Port 1 addresses traffic issues

Wahkiakum County Port 1 Board of Commissioners met last Thursday for their July meeting to discuss traffic issues on port property and a few other matters.

With increased traffic to the new River Mile 38 taproom, and some other changes around the marina, Port Manager Todd Souvenir had some suggestions to improve traffic flow, including a 5 mph speed limit.

“It makes sense to slow it down a little bit,” Commissioner Scott Anderson said. “You’ve got a lot of boat traffic and a lot of people walking around.”

The changes were approved and signs will be posted.

Souvenir also suggested some preventative measures for an aging fuel dock, which he said was heavier on one end than the other, including replacing some of the wood and adding extra flotation. Commissioners gave him the go ahead to research pricing and seek bids for the project.

Columbia River Kayaking has approached the port about potentially expanding their business to the marina, Souvenir said, and there has been some talk about adding kayak storage and a kiosk at the rock pit to rent kayaks and offer tours on a daily basis. Souvenir said he was considering improvements to the commercial dock at the site and was working with the Town of Cathlamet and the Wahkiakum County PUD to determine the cost of extending water and power to the location.

Port staff was making final preparations for Bald Eagle Days last week, including completion of some flower beds near the port office.

Souvenir expressed gratitude to the staff and said how happy he was with how it turned out, adding that they were planning to continue landscaping around some of the gangways.

In May, the port talked about adding more surveillance cameras, and Souvenir said on Thursday that he should have a couple bids for the project at the next meeting.

Souvenir described a recent incident involving the theft of an outboard motor at the marina, and how their cameras made a difference.

“We were able to find the event on the camera system and able to get some video to the sheriff’s office,” Souvenir said. ”With the description of both the individual and the boat, they were able to use that information and arrest the individual who did that. The sheriff’s office said our cameras and the quality of the video on our current system is as good as anything that they’ve seen in our county. It was definitely able to help with that. “