Walla Walla Commits to Major Infrastructure Overhaul
City Council moves to shore up Mill Creek and repair crumbling streets in a session of ambitious public works.
When the council adjourned last night after a two-hour session, it had cleaned up the biggest batch of business to come before the board in months. Permanent improvements for the coming year entered largely into the business of the meeting, and on the recommendation of the street committee, it was decided to construct 700 feet of bulkhead along Mill Creek, commencing at the Park Street bridge; to construct a new bridge at Sixth Street and bulkhead the south side of Mill Creek at that point; and to grade and improve Oak Street from Fourth to Spokane, Idaho Street from East Main to Baker Street, and West Main from Tenth to Twelfth. The matter of street improvements was forcibly discussed by Chairman Glasford, who noted that some streets were a 'disgrace to the municipality.' Additionally, the council granted the Woman's Reading Club 30 days to raise $12,500 for a public library building, with the promise to consider a lot on Palouse Street if the funds are secured.
“Some of the streets of the city were a disgrace to the municipality, and their improvement should have been undertaken long ago.”
Infrastructure maintenance and the location of civic amenities like libraries remain constant points of friction in Walla Walla's civic discourse. The mention of Mill Creek bulkhead work highlights the city's long-standing effort to manage its waterways, a necessity that continues to shape the downtown landscape today.
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