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

Wahkiakum County commissioners handled a variety of business when they met Tuesday.

Issues ranged from repairing a slide on Loop Road to a recommendation to join a national program to check residency of employees.

The board approved a request from Public Works Director Pete Ringen to hire a consulting engineer to evaluate a sliding area on Loop Road.

Ringen said his inititial approach would be to develop a project that would stabilize the slope without going into the Grays River, which lies at the foot of the sliding slope. Tying the work to a channel reconstruction project would delay or even cause the loss of federal funding to repair the slide.

Residents of Lewis and Clark counties recommended the commission consider joining the federal E-Verify program in order to prevent illegal aliens from gaining employment.

They offered examples of illegal aliens causing job losses or other hardship for US citizens. They said that by requiring contractors to verify Social Security numbers through E-verify, illegal aliens wouldn't take jobs they shouldn't have and would have to return to their homeland.

Skamokawa resident Mike Linn said he doubted the veracity of some of the claims the speakers used to support their recommendation. "I find a lot of it racist, and it offends me," he said.

"I don't get it as a racist issue," said Commissioner Dan Cothren. "This is being brought up in all counties. We'll look at it."

Commissioners held off on approving a request for a quitclaim for mineral and other resources on tidelands owned by Robert and Thelma Miller.

The Millers have planned to sell tidelands on Miller Point to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. A title search revealed that in the 1940's the county sold the land, which had been acquired through tax foreclosure. Commission minutes say the board intended to retain oil, gas and mineral rights, but the deed of sale didn't reserve the rights.

The Millers asked that the commission approve the quitclaim so that they can have a clean title and proceed with the sale.

Commissioner Blair Brady objected Tuesday.

"It would be foolish for us to release any potential value," he said.

Commissioner Lisa Marsyla asked if WDFW would take the land if oil and mineral rights weren't included.

Prosecuting Dan Bigelow said he would check, and the board tabled the matter.