Fairgrounds drain to be replaced

Wahkiakum County officials discussed Tuesday plans to replace a malfunctioning storm drain at the Fairgrounds in Skamokawa.

In other business, commissioners heard about plans for county wide flu shots and talked about a variety of other issues.

County officials were surprised to learn last November that in decades past, county personnel had installed a storm drain connected to a tide gate along Skamokawa Creek to drain water from the Fairgrounds area. That tide gate hasn’t functioned for years, and in last year’s flooding, it allowed water to enter the area instead of draining it.

Public Works Director Pete Ringen said a simple fix would be to replace existing the drain pipe and tidegate at a cost of approximately $50,000.

The drain, however, runs under a house, and although the property owner wants to move the house off the parcel, the project has been hung up indefinitely, Ringen said.

An alternate project, all on county-owned land, would cost around $80,000, Ringen said.

Commissioners said they would discuss the matter more next Tuesday and possibly act on it then.

In other business:

—Wahkiakum Family Practice Clinic Business Manager Kathy Patterson said the clinic will start offering flu shots.

Details will be found in an advertisement elsewhere in this issue.

The shots will cost adults $25, she said. The county health department will offer a clinic in Rosburg at some point.

The department has also obtained nasal spray doses that will be administered in the Cathlamet schools.

—The board heard a report from Penny Black about the movement of southwest counties to form a council of governments to operate an area agency on aging (AAA). The agencies contract with the state Department of Social and Health Services to provide social services for the elderly.

A non-profit group already operates the Southwest Washington AAA, but DSHS has sought to cancel the contract and see a new group formed.

Commissioners said they would keep abreast of the issue and be ready to join the council of governments at the appropriate time.