Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Sorted by date Results 1501 - 1525 of 2280
Commissioners from Clatsop, Columbia and Wahkiakum counties on Tuesday discussed salmon fishery and other issues with representatives of the Fish and Wildlife Departments of Washington and Oregon. WDFW Regional Manager Guy Norman reported that officials have decided to close sport and commercial fishing for spring chinook at least until May when update return numbers may lead to more fishing. The fall chinook fishery will be limited on the lower portion of the Columbia he said, but managers think the overall fall return will be strong. WDFW...
The Wahkiakum School District campus will be filled with contractors working on a variety of projects this summer. One project will eliminate asbestos ceiling tiles from the high school buildings; another will replace the sewer line at Wendt Elementary School, and a third will replace old electrical fixtures and equipment with new, energy efficient models that will reduce the district's electricity bill. Members of the district's board of directors heard reports on these projects and other business when they held their monthly meeting April...
Commissioners of Wahkiakum County Port District No. 2 on Tuesday discussed improvements and new programs the port might pursue. Port Commissioners Kayrene Gilbertsen, Brian O'Connor and Lori Scott are holding public meetings to gather input for updating the port's comprehensive plan. O'Connor said he has already received a variety of suggestions, and he has at least one more meeting ahead. One suggestion receiving widespread support is a proposal to find a way to dredge the mouths of Columbia River tributaries such as Skamokawa Creek and Grays...
The Cathlamet town council on Monday gave initial approval to amendments to the town Public Utilities Ordinance which would raise monthly sewer rates and lower connection fees. Ordinances generally require three readings; the Monday vote was the first; second and third-and-final readings may come at the council's May meeting. In other business at Monday's council meeting, the council approved contracts for repaving 3rd Street and for an architect to develop plans for remodeling Town Hall. A major impact of the changes to the utilities...
Cathlamet town officials are looking for support from Wahkiakum County commissioners for a plan to assist temporary relocation of the Blanche Bradley Library and encourage connection to an unused sewer main. The town wants to relocate the library temporarily later this year while the old Town Hall is remodeled. A library advisory committee has recommended renting spaces in the Cathlamet Food Mart building in Rosedale. Septic sewer systems in that area, including that building's, have limitations, and town officials have proposed a plan to...
At their meeting Tuesday, Wahkiakum County commissioners handled a variety of business, including: --The board reappointed Mike Backman, Mike Clark, George Exum and Jeff Rooklidge to the county Marine Resources Committee. --The board approved an expenditure of $8,250 for replacement of old radios for the Public Works Department and the car used by the county assessor. The old radios won't be adaptable to the new narrowband radio communications to which the county is moving. Commissioners said they would approve the expenditure, but they would...
Cathlamet's new ordinance governing management of the Cathlamet Fire Department took effect last week, and on Wednesday, Mayor George Wehrfritz exercized his new authority to appoint officers. In a March 28 letter to council members, he announced that he and Chief Jerry DeBriae had agreed on a set of officers: --DeBriae would continue to be chief; --Retired Assistant Chief Fred Johnson would become Executive Assistant Chief, subject to his acceptance of the position; --Assistant Chief Duncan Cruikshank would become Battalion Commander,...
Wahkiakum County commissioners handled a variety of business ranging from discussion of vaccinations to approving a request for extra help in the county treasurer's office. Meeting as the county board of health, commissioners approved a three-month contract with Sherri McDonald to serve as the county's interim director of the Health and Human Services Department. Besides administrative duties, she is charged with analyzing department needs and making a recommendation on how its management structure could change. Commissioners approved the...
Wahkiakum County officials hope to complete a major upgrade of the radio communications by mid-summer. For two years, law enforcement, emergency responders, and other governmental organizations have been upgrading radio facilities to prepare to switch from broadband to narrow band radios by next January. The switch is a response from a Federal Communications Commission mandate designed to allow more entities to use the same spectrum of airwaves and thereby allow more use of the airwaves by public and private groups. On Tuesday, Commissioners...
Washington's small timber counties continue to press state and federal officials to allow harvest of timber from state managed, county trust timberlands. Commissioners from Pacific and Wahkiakum counties are contracting with the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) to hire a biological consultant to review and comment on "the science of marbled murrelet conservation, including the state Department of Natural Resources's (DNR) September, 2008, science team report." The assessment is part of an effort the counties are making to get...
Wahkiakum County's slide-prone environment is presenting challenges to local officials. The dike under Steamboat Slough Road is in imminent danger of sliding into the Columbia River and flooding the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge for the Columbian White-tailed Deer. The federal government apparently has no money to fortify the shoreline. Covered Bridge Road experienced a shift that created a ridge across the pavement, and the county apparently doesn't have funds to stablize the hillside where the road is located over the Grays...
Columbia Land Trust hopes to go to bid this year on a project that will address drainage and flooding issues on lowlands along Kandoll Road near Rosburg. A project completed several years ago to restore salmon habitat on land known as the Kandoll Farm also brought unintended consequences--freshets flowed over dikes but stayed as flood water because of drainage system changes, and two 12-foot culverts that replaced a tide gate have apparently increased stream flow in Seal River Slough to the point that it's eroding a dike protecting private...
Wahkiakum County should soon have a new, but temporary, director of the Health and Human Services Department. On Tuesday, county commissioners and Pacific County resident Sherri McDonald agreed in principle on a 13-week contract for her to take over reins of the department. Prosecuting Attorney Dan Bigelow had suggested some changes in the proposed contract, and McDonald said she agreed to the changes, which involved wording and the addition of a separate contract regarding confidentiality. McDonald had a 30-year career in public health. A...
Is there a registered sex offender living near you? Wahkiakum and Pacific counties have teamed to have a deputy sheriff monitoring the whereabouts of sex offenders full time. The result, Sheriff Jon Dearmore said Tuesday, is that law enforcement officers now know where offenders are living, and the scrutiny will likely dissuade offenders from moving to the area. Around 1990, the legislature created laws requiring sex offenders to register their residence with law enforcement agencies. Offenders were evaluated by the Department of Corrections in...
Members of the Cathlamet Town Council voted 4-1 Monday night to adopt a new ordinance governing operation of the town fire department. Council members also discussed the possibility of raising sewer rates $35 over a 20-month period. Council members voted 4-1 to repeal the ordinance which has governed the fire department since 1932. The ordinance put control of the fire department under the now defunct Cathlamet Commercial Club. It also provided that fire department members would elect their chief and officers. Over the years, the department...
So, the Town of Cathlamet has a new ordinance governing the operation of the Cathlamet Fire Department. It takes effect five days after today, the day it is published. You can find a summary of the ordinance on Page 8 of this week's edition. If you've been following this issue, the town's fire department has been operating under an ordinance developed in 1932, which put supervision of the department under the now defunct Cathlamet Commercial Club, subject to approval by the town council. Mayor George Wehrfritz and state auditors have said this...
Students in the Wahkiakum School District raised $3,396 for Doernbecher Children's Hospital in a week of activities called Kids Making Miracles. Advisor Angie Pugh announced the total Monday in assemblies at Wahkiakum High School and Thomas Middle School. This is the third year the students have participated in the Kids Making Miracles program. Students in the high, middle and elementary schools conducted a variety of fund raising efforts ranging from selling rootbeer floats and Doernbecher bracelets to holding a movie night and high school...
Wahkiakum County commissioners this week delayed acting on a resolution to loan Wahkiakum PUD $1.2 million from the county treasurer's investment fund. Wahkiakum PUD has requested the loan to help finance construction of a new $3 million substation at Cathlamet. PUD Manager David Tramblie has said that the PUD has $1.8 million in reserves, so it needs another $1.2 million to complete the project. The treasurer's investment portolio includes reserves from Wahkiakum County, the PUD, Wahkiakum School District, port districts and small taxing...
The Cathlamet Town Council held a special meeting last Friday and affirmed the selection of an architectural firm to design the remodeling of the old town hall and library. Mayor George Wehrfritz said a committee composed of librarians and library board members evaluated the seven firms that responded to a request for qualifications to design the project. The committee recommended Chesshir Architecture PC of Portland. The firm, Wehrfritz said, has much experience with renovating old buildings in Portland, and that was a major factor in the...
Wahkiakum County commissioners addressed a variety of business and issues when they met Tuesday. The board gave tentative approval to hire a consultant to evaluate a marbled murrelet habitat study; they talked of having community meetings to discuss tsunamis and earthquakes; they awarded a bid for roadside mowing, and they acted on other business. Commissioner Dan Cothren asked the board for tentative approval to hire a consultant to evaluate and update a study done by the US Fish and Wildlife Service about critical habitat for marbled...
Students in the Wahkiakum School District have started their third year of raising funds for Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland. Students in the elementary, middle and high schools started a week of activities on Monday that will generate money for the hospital and give the students a series of fun activities. Schools held assemblies Monday to introduce the "Kids Making Miracles" program. In the assembly at Wahkiakum High School, Mallory Tyler, Doernbecher's development coordinator, thanked the students for holding their third fund...
Wahkiakum PUD has requested a $1.2 million loan from Wahkiakum County to help finance construction of a new substation at Cathlamet. Commissioners and PUD officials discussed aspects of the loan at the Tuesday meeting of the county commission. A resolution and supporting documents hadn't reached the commissioners, so they said they would consider the matter again on March 13. Treasurer Paula Holloway, who is retiring at the end of the month, said such a loan wouldn't adversely impact her investment portfolio. The portfolio includes reserves...
Wahkiakum County officials got something to think about Tuesday--the likely impact of a 9.0 magnitude earthquake off the coastline. The shifting in tectonic plates along the Cascadia fault would likely cause several minutes of shaking, and in 20-30 minutes, a tsunami would arrive that would inundate lowlying areas along the coast. Emergency planners from the Washington Military Department said 3,300 people would likely die, another 25,000 would be injured, and the region would experience widespread disruption of power, transportation and food...
Wahkiakum County commissioners appointed Marlena Silva to be county treasurer when incumbent Paula Holloway retires at the end of the month. The board made the decision Tuesday, choosing over two other candidates, Tammy Peterson and David Goodroe. The appointment is good through 2012. The two-year unexpired portion of Holloway's term will be on the fall election ballot, and candidates may file for that election in May. Commissioners said the decision was extremely difficult for them. "Speaking for the board, I'll take the liberty to suggest to...
The state Department of Labor and Industries has fined Wahkiakum County $8,000 for violations of workplace safety rules. Wahkiakum County officials on Tuesday said they would appeal the fines. An L&I inspector issued citations September 22, 2011, after making inspections at the Puget Island Ferry landing and county road department shops. Eight of the violations had been corrected as of February 22. The citations included: 1. A ferry worker was observed working outside guardrails during mooring maneuvers while not wearing a required personal...
