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

General Manager Dave Tramblie had several items to share at last Tuesday’s Wahkiakum County PUD Board of Commissioners meeting.

In broadband news, an email from the Washington Department of Commerce’s Community Economic Revitalization Board said that the PUD’s application for a broadband feasibility grant had been reviewed and passed the “threshold.” Tramblie and other people involved in the project have been scheduled to give a presentation to the board on January 19.

Tramblie said he had also been in contact with Noanet about potential assistance with the project.

In other news, a two inch pilot valve was replaced at the foot of the Puget Island bridge and a conversation was had with the Puget Island Fire Chief about fire hydrant operation.

Tramblie believed that both actions were beneficial and should relieve high pressure issues on the island.

While investigating the Skamokawa water site, the PUD discovered that there was only one pump on site and no spare available if the first one failed. Tramblie’s initial thought was to purchase a $1,000 spare from a local vendor and keep it on hand, but he later realized that an intertie with Port 2’s Vista Park might provide a better option.

“We found the tie and corresponding mapping,” Tramblie said. “We intend to operate the valves and make sure they function. We’re developing a new agreement with Port 2 which would buy time to make repairs.”

A call from a diking district may have saved the PUD from a future outage. Beavers had been working on a tree on Little Island, someone from the diking district said. The PUD contacted the county road crew and the tree was removed.

“It was nice that the diking district gave us a heads up and everybody worked together,” Tramblie said.

The PUD is working on an interlocal agreement with the county to replace privately owned streetlights, Tramblie said. The county will supply the light bulbs and the PUD will change them out and bill the county for their time.

Tramblie said that crews had recently changed the seasonal banners in Cathlamet and Skamokawa and installed Christmas lights at the courthouse for annual tree lighting.

Finally, with Christmas Day falling on a Tuesday, Tramblie decided that the PUD would be closed on Christmas Eve, with employees on call.

Auditor Erin Wilson said that she was keeping an eye on another utility that had decided to consolidate their systems, which Wahkiakum PUD is considering doing.

“I’m following their journey and they are willing to share everything with me,” Wilson sad. “In a couple months we’ll have something to present to you if you are still wanting to consider that.”

Wilson also noted that more customers are taking advantage of an energy renewable cost recovery program. In 2015, one customer participated and the PUD paid out about $2,100. This year, they paid out a total of $21,000 to nine customers.

The money is deducted from the gross B&O tax, according to Commissioner Bob Jungers.

Before the meeting ended, the commissioners approved an application to the Department of Health for the Skamokawa Water System consolidation and agreed to change the date of the first meeting in 2019 to Wednesday, January 2.