[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6104068,"mediaKeyId","2792570-929b91d0ab520907489c9abd8f58df0e","parentId",2792570,"title","Residents and business groups urge city to preserve 'Charlie Brown' mural; downtown nonprofits ask council to waive $245 event permit fee","audioSeconds",301,"startMs",264000,"endMs",565000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2792570-929b91d0ab520907489c9abd8f58df0e&start=264&end=565","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2792570-929b91d0ab520907489c9abd8f58df0e/thumbnail_264000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6104068/Pullman/Whitman-County/Washington/Residents-and-business-groups-urge-city-to-preserve-Charlie-Brown-mural-downtown-nonprofits-ask-council-to-waive-245-event-permit-fee","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6104068-e69098ed55f2b3cab6ecedec5a651b40/orig.mp4?Expires=1771181236&Signature=j67jOLec8pMwEElGSuI4neAKkAoK7dq~RxLhN0-loMD7hVEE2M6eXuiWOu1tPOdC7mXcTho18Gg6zJAlS1H3avIFV8-3xve3AA1iUZ52vjUOX8rtSvwqjrEpehFVC5kMSxgkWhZ5MKbvmhg2w944~P5YmJIgeTb0LJ6yT8b5kt7xVOpilOC34SNig62QfJY9STiZLX6evFjohJnBL1hHy0CKzVs~gOk1xbs3lu0tzn0WZlYaSJnhV1hhpJjx4KK6PSE0yZnzGHHW6QL8cNAwTt5L8sMqnn7ZSb7ODaPqdt7BwnXWfSlRQF3yufHDi9ESfZSgtZjCxgbBJ98rLtGBQg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Pullman, WA","date","2025-03-27T12:20:15.447Z","article","Several members of the public used the March 25 public comment period to press the council on local landmarks and event permitting.

Doug Rudolph, who identified himself as the student who painted the Charlie Brown character on the city water tower in 1963, asked the council to prevent the painting from being obscured by communications equipment. Rudolph said Charlie Brown has become a “much‑loved Pullman icon” and suggested repainting the figure on the south side of the tower—the only face currently free of electronics—if moving existing equipment would be impractical. He proposed donations to cover repainting costs.

Representatives of the Downtown Pullman Association (DPA) spoke in public comment and later during the consent/ordinance presentation. Bobby Bridal and Chelsea Whitney described the DPA’s donation of $42,000 (cash and materials) for pedestrian light pole banners and color‑changing lights planned for the High Street plaza and Main Street poles. Whitney also asked the council to consider waiving the newly adopted $245 permit fee for events in the city center for nonprofits, arguing the fee creates a barrier for small nonprofit‑run gatherings and disincentivizes activation of public plazas. She told the council the DPA has invested roughly $10,000 in tables and chairs for plaza activation and that paying the permit fee on top of that is a disincentive.

Council response and process notes: The city staff and council said the DPA’s donated lights and banners cannot be installed until final banner and basket mounts are available from the downtown construction project. Councilmembers expressed appreciation for the DPA donation. Council member Weller (and others) later requested a separate council agenda item to discuss waiving the fee for nonprofits; the council agreed to add a future agenda item on that topic.

Ending: The council accepted the DPA donation via ordinance later in the meeting and added a future agenda item to consider nonprofit fee waivers. No immediate policy change on the $245 fee was adopted at the March 25 meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025-03-25 Pullman City Council Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","During public comment at the March 25 meeting Doug Rudolph urged the city to protect the 'Charlie Brown' water tower painting; Downtown Pullman Association speakers offered a $42,000 donation for downtown lighting and asked the council to consider waiving a newly adopted $245 permit fee for nonprofit events.","taxTitle","Pullman, Whitman County, Washington","taxId",59132,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6104072,"Council approves waterline and resurfacing contracts, accepts downtown donations; confirms two commission appointments",3585,1576000,5161000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2792570-929b91d0ab520907489c9abd8f58df0e&start=1576&end=5161","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2792570-929b91d0ab520907489c9abd8f58df0e/thumbnail_1576000.jpg","/articles/6104072/Pullman/Whitman-County/Washington/Council-approves-waterline-and-resurfacing-contracts-accepts-downtown-donations-confirms-two-commission-appointments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6104072-38bc52bffb61b9050cfd3bf52e794780/orig.mp4?Expires=1771181236&Signature=AxJPOSkR4IPNiL6nSM7~V6aiQBKEwta4g6JVqN-nqSzhdMw8Kjk1guUgLqBCPlFY6RhX0TZov1GKjh7H-o4erUiO0rv2tv25k4tZG0ksl8IHp2cqxmr2i1yNhUVpIYNcxMPi~vGZV-XPwKMt3EJW7IEf2wuWgC7zMAYsrRUlah1Ku85tRkZM778W74~-JdLnMtkiZzTKqFt7GFLqAIqKVQ6nXdb7xdQaDf~dqTRzc04kjkY9JbukQ-oTO1ufiMPSt~NCPoO7Tvg-sXGZqTJgfA-heRMyH7TCLDbXtsDvnrUBTRl1WY-HayuyH62F1DK2DonVkzegzwRkyKTpS7v1xA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Pullman City Council on March 25 took a series of formal actions: it confirmed two appointments to the Environmental Resilience Commission, accepted donations for a veterans park and downtown lighting, ratified a downtown change order on the consent agenda, and awarded contracts for a waterline extension to the airport and a resurfacing project.

Appointments: The council approved the appointment of Carlos Rojo and Kelly Cooper to the Environmental Resilience Commission with terms expiring December 31, 2028. The motion to confirm the appointments was made and seconded; the council voted in favor and the motion passed.

Donations and ordinance approvals: Ordinance 25‑03 was adopted to accept a restricted monetary donation from American Legion Maynard Price Post 52 to fund Veterans Park. The city reported the Post’s fundraising had collected “just shy of $300,000” for the project and the ordinance accepted those restricted funds into the city’s accounts. The council also adopted Ordinance 25‑04 to accept a $42,000 donation in cash and materials from the Downtown Pullman Association for pedestrian light pole banners and downtown lighting enhancements.

Consent agenda (selected): The council approved the consent agenda, which included multiple lodging tax grants (examples below) and ratified Change Order No. 6 to the Pullman Downtown Improvements Project. Lodging tax grants listed in the packet included up to $17,500 to Cougs First for a golf tournament, $3,600 to WSU Football Cougar Legends, $400 to Promote Pullman LLC for Blooms and Tunes, and $800 to International Community for a New Year celebration. The council also authorized software purchase and contract (OpenGov Cartograph asset management and Verdosoft LLC implementation) as part of the consent items.

Public works contracts: Resolution R‑13‑25 awarded the TerraView waterline extension to the airport project to the lowest responsible bidder, J.R. Construction (Post Falls, Idaho), with a low bid of $1,727,206.20. Staff said the project will install roughly 6,000 linear feet of 16‑inch potable main along Northeast Teraview Drive and Northeast Airport Drive; construction was expected to begin in early May (coinciding with WSU’s summer break) and be complete by mid‑late October. The low bid was about $400,000 below the engineer’s estimate of $2,150,000; staff reviewed bids and recommended award.

Resolution R‑14‑25 awarded the Orchard Drive and Valley Road resurfacing contract to Motley Motley Inc. with a low bid of $371,295. Staff said the project is a 2‑inch grind and overlay on Orchard Drive (Stadium Way NE to Valley Road) and on Valley Road (Orchard Drive west to Cove Way). The project received a Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) grant; the packet shows TIB’s commitment at $314,083 and an estimated city share of about $83,212 to cover remaining costs (design and construction engineering included).

Executive session and adjournment: After regular business the council recessed to an executive session to discuss collective bargaining and potential litigation; the council announced no action was anticipated upon return and then adjourned the meeting.

Votes at a glance (formal actions adopted): • Confirm appointments: Carlos Rojo and Kelly Cooper to Environmental Resilience Commission — adopted. • Ordinance 25‑03: Accept donation from American Legion Maynard Price Post 52 for Veterans Park — adopted. • Ordinance 25‑04: Accept $42,000 donation from Downtown Pullman Association for light pole banners and downtown lighting — adopted. • Consent agenda (includes lodging tax grants listed above, ratify Change Order No. 6 to Pullman Downtown Improvements Project, purchase OpenGov Cartograph software) — adopted. • Resolution R‑13‑25: Award TerraView waterline extension contract to J.R. Construction ($1,727,206.20) — adopted. • Resolution R‑14‑25: Award Orchard Drive and Valley Road resurfacing contract to Motley Motley Inc. ($371,295) — adopted.

The council did not record roll‑call vote tallies by name in the public proceedings for these motions; each item was moved, seconded and approved on the council floor as recorded in the meeting minutes.","At its March 25 meeting the Pullman City Council confirmed two commission appointees, accepted donations for Veterans Park and downtown lighting, ratified a downtown change order via the consent agenda, and awarded two construction contracts for a waterline extension and for street resurfacing.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6104077,"Chamber warns tourism contract uncertainty could stall VisitPullman momentum",920,1635000,2555000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2792570-929b91d0ab520907489c9abd8f58df0e&start=1635&end=2555","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2792570-929b91d0ab520907489c9abd8f58df0e/thumbnail_1635000.jpg","/articles/6104077/Pullman/Whitman-County/Washington/Chamber-warns-tourism-contract-uncertainty-could-stall-VisitPullman-momentum","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6104077-e982436aa06cf4ffd7897e3beb941c61/orig.mp4?Expires=1771181236&Signature=dbfP7ZF-Fe5di~NcjY7GSPdzSEgKnQSqF8U3EzuCM-i~01ZIzAb1iYvQzv5GNvrvy~dJL7TI5IiWh0Hlz7bo7pijc71pI7xDrsSTZkMjBX110FVTsMzwYdq6qrkeYcgaO3J~eiRSEP5q01ZiGBtVnCrYjVs9rqfpOZzA~sS-wwwqKRJL6vIZ1J5cnNFOdU0X0~ejrnra2mx9FMo4SI-dT8rJURnUYI3s6HscAfpAT3Rsn3MUaxKdZ6IpBOK8hviczdtr7kkpI3yxOVoP~L70YvRjR7PnyQiFg0ZOG-Dzrl~jCo22v0lqSqagNg5YBQ-XOXPAyRlMSIghnStfKgEU-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Marie Demkoski, executive director of the Pullman Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center, and Alexis Faran, the chamber’s tourism promotions manager, told the Pullman City Council on March 25 that the chamber’s three‑year tourism contract with the city ends at the end of 2025 and that a newly required RFP process has created uncertainty for ongoing projects and staff.

The chamber’s presentation described a new VisitPullman website launched in late October 2024, an events calendar that the chamber says centralizes dozens of local listings, an analytics program using Placer AI and CrowdRift to measure visitor origin and activity, and other marketing work the chamber says supports local festivals and lodging tax proposals. Alexis Faran said the site and tools were developed under the current contract and that closing out or interrupting those efforts would leave 2026 “unplanned for.”

The chamber argued the timing of an RFP hurts long‑term planning because contractors and employees need multiyear certainty to complete digital products, run marketing campaigns and cultivate sponsors. Mackenzie Brummett, president of the chamber board, told the council the board was “impressed” with the staff’s work and urged the city to consider a renewable contract clause or otherwise structure procurement so the momentum continues.

Councilmembers responded with consistent expressions of support for the chamber’s work and concern about staff continuity. Councilmember Guido praised the new data tools and the events calendar; Councilmember Weller, Councilmember Wright and others described the chamber’s operation as a clear improvement over prior tourism efforts and pledged to work with the chamber to avoid service disruption. Several councilmembers said they would pursue options to resolve the contract timing before the end of the year and said they would coordinate with the lodging tax advisory committee.

No formal action to extend or reauthorize the contract was taken at the meeting. Council members and the chamber agreed to continue discussions; multiple councilmembers said they would work with the chamber and other stakeholders over the next months to find a path that preserves ongoing projects and staff.

Why it matters: VisitPullman is the city’s visitor‑facing tourism platform. The chamber says the site and its analytics are being used to support sponsorship sales and lodge tax decisions; the chamber presented metrics and told the council it is relying on the current contract period to complete deliverables and secure multi‑year sponsors. If the contract is not resolved in a way that ensures continuity, chamber staff said some projects will be closed out and future work will be delayed.

What was described: Alexis Faran said the chamber selected Simpleview to build the site, launched the site in October 2024, and is now integrating quarterly search engine optimization reporting and a business extranet. The chamber said it has contracted Placer AI for visitor‑origin analytics and CrowdRift to manage user generated content and short‑form video for social channels. The chamber also said it worked with the city on the 2024 parade reroute and supported major events including the National Lentil Festival, 3 Forks River and Arts Festival, and July 4 fireworks.

Council reaction and next steps: Councilmembers broadly praised the chamber’s work and pledged to help find procurement and contracting solutions; several councilmembers indicated they would take on follow‑up discussions with the lodging tax advisory committee and city staff. The council did not vote on any change to the existing contract at the March 25 meeting.

Ending: Chamber leaders thanked the council for time and said they would continue to brief the city as contract and procurement discussions proceed.","Pullman Chamber leaders told the city council on March 25 that the city’s tourism contract ends in 2025 and a required RFP could disrupt ongoing projects—including a new VisitPullman website, events calendar and analytics work—unless the council provides a pathway for continuity.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Residents and business groups urge city to preserve 'Charlie Brown' mural; downtown nonprofits ask council to waive $245 event permit fee

Council approves waterline and resurfacing contracts, accepts downtown donations; confirms two commission appointments

Chamber warns tourism contract uncertainty could stall VisitPullman momentum