Commissioners hear reports on spring fish, clinic, road easement

The Wahkiakum County Commissioners met November 25 to discuss budgets and hear presentations.

Commissioner Dan Cothren said he has spoken with Kent Martin about the fishing issues in the county. He said there will be a meeting on December 11 to discuss the upcoming fishing season in Oregon and Washington.

He told the board he has left a message with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Jeff Koenings. Cothren said the fishing season isn’t looking good for commercial or sport on the Columbia River. His concern is the industry not getting shorted as it was last year.

Cothren reported this week that it appears there will be a short sport fishing season on the Columbia below Vancouver, but it will be delayed until later in the spring. Otherwise, the low number of hatchery fish returning to the Willamette will likely keep sport and recreational fishers out of the Columbia below the I-5 Bridge.

Clinic Advisory Board Chair Sandi Benbrook-Rieder presented the advisory board's final report on clinic operations. When they started, she said, they were looking at the best financial options for the clinic. They ended looking at three different areas--recruitment and retention of staff, operational issues and financial issues.

Benbrook-Rieder provided a copy of the budget for 2009 that includes access to operating capital if necessary. It would be in the form of a loan that would be paid back, she said.

She added it was her hope that in the future, the clinic would add longer hours and perhaps Saturday hours.

“To make the clinic as efficient as it needs to be, we need to improve space,” she said, adding that in order for that to happen, a grant would be needed.

Clinic advisors may also ask county officials to run a special property tax levy to cover clinic expenses, but that wouldn't be until the August, 2009, primary election.

In other business, Cathlamet resident Erle Cooper presented the board with an issue over his property on Schraum Road. He has previously asked the board to consider authorization of a right-of-way to provide access to his property.

He told the board he has consulted the Department of Natural Resources over an easement but doesn’t believe it would solve anything because of the private property owners involved.

The only options, Cooper said, are to either establish a right of way or force a right of use through the properties. “Either way, it still goes back to the original problem which was the vacating of the original right of way.”

Fifty years ago the road was vacated by order of the county commissioners; however, no rules were broken, Prosecuting Attorney Dan Bigelow said. “The point is, it happened and it’s done.”

The statutes haven’t changed since 1958, Bigelow said. However he told Cooper and the board “the report shall mention and the county shall consider whether anybody is going to be landlocked.

“It doesn’t say you can’t do it, if anybody is going to be landlocked.” Bigelow told Cooper the issue can’t be appealed because of the length of time that has passed.

Ultimately, the board told Cooper his best option w ould be to talk to his fellow property owners about forming legal access to the property.