County dealing with ferry throttle concerns

Wahkiakum County commissioners handled a variety of business Tuesday.

Public Works Director Pete Ringen announced that a paving contractor had finished paving a section of Steamboat Slough Road ahead of schedule, so the road could be re-opened to the public.

Commissioner Blair Brady commented that he would like to see expansion of the turnaround at the end of the road.

That work could be done in the future. Ringen said the turnaround will be improved and paved as part of roadwork that will be done under a grant-funded project with the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Brady asked Ringen if it would be possible to pave the new setback dike, which commissioners would like to have for a detour route if SR 4 were closed between Cathlamet and Skamokawa.

Ringen said he had a meeting scheduled with Refuge Manager Jackie Ferrier and he would put the topic on the agenda.

Ringen also said he had met with engineers from Elliott Bay Design Group, which designed the new ferry Oscar B, which experienced another outage this past week.

Ringen said that while the ferry is under its one-year warranty, the crew would like the builder or designer to adjust the throttle response.

Using a manual, the crew could make adjustments themselves, he said, but they think it better for the builder or designer to make the adjustments during the warranty period.

Ringen also reported the contractor constructing the new ramp at the Wesport landing has run into problems with regulatory agencies, and this may delay completion of the new ramp.

There were two problems: an inspector noticed that a barge used in the work uses a spud to secure its location, and the in-water work permit didn't include use of a spud.

Secondly, the contractor was using a bubble curtain around piles, and the generator powering the screen ran out of gas and was out of service for about 10 minutes. An inspector was on site and shut the work down.

"I'm flabbergasted about the attitude of the inspectors," Ringen said. "It's ridiculous. They go to extremes, and it raises costs and creates inconveniences."

Commissioner Mike Backman suggested the old ferry Wahkiakum could be moored at Westport so that it could be used if the Oscar B goes out of service again.

Ringen pointed out that the ferry would need shore power, which isn't available at that moorage, and there would be security concerns.

"These are two big issues," he commented.

In other business:

--Commissioners signed a contract with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for the agency to place a rainfall data collection station at the county's radio transmitter station on KM Mountain.

--The board also authorized an upgrade to fibre optic cables for the courthouse computer system. The upgrades will increase bandwidth and enable additions to the system, such as voice over internet telephone connections.

--WSU Cooperative Extension Agent Carrie Backman reported that the Legislature has included $5 million to fund Marine Resource Council (MRC) projects. Wahkiakum's MRC has two projects eligible for the funding; those are restoration projects for the Elochoman and Grays rivers estimated at $535,000.

The bill started at $15 million and has shrunk to $5 million, Carrie Backman said, so there will be competition for the funding.