Naselle Youth Camp bill misses the cut

Hundreds of bills died in committee last month, extinguishing their hopes of passing and becoming law in this year’s Washington state legislative session. Among the legislation that lawmakers are no longer considering is Senate Bill 5247, sponsored by state Sen. Jeff Wilson (R-Longview), which would transfer ownership of the dormant Naselle Youth Camp property from the state to the Chinook Indian Nation. But Wilson hasn’t given up the fight for a solution to the youth camp’s fate during this year’s session, turning his attention to the state budget as a potential vessel for action he says is critical in supporting Naselle and the greater community.

Background

The youth camp has remained vacant since it was shuttered in late 2022, after the legislature approved a supplemental operating budget during that year’s session that called for its closure. NYC was an unfenced, medium-security facility that provided education and treatment for young males who had landed in trouble with the law, and served 30 youths and employed 93 full- and part-time employees as of March 2022.

After the camp’s closure, Wilson and other 19th Legislative District lawmakers successfully pushed for the state’s 2023-25 operating budget to include funds for a local task force that would explore potential uses for the property and deliver a report to the legislature.

Aside from Wilson, those who served on the task force included Pacific County Commissioner Lisa Olsen, state Rep. Jim Walsh (R-Aberdeen), Chinook Indian Nation Chair Tony Johnson, Naselle School District Superintendent Lisa Nelson, Pacific County Undersheriff Mike Ray, Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe Chair Charlene Nelson, Naselle resident Doris Busse, and representatives from several state agencies.

In all, the property occupies about 22 acres and consists of 27 housing units, four residential lodges, several administrative buildings, a school, gym, cafeteria, fish hatchery and auto shop. A previous report from the Washington Department of Natural Resources found that many of the facility’s buildings were in poor condition and “would need major renovations to make the spaces welcoming.” Some, that report stated, should be torn down.

Nearly 30 alternate uses were explored for the NYC property and rated according to feasibility by a set criteria. Detailed business cases were developed for a handful of the most promising uses, and in the end a vast majority of the task force agreed that transferring the property to the Chinook Indian Nation was the most desirable outcome. “The facility would be a ‘New Chinook Village’ that would serve as a cultural center and economic engine with services for tribal and non-tribal members, including housing, health services, cultural facility, skills center, meeting space, and remote work hub,” the task force summarized in its report published last summer. “The Chinook Indian Nation has the human capacity and financial track record to run the property and attract funding and partnerships to create sustained activity, economic growth, and support cultural activities and teachings.”

Legislative solution

With the task force’s work complete, Wilson filed SB 5247 at the beginning of this year’s legislative session that would make their recommendation a reality. The bill was introduced Jan. 14 and referred to the senate’s State Government, Tribal Affairs and Elections Committee, where Wilson coincidentally serves as the top-ranking Republican.

The bill was cosponsored by state Sen. Mike Chapman (D-Port Angeles) of the neighboring 24th District, but otherwise saw no movement. A public hearing for SB 5247 was never scheduled, a prerequisite for any bill that hopes to be reported favorably out of committee and taken up for consideration by the senate as a whole.

Feb. 21, the 40th day of the legislative session, was the last day for committees’ reports of bills to be read in the chamber they originated from — save for fiscal and transportation committees. While his bill didn’t make the cut, Wilson said on Feb. 27 that he’s now working on a budget proviso for the legislature to consider as part of either the state’s operating or capital budget. “My marching orders [from the task force], which I’ve heard loud and clear, is to continue to move forward” with a solution to the property’s idleness, said Wilson.

“I would like to make it very clear that the legislature’s not going to be gifting public assets away,” said Wilson. “We’re not supposed to gift assets that the public owns, but…we’re looking at options right now that would support potential lease opportunities from the State of Washington with the Chinook Indian Nation.”

Language on the proviso is still being drafted, but Wilson said it will be introduced for the legislature’s consideration. “The facility at one time served a valuable, important purpose for the State of Washington, and now we’re just going in another direction to figure out a path where the value of that facility can make the community the benefactor,” said Wilson.