Council approves biosolids expense

Members of the Cathlamet Town Council approved a $492,500 change order to haul away biosolids and delayed decisions on other issues when they met Monday.

Approval of the change order will allow a contractor to haul bags of biosolids taken from the town's old sewage lagoons and haul them to a farm near Woodland where they will be spread on farmland as fertilizer.

The decision came after a long presentation from Jamie Olivarez, regional biosolids coordinator for the state Department of Ecology, about biosolids law and treatment.

With ecology prevailing this year in a suit to overturn a Wahkiakum County ordinance limiting application of biosolids in the county to only the most highly treated, Class A biosolids, council members had toyed with the idea of spreading the biosolids on town timberland on Bradley Mountain.

Olivarez and consulting engineer Ken Alexander of Gray and Osborne Engineers, suggested that plan was unfeasible.

Alexander emphasized that permitting a new site would take a year or more. Olivarez added that the biosolids at the old lagoons are losing potency and value; he added that the town's permit for the Woodland site expires this year.

Alexander said the lagoons held much more material than originally estimated, and this necessitated the change order for the higher quantity of material. The engineers were able to bargain with the contractor and reduce the cost $100,000, he said, and the engineers aren't charging for this portion of the work.

Council members reluctantly agreed to the change order.

"It pains me to spend another half million on this, but I'd rather get it off our place," said Council Member Andy Lea.

"Yeah; I agree," said Council Members Bill Talbott and Hannah Booth Watts.

In other business;

--Mayor Dale Jacobson announced that businessman Bob Jungers had paid $800 to have a water line bored under the Elochoman Valley Road for residents who had lost their line in May. Jacobson said he had compensated Jungers from a fund he created from his salary, The Mayor's Fund, which he uses to pay expenses not allowed in the town budget. He asked if the council would compensate him for the expenditure.

Town Attorney Heidi Heywood said that as admirable as the gestures were, it would be gifting public funds to make the compensation, and so, the matter was dropped.

--After taking input from members of the town planning commission, the council agreed to delay action on a Port District 1 request to vacate a portion of Beal Street.

Planning Commissioner Jim Reed attended the meeting and asked that the council delay action until the planning commission had finished its update of the town's comprehensive plan later this year. Dick Swart made a similar request in a letter.

--The council learned that people who took advantage of the town's offer for $100 utility line connection fees are in danger of losing their permits because of a communication failure.

Shawn and Sheila Mace told the council their permits expire this month, and because of a landlord/tenant dispute, they haven't been able to make the connections. They asked for an extension of the deadline.

Town Clerk/Treasurer Tina Schubert said that after the Mace request office staff realized other permit holders weren't informed of the deadline.

After discussion, council members agreed to notify the affected people and develop a proposal to address the situation for their July meeting.