Commissioners to consider road plan

Wahkiakum County commissioners will hold a public hearing on the proposed 2009 Road Construction program October 21, 10:30 a.m.

Public Works Director Pete Ringen presented the proposed construction program to the board of commissioners on Tuesday. It lists 14 projects costing a total of $4.9 million, with $536,000 of that coming from county funds.

"We can trim some of those projects if we have to do so," he commented.

The program includes a new terminal for county ferry 2.2 million; repair AG Hansen Bridge $805,000; stabilize Altoona-Pillar Rock Road slide, $110,000; county wide small construction $80,000; Clear Creek Bridge $137,000; resurfacing Elochoman Valley Road at salmon hatchery $120,000; county wide major culvert replacements $80,000; resurface West Little Island Road $402,000; resurfacing upper Elochoman Valley Road $525,000; resurfacing North Welcome Slough Road $69,000; repair Ingalls Road $80,000; initial engineering for replacing the ferry Wahkiakum in a few years $171,000, and realigning Covered Bridge Road where it is eroding $25,000.

Ringen also suggested the county develop a policy for prioritizing road construction projects.

In other business, the US Army Corps of Engineers and US Fish and Wildlife Service sought board approval digging into county roads for a tidegate project.

Commissioners said they would support the project as long as members of the local diking district approved.

COE Engineer Doug Putnam explained that the agency wanted to replace old tidegates with more efficient, fish friendly tidegates that would drain the deer refuge better. He and refuge officials said the water level would initially remain the same on the refuge. The diking district has approved the work, he said.

"We don't want to flood ourselves out," said refuge Manager Joel David.

Charles Stenvall, manager of the Willapa Refuge complex, added that the major drainage problem for the refuge occurs in winter freshets when the Elochoman River overflows its banks and soaks the refuge.

"That's a real problem, and this is a solution for us to get that resolved," he said.

Commissioners said they would check with diking district Commissioner Maurice Mooers to confirm diking district approval of the project and then notify Putnam of their support.