City of Chewelah

Meeting of the Planning Commission

March 20, 2007

The regular meeting of the City of Chewelah Planning Commission was held with Chairman Tom Bristol presiding.  The meeting was called to order at 7:02 P.M., Thursday, March 20, 2008.  

Roll Call was taken.  In attendance were Doug Sassman, Tom Bristol, Alice Crowley, Paul Sety, Irv Schick, and Paul Davies.  Staff member Tracy Ferrell was in attendance as was Mayor Clancy Bauman.   At 7:05 Daniel Voltz arrived and joined the meeting. 

The Mayor introduced the newest addition to the Planning Commission, Paul Sety.   Tom Bristol noted that he has had the honor of knowing Paul, Daniel Voltz and Kevin Herda when they were kids growing up in Chewelah, and it is a great pleasure to have them serving the City of Chewelah by actively participating in the Planning Commission.    The Mayor reported that the City Administrator, Curt Kelling, and he would be contacting CTED in order to host a Short Course in Planning. 

There were no additions, deletions or changes to be made to the agenda.

The minutes from the February 21, 2007 meeting were reviewed.  Doug Sassman made a motion to approve the minutes as presented.   Bill Davies seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.

There was no public comments made, however, Tom Bristol noted that both Chaz Bates and Curt Kelling would not be attending the meeting this evening.

Tracy Ferrell shared an E-mail communication from Clay White, Stevens County Planning Director.  The e-mail stated that the Order on Invalidity had been lifted as of March 19, 2008.   The information was received by oral order, so the actual date of approval in writing may need to be verified .   Tracy reported that there will be one Annexation request presented at a Public Hearing at the next City Council Meeting and there are a several more applications pending.  

Tom Bristol presented an update on the EVENT that was centered around the creation of a new Theater/Performing Arts Center for Chewelah.   It was a very successful evening and so far the concept seems to be widely accepted.  Special thanks were addressed to Mrs. Sety for her hard work on the production. 

Tracy Ferrell reported that the staff is still working with the Community Assistance Planning Team on their application request.   A conference call was held with Curt, Tracy and the co-chairpersons of the Committee.  It was determined that the assistance that would be provided would more on the level of creating a VISION for the future of Chewelah.   The Planning Commission will continue to be updated on the application process. 

The Mayor presented a proposal to re-organize the terms of the Planning Commission.  It was noted that through the years the positions have been mixed and term dates were lost.   Tracy Ferrell has reviewed the history and based on that Mr. Kelling, the Mayor and Tracy created new terms for all Planning Commission members.   Doug Sassman made a motion to approve the new terms as presented.   Irv Schick seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.

The annual election of officers was held as follows:

Irv Schick made a motion to nominate Tom Bristol as Chairperson.   Doug Sassman seconded the motion.   There were no other nominations.   Roll call was taken.  It was unanimously decided to reappoint Mr. Bristol as Chairperson.

Daniel Voltz made a motion to nominate Irv Schick as the Vice-Chairperson.  Doug Sassman seconded the motion.  Roll call was taken.  It was unanimously decided to reappoint Mr. Schick as Vice-Chairperson.

Daniel Voltz inquired about the Pinebrook decision made at the last Planning Commission meeting.   Mr. Bristol noted that he and Mr. Herda had spoke with Curt Kelling about this.   It was explained to them that the decision for the Comp Plan amendment may come back to the Planning Commission.  However, it is important to follow the Public Participation Plan, so a Public Hearing will be held at the City Council level.   Irv Schick asked for verification of his summary of the issue.  He questioned why anyone wouldn’t want this situation resolved.  Mr. Voltz replied that when the issue was very first presented to the Planning Commission, they were provided with only a part of the information needed and there was a great deal of secrecy involved.  This has made some of the Planning Commissioners wary of the situation. 

There was a question in regards to the mention of a switch in the location of the Little League Fields.   Mr. Bristol explained that the proposal for the Theater/Performing Arts Center includes a revamp of that area that would include a walking path and extension of the park.  The hope is that the Little League Fields may be relocated to the Barbour Court Complex which would provide a large, safer place for the children.  

Tracy Ferrell provided an update on the Airport Committee’s ALP (Airport Layout Plan) review.  They have approved the final draft at a meeting held on Tuesday, March 18.  Tracy will provide copies of the final draft to the Planning Commissioners for review.  A Public Hearing will be held on this project at the next Planning Commission Meeting.  The Airport Committee is also working on acquiring funding to extend the taxiway that lies between the hangars.  They are also working on including specific guidelines in the Hangar Leases that would restrict color and landscaping options.  

There was no further business.  Doug Sassman made a motion to adjourn the meeting.  Daniel Voltz seconded the motion.  The meeting was adjourned at 7:40 P.M.

Respectfully Submitted

__________________________________________    _________________________________________

Tom Bristol, Chairperson                                                            Tracy Ferrell, Administrative Assistant