Port 1 supports wifi plan; hears maintenance issues

Wahkiakum County Port 1 Board of Commissioners met last Thursday to discuss the brewery expansion, the Cathlamet community wifi project, and talk about maintenance around port property.

Paige Lake of the Cathlamet Town Council had some thoughts about the River Mile 38 Brewery expansion, which is currently being slowed by a town fire code. The brewery leases the current building from the port, and is hoping to add a second space closer to the waterfront on port property.

“I’m not sure what is going on,” Lake said. “There had been a change made to the fire code in December 2017, which took the restriction down to 1,500 square feet for a sprinkler system. The international code is 5,000 square feet. We can’t figure out why the change was made, there are no notes, I’m not sure there was even a vote in the minutes.”

“I will continue to look in on that,” she said. “I think it is an important project and I don’t know why they are dragging their feet on it.”

Commissioners discussed the project to bring community wifi to downtown Cathlamet, which is currently supported by Wahkiakum County government, the port, the Town of Cathlamet, and the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce.

“We’re still waiting to find out if the PUD is going to come in on it,” Port Manager Jackie Lea said.

“I’m 100 percent for it,” Commissioner Scott Anderson said. The other two commissioners agreed that they too were on board.

“It seems like a good core for the city,” Anderson said. “It doesn’t make sense that we don’t have something that people can latch on to for 20 minutes to find out something about the local area.”

Lea noted that it would also improve wifi at marina cabins.

Anderson suggested that the port consider a more proactive approach to maintenance, as a preventative. Commissioner Brett Deaton countered, saying that he thought they were already doing a good job.

Maintenance Manager Todd Souvenir said he would be willing to come up with a list of potential projects, along with costs.

His biggest concern was the sewage pump.

“Going though everything we went through the last few years…” Souvenir said. “It has been suggested that if we were ever able to get a grinder pump, that we should pull it out every few years to have it serviced.”

Anderson, reiterating his thoughts about being proactive, proposed that the port consider upgrading the wiring, so a better pump might be possible in the future.

Souvenir said that their backup pumps had been taken to a diagnostic place in Vancouver, and he was awaiting results. If neither one was good, the port would need to purchase a backup pump.

He also said that the water system had been installed at County Line Park, that it had been flushed and cleaned, and everything seemed to be good.

The yurt doors are being repaired and awnings are being added to protect the doors and hinges. A ramp has been added to the hair salon in the old concession stand, to improve access.

The commissioners reorganized the board for the next year. Deaton will be the president, Commissioner Art Hedman will become vice-president and Anderson will step into the role of secretary.