WEEKLY REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL January 19, 2026 Members of the City Council City of Airway Heights, Washington Dear Council Members: ACTION REQUESTED 1. The Public Works Committee is asked to meet the week of January 26-30 to discuss the following agenda items: * Garfield Road Septic Tank Elimination Project * St. Johns Stormwater Agreement * Reclaimed Water Services * CPM, Apricus 2. An Executive Session is requested for Monday, February 2, 2026, to discuss Blue Root Cannabis. TOPICS OF INTEREST 3. This week Councilmember Casandra Quesnell, Councilmember William Campbell, and City Manager Albert Tripp traveled to Olympia to advocate for the City's 2026 State Legislative agenda. During the trip we met with Senator Jeff Holy, Representative Mike Volz, and Representative Jenny Graham. We also participated in the Association of Washington Cities City Action Days conference. 4. This week the City submitted the following 2026 transportation funding request to the State for the Hayford & McFarlane Road intersection project. The completion of the Hayford & McFarlane Road intersection design is essential to improving motorist safety, reducing congestion, and supporting long term system preservation in a rapidly developing employment corridor. The sole phase of this project to develop a shovel ready design for a new intersection improvement to replace the existing one-way stop sign. The project would be able to complete design in 2026 if awarded. Significant new industrial activity, including two Amazon delivery and sorting facilities and the expansion of Parker Aerospace Group, has sharply increased employee and freight traffic at this location. Today, these high volume turning movements rely on a simple stop controlled intersection along a roadway where travel speeds exceed 45 mph. The combination of long delays, heavy industrial traffic, and high speed through movement creates a clear and growing safety risk for motorists. This busy transportation corridor and intersection were part of an industrial sub area plan supported by CERB with a focus on developing missing critical infrastructure that would in turn foster economic development in the area. The objectives of the industrial sub area plan to foster economic development along the corridor have been successful. As noted earlier several Amazon warehouse facilities have located within the sub area, two aero space expansion projects have occurred, and additional industrial development is planned. Collectively, this intersection supports economic development equaling over 934,000 square feet of industrial space, nearly 990 employees, and total of $68 million in new assessed value that is taxable to the state and city. Advancing this project also supports the City's broader maintenance and preservation responsibilities. Without a modernized intersection design, the existing roadway continues to experience accelerated wear from industrial truck traffic, increasing long term maintenance costs and reducing pavement life. By investing $367,000 to complete a shovel ready design, the City can move toward an intersection solution that improves safety, enhances mobility for workers and freight, and preserves the integrity of the transportation network serving one of the community's most active economic centers. 5. The City submitted the following funding request for the fire station emergency backup generator to Representative Volz. The City of Airway Heights is requesting $80,550 to construct an emergency electrical backup generator and related equipment, ensuring continuity of power during outages caused by fire, wind, or other unforeseen circumstances. This investment in public safety is crucial to keeping pace with the community's growing needs. The city's new Public Safety Campus, purchased with strong community support, will serve as the central location for emergency response services provided to the Spokane Tribe, Kalispel Tribe, Department of Corrections Airway Heights Corrections Center, and Fairchild Air Force Base. Over the past 12 years, the city has seen an average annual increase of 9.3% in emergency response calls, with a significant 23.5% spike during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the recent completion of the fire station marks a significant milestone, further design and construction are necessary for the campus to be fully operational. The need for timely progress is underscored by a community survey, in which 76% of residents and workers identified public safety as the top priority. To finance the campus, the Airway Heights community authorized an $8 million property tax bond, which passed by 75.79%. These funds enabled the purchase of the campus and supported the renovation of one-third of the building for Fire/EMS services, a project that was completed July 2025. Additionally, the City secured $1.3 million from the State's Capital Budget Local Community Program in 2023 for acquiring the property and campus building, as well as $970,000 to complete renovations for municipal court, police, and other services. The state's investment is essential to ensuring uninterrupted public safety operations for the community. As the City completes its integrated public safety campus, with the new Fire Station now open and the Police and Court facilities advancing through design, the ability to maintain continuous power during emergencies is a foundational requirement. An emergency backup generator is not a discretionary enhancement; it is a critical life safety asset that allows first responders, law enforcement, and the courts to remain fully operational during outages caused by fires, severe weather, or other unforeseen events. 6. In October 2025 I wrote to the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Defense to request the Department of Defense (DOD) maintain the previously established timeline for PFAS investigation and remediation of June 2026. The request to DOD followed a national notice by the agency to push back the environmental restoration work at Fairchild Air Force Base. In response DOD replied with the attached letter. 7. Last week Fire Chief Mitch Metzger, Court Administrator Kati Dorman, Police Lt. Jake Keith, Owner Representative John Minder & Rob Gross, and City Manager Albert Tripp went before the Washington State Project Review Committee to request authorization to use the GC/CM procurement method for the design and construction of the court and police facilities on the City service campus. Ordinarily most jurisdictions use the traditional design, bid, & build procurement process in order to get a contractor under contract to construct capital projects. Given the scope complexity of the Court & Police department builds alongside of an active fire station and the City past experience with accepting the lowest bid for the work, City staff thought it would be beneficial to pursue this alternate procurement / contracting mechanism. The GC/CM contracting process allows the City to interview contractor candidates and select based on qualifications, experience, etc. instead of the lowest bid. This process also leads to efficiencies and cost savings where the contractor is actively looking for ways to reduce costs instead of change orders to increase costs. After the City gave its presentation and request before the Project Review Committee to use the GC/CM procurement process, the Committee unanimously approved the request. The next step for the City is to execute the contract with Washington State Commerce for design funding and start the solicitation for a GC/CM contractor partner. DEPARTMENT REPORTS 8. Building & Planning - Heather Trautman * The Planning Commission will hold a special session on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 6:00 pm. A copy of the Commission packet is attached. 9. Fire - Mitch Metzger * Fire Department Weekly Calls for Service 7 Days 14 Days 14 Day Percentage Calls for This Year 139 92 51% Weekly Calls 47 42 12% MVA 2 3 -33% Structure Fires 1 0 - HazMat 1 1 0% Brush Fire 0 0 - AFA 1 3 -67% Service Call 0 1 -100% Aid Calls 42 34 24% Spokane Tribe 3 3 0% Kalispel Tribe 0 0 - 10. Police - Brad Richmond * A recent Police and Fire partnership that supports youth wrestling was highlighted by KHQ. A link to KHQ's coverage is available here: * https://www.khq.com/news/airway-heights-opens-public-safety-building-for-youth-wrestling/article_4812fed4-ff96-41e6-8a04-8cb7dff522cf.html * Police officers took a male suspect into custody following a report of an assault. The suspect fled in his vehicle but was later located at an apartment complex and was arrested for Assault 4th Degree DV and his active Department of Corrections warrant. 11. Parks & Recreation - JC Kennedy 0. Weekly Recreation Center Memberships Airway Heights Recreation Center Market Share Date Total Memberships All Types Additions Weekly % Market % 1/9/2026 3,133 1/23/26 3,093 MARK YOUR CALENDARS 12. You have been invited to the following events: Date Event Address 1/26/26 Spokane Tribe Impact Mitigation Fund Banquet Spokane Tribe Casino Length of Event Audience Contact 1:00 PM City Council Albert Tripp Sincerely, Albert Tripp City Manager