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

It was business as usual at the Wahkiakum PUD Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday morning.

Dick Swart, who is on the Cathlamet town council, spoke at length with the commissioners about the sewer system.

During a hearing for the 2017 preliminary budget, Auditor Erin Wilson shared a couple changes that had been made, including an additional line item for $20,000 of materials in the Pacific Intertie project. The money is being set aside for the shared material costs with Pacific County for the project. Wilson also said that $26,000 had been set aside to remodel the customer service area and to purchase and install cameras.

Commissioner Bob Jungers proposed that the PUD budget $75,000 to purchase and install polymer bushings on the high side and the low side of the Wahkiakum transformer.

Polymer bushings are designed to absorb shock in the event of an earthquake.

“To me this project is like buying insurance,” General Manager David Tramblie said. “You may need it, you may never need it.”

Commissioner Gene Healy wanted more information before he would vote to approve the budget change.

Tramblie reported that he had recently watched a webinar about solar panel kits.

According to Tramblie, the PUD could purchase the kits and customers could install the solar panels in their yard for about $12,000. The solar panels take up a 20 x 20 footprint and sit on concrete blocks.

“We would purchase the unit and sell it to the customer over time by adding the cost to their electric bill,” Tramblie said. “It would be a way for us as a utility to provide the equipment and the energy instead of a third party vendor.

Commissioner Jungers asked about the appeal of the kits.

“They’re our customers and we’re trying to provide a service,” Tramblie said. “We’re the utility and if they are buying this equipment from a third party vendor then they are not as much our customer. It was interesting. There are a lot of things happening out there. Maybe this isn’t right for us, but maybe someday down the road there might be something that fits better.”

Tramblie gave a report on the intertie project with Pacific County.

“It’s going well,” he said. “All the poles have been set. The guys are working on terminating the underground risers on the west Deep River, the underground portion of it. We’re making good headway.”

Wilson went over August financials before the commissioners approved travel for Jim Jespersen to attend a cross connection control seminar in Tacoma this month.