County works on ferry issues, court security

Wahkiakum County commissioners acted on a variety of issues ranging from courtroom security to maintaining ferry service when they met Tuesday.

Commissioners Dan Cothren, Blair Brady and Lisa Marsyla agreed to keep the Puget Island ferry landing open during a coming construction project despite a possible cost savings of $250,000.

The project will extend and expand the ferry landing, making it more accessible to large trucks, and also improve the ramp.

Cothren and Brady expressed interest in the potential savings. They discussed the possibility of using a charter boat to provide foot passenger service during a shutdown of regular ferry service.

"I'm the new person," Marsyla said, alluding to her election last fall. She added that she had understood that commissioners and staff had already agreed to keep the ferry open as much as possible during the project.

Public Works Director Pete Ringen made a similar comment, adding that the ferry is potentially an important transportation link if a winter storm cut SR 4.

After discussion, the board agreed to keep the ferry service operating.

The board and Ringen also discussed raising ferry rates, and the board asked Ringen to come back with a proposal that could take effect next January.

Ringen said rates hadn't been increased since 1998 and are low compared to rates other counties charge for similar ferry service.

He suggested raising many single trip rates by $1; the cost for a car and driver would increase from $3 to $4; foot passengers would go from 50 cents to $1, and so on.

The cost of a 44-ticket commuter book could increase from $75 to $100, perhaps more.

In other action:

--The commissioners and Judge Bill Faubion discussed proposed security guards for the courtroom.

Faubion said hiring personnel could be done at low cost to the county, but Cothren and Marsyla remained adamant that the guards would be private contractors.

At one point, Brady moved to allow the guards to be county employees, and Marsyla seconded the motion. When the vote came, however, all three commissioners voted against the motion. Faubion should pursue hiring a private contractor, they said.

--The commissioners also voted to sell a surplus excavator to Consolidated Diking District No. 1 for $6,000 rather than offering the machine for an auction sale. The county will, however, require the diking district to allow other diking district to use it a reasonable rates, and that the the county may also use the machine in emergencies.