Port 2 adds health benefit for employees

Commissioners of Port District 2 approved a health insurance benefit for full time employees and agreed to honor some refund requests when they met via Zoom Tuesday afternoon.

Initially, the port will pay for the health insurance costs for three full-time employees. Benefits for subsequent full-time employees will be 100 percent for the employee; the employees would be responsible for dependents' coverage.

The commissioners discussed whether or not to pay refunds to four different camping parties and eventually agreed to pay the refunds but revise its policy for future refunds.

Manager Jeff Smith said the refunds totaled under $500. Parties left their camping spots early for reasons ranging from a sick child to cancellation of a sport fishing season.

Smith reported progress on the district's application for a grant to fund installation of a bridge over a stream on the shoreline trail at Skamokawa Vista Park.

Staff for the state Recreation and Conservation Office said the port district would qualify for a 10 percent match, not 20 or 25 percent, Smith said. The agency will require a new cultural research study; the port had a study done in 1995 when the trail was first constructed, but the agency wants an update, Smith said. A final decision on the grant application will come August 10.

Smith also reported 20-25 state Department of Natural Resources fire fighters with 15 trucks came to the park around July 4 for training and trail work.

"They've already widened a lot of the trail and built a new bridge over a muddy spot," he said. "They'll be back if they're not dispatched to fight a fire."