The White Salmon Swimming Pool is selling promotional banners to local businesses and season passes and punch cards to pool patrons for the 2017 season at a pre-season 10% discount.
The discount will apply to all banners, passes, and punch cards purchased before May 31.
“As the manager of the White Salmon City Pool, I am in direct contact with our patrons,” wrote pool manager Lisa Vargas last December. “I believe by giving this discount we would increase our banner sales as well as the number of season passes and punch cards sold.”
She added, “This discount would give more businesses and families the opportunity to support our pool.”
The City Council agreed with Vargas’ recommendations and approved the early-purchase discount for banners, passes, and punch cards.
Instead of $175, a banner hung at the pool before the season starts will cost $157.50. “This is after the business had had their banner printed and brought to the pool,” Vargas noted in her policy memo to the council dated Dec. 7, 2016. “With the discount, we would still be receiving $157.50 per banner.”
Vargas hopes the new policy will entice businesses that did not renew their banners last year, because the city did not offer a mid-season discount, to return for the 2017 season.
Pool staff also received many requests for season pass discounts on family passes.
A family season pass for up to four family members cost $315 for city residents and $345 for non-residents. The 10% discount approved by the council lowered the prices to $283.50 for residents and $310.50 for non-residents.
The cost of an individual pass now costs $94.50 for residents, instead of $105, and $103.50 for non-residents, down from $115.
Punch cards went from $30 to $27 for residents, and from $35 to $31.50 for non-residents., “which works out to be, buy 10 swims and get the eleventh free,” Vargas said.
White Salmon has revised its traffic ordinance regarding stopping, standing, and parking to allow city police officers to cite and/or tow vehicles left or abandoned within driving lanes of city streets or in city-owned public carparks. The issue of abandoned vehicles arose during the winter storms the city endured this season.
The ordinance states that “the City feels that the changes to the code are necessary to ensure the city can remove vehicles left or abandoned in the roadway for safety reasons.”
The amendments were added to Sections C and D of Chapter 10.24.010 of the White Salmon Municipal Code.
The City Council approved the addition of subsections 9 and 10 to Section C, “Parking a vehicle, meaning allowing a vehicle to stand unattended for more than ten minutes.” Subsection 9 prohibits parking “within the driving lanes of any roadway,” and subsection 10 prohibits parking “over 72 hours in any public parking lot.” That’s an increase of 24 hours in the grace period
The amendment of Section D added the following: “In addition, any vehicle in violation of this section is subject to being towed and impounded at owner’s expense. See WSMC 10.40.030 for contesting towing and impoundment charges.”
Police Chief Tracy Wyckoff said, when police come across an abandoned vehicle in the roadway or a city carpark, they do everything in their power to locate and notify the vehicle’s owner
Prior to the revisions, “There was nothing on the books to address it. This gives police a tool to tow vehicles, if necessary,” Wyckoff said.

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