Palouse outlines terms for water service

State Department of Health (DOH) officials drove to Palouse Dec. 4 in response to a complaint from resident Jim Farr that the city isn’t providing water service.

Farr has been in an ongoing dispute with the city over how to extend water lines on property in Breeding’s Addition. His friend, Nicole Wood, owns part of the property in the addition.

In a two-hour discussion at city hall on Dec. 4 between city staff and council, the DOH, and Palouse citizens, the DOH hashed out the precise guidelines relating to Wood’s property.

Farr declined to attend the meeting, but told the DOH he was sending a representative, John Eastburn.

Eastburn has an agreement with Wood to eventually buy and develop property in Breeding’s Addition.

Eastburn attended the meeting but said he was not representing Farr. He said nothing when shown the e-mail DOH sent to Palouse saying Farr wanted Eastburn to represent him.

City councilman Andy O’Neill said he wanted the DOH to come because in the mass of e-mails between Farr, Palouse and the DOH in the previous months, there may have been some miscommunications. With the DOH there, the city can set the record straight, he said.

Two representatives from the DOH told the audience, (about 10 residents and city staff) that Palouse has over 500 active water connections. This was stated in response to Farr’s complaint that Palouse won’t provide water service.

Regional DOH engineer Tom Justus explained the DOH does not have its own overarching water or sewer regulations which Palouse must follow.

Instead, Palouse must follow its own Palouse guidelines, which the DOH can then enforce.

According to Palouse guidelines on water, the DOH said, any developer looking for water service must pay for extension of the service to their development.

The majority of the meeting time centered around two pipelines proposed for Breedings Addition by Farr and Eastburn.

The city, the DOH and Eastburn discussed the two pipelines and came to a conclusion.

It was decided the proposed engineering fee of $2,000 to build the first major water line into the development will be paid by the city. The engineering plan must be approved by the DOH.

If Eastburn goes ahead and buys the property from Wood, he must pay for the construction of the actual line, DOH determined.

The second pipe leads off into Wood’s property on the development. Eastburn would be required to pay engineering and construction costs to build that second pipe. Both pipes would be deeded to the city.

The city agreed to pay for the engineering of the first pipe, said city clerk Joyce Beeson, but only if they receive, in writing, an agreement from Eastburn that he will follow up with construction.

The city doesn’t want to pay for engineering if Eastburn doesn’t follow up. with construction, Beeson said.

Eastburn said at the conclusion of the meeting that he was satisfied.

“I think it’s fair. It gets everybody on the same page,” he said.

After the meeting, he said he was going over to Farr’s house to report on the meeting.

Justus also told O’Neill that Palouse needs to turn in an updated water plan to the DOH. Beeson produced a 1997 city water plan, but Justus said they needed an updated plan.

They said the state department of commerce provides grants of $35,000 to help a city develop a water plan. Beeson and O’Neill both said they thought the city needed a new plan.

Eastburn could not yet say if he would agree to construct the first main pipe. Calls to Farr’s residence on Dec. 15 were not answered.