October 2011 Calendar of Events…
OCTOBER 3 - City Council Meeting 7:00 p.m. - Council Chambers
OCTOBER 4 - Ambulance Meeting 6:00 p.m. - Ambulance Bldg.
OCTOBER 7 - Chamber Meeting 12:00 Noon - C&D's
OCTOBER 11 - Park and Rec Meeting 7:00 p.m. - Council Chambers
OCTOBER 11 - Senior Pinochle - Tekoa Community Church
OCTOBER 12 - Tekoa Fair Association
OCTOBER 17 - City Council Meeting 7:00 p.m. - Council Chambers
OCTOBER 25 - Senior Pinochle - Tekoa Community Church
OCTOBER 25 - School Board Meeting 7:00 p.m. - District Board Room
OCTOBER 27 - Distribute Commodities 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. - City Hall
OCTOBER 31 - Ambulance Board Meeting 7:00 p.m. - Ambulance Bldg.
~City Notices~
~ City Hall still has the unclaimed car key that was found on S. Crosby St.
~For after hours WATER-related emergencies, please contact Rob Brownfield at 284-2804.
~ If you are a landlord who has an available rental, please let City Hall know, because we get a lot of inquiries for available places to rent in town. Thank you!
~Meters will be read for the last time this year on October 20, 21 and 24. Please be sure to insulate the meter boxes for winter to prevent freezing and breakage.
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~Tekoa Library News~
Tekoa Library is starting a Third Thursday Club at 4:00 p.m. for kids of all ages. We’ll have snacks, crafts and laughs each month for kids to enjoy. Kids, bring in your creativity and smiles and have fun.
Tekoa Library will soon be adding more computers and laptop work stations for our patrons’
electronic needs. Keep checking back to see our improvements and progress.
Great news for our Kindle user patrons! Overdrive and Kindle have reached an agreement,
and you will now be able to download ebooks with your library card. Feel free to contact
Librarian Patti (284-3121) if you have any questions or need assistance with downloads.
Story time is also in full swing again every Thursday at 1:00 p.m. for preschool and younger aged children. Bring your kids in, listen to a fun story, and work on some exciting crafts.
~Empire Theatre News~
TUXEDO JUNCTION BAND COMING TO THE TEKOA EMPIRE THEATRE
SATURDAY, OCTOBER, 22, AT 7:00 P.M.
Adults $12.00, Students Grades (7-12) $5.00
12 and under FREE with Adult (donation appreciated)
~Tuxedo Junction Band is heralded as the Best Band in the Inland Empire. This fantastic band is made of an all-star cast of musicians and vocalists from the Coeur d’ Alene – Spokane areas. Its music ranges from the Golden Era of the Big Bands to the new standards of today. This
performance has everything from Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Duke Ellington to waltzes. The Big Band is a thrill for all! Their sound consists of strong soloists and solid ensemble playing making this a truly entertaining experience.
www.tuxedojunction.com
~For information please call 509-284-2000 and leave a message. You can also find us on Facebook and www.orgsites.com/wa/empiretheatre-tekoa
A new website will be up and running the first of October! www.tekoaempiretheatre.com ~The Town of Fairfield is looking for vendors for their Old Fashioned Christmas Gift Bazaar. It will be held on December 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you are interested, you can get applications and information at Tekoa City Hall.
Volunteer in Focus
by Kathy Hutton
A wonderful addition to our community has been the Tekoa Rest Area. The restroom facility and the landscaped grounds are used by local citizens and many visitors to our area. Maintaining this facility is a lot of work, and it is all done with volunteer labor. Jerry and Mary Heitt head up the team of volunteers. They spend many hours keeping the Rest Area open and make it beautiful place for visitors to stop and take a break. Barbara Huff and Don Heitt help with cleaning and maintenance of the facility; Helmut and Linda Schatz help with the landscape; and Jack Bowman maintains the lawn. The facility is financed solely by donations of time and money. There is a bank account at American West Bank. Please consider giving a donation to the Tekoa Rest Area account. Monetary donations are used to help maintain the facility and buy supplies. Thanks to a great group of volunteers, our town has an oasis to welcome visitors and residents instead of an empty lot.
PLEASE GIVE THEM THANKS!!!
~Messages from the Mayor~
First, summer felt like spring; now fall feels like summer!! Who is to know? Items from our last two council meetings included a variety of topics.
We have again contracted with the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement
service for the next two years. Our contract is similar to the one signed in 2009, except for a
1% increase in each of the two years covered in the contract.
The Council has also contracted with Zach Lanham as our building inspector at a monthly salary of $500.00. Included in our agreement with Mr. Lanham is the following:
1) There will be week day inspections only. If needed on a weekend,there will be a fee required from the permit owner.
2) Mr. Lanham must be given 48 hours notice for inspections.
Also passed by the council was a proposal to make permits good for only one year. Anyone who has a permit now can re-apply at no cost. A fine was also instituted for those who fail to apply for a permit prior to beginning a project requiring a city permit. This fine will not be levied until 2012, so we can properly inform citizens of what requires a permit.
Be aware people who go door-to-door selling items such as fruit, meat, books, paving, etc. need a peddlers permit from the city. The cost is minimal, but it gives our office an opportunity to check with the Better Business Bureau to determine if the peddlers are, indeed, legitimate
and professional. This isn’t fool-proof but at least there is some effort to protect you from shoddy products and/or work.
We have heard from the railroad concerning the purchase of railroad property within the city limits. The Council believes the amount requested by the Union Pacific Railroad is too high, so negotiations are now under way!!
The Council is now working on revising several ordinances. One has to do with parking boats, trailers, campers, etc. on city streets. We now have a moratorium on enforcing code 3.04.070 until the council studies the ordinances and makes a decision on enforcement or revision. Now, such items mentioned can be parked on city streets for no more than 48
hours!! Another ordinance under study is the one that defines a ‘junk’ vehicle. We are also considering an ordinance that requires any vehicle parked on a city street to be operable.
The Council agreed to spend up to $3,234.00 on upgrading our library’s electrical system to allow for more outlets for computer and Internet usage.
We have a dilemma concerning our re-cycling dumpsters. Paper and cardboard that is collected in these dumpsters cannot be wet!! Having tarps covering the dumpsters doesn’t appear to be an option. Anyone have ideas?
That’s all for now. Enjoy the rest of our Indian summer.
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