Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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Naselle-Grays River School Board members met January 18 to decide whether to pursue a partnership that would set up a school-within-a-school to focus on coursework for home schooled students. Superintendent Rick Pass proposed that Naselle apply to become a partner school district with Columbia Virtual Academy (CVA). The new program created from the partnership would be called Naselle Home Link and would be located in the former elementary computer lab, which would be renovated into offices to house teachers that work for the program. Naselle...
The Naselle-Grays River Valley School Board listened to staff and student reports and heard from representatives of the bargaining group for local teachers at their meeting November 16. Teacher Tim Copp, president of the Naselle-Grays River Education Association (NGREA) which represents the teachers that work in the district, asked the board to schedule a meeting regarding the teachers’ contracts as soon as possible. The board acknowledged their willingness to engage in contract negotiations, but clarified they would like to wait until b...
Customers of Wahkiakum PUD will soon have the ability to pay their bills via credit or debit cards, PUD Auditor Erin Wilson announced at Tuesday’s PUD commission meeting. The last step towards accepting customer payments via credit card payments is to create a PUD website, Wilson said. The PUD owns the domain name www.wahkiakumPUD.org but had never developed it. The commissioners approved entering into an agreement with Clear Site Design to set up the website. The site will link to a payment page that will be used to process cards. Wilson e...
Commissioners of Wahkiakum Port District No. 1 heard reports on marina operations and took public comment on their proposed 2011 budget before adopting it on November 11. Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce board members Richard Erickson and Sandi Benbrook-Rieder attended the budget hearing portion of the meeting to advocate for the port to establish a funding contract with the chamber in place of the relationship it had formerly held with the Lower Columbia Economic Development Council (EDC). In 2010, the port contributed $2,500 to the EDC. As of...
The Washington State Auditor’s Office recently issued the results of their audit of the Wahkiakum Conservation District (WCD) financial statements for January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009. The auditor’s office examined evidence to support the figures contained in the financial statements and also looked at the reports to test that the WCD had put in place proper internal controls over financial reporting. The auditor’s office staff stated in their report that they believe the financial statements present an accurate representation of th...
Wahkiakum PUD commissioners continued discussion on their preliminary 2011 budget at their meeting Tuesday. PUD Auditor Erin Wilson and administrative staff prepared a separate draft budget for each area of operation--the electric system, the Puget Island Water System, and the Western Wahkiakum Water System. The PUD anticipates total electrical revenues of $3,268,540, a decrease of about $92,000 compared to 2010 annualized revenue. The total cost of purchased power plus taxes is also projected to drop, from $1,533,359 to $1,522,125. Expenses...
The Naselle-Grays River School Board listened to staff reports and heard from a representative of the bargaining group for local teachers at their meeting October 19. Tim Kopp, president of the Naselle-Grays River Education Association which represents the teachers that work in the district, spoke about in-process contract negotiations for next year. He reported that he will be stepping back from the negotiations process for teachers Rudy Rudolph, Mitzi Hunter, and Brian Macy to take over. Kopp clarified that teachers in the district are aware...
Tis The Season Main Street’s newest business, ‘Tis the Season, opened Tuesday morning. Sisters Ashley Jones and Auburn Seal, their mother Vicky Keys, and their grandmother Fran Vandegrift are the owners. The boutique, which carries seasonal merchandise, candles, and scrapbooking supplies, will observe the Halloween season with its first organized scrapbooking event this Saturday, the day before Halloween. The Eagle spoke with Auburn Seal on Tuesday about her family’s hopes and dreams for their business. Why did you decide to open a busin...
Wahkiakum PUD commissioners considered implementation of several policy changes at their October 19 meeting, including discussion of a way to accept credit cards as a method of payment. PUD Manager Dave Tramblie told the commissioners that a Puget Island diking district commissioner had requested the PUD temporarily remove a span of overhead conducting cable to facilitate dredging of a section of an East Little Island slough. The commissioners also asked if the work could be done at no charge as a service to the community. Tramblie said he...
“Too much water and not enough drainage.” That’s how Wahkiakum School District Maintenance Supervisor Bob McClintock summarized the problem that has prevented Wahkiakum softball and baseball teams from using the multifield complex constructed several years ago just east of the high school football stadium. McClintock and others gathered recently at a Wahkiakum School Board meeting to discuss the field and to hear Damon Richardson from Pacific Sports Turf of Tualatin, Oregon present his company’s proposal on installation of a drainage system....
According to the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), 40 percent of Pacific Northwest homes use electric water heaters, which account for 15 to 20 percent of residential energy use. Newly developed heat pump water heaters will use 50 percent or more less energy, which could lead to substantial savings for residential customers. Wahkiakum PUD is one of 11 utilities in the Northwest selected to participate in a study of the efficiency of heat pump water heaters in residential settings. There are a total of 40 treatment sites in BPA’s region a...
Beginning their transition to “paperless” board meetings, the Naselle-Grays River Valley School Board Directors used their iPads for the first time to conduct the meeting on September 21. The board discussed implementing a policy to allow bilingual students to earn credit for knowing a second language instead of taking the few foreign language classes that Naselle offers. This would allow kids who understand and speak Spanish fluently (or any other language) to take a test and gain the credit for classes that would repeat material they alr...
Wahkiakum Community Network (WCN) youth board members who attended the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America National Leadership Conference presented their logic model framework for combating and preventing youth marijuana use in local communities at the Wahkiakum School Board meeting on September 27. Seven local teens – Sadie Mace, Ellee Crouse, Shelby Felton, Gabby Mann, and Abby Buennagel from Wahkiakum High School and Austin Smith and Nicole Tarabochia from Naselle High School – went to Phoenix, Arizona in July to gather...
Wahkiakum PUD commissioners reviewed water rights applications, talks with the town, and their disconnect policy at their meeting on September 21. Manager Dave Tramblie recalled the board’s request at the last meeting that he contact Cathlamet Mayor George Wehrfritz to discuss ways to partner on similar activities, such as the town contracting with the PUD for water meter reading or billing services. Tramblie reported that he had spoken with the mayor but clarified that he had no specific details to offer and needed clear directions from the co...
Wahkiakum PUD commissioners and management met September 7 to discuss policies and hear updates on ongoing projects. Ken Ruche, who owns a house on Covered Bridge Road, attended the meeting to comment on the PUD’s deposit policy. Ruche said his family moved into their home in March of 2008. The PUD required a two-month deposit of $700 and told Ruche that he would receive the deposit back in two years. When he came to the PUD office recently to inquire about the deposit, he was told that if a customer makes a late payment, the 24-month window s...
The Columbia Land Trust is engaged in restoration work on a local project site to enhance habitat for deer and fish. The 180-acre property, known to the land trust as Nelson Creek, is situated across State Route 4 from the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge and is bordered by Risk Road and Nelson Creek Road. Indian Jack Slough runs through the site. Two tidegates block migratory fish from accessing the slough. Prior to diking and farming, the area was intertidal freshwater marsh with stands of Sitka spruce, cedar, and poplar....
Naselle-Grays River Valley School Board members and staff discussed new technology, a new name, and a new policy at their meeting on August 17. Business manager John Tienhaara demonstrated the use of an Apple iPad, one possible option the school board could use to reduce its use of paper. The board was in full support of purchasing iPad for themselves to use for board meetings. Tienhaara also announced that this year, all incoming high school freshmen will be receiving iPad. Administrative Assistant Marilyn Strange reported that she had spoken...
Wahkiakum School District board members heard reports about back to school preparations from school administrators at their meeting August 18. Elementary/middle school Principal Theresa Libby reported that 11 students participated in elementary summer school classes. Fall sports start practice during the week of August 23 and staff will return to work on August 30. There will be a back to school night for both schools on August 31 at 6 p.m. and during that time middle school students will be assigned a locker. School starts September 1. Libby s...
Wahkiakum PUD commissioners discussed a proposal to include a private group’s survey in PUD bills and heard updates on current projects at their meeting August 17. Town resident John Dees attended the meeting as a representative of a group of private citizens who have been meeting to work on Main Street revitalization. The group has sent out a survey to all Town of Cathlamet water customers, Dees said, but acknowledges that survey method missed significant segments of the county population. They would like to include their survey with PUD b...
Wahkiakum Port District 1 commissioners discussed their holiday weekend reservation policy and an aquatic weed at their meeting August 12. Jerry Bain of Longview sent a letter to the commissioners protesting the three nights minimum stay policy in place for Memorial Day, Bald Eagle Day, and Labor Day weekends. He asked that the port commissioners consider amending the policy to a two night minimum stay. Port Manager Jackie Lea recounted past years when people had made reservations for only Saturday night of Bald Eagle Days, thus preventing...
Deep River resident Pam Anderson is a candidate for PUD Commissioner Position 3. The Eagle ran a story on July 29 about the other two candidates for the position, Dennis Reid of Skamokawa and incumbent Esther Gregg of Rosburg. The information below didn't reach The Eagle in time for publication in that issue. Anderson is a graduate of Aberdeen High School and Clatsop Community College. She has lived in Deep River for over 30 years. She and her husband raise cattle and certified organic hay on their farm. She has served as a volunteer emergency...
Three people are running for a six-year term on the Wahkiakum Public Utility District board of commissioners—incumbent Esther Gregg, Skamokawa resident Dennis Reid, and Deep River resident Pamela Anderson. The Eagle was able to interview Gregg and Reid; Anderson was contacted several times for this story but did not submit information. Esther Gregg Incumbent commissioner Esther Gregg of Rosburg was raised in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, and moved to Wahkiakum County in 1987 after a career in the machine tool industry. She has served as county f...
Staff and commissioners of Wahkiakum PUD updated the gathered group on ongoing projects during their meeting on July 20. PUD Manager Dave Tramblie announced that a four-hour outage would be needed on July 28 to complete an electrical project on the Puget Island Bridge. Further advertising will follow, he said. PUD Auditor Erin Wilson reported that three PUD customers were selected by lottery to participate in a study of the effectiveness of energy efficient heat pump water heaters. Wilson said she hopes to have the water heaters installed in...
Commissioners of Wahkiakum Port District No. 1 met July 8 to discuss improvements to port facilities. Port Manager Jackie Lea reported a contractor has reclaimed an overgrown part of the “F” Dock parking area. The contractor dug out a ditch, leveled and smoothed existing gravel and will add several more loads of gravel to complete the project. Lea asked for input from the commissioners about possible improvements to the RV park area. Commissioner Larry Bonds suggested creating something more desirable than the current gravel area. Com...
Wahkiakum PUD commissioners approved water rate increases for customers from both the Puget Island and Western Wahkiakum Water Systems at their meeting July 6. Commissioner Bob Jungers commented that because of a locked door, the Western Wahkiakum Water System rate hearing scheduled for June 29 was held on the tailgate of his truck, and low attendance meant “(the tailgate) wasn’t overcrowded.” He said he interpreted a lack of public comment at that event to mean that Westend residents were satisfied that the rate increases were neces...
