September 2011 Calendar of Events…
September 6 - First Day of School
September 6 - City Council Meeting 7:00 p.m. - Council Chambers
September 6 - Ambulance Meeting 6:00 p.m. - Ambulance Building
September 9 - Chamber Meeting Noon - Feeding Station
September 13 - Park and Rec Meeting 7:00: p.m. - Council Chambers
September 13 - Senior Pinochle - Tekoa Community Church
September 14 - Tekoa Fair Association
September 19 - City Council Meeting 7:00 p.m. - Council Chambers
September 26 - Ambulance Board Meeting 7:00 - Ambulance Building
September 27 - Senior Pinochle - Tekoa Community Church
September 27 - School Board Meeting 7:00 p.m. - District Board Room
September 29 - Distribute Commodities 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. - City Hall
~City Notices~
~City Hall will be closed on Monday, September 5, for Labor Day.
GARBAGE WILL BE PICKED UP ON THURSDAY DUE TO THE HOLIDAY.
~ A car key was found on S. Crosby Street, it can be claimed at City Hall.
~For after hours WATER-related emergencies, please contact Rob Brownfield at 284-2804.
~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 payment of one month’s bill, per household, per year.
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Feral Cat Solutions: Trap, neuter and return program of the Humane Society of the Palouse in Moscow, Idaho. SPAY/NEUTER CLINIC: October 16. Last Clinic for 2011.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.
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TIRE AMNESTY DAY! Saturday, October 1, 2011. Pre-registration is required at City Hall. Deadline for registration is September 29. This is a FREE service. Whitman County residential car tires only.
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Whitman County Fall Clean Up Week! Monday, October 3, through Saturday, October 8.
$35.00 per ton, ($15.00 minimum) NO commercial or business haulers,
RESIDENTIAL WASTE ONLY!! Self haul to Whitman County Landfill and Transfer Station.
Phone (509)-334-2400.Hours: Mon – Sat 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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Empire Theatre News
~EMPIRE THEATRE WILL HOST MARIMBA ENSEMBLE~
The Sesitshaya Marimba Band from Moscow will perform at the Tekoa Empire Theatre on
Saturday, September 17, at 7 p.m. The ensemble includes marimbas of all sizes and tones to provide a powerful and harmonic musical experience, combining traditional African and contemporary American melodies and rhythms. Prices are adults $10, students $5,
and 12-and-under free with adult. If you would like to be on our "e mail reminder list" for the performances, please send an e mail to morgan@colfax.com, or call us at
509-284-2000 and leave a message. You can also find us on FACEBOOK.
~Tekoa Library News~
Congratulations to our Teen/Adult Summer Readers! We had 23 people who signed up,
and 13 completed. Our drawing winners are Rhys Kimball-St. John Boat Race Ticket,
Holly Williams – Kate’s Hair and Tanning Salon Certificate, and Claudia Heaton won the 2 passes to Silverwood Theme Park. Great job readers! A BIG thank you to all the wonderful businesses here in Tekoa who sponsored our program this year.
You are the reason we can do what we do!
Tekoa Library is planning an upgrade to the electrical wiring in the building with some fundraising projects. Public computing is popular in the library, with uses 4,200 times more than last year. The library is unable to add additional computer or Wi-Fi work stations because of the electrical limitations of the building. Your tax-deductible donation to the wiring project is a great way to support your library. Help us raise the $2,000.00 which is the amount still needed for this $3,000.00 project. More information will follow on how we will be fundraising.Story time hour for babies and pre-schoolers starts September 8, at 1:00 p.m. Come in for reading fun and crafts every Thursday afternoon. “Like” us on FACEBOOK. We post new ideas and happenings on our page and welcome any comments or suggestions you may have for the library.
Volunteer in Focus
by Kathy Hutton
A few years ago the Tekoa Chamber of Commerce purchased and placed the “Tekoa Rock” at the entrance to our community. Since that time Cheri Currier has volunteered her time to design and plant the beautiful garden that surrounds the rock. Cheri drew up a landscape design. The Tekoa Chamber of Commerce paid for the plant material, I and Cheri took it from there. She brought in soil to build berms and rock to edge the garden. Cheri planted the garden and watered it regularly by hand to get it established. The biggest commitment was yet to come. Cheri with help from her husband Jay and Monte Morgan have maintained the landscape. Maintenance is always one of the biggest challenges with a project like this. Weeding, watering, pruning, etc. require a lot of time and hard work. I think we can all agree that the garden has become a focal point of our community. I have seen many people stopping
to get their picture taken in front of the “Tekoa Rock.” Take a moment to enjoy the lovely garden that Cheri created to enhance our community and
PLEASE GIVE HER THANKS!!
~Messages from the Mayor~
We finally have harvest underway, with sunny/warm weather in the 10-day forecast. My guess is that our area farmers do not want a September rain for at least a little while.
It took most of the summer, but it now appears our water project is well underway. The new well is close to operable; a new water line from our reservoir to the Catholic Church is in place, so now we can watch contractors replace the roof on the reservoir.
This isn’t the time to simply watch projects being completed however. There are some funds available for reconstruction of city roads and sidewalks. We have applied for funding for three new projects as follows:
1) Sidewalks north of Crosby Street to Ruhl Park and west to connect with existing sidewalks on Washington Street. This project will also reconstruct Alder Street from Washington to Crosby Street. The city’s portion of this project is $9,662.00.
2) Reconstruct Warren Street (by the Grade School from Crosby Street to the pool).
There will be sidewalks on both sides of Warren Street. Our cost is $25,800.00.
3) Sidewalks on Water Street (Westside) from about Currier’s house to the bridge and then across Highway 27 to Line Street. Our cost will be $11,325.00.
The three projects were submitted to the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) for
approval. If accepted, TIB will pay 95% of the cost; the city will pay the remaining 5%. TIB
funds come from gas tax.
We are also preparing a grant to lay new sewer lines in places we believe are so porous that ground water leaks into the line and thus through our treatment plant. If this grant is approved, it will cover 100% of the cost!
All this keeps our Clerk/Treasurer Kynda Browning very busy with all the paperwork!
The council proposed an Ordinance limiting the number of dogs per household to three!!
Those owners who currently have more will be “grandfathered” in, as long as they are licensed. As usual, easily half of my calls from townspeople are complaints about dogs barking and running loose. Please, call City Hall at 284-3861 during the day, and either Mike Bogenreif or me at night so action can be taken immediately, which is more effective. When we issue a citation, and the dog owner goes to court, the judge requires proof of the dog running loose (pictures or eye-witnesses) and either a recording or witnesses to the continuous barking. Those witnesses should be city employees or yours truly!!
The council has decided, after long deliberation, to cut our street levy from $50,000.00 to $25,000.00 for next year. Our plan is to use monies from the general fund to cover street
expenses, such as street lights. This may be a one-year plan, as we still are looking at
chip-sealing gravel roads, depending on sufficient funds in the general fund.
Well, it’s either water, sewer or dogs; my page is full. One final thought. The possibility of the city acquiring railroad property within our city limits is becoming more of a reality. The big question will be……. At what cost?
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