Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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The Wahkiakum County Commissioners had a short meeting Tuesday, with commissioner Tischer attending via Zoom. In new business, the Town of Cathlamet requested a letter of support for the Town’s grant application to build a public bathroom as part of the new waterfront park. The commissioners signed the letter, although no representative of the Town Council was in attendance to describe why it was needed. Representatives of the Cowlitz/ Wahkiakum Council of Government also asked the commissioners for a letter of support for a grant. The C...
At the Wahkiakum County Commissioners meeting Tuesday Retired Sheriff Mark Howie was presented with the Marine Corps League's Eugene A. Bolstad Memorial law enforcement officer of the year award. Sheriff Howie took over the department after the suicide of Sheriff Jon Dearmore. During his acceptance Sheriff Howie mentioned his predecessor and the difficulties of managing the department after the death of Sheriff Dearmore. The Bolstad award is given annually to a law enforcement officer who has...
May 27 7:30 a.m. A Puget Island caller reported being harassed while fishing. The caller claimed that the person was intentionally crossing fishing lines with the caller. 2:05 p.m. The Grays River Fire Department responded to a barn on fire in Deep River which spread to a residence. 4:19 p.m. A motorist was reported driving erratically in the Abe Creek area. 8:33 p.m. A Skamokawa caller reported someone burning trash. May 28 9:24 a.m. A Cathlamet caller requested medical attention after experiencing vomiting and chest pains. 9:37 a.m....
The Wahkiakum County Commissioners met Tuesday to conduct regular county business. In the public comment period, Mark Vik told the commissioners that the Corps of Engineers plan to deposit dredge spoils on Puget Island was a felony. He told the commissioners that this was only the beginning of the federal governments plan to take private property and that the county should sue the Corps. Dan Cothren said frankly “why would I spend county money to sue the federal government?” The commissioners approved a letter of support for a grant proposal by...
The Wahkiakum County Commissioners had a brief meeting Tuesday but addressed an important topic. In the next couple of months two elected officials will be stepping down before their terms end. County Assessor Falon Hoven and Sheriff Mark Howie have both indicated that they will be resigning. The statutes are clear that the Commissioners have the power to appoint someone to fill out the remainder of the elected official’s term. The discussion on Tuesday was whether to notify the public by putting a notice in The Eagle for the position. Some c...
In a Brief two hour and fifteen-minute meeting Monday the Town Council discussed several topics. In the public comment period, the Town Council read a letter asking the council not to cut down the large conifer tree that is damaging the the sidewalk at Strong Park. In the plan for the improvements to the park the tree is scheduled to be cut down. Because the tree is directly in front of the walking bridge the council members said that there were few options for saving the tree. Sarah Clark the council’s clerk asked the council if they would l...
After a week off due to the five Tuesdays in April, the Wahkiakum County Commissioners met to address several county issues. Duncan Cruckshank from Health and Human Services asked the commissioners to declare May mental health awareness month. The commissioners approved and chair, Dan Cothren, read the proclamation aloud to the audience and Zoom participants. Carrie Backman of the Marine Resources Council asked permission to spend an extra $1,400 for transportation costs, including personnel to assist with field trips for students to study the...
The routine work of the Wahkiakum County Commissioners was overshadowed this week by a presentation by the Army Corps of Engineers regarding the depositing of dredge spoils inside the dike on Puget Island. The plan, which has been approved by the landowner on Puget Island is to remove enough of the dike to place three 30 inch pipes under the roadway. Construction is scheduled for July and could last 6-12 weeks including closing East Sunny Sands Road for up to 4 weeks in August. The representatives of the Corps came to notify the commissioners...
At the regular Tuesday meeting of the Wahkiakum County Commissioners the board addressed a range of issues. Erica Zink from Health and Human Services introduced two members of the high school advocates program. These students get paid to be role models and mentors for their peers. Along with meeting students one on one, they also develop information to distribute to students. Recently the developed a bulletin board with information for students on healthy relationships and energy drinks. Adam Vogt, a GIS technician, for the county, presented...
Semuel Hoogendoorn, a senior at Wahkiakum High School, is one of the winners of the 2024 Southwest Washington regional high school art show. Semuel's painting, "Aunt Sam Sends Her Love", was inspired by a dream he had about the Aunt that he had never met. In the painting, Semuel is meeting his aunt who died three years before Semuel was born. Semuel said that he was inspired to make the painting because his mother missed her sister and in the dream Semuel was able to show his mother that her sis...
As is sometimes the case, the public comment portion of the weekly meeting of the Wahkiakum County commissioners wound up as the main event. Several residents of Oneida Road came to the commissioners meeting directly from the recently-concluded Port Utilities District meeting Tuesday morning. Corbett McMaster said that there were about 25 people at the PUD meeting and that the board had told them to take up their issues with the commissioners. McMaster said that they are paying approximately $2,000 in taxes for 10 acre parcels that they cannot...
Before the start of the weekly meeting of the Wahkiakum County Commissioners, at the courthouse on Main Street in Cathlamet, the room was buzzing with news of the fire at the docks in Ilwaco. The assembly of local officials speculated that the fire must have caused millions of dollars of damage. During public comments, Kay Walters informed the commissioners that the crab feed at the fairgrounds was a success, raising over $5000 with around 160 tickets sold. Mayor David Olson was back again before the commissioners to ask for their signatures...
County commissioners met Tuesday in their regular session and approved several contracts for the new year. An agreement with the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce was renewed continuing their role as the economic development department for the county. The contract would pay the Chamber $20,000 annually. The county renewed its lease of the building occupied by the Cowlitz Family Health Center. The health center, located near the marina, has been paying $200 per month since 2017. In the public comment period Mayor David Olsen asked for the...
In the first Commissioners meeting of the year the board convened with Dan Cothren as chair. They began the meeting by reappointing the members of the County Fair board, the Board of Equalization, and by renewing the service agreement with the county museum. Additionally the commissioners agreed to match the funding for the community pool with the Town of Cathlamet up to $50,000. Duncan Cruickshank of Wahkiakum Health and Human Services (WHHS) told the commissioners about his effort to renew employees training in Moral Reconation Therapy...
Wahkiakum County Commissioners held their last regular meeting before the Christmas break Tuesday. After weeks of work they approved the county budget for 2024 which included a one percent property tax increase. Increases in the county general fund levy, the county road levy, and the EMS levy would generate an estimated $15,604 for the county, not including new construction. The Sheriff's Department put forth a resolution and the Commissioners approved a declaration of emergency due to the flooding in the Westend last week. If the state of...
Wahkiakum County commissioners met Tuesday to approve some routine expenditures, but the majority of the meeting was focused on public comment. Town Council member Jeanne Hendrickson came to the meeting to tell the commissioners that she has found a way to eliminate the fee for library cards in Cathlamet. Commissioner Hendrickson asked the commissioners to step up and assist her new program by allocating $1,500 from the County budget to assist the new library program. The other comment came from a county resident who felt unsafe at a recent...
The Wahkiakum County Commissioners met before the Thanksgiving holiday in a brief session. Work continues on the Hope Center as Health and Human Services settles into the building. Duncan Cruickshank asked the commissioners to authorize a request for bids to make the front entrance ADA compliant. Two offices will also be created at the center and the HVAC for the great room will be updated. Wahkiakum Health and Human and Human Services will renew their contract with RYC Analytics for data analysis services. Their fee for analyzing health data...
The Wahkiakum County Commissioners have formally asked the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a study to address flooding in Rosburg and Grays River drainages. The Eagle has detailed the effects of flooding in the Westend in numerous articles. The commissioners today asked the Army Corp to conduct a study to "assess the proximate and ultimate causes of fine sediment deposition and to determine short and long term solutions to remove fines collecting near the mouth of the Grays which contribute to the increased flood risk to communities..." The...
When many of us think of jazz we imagine cool cats in turtleneck sweaters or the smooth jazz of Kenny G. The members of the Black Swan Jazz band look further back for their inspiration. Three decades before the impeccable cool of Miles Davis or Dave Brubeck, the hazy shuffling and dizzy wailing of King Oliver's Creole jazz lent its air of seduction to New Orleans's red light district. And long before Herbie Hancock's concocted his funk-inflected jazz fusion, Jelly Roll Morton wove clean...
Wahkiakum County commissioners heard from Craig Brown at Tuesday’s otherwise brief meeting. Brown expressed concern at the lack of a coherent plan to evacuate areas of the county in the event of a wildfire. He implored the commissioners to create an evacuation plan and to educate the public about it. Brown spoke for several minutes about how new residents of the county were at a disadvantage in being less aware than locals of alternative routes out of the county. He advised the commissioners and other local agencies to make plans to avoid t...
County commissioners met Tuesday with Dan Cothren presiding and Lee Tischer and Gene Strong attending online. Several expenditures were approved along with declaring October as domestic violence awareness month. Caroline Backman gave an extensive update on WSU extension projects. These projects included the Master Gardeners that guide the work at the community garden. This includes 25 garden plots for county residents as well as dedicated plots to provide produce to both local food banks. In the last two growing seasons the volunteers grew and...
County commissioners approved a number of practical measures Tuesday, and heard a comment about missing sand. Kevin Prestegard said he was “looking for sand” because he had lost approximately a quarter acre of beach at his south side Puget Island property. The missing sand, Mr Prestigard blamed on the dredging of the ship channel. All the commissioners agreed that they had no information about plans to replenish the beach because the Army Corps of Engineers would not respond to requests for information in a timely manner. They suggested tha...
Wahkiakum county Commissioners met on the third floor of the courthouse to conduct the people’s business. They allowed the Wahkiakum 4-H Leaders Council to close the covered bridge and approach for a fundraising dinner during the annual Columbia River Country Days. Jail Commander Joannie Kuhlmeyer asked for permission to search for bids to build a walk-in freezer at the courthouse. The jail serves frozen meals prepared by the Washington Department of Corrections. Recently the minimum order has increased to $2,200 which is approximately 53 c...
Commissioners met the day after Labor Day to approve several important measures. First, the commissioners approved a letter of support for the development of a source for drinking water on Puget Island. Because the Island's drinking water crosses the Puget Island bridge, the current source is susceptible to natural or man-made disasters which would leave the Island residents without potable water. The new source would also be a back up for the Town of Cathlamet. County employees will now get June 19 off from work as the commissioners approved...
Residents of Butler Street petitioned the city council for a remedy for the condition of their street. The homeowners said that the street, which is a patchwork of cement, asphalt and various repairs is desperately in need of replacement. The council agreed but debated how to proceed. Public works commented on possible repairs and the council weighed both short term and long-term fixes. In the end, the council approved the repair. The council approved the bid of a Woodland company for $333,883 to solve the water pressure issues on Fern Hill. Th...
