Newsbriefs

Microtel construction delayed by COVID

A “microtel,” or small hotel, to be built along Midway Avenue near Pepper Jack’s Bar & Grille, is delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

With construction originally intended to begin around November, co-owner Bill Stevens told The Star in an email that there are delays related to COVID. “We are on stand by till this pandemic gets figured out,” he said.

Not ready for a stand

Coulee Dam may yet add another business to town once it gets through discovering new hurdles to licensing a proposed coffee stand with a lease of city property.

Kasey Garvin attended the city council meeting Wednesday as her proposal was discussed again, this time apparently regarding a spot on Roosevelt Drive in front of Harvest Foods.

The city’s risk management company wants to make sure that the spacing is OK traffic-wise, and they’ve “strongly recommended” getting a traffic engineer to look at the spot.

Garvin says her stand would take up only five of some 22 parking spots available and leave plenty of parking and driving room.

Councilmember Dale Rey, her father, recused himself from the discussion.

Animal control

Just when council members Fred Netzel and Dale Rey thought they had exhausted research avenues in the drafting of an update for the town’s animal ordinance, more questions arose on wording around “potentially dangerous” and “dangerous” dogs and a suggested annual licensing requirement.

The committee will work on it and report at the next meeting.

New planning group to meet

The Electric City Planning Commission will hold a public workshop on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. at on Zoom to kick off a process to review and revise the city’s Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Code (Title 18 Electric City Municipal Code) and other implementing regulations. The workshop will give an overview of the update process, existing plan and regulations, solicit comments from the public on land use-related issues, and establish a “docket” of potential amendments to review during 2021.