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

The Pioneer Community Association (PCA) and the Town of Cathlamet on Monday signed a long-term lease for use and operation of the Pioneer Community Center.

In other business Monday, the council passed a resolution imposing a moratorium on new construction in the Columbia Ridge Estates Community off Columbia Street, and the council authorized application for various grants for ongoing projects. The council and swimming pool manager Lynette Ledgerwood discussed pool operations, and Fire Department representative Beau Renfro reported a major mass casualty drill will be held in Cathlamet on June 10.

The lease arrangement will allow the town to assume operational expenses and insurance liabilities and the right to make modifications to the property outside the building. The PCA will be able to get away from maintenance and liability insurance expenses that hampered its efforts to use the building as a performing arts center. As landowner, however, the PCA is responsible for ongoing maintenance and repair of the building.

The lease, costing $1 per year, expires May 31, 2070. The town may terminate at any time upon 20 days notification.

The building had been used as a church into the 1950's but fell into disrepair. Efforts to restore it began in the 1970s but moved slowly until the formation of the Pioneer Community Association in the 1990s. The association completed sufficient refurbishing to have two seasons of community concerts in 2007 and 2008, but the poor economy forced closure in 2009.

Mayor George Wehrfritz and PCA Treasurer Randy Williams signed the lease.

"This is a great moment," Wehrfritz said. "The Pioneer Community Association brought it back with blood, sweat and tears. This is a chance to bring it back as a functioning building."

The council passed a resolution imposing a moratorium on new building permits for new construction in the Columbia Ridge Estates subdivision.

When formed, developers set covenants for street and sidewalk construction, but those have fallen by the wayside. On April 28, members of the Columbia Ridge Estates Community, in a letter to the mayor and council, said they were abandoning their efforts to have a homeowners' association (HOA).

"We have had problems with the developer and had to seek legal assistance to keep him from using our dues for infrastructure," the letter said. "We do not want a home owners association and we are no longer going to pay dues. We do not want developers or builders telling us how we should live in our community."

Town officials, however, want the developer and homeowners association to follow through on commitments made in approval of the developer's plans. These include finishing streets and bringing sidewalks up to code.

"As you know, the developers of your community and the homeowners who purchased there have agreed to maintain their roadways, sidewalks and common areas with funds collected and managed by our HOA," Wehrfritz wrote in a May 4 letter to the community. "On that basis, the Town approved development of homes in your area on lots considerably smaller than required elsewhere in Cathlamet. Those terms cannot be abandoned unilaterally.

"...please be advised that the Town of Cathlamet cannot assume responsibility for roadways, sidewalks or other improvements that property owners in Columbia Ridge Estates, acting through their HOA, have agreed to maintain."

In other business, pool manager Ledgerwood announced the pool would open June 15, and council members voted for a suggestion to offer a free swim session on Saturday afternoons to encourage increased use. Wehrfritz will seek community sponsors to help cover the cost of lifeguards for the sessions.