By Don Nelson
Bob DeHart has been appointed to fill a vacancy on the Winthrop Town Council that was created when former Mayor Sue Langdalen resigned and council member Anne Acheson was selected to replace Langdalen.
DeHart, 70, is retired from the Boeing Co. This is the second time he has applied to fill a council vacancy. DeHart also made his interest know when Kellen Northcott was appointed to a council vacancy several months ago.
DeHart and a second applicant, Riverside Printing co-owner Ben Nelson, were briefly interviewed at last week’s council meeting. Council members then selected DeHart to fill the position.
In other business, the council set Oct. 26 as the date for an event to recognize community volunteers for the contributions during the past year. The event will be in the Winthrop Barn.
Acheson reminded the council that Confluence Park, the recently completed public space on Riverside Avenue, will be dedicated on Oct. 8 at 11:30 a.m.
Jim and Gaye Pigott, owners of Moccasin Lake Ranch, privately financed construction of the park on the former site of the Arrowleaf Bistro. They will donate the park to the Town of Winthrop, which will then take over its maintenance. The Pigotts intend to dedicate the park to Gaye Pigott’s father, Jon Titcomb, who bought Moccasin Lake Ranch in 1961.
Council member Mike Strulic noted that the park is already seeing lots of activity. “People are really using it and pleased with it,” he said. “I feel like it was a good decision.”
The council also adopted a timeline for considering and adopting the town’s 2017 budget, with the goal of having a public hearing on Nov. 16.
