County to take input on proposal to lower Elochoman speed

Wahkiakum County's board of commissioners handled wide-ranging business at their Tuesday meeting.

Among the items of business, the board discussed the future of a Puget Island farm seized from a person convicted of cultivating marijuana; the board approved transfers for new employees in the auditor's and sheriff's office, and the board approved a public hearing on a proposal to lower the speed limit on a portion of the Elochoman Valley Road.

In response to a request from an Elochoman resident, the board asked Public Works Director Pete Ringen to conduct an engineering and traffic investigation of the Elochoman road between the SR 4 and Family Camp Road intersections.

Ringen said the study showed several concerns--the road has substandard widths in some places; there are three substandard curves that limit sight of drivers and create hazardous conditions; the road had 19 reportable accidents in the past 10 years and over 40 emergency services call outs from minor accidents in the past five years; the number of driveway intersections puts the road in a suburban, not rural, category, and the majority of drivers are driving 51 miles per hour.

Ringen noted that many of the minor accidents are caused by ice, for portions of the road are shaded from the sun all day long in the wintertime.

Ringen said he would recommend a reduction in the speed limit from 50 to 45 miles per hour.

He cited the large number of driveways, the limited sight distance in certain areas, the substandard road width for the traffic speed, the potential for icy conditions, and the presence of school busses on the road with its limited sight.

He said he wouldn't recommend a 40 mph speed limit because most drivers wouldn't obey it and it would be an enforcement problem.

Commissioners agreed to hold a public hearing on recommendation.

Tn other business, the board approved lateral transfers for new employees; approval is required through the county's union contract.

Tammy Peterson will move from the Treasurer's Office to the Auditor's Office to replace Kathy Durrah, who is retiring at the end of December.

The board approved a transfer for the Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Jon Dearmore announced that Deputy Sheriff Jeff Fithen has resigned to go to work in the Chehalis Police Department, and Longview policeman Paul Carlson has been hired to replace Fithen. Dearmore said Carlson has worked for the Longview department for seven years and has been in law enforcement for 14 years.

The county has seized a small farm on Puget Island's East Birnie Slough Road. Its owner, a Vancouver man, was arrested and convicted of cultivating marijuana in Clark County and of bypassing an electric meter on the Puget Island property.

Law enforcement officers raided the property earlier this year and learned that it had been used for growing marijuana at one time.

Officials will develop a plan in January for putting the property up for bid.