Port 1 commission reviews brewery expansion preparations

Wahkiakum County Port 1 Commissioners met last Thursday to talk about preparations for River Mile 38 Brewery’s new taproom, a mobile kayak station, and more.

Noah Heim, who had proposed a mobile kayak rental station at the port, was in attendance. He said he had the contract and was looking for insurance, and expected to have the station up and running by May 1 at the Elochoman Slough Marina.

Kayaks and paddle boards will be available at the solar powered station, which will be located near the launch. Heim said that the equipment could be rented from dawn to dusk, but he was considering longer rental periods, to allow campers visiting the marina to keep the equipment for the duration of their stay, for instance.

Commissioners approved a support letter for the town’s application for a Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office grant, which the town would like to use for the “improvements and redevelopment of the Cathlamet Waterfront Park and existing Strong Park/Waterfront trail.” Cathlamet Mayor David Olson offered his thanks.

“I hope I’m not here next year, because it means we didn’t get it this year,” he said. “We are going to pursue this as much as possible, and as vigorously as possible. Last year, the town’s grant was ranked 27 in the state and they funded the top 24. We are going to try to get in the fundable category this year. I think it’s a better design this year, frankly, because it had your input, and a lot of other people’s input.”

Commissioners approved forward motion on sewer repairs at the port after Maintenance Manager Todd Souvenir said that he had spoken to a representative from the Department of Ecology and to Wahkiakum Building and Planning.

“From a standpoint of repairing everything, we are good to go…” Souvenir said.

Souvenir said he would meet with Dan Kay from Wahkiakum PUD to talk about power to the new brewery building, as well as David McNally from the Town of Cathlamet regarding water and sewer lines.

There was some discussion about whether it would be possible to run power and sewer lines in an easement with the Town of Cathlamet, and the question was directed at the mayor.

“We want to work with you, generally,” Olson said. “I’ll have that conversation.”

Souvenir said he would ask Kay about powering up the campsites and A frames along the riverfront as well.

There was also discussion about a fire lane which must be in place for the new brewery and has to be 20 feet wide and allow for turnaround for a fire truck, but nothing was determined.

“It was a busy place for two or three weeks,” Deaton said of the marina during the recent spring fishing season.

“The Hook the Hawg [derby] was really fun, it was a big success,” Souvenir said. “How to tell how much it drew to the marina . . . it’s kind of tough because it’s a busy weekend anyway, but it definitely added some campers, and definitely people coming up for the day for fishing. It created a lot of excitement.”

He said there was a crowd for the award ceremony and a lot of them were calling the next day to make reservations for next year, and he added that there may be another derby in August.