PUD Board Meeting Report

At the beginning of the PUD meeting, Mayor David Olson spoke to the commissioners, urging cooperation and transparent communications in all dealings between the Town of Cathlamet and the Wahkiakum County PUD. He emphasized the need for all discussion on improvement and efficiency to be public and transparent to best serve the community. Councilwoman Hendrickson followed up by stating that no meetings are being held in secret and isn’t clear about the mayor’s comments. The mayor also spoke about the cooperation between the town, PUD, Chamber of Commerce and county to bring Wi-Fi to Cathlamet in a public/private partnership. Other areas around the state are inquiring about the success of the program. General Manager Dan Kay reported that the operations team is now ready to use new pipe welding equipment. It will use a heat source to connect 8” pipe together at the job site. According to Kay, state funding may not be appropriate for some PUD projects because of costly state requirements mandated in the governor’s executive order No. 20-21. This executive order requires a “watcher” for all state-funded projects to keep an eye out for historical items that might be located in a dig. This also includes historical buildings. Wahkiakum West and Charter are finishing up putting fiber-optic internet on Puget Island. The PUD will also be working on a connection point on Crossdike Road this summer as well as finishing the well drilling on Puget Island. Seniors, disabled and low-income residents can qualify for reduced water and electric bills as a result of a resolution passed by the Wahkiakum County PUD Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.

To apply: 360-795-3266 or 360-465-2171 or

https://www.wahkiakumpud.org/services