Commissioners close courthouse, later re-open

Two days after Wahkiakum County officials opened the courthouse to the public, they closed it again.

Three days later, they voted to open again.

The officials learned that their janitorial contractor lacked sufficient personnel to provide the schedule of cleaning required under the state Department of Health guidelines to deal with the covid-19 pandemic.

The board of commissioners voted Tuesday to close the courthouse again until the required cleaning can be provided. People needing to access courthouse offices again need to phone the office to set up an appointment.

However, the county commissioners later scheduled a special meeting Wednesday morning after the Eagle had gone to press. Commissioners Mike Backman and Dan Cothren were present Wednesday morning and moved to re-open.

"After the [Tuesday] meeting, Commissioner Cothren was contacted by a department head who requested to keep the building open and suggested discussing alternate ways to do so safely," commission Clerk Beth Johnson explained in an email. "Commissioner Cothren then called for a special meeting to address the topic again."