Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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High water may have prevented Wahkiakum PUD commissioners from meeting in Rosburg on November 20, but it did not prevent them from discussing possible expansion of the Western Wahkiakum Water System. Meeting at the PUD’s Cathlamet headquarters, Manager Dave Tramblie reported to the commissioners on information he’d gathered to assess the potential of expanding the water system. He estimated $50,000 in out-of-pocket costs for materials. For the section of the expansion between Salmon Creek Road and Salme Road, a distance of almost a mile, the...
Port District No. 1 commissioners addressed a full agenda of planning for 2013 during their November 8 meeting. The commissioners adopted a budget totaling $915,039, passed a resolution authorizing increases to the port’s rate schedule, and approved a one percent increase to the property tax collected by the district during fiscal year 2013. Following up on a discussion from last month’s meeting, Manager Jackie Lea and Assistant Manager Abe York researched the cancellation policies of recreational facilities in the region. They crafted a dra...
Wahkiakum PUD commissioners learned Tuesday that a Department of Revenue (DOR) audit has determined that the utility owes the state $56,000 in underpaid taxes. Auditor Erin Wilson announced that the audit had determined the PUD underpaid state combined excise tax over the six-year period examined in the audit. Most of the underpayment came from a difference between two formulas used to calculate the PUD’s eligibility for discounts on the amount of tax due, Wilson explained. One is a load density discount determined by the amount of utility c...
Mule hoof prints will soon decorate the road to Wahkiakum High School thanks to student Cody Hauff’s senior project. Hauff plans to paint hoof prints from the school access road’s junction with State Route 4 up to the high school’s front door. Hancock Timber and Home Depot have donated the materials needed for the project. Wahkiakum School District board members voiced their support for Hauff’s proposal at their October 23 meeting. Board members also heard from a student leadership group working to curb bullying and harassment in Wahkiak...
Potential water customers have until the end of 2012 to take advantage of a fee waiver to encourage new water customers, Wahkiakum PUD commissions decided October 16. The commissioners voted not to extend the $3500 system development fee waiver currently in place. It will expire December 31 of this year. At their last meeting, the commissioners clarified that the waiver would be honored for new water customers who request work estimates and pay a deposit by the end of the year, even if the actual work is completed in 2013. Manager Dave...
Port District No. 1 commissioners discussed increasing some fees and revisiting their cancellation policy during their October 4 meeting. The commissioners reviewed the proposed 2013 budget and rate schedule. Some rates have increased, including transient moorage and cabin rentals. Monthly non-transient moorage rates and annual launch fees for individuals remain the same. Commissioner Brett Deaton asked Port Manager Jackie Lea if her staff had received complaints because out-of-county residents who moor their boats at the marina on a long-term...
Thomas Middle School eighth graders have toured the Body Worlds exhibit in Portland, visited Astoria’s Clatsop Community College, and most recently, journeyed to Seattle on September 25 to visit the King Tut exhibit at the Pacific Science Center, all through Wahkiakum School District’s GEAR UP program. GEAR UP is an acronym for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs. The services provided by the program include tutoring and mentoring and college and career planning and field trips. The class began their inv...
A fallen tree and financial matters occupied Wahkiakum PUD commissioners at their October 2 meeting. A hemlock tree fell and blocked both lanes of traffic at Milepost 28 of SR 4 near Skamokawa on Monday afternoon. “It didn’t break the wires, just took everything to the ground,” said Line Crew Foreman Shane Pfenniger. A motorist attempted to remove the tree. “He had no way of knowing if the line was live or not. He took a real chance,” warned Manager Dave Tramblie. The commissioners approved two change orders and an additional expense for the e...
Elk displaying symptoms of hoof disease are becoming more common in southwest Washington, and wildlife managers are seeking information from the public in order to understand why. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) held a public meeting on Monday night in Longview to present known information about the condition. Approximately 60 people were in attendance. WDFW received sporadic reports about elk with lameness and/or overgrown/missing hooves beginning over a decade ago, but the number of reports has increased dramatically in...
Wahkiakum PUD commissioners approved amendments to the Western Wahkiakum Water System comprehensive plan at their Tuesday meeting. The state Department of Health requires water systems to update their comprehensive plan every six years.The comprehensive plan for Wahkiakum PUD’s Western Wahkiakum Water System (WWWS) came up for renewal this year, and the PUD contracted with engineering firm Gray and Osborne to prepare the document. The board reviewed the document before approving it. Commissioner Bob Jungers questioned a query asking if WWWS h...
Fewer students are attending Wahkiakum schools this fall compared to last school year, school board members heard at a Tuesday night meeting. Wahkiakum School District Superintendent Bob Garrett explained that he had based this year’s budget on an enrollment of 432 for this fall. That figure came from class sizes at the end of last school year and an estimate of 30 kindergarteners. However, this month’s enrollment is only 403.4 full time equivalent (FTE) students. Garrett noted different factors contributed to the decrease: Some families hav...
Wahkiakum PUD commissioners met September 5 to approve preliminary budgets for next year and to talk with Cathlamet council members about exploring a proposal to contract water meter reading, billing, and collections to the PUD. The board approved the preliminary 2013 budgets for the electric system and the two water systems operated by the PUD. Both the Puget Island and the Western Wahkiakum Water System’s proposed budgets show a net decrease in cash. “The bottom line isn’t pretty, “ cautioned PUD Manager Dave Tramblie. The commiss...
Wahkiakum PUD commissioners have invited the Cathlamet town council to attend their September 5 meeting in order to discuss a possible billing and meter reading contract between the two entities. In July, Cathlamet Mayor George Wehrfritz sent a letter to the PUD commissioners expressing an interest in contracting water meter reading and water/sewer billing and account collections to the PUD. At their July 17 meeting, the PUD board directed Manager Dave Tramblie to evaluate the feasibility of the proposal. PUD commission chair Gene Healy...
Wahkiakum School District faculty and staff are readying to begin the new school year on September 4, school board members heard Tuesday. Monday was move-in day for Wahkiakum High School, said Principal Stephanie Leitz. Over the summer, the building was closed for asbestos tile removal, lighting replacement, and floor resurfacing. New Student Orientation will be August 29 at 7 p.m. Welcome Back Night is scheduled for August 29 at 6 p.m. for John C. Thomas Middle School and August 30 at 6 p.m. for J.A. Wendt Elementary School. Parents will have...
Wahkiakum PUD customers have responded to the call for donations to help eligible low-income customers keep the power on in their homes, Wahkiakum PUD commissioners heard Tuesday. A recent wave of donations to the Residential Energy Assistance Program has raised the program’s fund balance to $170, PUD Auditor Erin Wilson told the commissioners. In mid-July, the fund balance stood at $90. Customers have the option to include a donation with their bill payments. Commissioner Dennis Reid suggested changes to financial reports Wilson provided to t...
Wahkiakum School District board members approved the budget and discussed teacher qualifications and school accreditation at a July 24 meeting. After District Superintendent Bob Garrett presented the draft 2012-2013 fiscal year budget to the board, the members voted to adopt the following expenditures: General Fund: $4,953,734, Associated Student Body Fund: $156,530, Debt Service Fund: $662,000, Capital Projects Fund: $460,000, and Transportation Vehicle Fund: $50,000. Salaries and benefits comprise 65 percent of general fund expenditures, said...
Wahkiakum PUD managers and commissioners are exploring a possible billing and meter reading contract with the town. Recently, Cathlamet Mayor George Wehrfritz sent a letter to each PUD commissioner expressing an interest in contracting water meter reading and water/sewer billing and account collections to the PUD, explained PUD Commission Chair Gene Healy. Healy stated that his preliminary evaluation suggested that savings may be gained by ratepayers from both entities. PUD Auditor Wilson said the town’s utility department reads a...
Wahkiakum PUD customers are taking advantage of funding Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) provides to foster energy conservation in homes and businesses, PUD commissioners heard at a July 3 meeting. Twenty customers have received rebates for installing energy-efficient ductless heat pumps, insulation, windows, and/or refrigerators since the funding period began in October 2011, reported PUD employee Lia Sealund, who is in charge of the PUD’s conservation programs. Other customers have participated in energy audits and a pilot study for h...
“I don’t think there are any magic bullets out there,” commented engineer Mike Johnson in response to a query from PUD commissioner Bob Jungers about developments in water pipe technology aimed at preventing leaks. Johnson, representing PUD engineer firm Gray and Osborne, attended the Wahkiakum PUD commissioners’ June 19 meeting to discuss the Western Wahkiakum Water System (WWWS). Johnson briefed the board on the feedback he had recently received from the State Department of Health regarding the draft six-year plan for the WWWS that was submit...
Elochoman Slough Marina is ready for increased summer visitors, Wahkiakum Port District Commissioners heard at their June 14 meeting. In order to accommodate the larger vessels that visit during summer months, Port Manager Jackie Lea reported that her employees had removed four fingers from a section of dock reserved as transient moorage. Lea said that she anticipated an increase in revenue due to summer chinook salmon season, which opened June 16 and is scheduled to run until July 1. Wahkiakum County’s Marine Resources Committee will fund a n...
“I think I enjoyed grade school too much, because I love show and tell,” joked PUD Manager Dave Tramblie as he passed around a two foot long section of water pipe to PUD commissioners during their Tuesday morning meeting. Tramblie brought in the pipe to illustrate his crew’s continued efforts to reduce losses from both of the water systems they manage, and the challenges they face. That particular section of pipe came from Puget Island, said Tramblie. Water was leaking from the underside of a valve, but the water loss wasn’t evident until t...
The Wahkiakum PUD water crew is working to lessen and prevent ongoing water losses in both the Western Wahkiakum and Puget Island Water Systems, PUD commissioners heard at Tuesday’s meeting. PUD Manager Dave Tramblie displayed a section of pipe with a broken coupling. Water crew members replacing crossings on Puget Island discovered the break and removed the broken piece. Estimated water loss for that break was a gallon a minute, said Tramblie. During the early hours of Saturday, the water crew installed two bypass meters around three v...
Olivia Stahn wanted to see the countryside while she traveled the United States, so she spent a week volunteering at Carol Carver and George Exum’s Island’s End Farm on Puget Island. Stahn, a resident of Berlin, Germany, explained that she had grown up in the countryside and longed for more time away from city life. Eating organic foods are important to many Germans, said Stahn, adding that the country as a whole had been ecologically minded for many years. Stahn and Carver first communicated through the website of World Wide Opportunities on O...
Reports about a water leak, a planned power outage, and a construction project occupied Wahkiakum PUD commissioners at their April 18 meeting. Manager Dave Tramblie reported that a leak in the Western Wahkiakum Water System had been repaired last week. One of the water crew employees noticed water was coming out of a concrete underground storage vault, said Tramblie, and opened the vault to find the plumbing for a valve had failed. Tramblie displayed the tiny part, which was about an inch long. “We don’t know for sure how much water we los...
The timeline is growing shorter for Wahkiakum County residents to have access to broadband data services, Wahkiakum PUD commissioners learned at Tuesday’s meeting. Longview internet service provider (ISP) Cascade Networks President Brian Magnuson and Operations Manager Will Bartell attended the meeting and briefed the commissioners on broadband development in Wahkiakum County. Over the past year NoaNet, a nonprofit company owned by 17 Washington PUDs, has used federal grant funding to install fiber optic cable through Wahkiakum County. The g...
