The Lewiston City Council failed to pass a resolution supporting keeping the Snake River dams at its Monday meeting and voted to move forward with a new fire station.
The motion on the dam resolution came after presentations both for and against removal of the dams, and a public forum to hear from citizens regarding the resolution. Those speaking in favor of breaching the Snake River dams have concerns about the impact the dams have on salmon and steelhead populations. Advocates for maintaining the dams worry about the impact removal would have on area farming, business and hydropower generation. Most of the meeting’s public comment period Monday featured several people speaking either in favor of or in opposition to the resolution of the dams.
Councilor Rick Tousley first made a motion to table the resolution, which then was voted on three to three. Mayor Dan Johnson, who can vote as a tiebreaker, declined to vote in this case.
A motion was then made by Councilor Hannah Liedkie to approve the resolution, which was seconded by Councilor Luke Blount.
“I believe that fish and dams can coexist,” Liedkie said. “I have to stand up for my city and this is one way of doing so.”
Councilor Kassee Forsmann said she wasn’t ready to make a decision on the dams because it’s always changing. Councilor Kathy Schroeder and Tousley both said they wouldn’t support the motion because it wasn’t the role of the city to decide the issue.
“I don’t see any reason the city council should be determining this,” Schroeder said. “I am in support of keeping the dams and keeping the salmon.”
The motion failed with a vote of four to two, with Liedkie and Blount supporting the resolution.
The council also approved the next phase in construction of a fire station at the intersection of Bryden Avenue and Fifth Street at a cost of $6.9 million.
Gary Peters, who is on the board of the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport, spoke during public comment about the building of the new fire station. At the city council’s work session last week he proposed leasing land at the airport for a new fire station.
Tousley asked about the property Peters suggested, and Lewiston Fire Chief Travis Myklebust said work at the Bryden location has begun, and $550,000 has already been spent on that project. He also said the airport location suggested by Peters wouldn’t work for response times, which is why Bryden is a better location.
“Seconds means minutes of lives,” Myklebust said, adding that the ideal location for a fire station would increase the safety of the firemen and the citizens.
Myklebust shared his frustration with the city council on the project. “I have other things I need to do in my department, but I can’t because I’m spending time on this,” he said. “Once again, for me, I wish this conversation came up three months ago or five years ago.”
Myklebust also showed the council a diagram and video explaining a traffic system that would be included to clear traffic for emergency response vehicles when leaving the fire station. Forsmann thanked him for explaining the traffic system as she and others had questions concerning traffic congestion.
Schroeder made a motion to approve the next phase of construction, which was seconded by Councilor Jim Kleeburg. “I am in total support that we move forward with this and this (the Bryden Avenue and Fifth Street) location,” Schroeder said.
Liedkie questioned where the money for the project was coming from and therefore decided not to support the motion. Blount also had concerns over potential traffic issues and didn’t support the motion.
The motion was passed on a four-to-two vote, with Liedkie and Blount voting against.
“I don’t want to kick the can,” Tousley said. “I don’t know how much more information we need to get.”
