Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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On June 16, the Naselle-Grays River Valley School Board was treated to the musical styling of Wilho Saari playing his kantele, the national instrument of Finland. Saari, who started playing at age 50, is a fifth generation player. He has spent the last 16 years playing the instrument and annually shares his knowledge with fourth graders at the elementary school. Saari is a National Endowment for the Arts recipient because of his skill on the kantele and sharing his knowledge with others, including nursing home residents, and children. In other...
Wahkiakum School Superintendent Bob Garrett last week opened and read the bids for building new football grandstands, which were damaged by arson last winter. The board received bids from three companies. The bids, ranging from $108,000 to $132,000, excluding taxes, will be reviewed by maintenance supervisor Bob McClintock. He will return his recommendation to Garrett for final approval before the July school board meeting. In other business, the board accepted the retirement/resignation of long time bus drivers Jim and Carol Mast. JAW/JCT...
Wahkiakum PUD Manager Dave Tramblie this week told the board of commissioners the governmental entities in the county will receive funding for the damage sustained during last winter's flood event. “We have been approved for a total of $32,393.41,” he said. From Federal Emergency Management Administration, the amount is $27,765.78 and from the state, an additional $4,627.63. Also, the long awaited permit for the SR 409 water main replacement project has arrived to the PUD, Tramblie said. The paperwork was being processed during the PUD board's...
Recycling everyday household items sounds easy, however, has proven to be somewhat confusing. Cut out this handy guide for the refrigerator or garage to make the process a bit easier. Beginning July 1, clients taking their recyclables (and garbage) to Cowlitz County will have to travel to their new facility located at 1150 Third Avenue in Longview. The center caters to residents of Cowlitz and Wahkiakum Counties only and valid ID will be required. Mixed paper consists of any type of office paper including desk calendars, magazines, paper back b...
Wahkiakum School District board of directors acted on a variety of issues at their May 20 meeting, including: --Wahkiakum High School Principal Loren Davis reported the April students of the month are Freshman Kyle Bergquist, Sophomore Phillip Doumit, Junior Erin Turner, and Senior Ebony Cothren. The Lion’s Club/KLOG Senior is Jake Goldsmith. Six students earned a 4.0 Grade Point Average for the third quarter, and 48 students earned a spot on the honor roll. The girl’s track team is the State 2B Academic Champions. The team of 16 had a com...
Money for college is available for low income and foster students, thanks to the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board. The “College Bound Scholarship” promises to pay tuition at any Washington public college, university or career school at the public college rate, plus $500 for books. Application for the scholarship is open to this years seventh, eighth and ninth graders, however sixth grade students may apply. Signing up sixth grade students is a trial for this year, Julius A Wendt/John C Thomas Principal Theresa Libby said. Bec...
Jada Rupley, associate superintendent for the Educational Service District (ESD) 112, presented the Naselle-Grays River School Board an ECEAP update at the May 19 meeting. ECEAP is the acronym for Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, which is the state’s comprehensive pre-kindergarten program for income eligible families. The program provides free preschool, developmental screenings, nutritious meals and snacks, health and dental screenings and fun activities for families. Enrollment for next year’s program has begun, however, spa...
For five months, the Wahkiakum School Board has been searching for ways to offset a half million budget shortfall. From implementing a four-day school week to pay to play, many ideas surfaced. On May 20, the board made a final decision. Beginning next year, students will pay to participate in extracurricular activities. The cost will be $55 for high school programs and $30 for middle school programs. No extracurricular programs were cut for the 2009-10 school year. The pep band, annual, Honor Society, and Knowledge Bowl will be exempt from the...
Wahkiakum homeowners may be able to obtain financial assistance to weatherize their house. The Lower Columbia Community Action Program (CAP) will receive nearly $900,000 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the US Department of Energy. The funds will provide weatherization and client education on energy efficiency for residents of Wahkiakum and Cowlitz counties. Weatherization of a home means checking interior and exterior areas to ensure the energy is being utilized to the full capacity. The whole process takes several...
Commissioners of Wahkiakum PUD authorized a transformer purchase and water system construction loan and handled a variety of other business at their meeting Tuesday of this week. Manager Dave Tramblie told the PUD board of commissioners that the two surplus PUD vehicles will be auctioned at Ritchie Bros. Auctions in Chehalis on June 16 and 17. The interviews for the part-time utilityperson position have been completed, and Tramblie said he expects a selection by the end of the week. Auditor Erin Wilson thanked Commissioner Esther Gregg for her...
Wahkiakum PUD Manager Dave Tramblie told the board of directors this week that it doesn’t appear the $200,000 cap for the Bonneville Power Administration portion of the new Cathlamet substation will be needed for that project at this time. What he said he would like to do is to reallocate a portion of that amount for the purchase of the Grays River spare transformer. While he isn’t in a position to make the purchase, Tramblie said he wanted to make the board aware of his plans. He said it would be several weeks before a final decision will nee...
A new trend in education is online learning. Students are able to “choice out” to different programs within the state. Predictions say in 10 years, 50 percent of education seeking students will be using online programs, or an alternate learning experience (ALE). This will be a change in the appearance of the educational process. Wahkiakum School District Superintendent Bob Garrett said whether or not the district is in favor of it, other districts are establishing programs. They usually get started by the supporters saying there needs to be an...
For the past five years, Doug and I have been very lucky to be a part of such a wonderful community, first in Cathlamet, then in Naselle. We had the absolute best of both worlds. We went from one awesome place to another and met some of the greatest people on earth. Who knew it would end so quickly? By the end of June, because of more budget cuts in the Department of Fish and Wildlife, we will be moving to Hoodsport, a town just north of Shelton on Hood Canal so Doug can work at a different hatchery. It is hard for me to write this because I...
Wahkiakum PUD Auditor Erin Wilson reported to the board of commissioners Tuesday that Mike Johnson, engineer for Gray & Osborne has still not received the permits for the SR 409 wetlands project, but he hopes they will come soon. The paperwork for the grant has been approved, however. Wilson requested a draw down of funds in the amount of $58,000 to pay for the PUD’s portion of the engineering. Shannon Greene, account executive for Bonneville Power Administration, has dropped off a replica three story energy efficient house for display in t...
The Naselle School Board met April 21 to discuss a variety of topics. Naselle-Grays River Valley High School Assistant Principal Jon Tienhaara told the board he would be taking a group of sophomores to the Seattle/Bellingham area May 1, 2 and 3 to tour colleges, including the Art Institute of Seattle and Western Washington University. Thanks to the GEAR-UP grant, Tienhaara and three parents will take around 20 students to look at the schools. The program is successful because of the staff, “we couldn’t do any of this without them,” he said....
The Wahkiakum School Board met April 22 to continue the discussion of the need to reduce expenditures for the school year 2009-10. Superintendent Bob Garrett said without the final budget from the governor, it makes it difficult to make the final decisions for the district, however, opened the discussion for ideas. Last month, the board approved Garrett to make $150,000 in cuts for the district. That figure, Garrett said, would offset the corresponding drop in revenue tied to the decrease in enrollment from last year to this year. School staff...
A group of local men and women may soon be certified to help the public in case of emergency. The Wahkiakum County emergency medical technician (EMT) class had 17 students complete a course in EMT certification on April 11. From January until April, students spent Tuesday and Thursday evenings and every other Saturday in classes held at the Wahkiakum Fire Hall for a total of 150 hours. Once the final test is complete and passed, the group will be Washington state certified as EMTs qualified to operate the ambulance with two additional EMTs and...
Wahkiakum PUD Manager Dave Tramblie told the board of commissioners this week he is searching for a back-up transformer for the Grays River/Westend system. Tramblie reported that over the last year he has explored options of connecting the distribution systems between Cathlamet and Grays River and between Pacific County PUD and Wahkiakum PUD. Work to connect either system could cost the utility $500,000. Tramblie said a concern is Pacific PUD requiring Wahkiakum to overbuild their circuit to make it large enough to serve additional load....
January’s flood event was the second time in two years the Julia Butler Hansen Wildlife Refuge for the Columbian White Tailed Deer experienced a major flood event and the third since 1996. The high waters hit during the middle of the day, so many of the deer were observed leaving the refuge, said Refuge Manager Joel David. Many of the animals fled across the highway to higher land. In February, refuge personnel surveyed the deer population using an aerial Forward Looking Infrared Camera (FLIR). The camera will pick up anything omitting heat. C...
The Taproot Theatre Company traveled from Seattle to perform for students at Naselle-Grays River Valley School Monday. The company travels to schools and churches all over the Pacific Northwest to teach students of all ages about respect and the power that words and actions can have on others. The TTC was founded in 1976 by graduates of Seattle Pacific University and has become one of Seattle’s largest mid-size touring companies. Touring since 1985, the group performs for over 150,000 each year. The group will usually perform at two schools per...
Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce President Jennifer Hanigan said this week that last month’s crab feed was a huge success. After advertising fees, the chamber earned an estimated $8900. The total income is up approximately $2200 from last year, she said. Bradwood Landing has given the chamber a $5000 grant to be used for operations. It is a good thing, Hanigan said, “because not a lot of grants go toward operating expenses.” A business fair will take place on Saturday at Norse Hall on Puget Island. The fair is sponsored by the Lower Colum...
Wahkiakum County taxpayers last year flooded the county Board of Equalization with a record number of appeals of their property tax assessments in 2008. In the 2008, there were around 70 appeals, according to board Clerk Muriel Prestegard. The amount of appeals has risen dramatically over the past several years, she said. When Prestegard first became clerk four years ago, there were only 10-15 a year. That jumped to 50-60 appeals in 2007. After having their appeals heard, some people did withdraw their appeals, but many took them to the...
The uncertainty of the Naselle Youth Camp continues to be the main issue of discussion at the Naselle Grays River Valley School Board meetings. On March 17, the Department of Natural Resources announced they would be pulling forest work crews at the camp at the end of May. Aaron Toso, communications director for DNR, said it has nothing to do with potential camp closure. He said DNR is unique because they are forced to make the difficult decisions before the Legislature announces their budget. “It is definitely bad times,” he said, adding if th...
Fred Johnson wears many hats. He was Wahkiakum County’s Prosecuting Attorney for 30 years, he continues to practice law, he is the assistant fire chief, a deacon in the Catholic church, and now he is being honored as one of the instrumental links in the chain of getting the Timberlands Regional Support Network started in Wahkiakum County. Timberlands is responsible for the state’s public mental health system operating in Pacific, Lewis and Wahkiakum County regions, said Bill Hardy, TRSN administrator. In 1989, the state legislature passed ‘ment...
Water, water everywhere, but when do we get ours? Grays River resident Bob Larson on Tuesday asked the Wahkiakum PUD if they would provide water for a new district residents are working on creating west of Deep River Bridge and roads connected to SR4. Larson requested a letter from commissioners that could be forwarded, “to whom it may concern,” stating the PUD’s intent to provide the water necessary with adequate flow to the district when it becomes reality. He also asked for the PUD to maintain the system once it is in. Commissioner Esthe...
