Commissioners okay budget, road plans

Wahkiakum County commissioners approved budgets for 2015, approved road and ferry improvement programs and acted on other business when they met Tuesday.

The board had met on Monday for the statutory public hearing on the proposed budgets, and the only real discussion concerned salaries in the public works department.

Public Works Director Pete Ringen plans to retire, and the board has planned to fill the position in-house with a staff member who won't have his engineering license until 2017. He would become public works director, and until he achieves certification, the county would contract with a private engineer, possibly Ringen, for work requiring a certified engineer.

Ringen proposed salary increases for the staff member, and commissioners expressed concern over them.

On Tuesday, Ringen reviewed the staff member's qualifications and noted he was highly qualified and could easily find another position "tomorrow," Ringen said, "that would pay more than I'm making now."

After discussion, commissioners agreed to leave the salary as Ringen had proposed.

Commissioners also approved their annual contract with the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce for a variety of promotional services.

Chamber Executive Director Ashley Turner reviewed Chamber activities and plans for 2015. These include sponsoring more community events and expanding activities in western Wahkiakum County, which pleased commissioners.

"I like the way it's progressing," said Commissioner Blair Brady. "I used to think the Chamber was more Cathlamet centric. Now it's looking at the whole county."

"I agree with Blair," said Commissioner Mike Backman. "It looks great. Kudos."

In other business:

--Commissioners approved the annual road construction plan, the six-year road construction plan, and the 14-year ferry improvement program.

The 2015 road plan includes several culvert replacements, completion of the new ferry and its ramp improvements, and start of a $1 million project to improve the eastern end of Steamboat Slough Road.

Federal Lands Access Program funds will pay for $850,000 of the project; the county is responsible for $60,000 over two years. The project will widen and improve the road from the SR 4 intersection to the public fishing area near the mouth of Elochoman Slough.

--Commissioners and Building and Planning Director Chuck Beyer discussed concerns for heating and insulating the Grays River Valley Center. The building, formerly an elementary school with a gymnasium, is expensive to heat in the rainy season, and the community organization operating the facility struggles to raise funds to pay the heating expense.

"It puts a lot of pressure on that board to keep raising that money," Backman said.

Insulating the building would be a huge cost, Beyer said, and the county couldn't afford to do it without some grants.

"It would take a $40,000 to $50,000 system just to do the gym," Beyer said. "There's such a volume of air."

"Are we getting to the point where we're going to have to put this up for sale," asked board Chair Dan Cothren.