[Vision2020] Sojourners' looks for help from Council

[Moscow Cares]

Courtesy of today's (June 28, 2016) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

---------------------------------
Sojourners' looks for help from Council
Downtown business owners in favor of public restroom
Steve Bonnar, executive director of Sojourners' Alliance, is looking for $125,000 to keep the group's transitional housing facility functioning without laying off workers.
Bonnar asked the Moscow City Council's Public Works/Finance Committee for $10,000 Monday.
He said he has been asking businesses that have helped support Sojourners' Alliance for additional funding so it can reopen as soon as possible after it closes Sept. 1, but it has no commitments from anyone yet.
There is $25,000 in the legislative reserve - money saved for unforeseen funding issues - that the City Council can explore making available to Sojourners', according to city officials.
City Councilor Art Bettge said the City Council will revisit the request during its July 18 meeting in hopes that Bonnar can explain better how he reached the $10,000 requested amount.
Sojourners' Alliance lost a $100,000 grant it was expecting June 1, when the federal government suddenly changed the rules on what kind of housing programs for the homeless would be funded.
Dwight Curtis, parks and recreation director, presented alternatives for moving ahead with a rebid for downtown public restroom Monday. The City Council rejected bids on the project April 4 as too expensive.
On July 5, the City Council is expected to discuss his three primary options: rebid after modifying the existing design by Design West Architects to obtain better bids; seek bids on a similar modular unit; or delay the project.
Downtown business owners told the committee Monday they support a downtown public restroom. They said that Farmers Market hours appear to be when most people - many of them not customers - use the restrooms of downtown businesses.
Louise Todd, one of the owners at Mikey's Greek Gyros, said about 10 people are lined up outside her store on Saturday morning waiting to use the restroom.
Brandi Sullivan, one of the owners of One World Cafe, estimated that 100 people use the toilets at her coffee shop during the Farmers Market. She said many use One World's restrooms during its early and late business hours too because other businesses are closed.
She said she does not want to deny people water or restroom use, but the costs do add up.
Jacob Moya, facilities manager at New Saint Andrews College, said the college would continue to allow marketgoers to use its restrooms even if a public restroom were built.
---------------------------------

The city council will not revisit Sojourners' request until July 18th?

Isn't there a Moscow City Council session on July 5th?  There sure as hell is.

Things must be gettin' real cluttered under the city rug, huh?

Wasn't the Downtown Restroom Bid Award (a project that would cost the city $170,000) rejected by a council vote of 5-1 back on April 4th?

Yep.  Sure was . . .

http://www.moscowcares.com/040416_08_DowntownRestroomBidAward.htm

Stay tuned, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
http://www.MoscowCares.com
  
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20160628/19f9d92c/attachment.html>