New Thompson Falls mayor begins term in office with the new year

THOMPSON FALLS – With Carla Parks’ retirement as mayor at the start of the year, newly elected Mayor Mark Sheets is preparing for his term in office.

There are not many specific plans for the city at this time. The new mayor is still getting situated into the position and has not begun planning yet.

Sheets said he will be spending the first few months or so getting used to the office and working out the plans he wants to work on. However, one of the first things he plans to do is oversee the completion of the projects currently under way in the city.

One of these is the city’s project to replace the water line between the Ashley Street and Jefferson Street tanks. The current pipes are old and have developed a sag somewhere along the line, as well as other debris, which is preventing water from running through them the best they can; replacing the pipes is expected to increase the flow between the tanks.

Sheets expects to open bids on the project soon; a projection of the time involved will also be worked out. Once these are completed, he said he would be in a better position to start planning his own projects.

“Until I see what time is going to be involved in that, then I’ll be able to make a determination, at that point, what I’d like to do,” he said.

Sheets noted there were only two years left in the term he is taking over, since he came into office mid-term. Once the term is over, he plans to decide if he will run to stay on as mayor or step aside for someone new to come into office.