Council approves new deputy city supervisor
Nov. 2—The Moscow City Council on Monday approved the appointment of Moscow's new deputy city supervisor.
Cody Riddle will begin his new role Dec. 6. Current Deputy City Supervisor Bill Belknap was appointed to succeed City Supervisor Gary J. Riedner, who will retire Jan. 7.
Riddle was chosen from a field of 16 candidates. He said the interview process was one of the most intense challenges he's been through in his career.
Riddle currently is the deputy planning director for the city of Boise, where he has served nearly 18 years.
He is a fourth-generation Idahoan, born and raised in the Magic Valley. He and his wife, Becky, are both graduates of the University of Idaho.
Riddle said their biggest regret was leaving Moscow years ago.
"I think if we had a chance to turn back time, we never would have left then," he said. "I couldn't be happier to be returning. We couldn't be happier to be returning."
He said the role as deputy city supervisor is not just a job to him, but a chance for he and his wife to live out their dream of coming back to the Palouse.
"I really truly believe that we're coming home," he said. "We love this place, we love the character and we love the community. It's the people and it's amazing to us."
The City Council on Monday also passed a number of items on the consent agenda without discussion.
It approved a 10-year agreement to lease the 1912 Center to the Heart of the Arts, Inc., which may be extended to 30 years.
1912 Center Executive Director Jenny Kostroff gave a presentation highlighting renovations completed at the community center in the past two years. These upgrades include a new game room, community living room, stairways, bathrooms and auditorium.
As part of the consent agenda, the council approved moving forward with a project to install two electric vehicle charging stations to the South Jackson Street parking lot.
The charging stations would be funded by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality for five years through a grant program. The program is funded by the Volkswagen Emissions Settlement.
The charging stations would be located next to the public restroom downtown in the South Jackson parking lot. The state prioritizes locations that are next to a highway as well as shopping and dining centers.
Moscow will publish a request for proposals from companies interested in providing, installing and maintaining the facility for the required 5-year period. The charging stations could be installed by next summer or fall if Moscow is awarded the grant.
The council approved an agreement to lease the tennis courts at Ghormley Park to Moscow School District for recreational use. The area would be available for West Park Elementary School students during school hours and to the public outside of school hours. The district has offered to split the cost of resurfacing the courts this past summer, a project that cost $25,000.
Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.
