The Wahkiakum County PUD Board of Commissioners listened to reports, made the general manager’s raise official, and talked high speed internet on Tuesday morning.

General Manager Dave Tramblie gave an update on the Grays River substation project.

“I will probably instruct the engineer to order a new transformer in the next few months,” Tramblie said. He also plans to order three single phase regulators to replace the existing three phase regulator, dispose of the existing transformer that is online, the spare transformer and the old regulator, and look for ways to improve access to the site.

Tramblie also reported that BPA is passing on a spill surcharge to utilities. Wahkiakum PUD will be charged $9,352.

“There has been an influx of more pelicans and cormorants outside my house. I wonder if the spill is working,” Commissioner Gene Healy said.

Finally, Tramblie said that he was waiting to hear a price to clean and paint the duct line and water main on Puget Island bridge in the near future. He hopes to get the painting and cleaning done while the bridge work is being completed.

“Everything is in place, if we can get it done, I think now is the time,” Tramblie said.

The commissioners were educated about changes to the public records policy.

“Not a whole lot has changed,” Jennifer Johnson from the attorney’s office said. “There are some different requirements for what we need to keep track of when somebody makes a public records request, the fee schedule has changed. We’re beefing up what the PUD already does and putting it all in one place.”

During commissioner reports, Healy talked about a telecomm workshop he recently attended in Spokane.

Healy said that the Darrington mayor had pointed out at the conference that most of the people visiting realtors in their own community were concerned about high speed internet, and that 50 percent of their population commutes to work every day,

“It reminded me of another town that is near and dear to our heart, Healy said. “We live in a world that is changing and our neighbors are going to demand higher speed internet, I would imagine. I’m trying to determine if there is any role for our PUD in that process and as a plain old citizen, what the rest of our elected officials are doing, if anything. I’ll be talking to them about it.”

“Do we need a broadband action team?” he wondered.

Before the meeting was over, the commissioners approved three resolutions.

The first was additional verbiage regarding the budget pay plan and the senior or disabled citizen discount program in their customer service policy.

The second resolution documented the change in the administrative salary schedule. The maximum amount the auditor can make each month was raised from $7,000 to $8,000. The maximum amount the general manager can make each month went from $10,900 to $12,000.

The third resolution increased Tramblie’s monthly salary. He will make $11,200 per month, retroactive January 1, 2018.

“At the last meeting I made the comment about my actual salary,” Tramblie said. “I inadvertently gave the wrong number. I increased it by $44 over what I actually get paid. So on this resolution, we reduced the total I will make $50 from what they voted on at the last meeting.”