The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

Spring is definitely on the way even though we’ve had some not so nice days and nights. The frogs have been singing in the evenings and my daffodils are poking their heads up with a couple of early bloomers. Maybe even some sunshine this week as well.

News from Naselle:

Naselle sports calendar for the week: Thursday-high school girls basketball at North Beach at 5:45 p.m .; Monday-middle school boys basketball at Willapa Valley at 5:45 p.m .; Tuesday-middle school boys basketball with Raymond in Naselle at 5:45 p.m. Go Comets!

Tomorrow (Friday)is Title 1 Family Math Night beginning at 6 p.m. at Naselle School.

On Tuesday, the Naselle Booster Club will hold their regular meeting at 6:30 p.m.

The annual Valentine Smorgasbord sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary Post #111, will once again bring delight to the palates of local folks, on February 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Naselle School. Enjoy the famous salad bar, main course offerings of chicken, oysters and meatballs, other hot dishes, desserts and beverages, while donating to a wonderful group that uses the proceeds to benefit our community and our children as well as local American veterans. All this for only $10 for adults, $6 for kids six years to 12 years and $2 for kids five years and under.

The first grade class at Naselle elementary school enjoyed a fun hat day on January 26. They checked out camouflage hats, tall hats, and silly hats. The students learned about American and English history with authentic top and bowler hats, and newsboy and coonskin (Davy Crockett) caps. They also studied Asia (ubiquitous work hat) and Africa (a holy man’s prayer cap) with genuine hats from these cultures. Math was incorporated by making graphs of their favorites.

A little further to the east of the county line, two residents, Shirley Davis and Karyce Wolfe will hold a rummage sale to raise money for a mission trip to Haiti to help mothers and babies. If anyone has gently used items they would like to donate for the sale contact Shirley at 360-244-1718 to set up a time for delivery or pick-up. All proceeds go to Mission Trip Expenses and MamaBabyHaiti.org.

This event is the first of several fund raisers for this worthwhile cause. The rummage sale will take place on February 18 and 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Peninsula Baptist Church in Ocean Park.

The next fund raiser, a family spaghetti feed will take place at the same location on March 6 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The cost per person will be $5 or $20 per family. Tickets are available for purchase now by calling 360-244-1718 or 360-977-3056. You may also purchase them at the door.

Other news from the Westend:

I spoke with Leslie at the Rosburg Store this morning and she wanted me to remind everyone that the gas pumps are up and running once again, and working properly. She apologized for any inconvenience to anyone, and that she and the rest of the Bolton family were so pleased with the community support since they took over the store.

There is a note on the door at the Rosburg Store asking if anyone would be interested in home delivery of grocery orders. If that is something you might need, please be sure and let them know. It sounds like the good old days to me, and I’m sure that it would really be a convenience to some of the folks around here, especially during inclement weather. The phone number is 465-2223.

I have had several calls from readers regarding the status of an ordinance to restrict the use of septic sludge in the flood plains of Wahkiakum County. I understand that the county commissioners are waiting for the prosecuting attorney to make corrections in the wording of the original draft, and have sought out other information on biosolids. Note: biosolids are classified as Class A (which has been processed and most of the dangerous contaminants have been removed), Class B (which is also processed but not to the degree of Class A). However the septic sludge which is to be spread on the Zerr farm in Grays River does not meet the Class B grade according to Department of Ecology. It is what it is—septic sludge treated with industrial lime.

Wahkiakum county commissioners, Lewis county commissioners and the Department of Ecology will hold a meeting on February 10 at 1:30 p.m. at the Cowlitz County Museum meeting room located at 405 Allen Street in Kelso. The purpose of the meeting will be to conduct a discussion of biosolids and the application to public and private lands. This is a public meeting, however there may not be time allotted for public comment.

A few months ago, Delvin Fredrickson met with the prosecuting attorney and the building department (the GIS technician) with pictures of the Zerr property during a flood event showing much of the property under water and he was told that the county needed elevations of the land to put with the pictures. Fredrickson reminded Bigelow that Wahkiakum County and the Grays River Habitat Enhancement District had partnered with the Army Corps of Engineers several years ago for a LIDAR study (an acronym for "light detection and ranging") which gives elevations. Fredrickson also informed Bigelow that the county has a copy of the LIDAR study as well as access to information on how to read it. Regarding an issue so critical to our area, you would think that our prosecuting attorney and our county commissioners would try and move forward in a more timely manner on a resolution regarding some kind of restrictions on spreading septic sludge in our flood plains, associated health issues, several endangered species, and even the “odor” associated with this practice near the Covered Bridge. County Commissioner Blair Brady has been very supportive of an ordinance to protect people and wildlife, and if necessary to err on the safe side. We here in the Westend, thank him for his efforts and for supporting his constituents.

The Grays River Habitat Enhancement District will hold its regular meeting on February 9 in the Grays River Grange at 6 p.m. The public is always invited to attend these meetings and refreshments will be served.

Got your tickets for the Valentine Diamond Dinner yet? If not, you’d better hurry. There are still a few available. The annual dinner will take place February 12. Tickets can be purchased by contacting Becky Ledtke or at the Bank of the Pacific in Cathlamet and at the Rosburg Store in Rosburg for $25 per person. All proceeds benefit our Wahkiakum County Fair.

Johnson Park will once again be the site for an indoor garage sale by Teresa Search this weekend. Come one, come all on Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. She says she will be bringing in lots of stuff, some new and some not so new. Follow the signs to the old Rosburg School in Rosburg.

If you were one of the generous donors of exercise equipment to Johnson Park a couple of years ago, we would like to give you the opportunity to reclaim it. We seem to have an over abundance of equipment and are scaling down. We have moved several pieces out of the exercise room, into the hallway, and if those pieces belong to you, please come by and pick it up or it will be disposed of or donated to another cause. The Johnson Park Advisory Board would like to thank you for your generosity.

If you have been to the Grays River Valley Library at Johnson Park recently, you will note that we have some new faces behind the desk. Our former librarian, Jim Monteith has left the area to be closer to his family, and he will be sorely missed. Our library really benefitted from his knowledgeable presence, and without him we would probably still be in the pre-opening stages. I want to wish him well and let him know how much we all appreciated his labor and efforts.

The library hours have been changed and it will be open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., beginning this weekend. It will be closed on Sunday and Monday. Our new librarian (most of the time) is Deanne Bulick, so stop in and say hi. If you would like to put in a few hours as sub-librarian please give me a call, and we will be happy to accommodate you.

The Wednesday Senior Lunch Bunch that meets at Rosburg Hall will feast on baked chicken, whipped spuds with gravy, veggies hot rolls and dessert on the 9th.

Lunches for seniors are also served on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the same location and are sponsored by CAP.

Birthdays being celebrated this coming week include Art Busse, Kristan Saari, Allen Erickson, Betty Vaughn, Mindy McNulty, Stacy Trimble, Marco Colombo, Joyce Thornburg, Darrill Corbin, Michael Ehrlund, Blake Nikolas, Kelsi Jo Baker, Lars Peterson and Derrill Corbin. Wishing all of you a very special day. Happy Birthday.

Happy Anniversary wishes for the following couples: Bob and Angelee Torppa, Rick and Tina Laney, Bud and Wendy Strange, and John and Alma Dryer. Wishing you many more.

Our daughter Danielle and her husband Kevin came up from Redmond, Ore. last weekend as well as our son Don and his girlfriend Natalie from Bend, Ore. The guys worked on the house, while the girls and I did some visiting and also headed in to Astoria to look at flooring, cabinets and other things for the house. We also spent a little time visiting with our daughter-in-law Delena Cruz and grandson Emmet in Hammond. His aunts hadn’t seen him for quite a few months, so it was lots of fun. Our son Shane is serving in the army and is stationed in Iraq.