Look for the new welcome signs to be installed at the entrances into Weiser

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day. 

 I don’t know about you, but I have found myself wanting a little more good weather lately. But, the fact is we still need the rain to fill our reservoirs for this summer. So, I guess I can put off personal desires for a bit longer and appreciate the rain. 

 When I look at the photos of reservoirs in Arizona and California that are at historic lows, I can appreciate the fact that at least we are getting the moisture. Maybe even a little more might do.

 On to other matters, the Economic Development Task Force is doing really good work. They are currently taking on the project of putting welcome signs at the entry points to Weiser, both on the north and south sides of Highway 95 as well as the entrance from Annex.

 In addition, they are gearing up to work with an organization called Main Street America, a national organization, that promotes the revitalization and economic growth of downtown cores across America. Many thanks to John Stuart who committed MTE Communications to pay the annual fee to the Main Street organization for the first five years. 

 At this time, the Task Force is diving into the mountains of information from Main Street to seek advice and determine the best course forward. There will be more on this later. 

 As Mayor, I am so appreciative of this team of people who are so dedicated that they are willing to get together every other week at 7 a.m. to work on ways to boost economic growth. 

 For your information this team includes co-chairs Patrick Nauman and Layna Hafer, as well as Superintendent Wade Wilson, Kyla Dickerson, Melanie Hickey, Rick Estes, Sherry Young, John Stuart, Terri Fritts, and Commissioner Lyndon Haines. Thank you for all of your hard work and I look forward to great work to come.

 In City news this week, Bill Taylor from the water department would like you to know that the City water crew will be out flushing all 283 fire hydrants in town this week. So, be prepared for people working in the streets and for wet roads in places…in addition to the rain. 

 Flushing hydrants may seem like busy work, but it basically performs two functions. The first is to make sure that all of the hydrants are working properly. (A few years ago, one of our neighboring towns to the south had a house fire. It was only when the fire department went to attach a line that they realized the hydrant didn’t work. As a result, the house burned.) 

 The second reason is to stir up the water in the line and flush out whatever sediment may have settled in the lines through the year. 

 If you see any discoloration in your tap water, it will probably be due to flushing the hydrants. Simply run your tap for a minute or two until the water becomes clear again. If for some reason it is not clear after a few minutes, call Bill!

 Also, Mike Campbell would again like me to let all of you who are planning yard sales, to not staple flyers to utility poles. The exteriors of the poles are treated to keep them from getting insect infestations and also prevent dry rot. The tiny holes created by staples encourages little creatures to crawl in and destroy the poles from the inside out. So, please help keep those poles safe. 

 Well, that’s it for this week. Hope you have a great one and enjoy the weather, no matter what it may be.