The first Ocean Shores City Council meeting of the new year started with a ceremony for the four members elected in November and then promptly moved on to business lingering from the previous year.

Two new council members took the oath of office for the first time: Susan Conniry and Steve Ensley. And two others, Bob Crumpacker and Lisa Griebel, were sworn in officially for the second time.

(See photo, Page 3)

The council then heard a detailed report from Parks Board chairman Richard Otto on how to spend funds in 2018 that were left over from the 2017 Park Board budget, along with a request for more funding out of the recently approved current budget.

Much of the focus is on North Bay Park, where city workers recently have been taking out the old tennis courts. The overall budget request is estimated to be $29,700, with volunteers doing a large share of the work.

Part of the funds requested, Otto explained, include $12,358 in money that was budgeted for improvements at North Bay in the 2017 budget. Those funds were saved largely because volunteers did the work to remove the middle of the front wall to open up the existing picnic structure and removed the unsafe chimney and fireplace.

The primary proposal is to continue work on the large picnic structure at North Bay, including a new concrete grill area, and a concrete pad for multiple grills, as well as repair or replacement of the old picnic tables. Other recommendations include the addition of a boat washing station, parking lot repavement, and better drainage.

The council agreed to have a formal budget proposal made when final adjustments to the 2017 budget are made. The 2018 budget does include $50,000 for parks, but $15,000 of that is for improvements to North Bay restrooms, and the rest is intended for use to improve the parking and public entrance at Damon Point.

The council also was asked to continue a moratorium on new development and construction in an area near the jetty (Block 1, Division 19 and 19A) where coastal erosion has been an ongoing issue. City Attorney Brent Dille said the issue falls under the city’s Critical Areas ordinance and the moratorium would continue until Aug. 22, 2018, to provide six additional months.

“This will allow us enough time to finally get regulations in place to regulate that critical area,” Dille said.

The current moratorium prevents the city from “acceptance of applications for living space, new living space development or redevelopment for properties” in the impacted area.

“The reason we are doing this is that we are having tremendous erosion in the south end, and we need to find a way to deal with it,” Mayor Crystal Dingler said. “We believe that our Shoreline Master Plan (currently being updated with the state Department of Ecology) does help deal with that.”

“We don’t want to put any more people in jeopardy out there,” Dingler said.

The council voted 7-0 to extend the moratorium. The council also rescinded marijuana possession from city code in line with state law.