East Wenatchee City Council reappoints Mayor Jerrilea Crawford to Public Facilities District board

EAST WENATCHEE — On Tuesday, the East Wenatchee City Council held a special meeting to determine the next member of the Greater Wenatchee Regional Public Facilities District (PFD). Applicants appeared before the council, gave opening statements, answered questions, and then gave closing statements after the Q&A period.

The PFD is the interlocal municipal group that was formed in 2006 as an agreement between Chelan and Douglas counties, the cities of Wenatchee, East Wenatchee, Chelan, Cashmere, Entiat, Rock Island and the town of Waterville.

Its purpose was to establish the Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee as a regional events center for the areas named, although people from many communities outside the interlocal agreement do come and enjoy the entertainment and sports events held there. It is governed by a seven-member board of directors appointed by the entities representing each community.

East Wenatchee Mayor Jerrilea Crawford already held a position on the board of the PFD, but it was opened up to the community at large, and two more applicants submitted their names for consideration this time: Gretchen Littler, the Director of Sales and Marketing for the Wenatchee Wild, and Paul Harrison, a managing director at North Central Educational Services District.

The primary focus for Littler and Harrison, as it pertained to what they might change, seemed to be parking — whether and how to expand it, and how to get surrounding businesses and lots like the directly-adjacent Lowe’s to allow patrons of the Center to park there for events taking place while those lots aren’t in use. Littler expressed dismay that Lowe’s had once allowed that to happen, but had since disallowed it, while Harrison suggested that perhaps a private citizen like himself with no ties to either government or the Center could perhaps repair the relationship with the home improvement store.

In the end, Crawford’s entreaty to be allowed to focus on improvements to the Center itself that would align with the mission statement of the PFD won the day. She noted that state law has changed since the Center was built, and where there was no restriction previously on youths using the same locker rooms as adults, the law now prevents it. She suggested that adding locker rooms was essential and could lead to more youth sporting events being held there, such as skating competitions and volleyball tournaments, which attract large groups of travelers when, for example, a state tournament is held.

By rule, the first applicant to get to four votes from the council would be appointed, and after some confusion as to whether the council could vote on everyone at once or, if the nominees were to be voted on one at a time, whether a councilmember could vote again if that nominee didn’t get four votes, Littler and Harrison each got three votes, with Crawford finally rallying the fourth needed.

The meeting was adjourned after each member of the council expressed their sincere thanks to all of the applicants, who the council commended for stepping up for a civic duty.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media