Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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Members of the Cathlamet town council covered a wide range of topics at their Monday meeting. The council agreed on a plan to vacate a portion of Beal Street for Port District 1; they went over a proposed change order for their street lighting project, and they addressed a variety of other issues ranging from sewer and water plants to the Cathlamet Downhill Corral. Earlier this year, Port District 1 Commissioner Bob Kizziar presented a request from the port commission to vacate undeveloped Beal Street; half the right-of-way between 2nd and 3rd...
Wahkiakum County commissioners had a light agenda to tackle when they met Tuesday. Commissioners signed a quit claim deed and other papers to sell a small lot in Skamokawa to Martin and Sue Kuller for the sum of $10. Commissioner had approved the sale of the surplus property at a previous meeting and have been awaiting the paperwork to complete the transaction. The commission voted to hold a public hearing May 5 to determine if it's in the county's best interest to sell a variety of surplus equipment, including the old ferry Wahkiakum. Other...
Commissioners of Port District No. 2 discussed marketing of district parks when they met Tuesday. Robert Kulp, who has designed an updated website for the district, discussed marketing strategies involving the internet and social media. He said the commission could form a program based on their budget. Port Attorney Tim Hanigan suggested the commission put the matter on their May agenda and prepare a request for proposals for website management services. Shannon Gildea, executive director of the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce, also spoke about i...
Wahkiakum County commissioners handled a variety of business Tuesday. Public Works Director Pete Ringen announced that a paving contractor had finished paving a section of Steamboat Slough Road ahead of schedule, so the road could be re-opened to the public. Commissioner Blair Brady commented that he would like to see expansion of the turnaround at the end of the road. That work could be done in the future. Ringen said the turnaround will be improved and paved as part of roadwork that will be...
Wahkiakum County got its first glimpse Tuesday of a draft ordinance to regulate accumulations of junk, junked vehicles, vessels and other debris on private property. A committee led by Commissioner Dan Cothren worked on the ordinance during the past year, and on Tuesday, committee members met with the full board of commissioners and some interested citizens. The ordinance got a strongly mixed reception, and after a lively discussion, commissioners said they would present the ordinance at a couple community meetings and, perhaps after making...
Local officials and a representative of the US Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday agreed on a plan of action to nourish eroding Puget Island beaches with dredged sand. Residents along East Sunny Sands say erosion is threatening their property, and Wahkiakum County commissioners have been asking the Corps to take steps to start the process. On Tuesday, Karla Ellis, chief of the waterway maintenance division, gave local officials good news and bad news. The good news was that she committed to work with the county, other local agencies and...
Commissioners of Port District No. 2 handled a variety of business when they met March 17 in Skamokawa Vista Park. Manager Janet Bryan said recent tests of the park's water system were unsatisfactory, and the state Department of Health had ordered a chlorine treatment of the system. The tests show the water is clean at the port's well but is unsatisfactory at the park restrooms. Commissioners authorized Bryan to take steps to cure the deficiencies. Skamokawa resident Jon Peterson was in attendance and, as manager of the Westside Water System,...
The weather was wet but spirits were high as a large crowd gathered Saturday at the Puget Island ferry landing to celebrate the arrival of the Oscar B. The ferry is named after Puget Island resident Oscar Bergseng, who ran it for 17 years. The county took over the operation of the ferry in the 1960's, and he continued working for the county. County Commissioner Blair Brady, acting as master of ceremonies, introduced speakers and acknowledged people and agencies who helped bring the new ferry to...
Property owners along Puget Island's East Sunny Sands left Tuesday's meeting of the county board of commissioners in a good mood. Facing erosion of their beach front property, they went to the meeting to oppose commission approval of a shoreline development permit for the association of upriver ports to allow them to dump dredged sand on farmland inside the dike. It should be placed along the eroded waterfront first, they said. After hearing comment Tuesday and discussing the matter, county commissioners agreed to postpone action and hold a...
The Cathlamet town council maintained a building moratorium, discussed a possible street vacation and acted on other business when it met Monday evening. Scott Espedal, owner of some lots in the Columbia Ridge Estates development off Glengate Loop in Rosedale, asked the council to lift a moratorium on building permits in a portion of the development. The council implemented the moratorium in 2010 because the development's homeowners association hadn't completed paving streets as required in the development's subdivision permit. Espedal said he...
Wahkiakum County commissioners handled on Tuesday a variety of business ranging from technology to the legislature. Commissioners approved a recommendation from the county computer technology committee to contract for social media archiving service. The county already archives email, said Emergency Services Director Beau Refro; this new service will take care of Facebook, Twitter and similar communication. "Washington has very specific legislation," Renfro said. "It's not adequate just to erase." Cost of the service is $200 per month with a...
The determination of when ferry service will resume is a day by day, hour by hour determination. Five US Coast Guard personnel spent three hours inspecting the new ferry, the Oscar B., on Tuesday. "The good news is that vessel Oscar B. passed inspection, and in other respects is good to go," reported Wahkiakum County Public Works Director Pete Ringen. However, the Oscar B. is not yet cleared for carriage of passengers, Ringen said, because of issues with the Westport, Ore., ramp. "The Coast...
Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday discussed immunizations and handled other business from the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Sarah Present, the county health officer, said she's supporting House Bill 2009 which would end some of the exemptions people may claim to avoid vaccinating children. "Wahkiakum County is at a 10.34 percent exemption rate, second highest in the state," she said. The rate applies to children entering kindergarten, and it means that parents have declined at least one of several required vaccinations...
A farmer's stockpiling of Class A biosolids has raised concern and complaints from Greenwood Hill residents to the county board of commissioners on Tuesday. About a dozen persons attended the commissioners meeting, and as the meeting was ending, commissioners asked if they had something to discuss. "What about biosolids," asked Greenwood Hill resident Dale Forsberg. Residents said haulers working for Stanley Farms were stockpiling Class A biosolids on farmland, and odor from the material was ver...
The good news is that Wahkiakum County's new ferry, the Oscar B., will arrive at the Puget Island ferry landing around mid-day this Friday. The bad news is that ferry service will then be suspended until some time the following Monday for crew training and US Coast Guard inspection. "Exact timetable details are still being fine-tuned," Wahkiakum County Public Works Director Pete Ringen said in an email Monday. He added that the ferry Wahkiakum would go out of service around 11 a.m. and depart fo...
A failed seal and ramp modifications have delayed the commencement of service by the ferry Oscar B. The ferry was originally scheduled to start service today (Monday) but will be delayed till Tuesday. Wahkiakum County Public Works Director Pete Ringen made this report Monday morning, "Our ferry has a unique part for its shaft brake, and the seal for this shaft brake actuator failed. This had to be repaired by the shipyard over the weekend, which delayed training runs for the crew as planned....
Wahkiakum County officials discussed how to recruit and retain mental health professionals when they met Tuesday. Health and Human Services Department administrators asked commissioners if they could be given flexibility to negotiate benefits to therapists as long as they stay within their funding. "We're not here to ask for money," said department Director Sue Cameron. "We need flexibility. We're having a very hard time giving people what they need in order to retain them." Attracting and retaining mental health therapists has become very...
The first public meetings on the update of Wahkiakum County's Shoreline Program started this week with a small group of citizens giving input Tuesday in Cathlamet. Called visioning workshops, the meetings' agenda includes presentations from planners about the process and its goals and finishes with discussions of what citizens would like to see happen on county shorelines. Another meeting was held last night (Wednesday) in Skamokawa after The Eagle went to press. Two more meetings are scheduled...
Rumors of pending weight restrictions for the Puget Island bridge are unfounded, Washington State Department of Transportation officials said this past week. The officials were responding to a query from Wahkiakum County Public Works Director Pete Ringen. The bridge has a wooden plank deck covered with asphalt, and potholes occur in the paving. "Weight restrictions are not planned at this time," WSDOT Local Programs Engineer Lynn Rust, P.E., said in an email to Ringen. "The issues are being tracked, and the region bridge crew has been diligentl...
The Wahkiakum Lady Mules outscored Napavine 13-7 in the fourth quarter to claim a 49-47 victory in the SW WA Class 2B championship game Saturday in Chehalis. Napavine led 40-36 at the end of three quarters. The Mules rallied behind good rebounding and some timely outside shooting. They'll play Ilwaco, the fifth place seed from the district, in the regional playoffs next Saturday, 2 p.m., at WF West High School, Chehalis. Watch The Eagle's website for updates....
February 28 1. 6 p.m. @ Sunnyside HS: NW Christian (Colbert) (Dist. 7/9 #3) vs. Mabton (5/6 #2). 2. 12 p.m. @ Cheney HS: Oroville (5/6 #4) vs. Colfax (7/9 #1). 3. 10 a.m. @ Chiawana HS: White Swan (5/6 #3) vs. Dayton (7/9 #2). 4. 2 p.m. @ Tumwater HS: Lind-Ritzville-Sprague (7/9 #4) vs. Napavine (4 #2). 5. 6 p.m. @ Wenatchee HS: Life Christian Academy (4 #6) vs. Okanogan (5/6 #1). 6. 12 p.m. @ W.F. West HS: Friday Harbor (1/2 #2) vs. Toutle Lake (4 #3). 7. 12 p.m. @ Mt Vernon HS: Adna (4 #4) vs. La Conner (1/2 #1). 8. 2 p.m. @ W.F. West HS,...
The good news is that Wahkiakum County's new ferry, the Oscar B., will arrive at the Puget Island ferry landing around mid-day this Friday. The bad news is that ferry service will be suspended at mid-day on Thursday until some time the following Monday for piling work, crew training and US Coast Guard inspection. "Exact timetable details are still being fine-tuned," Wahkiakum County Public Works Director Pete Ringen said in an email Monday. On Tuesday afternoon, Ringen announced that the ferry Wahkiakum would go out of service around 11 a.m. Th...
Members of the Cathlamet Town Council covered a lot of ground when they met Tuesday. Council members heard an update on water contract negotiations with Wahkiakum PUD; they acted on road and drainage issues; they tabled action on a pit bull ordinance, and they reviewed results of their 2014 logging program. Negotiations for updates to the contract with Wahkiakum PUD to provide water for the Puget Island Water System are going well, Council Member David Goodroe said. A final agreement is nearly ready for approval, Goodroe said. After discussing...
Commissioners of Port District 2 on Tuesday said they won't pursue a suggestion that the port take over management of Wahkiakum County's fairgrounds. The port and county commissions started discussing the possibility in January, with the idea that the port could manage the property as it manages one of its parks and generate revenue and support economic development through that management. However, supporters of the county fair objected, saying port management could interfere with their fund raising and other activities. And county...
