Winthrop council concerned about hazardous conditions
By Don Nelson
The short portion of Bridge Street popularly known as “Pool Hall Hill” in Winthrop may be closed to traffic more often this winter, the Town Council agreed at its meeting last week.
The steep pitch up from Three Fingered Jack’s and the town’s visitor information center is particularly treacherous when icy, or after snowfalls. It was temporarily closed for a time after last week’s heavy snowfall.
That could be a more-common occurrence, after several incidents last week involving vehicles losing control coming down the hill, threatening other vehicles, pedestrians and buildings.
“It’s been an adventure,” council member Joseph O’Driscoll said at last week’s meeting.
“Someone’s going to get hurt or killed,” O’Driscoll added. “It’s only a matter of time.”
O’Driscoll suggested that the Marshal’s Office be authorized to close that portion of the street when conditions warrant it as a “precautionary measure.”
Mayor Sally Ranzau said she would talk to Marshal Dan Tindall about keeping an eye on the hill and closing it to traffic when appropriate.
The council also agreed to changes in the town’s contract with Alta Planning to review Winthrop’s transportation challenges — called the “Winthrop in Motion” project — and make recommendations for improvements. The goals are to make it easier for vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists to move more-efficiently through town, and to meet Americans With Disabilities Act requirements.
Town Planner Rocklynn Culp said the consultants originally planned to present a series of drawings and “story boards” for public viewing near Town Hall. Instead, she said, the consultants are now recommending that an online survey be conducted to gather more public feedback.
Culp said the change would not affect the overall costs of the study. “We’re just swapping out one form of public participation for another,” she said. “Our goal is to build as much public consensus as we can.”
The survey will likely be available starting in late January.
In other business:
• The council reappointed Kristen Smith and Lauri Martin to the Westernization Design Review Board, and added a new member, Jacque Wilk.
• Abby Pattison was appointed to the Planning Commission.
• The council authorized an additional $10,700 to cover the cost of repairs to Wister Way. The town had done some temporary repairs to the street after it was damaged by water.
• The council agreed not to support a proposed “decision process change” for the Methow Watershed Council — of which the town is a member, represented by Public Works Director Rick Karro — that would change the decision-making protocol from Roberts Rules of Order to a consensus system.
“They [the Watershed Council] are trying to move too fast,” Ranzau said. “I don’t think everyone has thought through the consequences, including us.” Other council members agreed that the change seems premature. Karro will be instructed to oppose it, Ranzau said.
