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Votes at a glance: Council ratifies Ziply contract, accepts donation for bollards, reappoints members and OKs ASM task order
Summary
The Coupeville Town Council on Jan. 14 unanimously ratified a new contract with Ziply Fiber, accepted a $4,555 donation for festival bollards, reappointed local representatives to regional boards, approved a $16,600 task order for a historic-resources assessment and approved December payroll and AP transactions.
The Coupeville Town Council voted unanimously on a series of actions Jan. 14, including ratifying a new Internet and phone services contract with Ziply Fiber, accepting a $4,555 donation earmarked to purchase removable bollards for festival crowd control, reappointing several local representatives to external boards, approving a task order with ASM Affiliates for a historical resource assessment for the boardwalk project, and approving routine payroll and accounts-payable transactions.
The actions were presented as part of the council’s new-business agenda and passed with no recorded opposition. The mayor signed the Ziply contract November 27, 2024; officials said switching to Ziply is expected to save the town roughly $800 per month and provide a second fiber route they say improves redundancy.
Why it matters: together these votes clear several procurement and project steps needed to move town maintenance and capital work forward and maintain the town’s external representation on regional boards. The ASM task order is a permitting milestone for the North Main boardwalk and sidewalk project; the historic resources assessment must be completed before construction begins, town staff said.
Key votes and outcomes
- Excuse Council Member Pat Powell from the Jan. 14 meeting — Moved by Council Member Jackie Anderson; seconded by Rick (surname not specified). Outcome: passes unanimously.
- Ratify contract with Ziply Fiber for town Internet and phone services (contract signed by the mayor on 11/27/2024; cutover scheduled Feb. 21, 2025) — Moved by Council Member Rick (surname not specified); seconded by Council Member Jenny Wright. Outcome: approved unanimously. Notes: staff reported the contract will provide two fiber routes on-island and reduce monthly costs by about $800.
- Ordinance No. 800: accept donation of $4,555 from the Coupeville Arts & Crafts Festival Association to purchase removable bollards for festival traffic/safety control — Moved by Council Member Mike Moore; seconded by Council Member Jackie Anderson. Outcome: approved unanimously. Notes: staff and council framed bollards primarily as a safety measure to reduce the risk of vehicle-in-pedestrian-area accidents during festivals.
- Reappointments/appointments: • Reappoint Council Member Jenny Wright to the Island Transit Board of Directors to represent Coupeville in 2025 — moved/seconded and approved unanimously. • Appoint Council Member Jackie Anderson to the Whidbey & Camano Islands Tourism Committee to represent Coupeville in 2025 — moved/seconded and approved unanimously. • Reappoint Council Member Mike Moore to the Island County Law & Justice Council to represent Coupeville in 2025 — moved/seconded and approved unanimously. • Reappoint Kathy Baxter to the Historic Preservation Commission for a term ending 12/31/2027 — moved by Council Member Mike Moore; seconded by Council Member Jenny Wright; approved unanimously.
- Approve a task order with ASM Affiliates in the amount of $16,600 to complete a historic resource assessment required for the North Main boardwalk and sidewalk project — Moved by Council Member Jackie Anderson; approved unanimously. Notes: the assessment will survey four buildings adjacent to the project (Aqua, Mojette, Toby’s [included for completeness], and the Howard House) and produce a report required by the state archaeology/historic-preservation reviewers before construction can start.
- Approve December 2024 payroll and accounts-payable transactions — Motion to approve payroll transactions totaling $139,817.82 and AP transactions totaling $266,968.43; moved and seconded and approved unanimously.
What the council recorded: all votes taken during the meeting were unanimous “ayes,” with no recorded “no,” abstain, or recused votes. The minutes show the council asked that identification of specific changes to previous meeting minutes be provided before approval, so approval of the prior meeting’s minutes was deferred.
Next steps: staff will proceed with the Ziply cutover scheduled for Feb. 21, 2025; ASM will complete the historic-resources assessment and submit its report to the state reviewers before the town advertises construction; the council will schedule follow-up notifications to businesses affected by construction timing once bids and contracts are finalized.
