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

Commissioners of Port District No. 2 covered a lot of ground at their meeting Tuesday but set up action for their February 16 meeting.

Carrie Backman of the Wahkiakum Marine Resources Committee discussed bringing ice machines and mobile fish cleaning units to the county to assist commercial fishers in adding value to their catches. She said the two ice machines, which would be capable of generating 8-10,000 lbs. of ice in a 24-hour period, should be located on a concrete slab with access to water and electricity.

She and port officials discussed the pros and cons of locating at Skamokawa Vista Park or at Svensen Park on Puget Island. Commissioners Lori Scott, Brian O'Connor and Lee Tischer said they wanted more time to review documents, so the matter was put on the agenda of their February meeting.

The other ice machine would likely be located in the Deep River area, Backman said.

In a separate matter, Mike Backman, Carrie Backman's husband, asked port officials if they would consider setting up a gillnet boat display at Svensen Park. Backman said he and a Puget Island man would restore the boat, a stern picker.

Backman said the other man's grandfather had built the boat in the 1970's and sold it to Backman's own grandfather, who fished with it.

Thus, Backman said, there is heritage in the construction and use of the boat, and the boat is from a more contemporary era that isn't represented in displays of early double ended bowpicker boats.

Scott and O'Connor referred to the gillnetter display at Vista Park and commented that building a covered display was costly, around $26,000.

"It's quite a commitment," O'Connor said.

"We'll take it under consideration," Scott said.

Mike Linn, a member of the Diking District No. 5 board of commissioners, told the port commission that the district is planning to build a walking trail on one of its dikes and asked if the port would consider donating sand at a low cost.

The trail would follow the dike on the east side of Skamokawa Creek and go about a mile up the valley. The district needs sand to raise the dike in places, Linn said.

The port district sells sand deposited by ship channel dredges, and Linn suggested the port district could charge only enough to cover the royalty fee it pays to the state Department of Natural Resources, which claims ownership of the sand. In this manner, the diking district could use the value of the sand as a match for grant funds.

Port commissioners were interested in the idea and said they would consider legal and financial implications.

"We'll have our attorney look into it," Scott said. "Some things we can't give away."