The Yakima City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers; public hearings followed after 6:00 p.m. Mayor Patricia Byers presided, with Assistant Mayor Matt Brown and Councilmembers Reedy Berg, Janice Deccio, Rick Glenn, Danny Herrera, and Leo Roy present. The meeting was held in person, livestreamed, and available via Zoom, and Spanish interpreter services were announced. The Council approved a consent calendar, two public hearings, two FAA grant resolutions, and took separate action on the Yakima Valley Trolley and Flock Safety items. The meeting adjourned at 7:13 p.m., with the next regular meeting set for September 2, 2025, at 5:30 p.m.
And NEPA need to be done. Those are environmental impact studies that gives notice and gets permission from all landowners. It requires a critical areas review and a cultural resource assessment. The two three, the three cost of a project is that in 2024, they said there was a cost of five million dollars per mile. That's for four just for the four miles to going to SELA. That's 20 million dollars. I don't know where that money's coming from. Walking the old trolley line, I would encourage you to do that. There are numerous rockfalls area that have covered the track and probably damaged the track. That is not considered in the cost effect. The Yakima trolleys are National Historic Register, but they are not currently a national historic landmark. And without the railroad going into SELA, it does not meet the standard to be that. The trolleys do not and will not meet that designation without the 20, without the miles going into SEALA. I have actively supported the Yakima trolleys for over 30 years. But I think it's time for the trolleys to reinvent themselves and stay within the city of Yakima. Thought money can be better spent elsewhere. I'd like wish I could give it to police and fire, but because of where it comes from, it has to stay within streets. So that's bill sidewalks around schools. Thank you for your time. Thank you. It's nice. Next is Lisa Downey. Good evening, everyone. Patricia, I've met you once before. Nice to meet you again. My name's Lisa Downey. I'm a native of Yakma, been living here about four years now, but prior to that was born and raised here until I went to school and came back. Um I heard the Franklin pool is being closed. I don't know if there are plans to reopen it, but I did a digital petition the last three weeks. I've got 1,635 digital signatures, and I gave the evidence to Rosalinda. I'd like you guys to consider or reconsider reopening the pool. Perhaps um remodel it now and reopen next year rather than wait when other funds won't be available. You know, perhaps offer sponsorships to some of the top businesses in town. Consider the pool being perhaps GS Long Franklin Pool, the hogback Franklin Pool, Washington Fruit Franklin Pool, or some of the other businesses in town that might sponsor it. The other option would be offering the pool as a community uh membership pool. I had the same dilemma in Bellevue when I lived there in the SMINA Club, had a pool, it was going to close. The neighborhood banded together and created a uh community membership pool, and it's now thriving. So that I gave you the link in the in the PowerPoint too. The other option would be just take sponsor donations from across all of Yakima and Sila. In the digital um petition I did, the bulk of the supporters came from 98902, which is Yakima, but also Union Gap, SEALA, Gleed, Wapato, which was surprising. Anyway, this would if we close Franklin and be the only, we would not have a public pool on the West Side any longer. And there's a lot of people, elderly in people that are healthy challenged, health challenged that use it every day, like myself. So I look forward to your hopeful response. And if I can help in any way to reach these 635 to vote for the levy coming up, I'd be happy to do so. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, so next is Bruce, and I'm so sorry I cannot pronounce your last name. I cannot read your last name. Do we have a book? No, we're called for time.