Colfax Council talks fall festivals

COLFAX — Fall and winter festivities are on the minds of City Council members.

During a meeting Monday, Oct. 3, members briefly discussed the Colfax Chamber of Commerce’s planned Trick or Treat on Main.

They also discussed having a parade with Winterfest closer to Christmas.

With Halloween and Christmas looming, the council couldn’t pass up the annual Colfax High School Homecoming, set for later this month.

The high school is also bringing back its fall musical festival.

With the Washington State University football games slowing down, the local events will bring some traffic back to downtown, officials said.

In other business, representatives from the state Department of Ecology gave a presentation on shoreline master planning.

The Ecology employees also said the city is eligible for assistance in enhancing shorelines.

Grants could be used for trails, they said.

Council members said a grant would be great to help create a trail next to the golf course, along the Palouse River.

Ecology representatives also told council members that through the masterplan process, the city will have access to better aerial mapping, thanks to new technology.

When questioned if the masterplan process would prohibit any commercial development, the state employees responded by saying they are not trying to push anything on the city.

In department reports:

• The council leared the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office is back to full staff. A new deputy is expected on the road once he passes his mental evaluation, officials said.

• City Administrator and Financial Director Chris Mathis said she had nothing new to report and was just working on the budget.

• Interim Police Chief, Bruce Blood was not in attendance. Council members noted that the Police Department has been doing a good job keeping busy enforcing the law and stopping speeding.