Council planning town hall on sewer rates

Members of the Cathlamet Town Council acted on a variety of business when they met Monday.

The council will hold a town hall meeting November 10, 6 p.m., in the River Street Meeting Room, to discuss hookup fees for sewer and water systems.

A Rosedale business man has suggested the county and town discuss and update utility line connection fees in the Rosedale area served by the Boege Road line. The town and county, which funded the extension, charge different fees. The town's is lower to encourage connections, of which there have been few, if any. That lower fee is set to expire at the end of the year.

"Commissioner Dan Cothren wanted to be on our agenda tonight," said Mayor Dale Jacobson, "but I told him it was full."

Jacobson added that he learned at a recent conference that the town's sewer rates are about average for Washington, and many communities are struggling to pay for upgrades to sewer and water systems.

"The whole key is more users on the system," commented Councilmember David Goodroe. Failed septic systems shouldn't be tolerated, he said, and residences close to sewer lines should have to connect, both in town and in the county.

Jacobson reported that town hall offices, now in leased quarters in the Scarborough Building, will move to a building on town property near the former sewage lagoons.

The Cathlamet Fire Department has used the building as an auxiliary fire station, and Jacobson said the town will need to start now to upgrade the building to accommodate town offices.

It will need cleaning, structural improvements, and a restroom, he said.

The lease for the present offices expires Februray 28, Clerk/Treasurer Tina Schubert said.

The council discussed the latest wrinkles in the troubled street lighting project, and Jacobson said he would visit the consulting engineers to go over the issues.

Jacobson said the project contractor said new problems have been discovered which would raise the project cost another $40,000. Conduit to the light post locations has collapsed, they said, and the foundations for the poles in the sidewalk are inadequate.

Councilmembers discussed possible courses of action.

One would be to cancel the project, but, as Schubert said, the town would have to refund $19,500 in grant money already spent for fixtures and it has already paid the engineers $38,000.

Councilmembers also discussed the contractural ramifications regarding the consulting engineers and the contractor.

The council also met in executive session to evaluate employees and to discuss potential litigation. No action was taken upon returning to open session.