At their Feb. 28 workshop the Richland City Council will consider the increased cost of building the Badger Mountain South fire station 76 and possible improvements to the city’s snow and ice removal service. An Energy Northwest representative will discuss a nuclear energy study that the city helped fund in November. Finally, the city council will have a 30-minute, secret executive session to discuss current or potential litigation.

“This meeting will be broadcast live on CityView Channel 192 on the City’s website and on the City’s YouTube Channel,” according to the agenda.

Badger Mountain South fire station 76

The city may have to down-size Badger Mountain South fire station 76 due to the increase in costs since the original 2020 estimate. Deputy City Manager Joe Schiessl and Parks and Public Facilities Director Laura Hester will explain the cost of the project under different scenarios. To save money the project could have one less fire truck bay, lower-end doors, and no community room. The packet with the agenda has details.

Snow and ice removal

Snow and ice removal aren’t services that can be funded with grants from the state or other third-party resources, according to the presentation summary in the meeting packet.  Some residents have demanded better service. Public Works Director Pete Rogalsky will present some possible “enhancements” to current resources.

Energy Northwest advanced reactor considerations

Energy Northwest has been promoting small modular reactors to provide clean energy.  In November, the city contributed $100,000 to a study to “explore the costs, risks and benefits of a new nuclear power generation project.” A representative of Energy Northwest will discuss the findings with the council.

The city council will have an executive session to discuss with the city attorney current and potential litigation.