Commissioners OK closure for culvert

Wahkiakum County commissioners breezed through a light agenda when they met Tuesday, handling a bit of business and keeping up with current issues.

Commissioners approved a two-day closure of Brooks Slough Road at milepost 2.5 to allow the County Road Department to replace a failed culvert.

The closure will occur August 9 and 10. Public Works Director Chuck Beyer said the failed culvert was causing flooding of farmland.

In other business, the board had no objections to liquor license renewals for the Dollar General Store in Cathlamet and the Skamokawa Resort. Commissioner Dan Cothren opposed a renewal for a marijuana producer/processor license for Royal Highness on Puget Island; Commissioners Lee Tischer and Gene Strong had no objection.

During commissioners' reports, Tischer said he had attended a meeting with representatives of the Town of Cathlamet and Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce to discuss funding of a manager's position for the Community Center in Cathlamet.

Attendees agreed that the center could continue to be open under direction of volunteers while the group develops a funding mechanism for a half-time manager. The group will meet again in a month, he said.

In his report, Commissioner Cothren reported a commercial timber sale would soon take place on KM Mountain adjacent to the county's solid waste transfer station, and the contractor will be able to remove some trees that could be problems.

Beyer commented that the trees are hazard trees that could fall on the transfer station scales.

Strong reported learning at a meeting of the county's insurance provider that non-union employees face a potential rate increase of 30 percent or more. The proposal will be closely scrutinized.

In public comment, Cathlamet resident Season Long posed two questions she intended for health department officials, but none were present.

First, she wanted to know if the health department would support the latest guidelines from the federal Centered for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding returning students in person to classrooms this year. The rules promote vaccination of students and a requirement that all non-vaccinated students wear masks.

"As a community member, it concerns me that we're going back to this masking and social distancing garbage," she said.

Also, the CDC is asking vaccine producers to study the safety of children ages 5-11 years being vaccinated.

"Please pay attention to this because it's a big deal," she said. She added that there is data showing adverse reactions to vaccines.

Strong said he had been reading that morning about the latest recommendations, and he thanked Long for her input.