Commission okays 12-lot Deep River subdivision

Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a proposed 12-lot subdivision along Deep River.

Applicant Byron Miller wants to create the lots on the old Weyerhaeuser log sorting yard

The board approved his preliminary plan and also a substantial development conditional use permit.

Recommended restrictions include setbacks from low and high water lines and a requirement to consult with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to create a bald eagle management plan.

The Washington State Department of Transportation has wanted to use part of the site for its proposed Swenson Curve realignment project.

Miller told commissioners this has been a very hectic process, for the DOT has tried to condemn the land. A judge initially ruled against the department, Miller said, a ruling the judge later reversed. However, the department and state legislature are no long pursuing the project.

In other business, health department officials reported progress in developing a plan to deal with a potential outbreak of avian flu.

So far, the avian flu virus hasn’t mutated so that it is contagious among humans, said project coordinator Sandi Benbrook Rieder.

The department is planning to survey emergency medical workers and responders to determine priority response commitments, Rieder said.

The department is planning training for families, businesses and other organizations to develop plans for how they’ll keep functioning during a possible epidemic. Department staff would like to find volunteers who would be trained to help people in their homes, she said. This would lessen interpersonal contact and the subsequent spread of disease.

The board also approved an updated contract for Health and Human Services and its Wahkiakum On the Move bus system.

Coordinator Chris Holmes said the new contract will allow bus drivers to schedule pickup and deliver with persons needing rides to medical appointments covered by Medicare.

The system is already largely providing the service, but without compensation for extra miles and time, he said.

The bus routes will no longer be fixed, Holmes said, but they’ll be adjusted to accommodate persons needing the rides.

The documents include those submitted to Clatsop County for review of water resources, a pipeline, and an enhanced impact statement.