Cathlamet will soon be a busy place with the start of three or four construction projects scheduled for this year.

Town officials and engineers will meet with their contractor today (Thursday) to go over the plans for the start of the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant.

Engineer Thomas Zerkel of Gray and Osborne, Inc., said the contractor will start with installation of a main from the existing treatment plant up 2nd Street and across to the new plant site. The contractor should be clear of the lower section of the street around the Elochoman Slough Marina, which will be busy with the spring salmon season March 1-April 6.

The council also authorized a call for bids for a project to upgrade and pave 3rd Street. Engineers and town officials learned late last year that the project didn't include replacement of an old sewer main.

Zerkel said his firm had modified the design, at no cost to the town, to include the sewer work, which should cost about $50,000.

Council members agreed the work should be done while the street is being paved and they voted to go ahead with the work.

Mayor George Wehrfritz reported seven architects had toured the town hall and six had submitted proposals to develop design and construction plans for that remodeling project.

Wehrfritz said an advisory committee would evaluate the proposals, and he would call a special meeting for the council to select a firm for the work by mid-March.

The council accepted Wehrfritz's suggestion that the town reconsider the scope of a street lighting project planned for this year.

Wehrfritz pointed out that the plans call for new decorative lights along Main Street and down along the water front to the Elochoman Slough Marina. But with the construction of a new wastewater plant, the area may be torn up for marina expansion.

The council voted to send the project to its Finance Committee for an evaluation and recommendation.