Last modified: Thursday, July 24, 2008 10:50 AM PDT Vale elected board ponders new truck purchase By Katie Pizza Argus Observer Vale — The Vale City Council delved into a League of Oregon Cities questionnaire regarding priorities for the Oregon Legislature in 2009, voted to expand a water line near Jamieson Produce and decided to analyze the cost of a new, but used, truck for the public works department at its regular meeting Tuesday. “Check what you think are the most important issues, and we can talk about it at the next council meeting,” Vale Mayor Bill Lawrence said regarding the questionnaire. The questionnaire listed issues such as community development, general government telecommunications and city water and wastewater. “This is just raw data at the lowest form of government,” Lawrence said. Lawrence said he did not know how the data would be tallied or how the League of Oregon Cities would weigh smaller cities such as Vale, Nyssa and Ontario against larger cities such as Salem and Portland. “I just know we have a chance to list our top four issues,” he said. The council also voted to help fund an expanded water line near Jamieson Produce, situated at 465 Hope St. The 6-inch water line, slated to go into a new packing shed on the property, was originally planned to enter the shed at a 90 degree angle and feed only into that area. However, Vale Public Works Committee members decided it would help the city expand in the future if Vale installed an 8-inch line and allowed water to flow using a cross joint with four exit points rather than just one, which would increase the pipe’s future capacity. “Based on what the public works committee wanted to have happen, they would have the city pay the difference between the 6-and 8-inch pipe,” Vale City Councilman Brian Zanotelli said. City attorney Larry Sullivan said the motion should include a maximum amount the city would pay for the pipe. “I don’t have an exact figure,” Zanotelli said. “But I don’t think anyone is going to be using gold-plated pipes.” The council voted to contribute no more than $4,000 to the project. Lawrence said the issue could be revisited if that number proved to be too small. The council also voted to analyze the cost of purchasing a used truck to replace a public works vehicle that has been in use since the 1980s. Zanotelli said the Vale Public Works Committee had discovered a white 1998 Ford F-150 pickup advertised for $8,500. However, he said he was unsure if the city should purchase that vehicle before it determined if buying a new truck would be less expensive because of less repairs. A new truck, he said, would be more expensive but would not have any mileage on it. Council member Kim Speelman also expressed concern about the mileage already on the 1998 truck — 115,217. “That just seems like a lot of miles to me,” she said. The council ultimately voted to spend no more than $8,500 on a vehicle. Its decision, however, would hinge on whether or not Vale City Manager Brent Barton, who is currently on vacation, determined the used vehicle purchase to be more cost-effective than purchasing a new one. In other council news: — The council voted to approve the first reading of an ordinance which sets fencing requirements around wrecking yards to be no less than 6 feet tall. Another change in the ordinance, which was enacted in 1939, according to Sullivan, is that the fences no longer have to be made of wood. “There are now building materials other than wood that are suitable for wrecking yards,” he said. The council will have the second reading of the document at their next meeting, slated for August 12. — The council also discussed the issue of debris such as a couch, carpet, and a coffee table accumulating at the local brush pit. Lawrence said the area was intended as a place to dispose of organic debris such as tree limbs and grass clippings. “We’ve left it open this year and people are abusing it,” Lawrence said. Councilmembers agreed that the facility should now remain locked, with interested parties able to obtain a key to the premises through city staff. — Speelman updated councilmembers on the new skate park, which she said was nearing completion. A skateboard competition will be held at the site, situated near the Vale Swimming Pool at 316 E Main Street S, on Aug. 22nd to raise funds for the skate park’s maintenance.