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

Wahkiakum County commissisoners approved a week-long, daytime closure of the Grays River Covered Bridge and acted on other business when they met Tuesday.

The bridge may be closed 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday of next week as the county road crew replaces siding on the Covered Bridge.

Public Works Director Pete Ringen said the crew will set up man-lift equipment on a gravel bar by the bridge to do the work.

A federal bridge grant is paying for the work; the crew has already installed a new roof which was paid by the grant.

In other business, the board approved laying off an employee in the WSU Cooperative Extension Office; health department officials reported on several activities.

Cooperative Extension Agent Carrie Kennedy announced that funding has run out for her office's part-time clerk, and that employee, Lore Twiet, will be laid off at the end of the month.

Kennedy had anticipated last fall that there would be grants and fundraising which would cover the position's cost, but "the grants and deliverables have changed."

Twiet has been responsible for coordinating 4-H programs, producing newsletters, recruiting volunteers and handling office work. "The programs will continue; I don't know how they'll look," Kennedy said.

Twiet was also hired this year on a part-time contract to serve as manager of the Wahkiakum County Fair.

Health Department Administrator Judy Bright reported on health trends and introduced the new Americorps volunteer who will be working in the department on nutrition and health programs this year.

The volunteer is Melissa Wong, a California native; she graduated recently from the University of California at Davis with a degree in food science.

Wong enjoys gardening and making cheese. Part of her duties will be to take over management of the community garden which was started this year in Cathlamet's Erickson Park.

"We've started harvesting now," Bright said. The produce is going to the departments clients in the WIC nutritional program for women, infants and young children.

Bright said she and her staff are starting to prepare for the site visit and program review which state officials will conduct in 2011.

"This will be a major undertaking," she said. She added that other health departments are coming together to help each other with the forms and paperwork to cut down on the load.

The department's new environmental health specialist, Matt Swanson, said he has been processing many permits for residential septic sewer systems. He plans to complete state training in food service inspections this month and afterward increase his inspections of local restaurants.

In response to a question from Commissioner Blair Brady, Bright and Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Vines said the department is preparing to start the annual flu vaccination campaign.

Vaccine should be arriving this week, Bright said, and she is working with the Family Health Clinic to set up vaccination clinics.

Dr. Vines added that the vaccination will cover all flu strains expected this year, and that there will be no priority groupings like last year.