Commissioners of Port District No. 2 of Wahkiakum County awarded a contract for tree thinning and voted to begin paying water and sewer bills for the port district office when they met Tuesday.

Port officials have been planning a selective cut of potentially dangerous trees since a tree fell on a camper's recreational vehicle last winter (no one was injured).

Commission Chair Brian O'Connor said the district's insurance carrier has been pressing for removal of dangerous trees.

The district received bids from two local loggers to trim the trees. They accepted the bid of John Florek Logging, who bid a 20 percent payback on saw logs. The other bidder, Bob Olsen Logging, came in at 5 percent for saw logs.

The commission met in executive session to discuss acquisition of real estate. It has been discussing acquiring the port office, formerly the Skamokawa Library, from the Skamokawa Park and Recreation District, which is in the process of dissolving.

The district has rented office space in the library for years, with its rent intended to pay for fees to the Skamokawa Sewer and Water District.

The park and recreation district hasn't been picking up the rental fees for some time, and after the executive session, Port Attorney Jennifer Hanigan reported the commission had voted to pay the utility fees directly to the sewer and water district.