by Richard Uhlhorn
NEWS UPDATES:
A lot of water has poured over the dam since I last posted news, so here are some quick updates of what has happened in the Valley and what is coming up.
Chelan City Council:
At tonight’s City Council Meeting, the council will be asked to adopt a 1 percent levy lid on 2027 property taxes as allowed by Washington State.
If approved the 1 percent increase will raise approximately $20,000 according to Chelan Finance Direct Heidi Evans.
Seventy five percent of property taxes fund the maintenance of Chelan’s streets and 25% supports the city’s general fund including Parks, Administration/Finance and Community Development activities.
Comprehensive Plan update:
The revises schedule includes:
- Zoning Issues
- Subdivisions
- Wildfire code changes
Of the 34 draft element changes, 26 have been carried forward with one held back. Funding for the Chelan Butte acquisition has been delayed until all five planning commissioners are present to discuss.
The items carried forward changes will appear in the revised plan for a public hearing on February 17, 2027.
The Transpo Element Public Hearing is scheduled for January 20, 2027. Comprehensive recommendations are set for March 17, 2027 with adoption of the plan scheduled no later than June 30, 2027.
Policy LU IV-4
This policy is intended to coordinate wildfire risk reduction during a consultation with Fire District 7, and weigh fire risk when housing or tourist lodging is proposed in high fire risk areas such as Chelan Butte… No concerns were raised.
Policy LU-X3 (Open Space)
This policy intends to explore the preservation of Chelan Butte as a community landmark and open space area, including acquisition from willing sellers in partnership with conservation organizations and outside funding sources. The City has earmarked $500,000 for potential acquisition of the butte property.
Northshore Pathway:
Currently there is no adopted plan for the pathway between Chelan and Manson.
City Parks 2027 wish list:
Chelan Parks & Recreation in conjunction with Finance Director Evans and City Administrator Laura McAloon came up with a Capital Budget & requests for $5,045,000 prioritized for 2027, some of which will be funded through 2% lodging tax funds.
Parks is requesting approval of $5,000 for the Gorge Park ball field conditioning of Rainier Field. The Wenatchee Valley Senior Softball League was asked what improvements they needed to make the park better. the Wenatchee league uses the field for their practice and games and the parks department plans on charging for its use.The $5,000 will be used to increase safety and player surfaces with four to five tons of infield conditioning material.
One hundred thousand dollars has been earmarked for Don Morse Park improvements and design/permitting that will include community input along with cultural resources survey work, playground and pathway improvements, restrooms, and Skatepark plannng.
Councilman Tim Hollingsworth asked if the skatepark work was just an upgrade. “It’s something that has been kicked around quite a lot,” said Hollingsworth. Mayor McCardle added that a $50,000 study was conducted mostly around a skatepark that was then broadened to include more Don Morse Park redesign. She added that the community outreach mostly centered around a skatepark. “More community engagement is needed,” she said.
Golf Course:
Most of the $5 million would go towards replacing the course’s irrigation system, but would also include some new tee boxes, green improvements on 7, 16, and 18 holes and a new driving range configuration. The funding would come from a capital bond. McAloon said, “Heidi and I had a phone call with NW Municipal Advisors about the mechanics of how the city could fund this project using debt, a combination of debt and cash in order to keep our borrowing cost as low as possible.” More information will be forthcoming.
