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~May 2011 Newsletter~
Calendar of Events…
May 3 - Ambulance Meeting 6:00 p.m. - Ambulance Bldg.
May 6 - Chamber of Commmerce Noon - Eclair's
May 10 - Park and Rec. Meeting 7:00 p.m. - Council Chambers
May 10 - Senior Pinochle - Tekoa Community Church
May 11 - Tekoa Fair Association 7:30 p.m. - Jaycee Club
May 16 - City Council Meeting 7:00 p.m. - Council Chambers
May 24 - School Board Meeting 7:00 p.m. - District Board Room
May 24 - Senior Pinochle - Tekoa Community Church
May 26 - Distribute Commodities 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. - City Hall
May 30 - Ambulance Board Meeting 7:00 p.m. - Ambulance Bldg.
*Notices*
~City Hall will be closed on Monday, May 30, in observance of Memorial Day. Garbage pick up will be on Thursday, June 2.
~Please be aware of peddlers going door-to-door. For example, people selling fruit, meat,
vacuum cleaners, or paving driveways or putting up gutters. If they come to your door, be
sure to ask to see the permit that is required before they are allowed to sell anything. The City
will call the Better Business Bureau to find out if they are reputable when we issue the permit.
If they come to your door when City Hall is closed,
you can call Mayor John Jaeger at 284-2345.
~Tekoa Parks and Recreation is hiring life guards for the pool this summer. If you are
interested, please call Amie Eaton at 284-2382.
~Seniors 65 and older--- If you are in need of assistance with your city utility bill, you can
drop off a simple request for help at City Hall. Grants are limited to one, one month’s bill,
per household, per year.
~Feral Cat Solutions: Trap, neuter and return program of the Humane Society of the Palouse
in Moscow, Idaho. SPAY/NEUTER CLINIC: June 26. For feral (wild) and barn cats ONLY.
No house cats allowed. Cost is $30 per cat. Includes Spay/neuter, FeLV/FIV test,
FVRCP/rabies vaccines, & ear tipping for identification. Advanced reservations necessary.
Email hsopfcs@gmail.com or call 509-334-7099.
~Rest stop donations are needed! With summer approaching, extra toilet tissue and cleaning
supplies will be needed. You can deposit any donation amount to American West Bank in
Tekoa. Thank you for your help!!
~Tekoa Library News: A large crowd came to Tekoa Library on Wednesday, April 13, to
hear scientist Dick Pugh discuss meteorites found locally and around the world. He brought
valuable samples for the attendees to handle and fielded lots of questions. There were also
several people who brought in their own samples of rock to be identified. Many in attendance
expressed their appreciation to Mr. Pugh and his colleagues for a wonderful presentation.
Summer is fast approaching, which means our summer reading program is just around the
corner. Volunteers are needed to help with the kids and their projects, so if you have an hour
free on Thursday mornings and would like to help, please let librarian Patti Gatherer know.
Teens and adults are also encouraged to sign up for our summer reading program. Prizes will
be drawn for readers of all ages throughout the program.
~Tekoa Empire Theatre News: Friday, May 13, is the first “Annual Spring Fling: Music,
Wine, Delectables and Dessert” an evening of music (this year, instrumental and vocal jazz)
partnered with “Hospitality” The evening will start at 6 p.m. at Café Artisan with a selection
of yummy small hors d’oeuvres/tapas and a cash wine bar, followed by music at 7:30 p.m. in
the Tekoa Empire Theatre. Dessert will be available during intermission. A selection of delectables
will be prepared by Café Artisan.
~The first set of music will feature instrumental jazz by HRC Trio. The trio is led by Dave
Hagelganz, WSU faculty member and internationally recognized tenor saxophone player.
He will be joined by Troy Robley, professional and touring bass player and Joe Covill,
drummer extraordinaire. HRC Trio will be joined in the second set by Patricia Wichmann,
vocals; Jacey Headley, flute; Jeffery DeGon, trumpet and percussion; Michael Conklin,
tenor saxophone; and Carol Wichmann, piano, for a set of vocal jazz to close the evening.
~A $17 advance ticket buys pre-show food at Café Artisan and admission to the concert.
Wine will be available for an additional cash purchase at Café Artisan before the show.
Desserts will be available for purchase in the theatre lobby during intermission. Tickets for
music only are as follows: adults $10, students $5, children 12-and-under by donation.
~Messages from the Mayor~
I mentioned last month that watching spring sports (baseball, softball and track) was often
miserable because of our traditionally cold spring. Well, it’s no different this month!! I am
cold writing this newsletter, in part, because Kynda doesn’t believe in wasting electricity to
keep City Hall warm!!
As of May 1, it appears the city will take over the management of the Jaycee Club building.
There have been discussions as to the future of the building; your comments are welcomed.
It took a little longer to fill the dumpster that the council brought to town, thinking that people
would use it as they began their spring clean-up. The weather sure didn’t cooperate, and for a
while I was worried it wouldn’t get filled before the day Empire Disposal hauled it off to the
county landfill.
Dave Tysz will be meeting with Whitman County’s recycling coordinator to determine how
we will begin our recycling efforts. As you know, our plans are to use the old city shop (north
of The Feeding Station) as a site for this endeavor.
The council is planning a workshop meeting on May 2, to review ordinances that deal with
junk cars, un-kept vacant lots, and yards that are not maintained, which are often full of
unsightly debris. Visitors are always welcome!
The drilling of the well across from city hall has been completed, so the taste/smell of your
drinking water will no doubt improve. We have been using the ‘south well’ exclusively since
drilling began several weeks ago, so all could experience water from the well with the
reputation those living on the west side of town know all too well.
The council approved of a planning grant to study the possibilities of expanding our airport.
We are required to pay 10% of the cost of this grant. The main goal of this grant is to
determine the feasibility of extending a runway across the state line into Idaho, so larger
planes could make use of the airport.
I will end my newsletter with information about our Slippery Gulch Celebration day. First, I
want to remind people that we finance all of the activities through the purchase of T-shirts,
raffle tickets and duck tickets. So, when you buy any of these items, you are helping to
finance the fishing derby, kids’ games, kiddie parade, photo contest, and the idol contest!
Slippery Gulch also provides $1200.00 to help build our communities float. Speaking of our
t-shirt, the picture this year will include the “Welcome to Tekoa” rock. However, we are
looking for an aerial view of Tekoa that would show both Little Hangman Creek and
Hangman Creek. If you have such a photo, please let me know!!
Enough already~
John Jaeger
Mayor
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