Grant money sought for Hotel

The Aberdeen City Council met Wednesday August 26. On the agenda was an extension of an already approved moratorium on liquefied petroleum storage and sales facilities. Both Aberdeen and Hoquiam city councils approved a 6-month extension to the moratorium. Many citizens at the Aberdeen meeting made public comments in support of the ordinance and voiced their opinion that the city continues the ban indefinitely.

Less unity was seen from the public concerning Bill No. 15-01 which will require business licenses for residential rental housing. Those against the ordinance claim it places an unreasonable financial burden and adds extra hoops to jump through on already regulated property owners. Those in favor express that the purpose of the ordinance is not to hinder business, but to provide the city with necessary information required to enforce safety codes already in place and have accurate data to submit when applying for helpful community grants. The council was as divided as the public on the issue, but the final vote was in favor. This meeting was the third reading of the ordinance.

A big item on the agenda in Aberdeen was the approval for the city to submit an application to the Washington State Department of Commerce for a Community Development Block Grant Economic Opportunity. If received, the $3,000,000 grant would be used to renovate and restore the Morck Hotel. The money for the project would come entirely from the grant, and the city would only act as a conduit for the funds. Public Works Committee Chair, Kathy Hoder, stated that the city would work to complete the project with a nonprofit group called Craft3. According to their website, the mission of Craft3 is to "strengthen economic, ecological and family resilience in Pacific Northwest communities", and the organization has worked with other cities such as Seattle and Portland. The council approved the resolution.

The next Aberdeen city council meeting will be held on September 9.