Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 1301 - 1325 of 2280
Wahkiakum County's oldest food bank is looking for space. Started over 30 years ago by churches in the Skamokawa and Cathlamet areas, the Wahkiakum Food Bank operates Tuesday afternoons in a room at the county Health and Human Services (H&HS) campus on the Elochoman Valley Road. That room was created by walling off a bay in a garage, and food bank operators say it's inadequate for their needs. They asked the county board of commissioners to help them find other quarters on the campus. Commissioners Dan Cothren and Mike Backman said they would l...
For the second time this year, voters in the Naselle/Grays River Valley School District rejected a proposed building bond to refurbish and enhance school facilities. In votes counted Tuesday, 366 voted in favor, 44.26 percent, and 461 voted against, 55.74 percent. In Wahkiakum County precincts, 103 voted in favor, 32.7 percent, and 212 voted against, 67.3 percent. In Pacific County precincts, 263 voted in favor, 51.37 percent, and 249 voted against, 48.63 percent. The election would have authorized the school district to issue $8.1 million in...
A Utah company this week informed the Wahkiakum County board of commissioners that its representatives could soon be in the county locating, assessing and surveying abandoned mines on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. The company, Gold Rush Expeditions, specializes in survey, assessment and documentation of abandoned mines across the western states. The work includes underground mapping and staking claims on available properties which may have value. The company said it surveys about 400 mines a month and usually puts claims on about 80 of...
Wahkiakum County commissioners formally rejected the one bid they received last week to build a new ferry. US Fabrication bid $8.5 million for the project, well above the engineer's estimate of $4.3 million. In a letter to the board, Public Works Director Pete Ringen said he wanted to put the project out to bid again, but first, he wants to investigate some of the issues that might have led to the difference between the bid and the estimate. The bidder had requested a longer bid period because they're working on a bid for another project,...
Skamokawa resident David Blalock is trying to form a business to provide high speed internet service to Skamokawa, Cathlamet, Elochoman Valley, and Puget Island. He has started a firm, Smokey Waters Communications, and hopes to be serving customers by June 1. "A hard date is not possible to pin down at this point," he said this week. Blalock is looking for partners and/or customers to commit to the venture. So far, a half dozen have shown commitment. He added he'd welcome expertise in business and legal fields. However, he figures he'll need...
Commissioners of Port District No. 2 will soon start gathering public input to use for updating their comprehensive plan. Port commissioners recently contracted with Brian Perleberg of Northern Resources Consulting, Inc., for technical assistance in updating the plan. Comissioners Kayrene Gilbertsen, Lori Scott and Brian O'Connor, chair, met Tuesday with Perleberg and talked over potential projects and ways to gather public input. An initial step will be an online survey through the SurveyMonkey website. Perleberg will develop questions for the...
Wahkiakum County officials were disappointed Tuesday when county commissioners opened the only bid they received to build a ferry to replace the aging "Wahkiakum." The only bidder, US Fabrication, bid $8.5 million, which was more than double the expected cost. The marine engineering firm which designed the new ferry, Elliott Bay Design Group, estimated the cost at $4,335,000. Public Works Director Pete Ringen will have a recommendation next Tuesday for the board of commissioners. "Clearly this isn't the outcome we hoped for," Ringen commented w...
The Cathlamet Town Council handled a variety of business when they met Monday. Planning Commission member Jim Reed presented a report and recommendation from that board for updates to the town's sign ordinance. The recommendations in the document represent a lot of compromise, he said. "Not one person on this planning commission would have drafted this ordinance," Reed said. "We have different backgrounds . . . This became what we could all accept." The ordinance sets a limit on the size of signs, where they can be located, how much space they...
The ferry "Wahkiakum" may go out of service May 6, 8:30 a.m., to replace an engine. Public Works Director Pete Ringen has recommended the board of county commissioners authorize him to obtain quotes for replacing the starboard engine. Commissioners may act on the recommendation at their meeting next Tuesday. "The starboard engine of the ferry ‘Wahkiakum’ was last replaced in 2008," Ringen wrote in a report to the commissioners. "A typical service life for these engines has been about four years, so it is well past due. Rather than wait for eng...
Wahkiakum County commissioners will hold public meetings next month to gather input on a possible ordinance regulating junked vehicles in the county. Over 10 years ago, the board of commissioners considered a junked vehicle ordinance but didn't adopt it because of adverse public comment. However, Commissioner Dan Cothren, who was on the board at that time, said Tuesday that it may be time to consider again such an ordinance. "I've had calls," he said. "Maybe we're back there again." Callers have expressed concern over the proliferation of...
Who will be Wahkiakum County's Associate Development Organization (ADO)for the 2013-2015 biennium? The Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce has held the designation, and Tuesday, Chamber officers asked the Wahkiakum County Board of Commissioners to renew that designation. Not so fast, said newly elected Commissioner Mike Backman. "I would like to postpone for one week," he said. "I want to know if it's the most effective organization to serve the county. I have a hard time with the economic development council and Chamber of Commerce combination....
I hope the Wahkiakum County board of commissioners next week will quickly designate the Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce as the state recognized associate development organization (ADO) for Wahkiakum County. Commissioner Mike Backman on Tuesday said he wanted to consider assigning the designation to another organization, such as the Wahkiakum Community Network. I hope that as Commissioner Backman looks further into the issue, he'll realize the Chamber is best suited for the job and deserves the ADO designation. For example, the Chamber's mission...
The Columbia River Compact on Wednesday agreed to extend the sport fishery downstream of Bonneville Dam. The original recreation season was set for March 1 through April 5. On Wednesday, the compact exted the season from April 6 through April 12, with a closure set for April 9 to allow a possible commercial fishing opening. The compact will meet next Monday to consider non-Indian mainstem commercial fishing periods. Compact biologists had recommended a commercial opening on Tuesday. Based on the low number of steelhead encountered, the...
Wahkiakum County Commissioners and members of the Wahkiakum Fair Board of Directors are getting closer to defining how to handle the vacant position of fair manager. Most recent Manager Becky Ledtke left the position in February. Her position had been under the WSU Cooperation Extension Agent's office, but WSU ended the arrangement over concerns that the number of hours Ledtke worked would qualify her for benefits, which weren't budgeted. Ledtke also exceeded the budgeted hours for the period while working on required reports and a fund...
A 12-person jury found that a former Cathlamet man is a violent sexual predator who should be detained despite having completed sentences for his crime. The State of Washington brought the detention action against Darrell Kent, 60, who had been convicted of sexual assaults against children in Wahkiakum County in 1996 and 2005. He completed his sentence in 2011, but the state argued that Kent hadn't changed and would likely offend again. The jury was asked, "Has the state proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Darrell Kent is a sexually violent...
Olympia this week became the battleground in commercial fishermen's efforts to stop a plan to move gillnetters off the lower Columbia River's mainstem. Last fall, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber proposed the plan that also, among other things, gives recreational anglers priority in salmon allocations. The fish and wildlife commissions of Oregon and Washington have adopted the plan, and gillnetters have filed court action in both states to challenge implementation of the plan. Washington gillnetters originially filed their action in Wahkiakum...
Wahkiakum County commissioners on Tuesday authorized county officials to begin the process of acquiring property from the defunct Skamokawa Park and Recreation District. The district commission ceased functioning several years ago. The district has title to a piece of land between Vista Park and the United Methodist Church in Skamokawa. The property includes a basketball court and a small office building that was rented until recently by Port District No. 2 for the Vista Park office. The port district has installed a park model cabin inside Vis...
About 110 volunteers and visitors participated in the annual St. James Family Center Health and Safety Jamboree Last Saturday. Below, Cindy Faubion watched as Camren Mendez tossed bean bags at the Peace Health Medical Group display. Dr. Doug and Jill Martin went over fundamentals of dental care with visitors. Wahkiakum Sheriff’s Department Communications Officer Aric Cothren visited with Esther Ashe, Brody Ashe and Malia Ana Silva. Raffle winners were, l-r, Jade Hauff and Grant Wilson (bicycles) and Susan Schillios, who won a bike seat for h...
Meeting for the first time in their new office, commissioners of Port District No. 2 discussed real estate and telephone service and approved a contract with a consultant for updating the district's comprehensive plan. Skamokawa resident David Blalock said he and friends are planning to set up a Skamokawa based company to provide internet service. The goal, he said, is to provide service fast enough for people to work online as telecommuters. Current service is inadequate because phone lines are old and overloaded, Blalock said. Satellite...
Wahkiakum County commissioners chose the name of a former owner and operater of the Puget Island ferry as the name of the new ferry that will be built this year. The new ferry's name will be the Oscar B., which was one of four names recommended by a committee that considered names suggested by the public. Other names were the Wahkiakum II, Chief Wahkiakum and James Birnie. Oscar Bergseng owned and operated the ferry. He worked on it for 26 years and campaigned for Wahkiakum County to take it over around the beginning of 1961. The county...
The US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Army Corps of Engineers and Diking District 4 have reached an agreement over construction of a dike set back from the eroding Steamboat Slough Dike along the Julia Butler Hansen National Refuge for the Columbian White-tail Deer. Fish and Wildlife's Willapa Complex Manager Jackie Ferrier said March 14 that the federal agencies had made commitments to allow diking district access to the new dike that satisfied Diking District Commissioner Maurice Mooers. The USFWS has also committed to being a partner with...
Wahkiakum County commissioners and the county fair board held a workshop Tuesday to come up with a plan to hire a fair manager. Recent Manager Becky Ledtke had been paid through Washington State University's Cooperative Extension Program on funding from the county, but WSU ended that arrangement February 25. Ledtke had exceeded her budget hours by volunteering her services to coordinate a fund raising dinner and program for the fair. Labor laws don't allow the practice, and the WSU employees union also opposed it if the position didn't have...
Salmon rearing pens off Cathlamet, a site for a new food bank and water rates were among the many items on the agenda at the Monday meeting of the Cathlamet Town Council. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is moving forward with plans to develop a side channel salmon net project in the Cathlamet Channel, said Aaron Roberts, WDFW hatchery complex manager for the lower Columbia region. The states of Oregon and Washington several years ago started the Select Area Fishery Enhancement (SAFE) program and located pens to rear juvenile...
The US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Army Corps of Engineers and Diking District 4 have reached an agreement over construction of a dike set back from the eroding Steamboat Slough Dike along the Julia Butler Hansen National Refuge for the Columbian White-tail Deer. Fish and Wildlife's Willapa Complex Manager Jackie Ferrier said March 14 that the federal agencies had made commitments to allow diking district access to the new dike that satisfied Diking District Commissioner Maurice Mooers. The USFWS has also committed to being a partner with...
The trial of a man alleged to be a sexually violent predator has taken over the Wahkiakum County courthouse. Darrell Lamar Kent has served his sentence on sex crime charges, and the State of Washington is asking the Superior Court to sign a civil commitment placing Kent in continued custody until he might be considered safe to return to society. Cowlitz County Judge Marilyn Haan is presiding over the trial, and for security reasons, has ordered the closure of all but one of the entrances to the courthouse. People coming to the courthouse must p...
