule, to be opened in 2124. The council vetted the list and chose the items, just a few of which are a map of Bingen with businesses labelled, photographs of locals, a cell phone, pennies, native seeds, and aerial images of the city, along with many other artifacts. Additional ideas may be submitted through mid-April. In particular, Bingen residents arewelcome to submit a one-page letter to be printed on archival paper. Call Loney at city hall with any questions. Everyone is invited to the time capsule burial at Daubenspeck Park on Saturday, April 18 at 2 p.m. There will be cake.
The council again discussed a potential statement showing community support to its residents. A previous statement of inclusion was issued in 2017, and the council all agreed with its message. However, several councilors supported Dale Grinstead-Mayle’s suggestion to add emphasis on the Fourth Amendment and the importance of due process. The council recognized that the statement would not have legal “teeth,” but would convey a message of support to all Bingen residents along with a feeling of community-building.
Loney then summarized the infrastructure projects afoot in Bingen. The city’s Periodic Commerce Update is in progress, led by Loney and grant funded. Sections 2 and 3 of the East Steuben Waterline are nearing replacement, and the project is in the pre-construction phase. The Wastewater Treatment Plant’s RAS pumps need to be replaced, and the city is negotiating bids. This project is funded by the city’s Engineering Budget. A Lodging Tax Grant is paying for the city's Round-a-Boat project, and Loney’s coordinating its installation with WashDoT, Gorge Maker Space, and CJ Rench. The city needs a Stormwater Plan, and it is in progress, also mostly grant-funded. The State Road 14 Railroad Crossing project, also mostly grant-funded, will kick off soon, then be paused for components to arrive.
The next Bingen City Council meeting is set for Tuesday, April 7, at City Hall.
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