Council follows up on moratorium

The Cathlamet Town Council continued with steps to impose a six-month building permit moratorium for Columbia Ridge Estates subdivision and handled other business items at its monthly meeting Monday evening.

The council had adopted Resolution 280-10, imposing the moratorium, at its May 17 meeting. Following up with steps to satisfy legal requirements for the moratorium, the council held a public hearing Monday on the resolution and adopted Mayor George Wehrfritz's May 4 letter to the estates community association as a findings of fact.

Town Attorney Tom Doumit said the actions needed to be accomplished within 60 days of adoption of the moratorium.

In approving the subdivision several years ago, the town made it a condition that the homeowners and developers would construct and maintain the streets and sidewalks in the subdivision. In the resolution, the town found that the community and developers hadn't followed through on street construction and that they had failed to create a satisfactory homeowners association.

In a letter to the mayor and council, homeowner Marjie McDonough stated that she felt the moratorium was justified. She said that homeowners living on their lots are trying to separate from the developers and absentee owners who have a majority of votes and control how dues are spent.

In other business:

--The council updated the annual Six Year Transportation Improvement Program which sets priorities for major street projects. Actual construction depends on availability of local funds. Priorities include:

2010--3rd Street from SR 4 to the Elochoman Slough Marina. The project calls for rebuilding roadway, installing curbs, sidewalks, drainage and lighting. Cost is estimated at $670,000 with $590,000 coming from state funds.

2011--South Third Street from Maple to Alder streets; rebuilding roadway and installing curbs, sidewalk and drainage; $440,000 total, $400,000 state funds.

Other projects included Alder and South Second Streets; Chester Avenue and 2nd Street, and Columbia Street from Main to Alder.

--Mayor George Wehrfritz reported that a town employee had noticed that a new phone book including Cathlamet, Puget Island and Pe Ell areas lists the town's office phone as the fire and emergency services number in the white pages. Other references are to the standard 9-1-1 number. Wehrfritz said town officials would contact the publisher, and it was suggested that the town answering machine message recommend people call 9-1-1 for an emergency.