Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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With little formal business on the agenda, Wahkiakum County commissioners largely worked on issues raised by members of the public when the board met Tuesday. Issues included, for the most part, dredging and culvert cleaning. After approving the consent agenda at the start of the meeting, the board moved to public comment. Randy Shroyer of Cape Horn requested an update on the board's efforts to have dredging projects permitted by state and federal agencies. The board intends to set up a 10-year program to have dredges deposit sand on eroding...
Wahkiakum County commissioners handled a variety of business at their Tuesday meeting, with topics ranging from vacancies on various boards to a report on the county's economics. Puget Island resident Sylvia Costich addressed Commissioners Blair Brady and Mike Backman (Commissioner Dan Cothren was in Olympia at a meeting of the state Board of Natural Resources), commenting that it would help their decision making to become aware of the county's demographics and economics. "Many of your agenda item discussions address the welfare of the citizens...
President Donald Trump has been in office less than two weeks, but he's working hard to implement his campaign promises, from walling out Latin American immigrants to prohibiting people from certain Muslim-majority nations from entering the US. Here are some of the headlines, as reported by the Associated Press: --Trump pulls US from Transpacific trade pact; --Trump's border wall faces reality check; --Trump denies immigration restriction caused airport chaos; --Anti-Trump protesters gather again in Seattle; --Hundreds march in downtown Spokane...
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) hosted a meeting last Thursday to gather public input on plans for sustainable harvest and marbled murrelet management. In November, the DNR released draft environmental impact statements for public review--the Marbled Murrelet Long-term Conservation Strategy, written jointly with USFWS, and the Sustainable Harvest Calculation for state trust lands in western Washington. Staff of the two...
By Rick Nelson With one member out of town and another ailing at home, the Wahkiakum County commissioners didn't cover too much ground at their meeting Tuesday. Commissioner Dan Cothren journeyed to Olympia for a special meeting of the Board of Natural Resources, and Commissioner Blair Brady called the courthouse to attend the meeting by phone. Commissioner Mike Backman chaired the 20-minuted meeting, and he and Brady tabled action on two items of business--hearing a claim for damages from a person whose vehicle sustained damage from fresh...
By Rick Nelson Members of the Cathlamet Town Council covered a lot of ground at their monthly meeting on Tuesday. Among many items of business, the council approved agreements with the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce, Wahkiakum County and Port District 1, and they presented a schedule for a consultant's analysis of sewer system finances. The council approved a contract with the Chamber. Council members in December had expressed concern that the list of deliverable services was too vague. Council Member Sue Cameron subsequently met with Chamber...
Wahkiakum County commissioners covered lots of ground when they met Tuesday. They approved an earnest money offer for potential housing project property and they set tax levies for 2017. The county's Department of Health and Human Services has been negotiating with the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle for purchase of six acres of forest land adjacent to the Town of Cathlamet wastewater treatment plant on SR 4. The county wants to use the site for mixed use housing and possible location of the Health and Human Service Department and Family...
By Rick Nelson Wahkiakum County commissioners will host a public forum on retail marijuana stores January 24 in Rosburg. Commissioners will recess their regular meeting in Cathlamet earlier that day and reconvene at 6 p.m. at Johnson Park in Rosburg, a practice they exercise every three months. Saying several Westend residents had asked him about laws and policies about location of retail marijuana stores, Commissioner Mike Backman requested the forum. A person applied last year to open a retail store in the old Rosburg Store building, but the...
A proposal by Clark County elected officials to combine 12 of the state's smallest counties with larger neighbors has met with skepticism from local officials. Clark County Assessor Peter Van Nortwick, a Republican, and Treasurer Doug Lasher, a Democrat have suggested the idea to state officials and legislators. Using data from the state Office of Financial Management, Lasher and Van Nortwick estimate the proposal will save $90.7 million in the cost of running county government. They say Wahkiak...
Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday set the dates for two forums about marijuana retail stores, but they're still trying to develop a program for the events. Commissioner Mike Backman proposed the forum last week in response to queries from Westend residents about the process for establishing a marijuana retail store in the county. Commissioners will host the forums January 24 at Johnson Park in Rosburg and January 26 in the commission's meeting room in the courthouse. Both events will start at 6 p.m. The agenda is still under...
Wahkiakum County Commissioner Mike Backman on Tuesday called for a community forum to discuss marijuana retail outlets in Wahkiakum County. Backman commented at Tuesday's meeting of the board of county commissioners that Westend residents, including the owner of the Rosburg Store property, had requested the forum. Although there are two marijuana growing operations in the county, there are no marijuana retail outlets. A businesswoman proposed last March to open an outlet at the Rosburg Store, but state law prohibits their location within 1,000...
A change in allocation of revenue from Town of Cathlamet sewer customers will allow the town to reduce its future rate hikes. Facing a shortfall in sewer and water system revenues for 2017, the council raised rates 10 percent for water and 20 percent for sewer, effective this month. More increases were going to be needed in 2017 for sewer rates, council members said in November. However, Clerk/Treasurer Kerrie McNally reported Monday at the council's monthly meeting that the town's accounting consultant realized that a change in the sewer...
Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday displayed differing ideas for funding the Wahkiakum Community Center in Cathlamet. The county is responsible for staffing the center, and it was managed by an Americorps program volunteer until this summer. The county was unable to obtain another Americorps coordinator, and the center has been open sparsely for pre-existing, volunteer led activities. In response to pleas from volunteers, commissioners assigned the Health and Human Services Department the task of finding funds for a center coordinator....
Commissioners of Port District 2 on Tuesday approved a resolution to operate County Line Park without financing from Wahkiakum County. The county owns the park site and contracted with Port 2 to manage it in 2016. The county appropriated $3,500 to the port to help cover operational costs as the port district made improvements to the grounds. When county commissioners learned the port had profitably operated the park this year, they dropped the funding for 2017. When port counsel Tim Hanigan presented a resolution to amend the funding agreement...
There are changes ahead for the library at the Grays River Valley Center at Johnson Park, Rosburg. Because of a disagreement over access, Trudy Fredrickson, a founder of the library, has decided to withdraw the 9,000 volumes she furnished the library. "I have made the decision to take my books out of the library," she told the county board of commissioners on Tuesday. "I only want what's mine." The county board appoints the board of directors who manage the center. Commissioner Mike Backman is county commission's representative to the center's...
Wahkiakum County commissioners handled a variety of business when they met Tuesday on topics ranging from beach nourishment to weed control. Commissioner Dan Cothren expressed dissatisfaction with communication with the US Army Corps of Engineers about completion of revised right-of-entry easements. The county is waiting for the Corps to complete revisions to the easements, which land owners must sign to allow dredging crews to work along their shoreline property when depositing dredge sand. County officials are working to set up a 10-year...
Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday passed a resolution adopting county budgets for 2017. Predicting revenue shortfalls for another year, officials tried to keep increases as low as possible. The county treasurer has had to make $1.1 million in interfund loans in 2016 to cover expense, commission Chair Blair Brady said Monday. Those interfund loans must be repaid, he said, and the 2017 revenue shortfall will be around $700,000. The county received $900,000 this month from the Department of Natural Resources from a land transfer that will...
The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking public comment on two draft environmental impact statements for management plans that will affect logging on timber trust lands in Wahkiakum and other counties. The two statements are 1. the Marbled Murrelet Long-term Conservation Strategy, which was written jointly with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), and 2. the Sustainable Harvest Calculation for state trust lands in western Washington. Staff from the DNR and USFWS will host public meetings and webinars in January 2017...
Wahkiakum county commissioners will hold their annual meeting to consider passage of their budgets for 2017. State law mandates the meeting, including a public hearing, start on the first Monday of December. The meeting will start at 9:30 a.m. Anticipating a year of tight revenue, commissioners last fall asked department heads to propose 2017 budgets with no increases over this year. For the most part, that theme carried through. The Current Expense Fund budget, which covers most courthouse offices, is proposed to increase from $5.1 million in...
The Cathlamet town council reinforced on Monday its intention to raise rates for customers of its water and sewer utilities. Council members voted to give final approval to an ordinance that will increase rates effective December 1. Customers will see the increases on their January bills. Water rates will increase 10 percent, and sewer rates will increase 20 percent. --Basic water rates for a 5/8" line will be $34.95 per month in town and $51.27 outside the city limits. --Sewer rates within town corporate limits will be $96 per month and...
The Nenita, a 738-ft. long bulk carrier loaded with grain, ran aground early Saturday morning in the Columbia River near Skamokawa and began taking on water. According to the US Coast Guard, the outbound vessel lost propulsion and ran hard aground around 3:18 a.m. The crew found water leaking into the peak of the hull and isolated the area. The vessel was refloated and towed to the Port Westward area later Saturday for further inspection. The Marshall Islands-flagged freighter was loaded with...
Wahkiakum County election officials counted their latest batch of ballots Thursday morning, and incumbent county Commissioner Mike Backman took a 45-vote lead over challenger Greg Prestegard in the election for the District 1 position. The margin, 1,177 to 1,132, was large enough to give Backman the win and avoid an automatic recount, required when the difference is one half of 1 percent or lower. Prestegard had a five-vote lead, 999-994, in the Nov. 8 election day tallies. Meanwhile, in the county's other commission election, incumbent Dan Cot...
By Rick Nelson Some prophet I am. When Donald Trump announced his bid for presidency last year, I broke out in a spontaneous laugh of disbelief. He's completely untrained for the job, I thought to myself. Who's laughing now? Right. I still believe he's completely unsuited for the presidency. A majority of voters seem to agree, but with our nation's 19th century electoral system, it doesn't matter: He'll be our president. I've always said the voters deserve the people they elect; the trouble is that the people who voted against a candidate pay t...
By Rick Nelson Is the Wahkiakum County effort to arrange for dredge spoils nourishment on eroding beaches any closer to action: That was the question residents of Cape Horn and East Sunny Sands on Puget Island posed to the county board of commissioners on Tuesday. And the answer: Yes, but there are details to address. First, county officials are waiting for the US Army Corps of Engineers' legal department to rewrite wording on the right-of-entry easements which land owners must sign so that dred...
Voters in Wahkiakum County and Legislative District 19 left races too close to call on Tuesday. In the race for County Commissioner District 1, challenger Greg Prestegard, a Democrat, led incumbent Mike Backman, an Independent, by just five votes, 999-994. The county auditor's office will count late votes this morning (Thursday). In the race for County Commissioner District 2, incumbent Dan Cothren, led challenger Robert L. Jungers, no party preference, 1,085-838. Incumbent Wahkiakum PUD...
