[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6108690,"mediaKeyId","2767557-e1f1c0f226ab301bb79e737ecaf0f93f","parentId",2767557,"title","Lewis County commissioners approve road closures, interlocal coroner agreement and procurement updates","audioSeconds",386,"startMs",1287000,"endMs",1673000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2767557-e1f1c0f226ab301bb79e737ecaf0f93f&start=1287&end=1673","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2767557-e1f1c0f226ab301bb79e737ecaf0f93f/thumbnail_1287000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6108690/Lewis-County/Washington/Lewis-County-commissioners-approve-road-closures-interlocal-coroner-agreement-and-procurement-updates","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6108690-14ecff9616a6f57486d0f39bb7218933/orig.mp4?Expires=1775694805&Signature=S1JN48zi9waHKUF41g1MDW1fnJD590CcpYvCK4jpM7i-se9bG2cQK-NCrLJ1VHMfAfPWpY8eUFrGb6TjpIdCzGNz1Yj6ajuzxLt16jAGnt~klMVYqD8lIRu8xxK9RYkY~53QU37Q7bBjfN5Uaa4DsyrDxN8fPFNc-Jo43Rr5xDuKtYZwlsnUan84b0Z-pTy4It6Pv85p1ZzHXLU8znU4QcgQCLodEKNzOAxt7mLj4PPymSGHzlBkEIAQ6MOmhT3GVjbcoZBsftlt-GB3NCbkPUsvZ3ITL1aY6bBQPLMZtZr6pMMcHCq43wmklTGCGgCIk1W4P6LhT~V9qxEj1sjfrw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Lewis County, WA","date","2025-03-25T16:59:50Z","article","The Lewis County Board of County Commissioners voted on a set of administrative actions and resolutions during their March 25 business meeting, approving notices, construction closures, interlocal agreements, and procurement updates.

The board approved two notice items (approved by voice vote 3–0) to set a public hearing for a request to vacate Lindley Road and to authorize a temporary closure of Opelt Road. Kimberly Edminster of Public Works said Resolution 25‑081 will set April 22, 2025, at 10 a.m. as the hearing date for the county engineer’s report on the unopened, unmaintained Lindley Road right‑of‑way. Wes Anderson, assistant county engineer, described Resolution 25‑082 as a closure of Opelt Road from milepost 0 to 1.72 from April 1 through July 31 to complete the Centralia Alpha Road project.

The board approved two consent items by voice vote (3–0): Resolution 25‑083 to approve warrants and payroll and acceptance of minutes from the March 18, 2025, BOCC business meeting.

The board voted (3–0) to recess Resolution 25‑069 to the April 1 BOCC meeting.

The board moved to approve Resolutions 25‑084 through 25‑088 (vote 3–0). Those items included:

- An interlocal cooperative agreement between the Lewis County Coroner’s Office and the Mason County Coroner’s Office to allow Mason County to use Lewis County’s facility for autopsies and external exams by a contract forensic pathologist; Warren McLeod, Lewis County coroner, said there would be no cost to the county and Lewis County would receive $350 for each exam performed using the facility. McLeod said Mason County averages about 100 such exams per year.

- A selection of Goods Crushing of Winlock, Washington, as the lowest responsive bidder for chip‑seal material and the county’s intent to award a contract in the amount of $282,975 for the 2025 maintenance program, as presented by Wes Anderson.

- A transfer of an existing county legislative liaison agreement from Gordon Thomas Honeywell (GTH) to Columbia Policy Advisors effective May 1, 2025, as presented by Rita Lester, clerk of the board.

- An update to department head signing authority to clarify when directors may sign contracts and to streamline approvals.

- An update to the county procurement policy to align with the department head signing authority; Graham Gammon of the Auditor’s Office noted the update does not change state or federal procurement requirements.

All listed resolutions were approved by recorded voice vote: \"Aye, Aye, Aye,\" and the clerk announced each motion passed 3–0.

Why this matters: the approved actions set hearing dates and construction closures that affect public access, confirm the county’s contractor and supplier selections for maintenance work, and formalize intergovernmental and procurement procedures that guide how the county awards and executes contracts.

No contested votes or dissent were recorded on these items during the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","BOCC Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","At the March 25 meeting commissioners approved notices and multiple resolutions including a Lindley Road vacation hearing date, temporary Opelt Road closure for construction, a coroner interlocal with Mason County, a chip-seal material contract award, transfer of lobbying services, and updates to department head signing authority and procurement.","taxTitle","Lewis County, Washington","taxId",51407,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6108694,"Packwood resident says assessor overvalued home, plans appeal to board of equalization",179,1040000,1219000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2767557-e1f1c0f226ab301bb79e737ecaf0f93f&start=1040&end=1219","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2767557-e1f1c0f226ab301bb79e737ecaf0f93f/thumbnail_1040000.jpg","/articles/6108694/Lewis-County/Washington/Packwood-resident-says-assessor-overvalued-home-plans-appeal-to-board-of-equalization","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6108694-9266f3c8bdafbcbf361afdcf737ad30f/orig.mp4?Expires=1775694805&Signature=Usken7uAO42QDCwDUiszGbjlWnG-G0T9bMCElRq-viTMCi8RI-8NEb6MQqnW5ve4IbZqJjyjfGSXkEC-hUPY2nhTqDsY-zb0kHkIciXa~EhQdofFruSRKV385CDh577BjX8Fhf4eUZ9NPMDWI9MWuvoXie39EFdK4ayJZjqKPU3bACN~5gKsPG2rcQvY~n0j03DJGg6Iwzjr7n1M5zn5ZCTiYOGaYNT0dfsgDzDcqBOQ2TPySVJpTekRG4UqV1-kbQpRyEf5AINVRbFKAiHk936wa3IZyRAXFESv0WABZHZEQmmP9Llgr5M1CrKZb4jDHHR2L-cbC0WKoTrdDPcb~A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Rob Maricle of Packwood told the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners on March 25 that he believes his property assessment is incorrect and that he will pursue the matter with the county board of equalization.

Maricle said the assessor’s office lists his property’s market value as $2,237,000 and that two neighboring properties with similar lot size, house size and outbuildings were assessed ‘‘about $1,100,000 less’’; he said one of those neighboring properties sold in 2024 for $1,100,000. \"The assessor thinks our home is a short term rental and thus commands a higher value,\" Maricle said, and he challenged the assessor to prove that his property was used as a short‑term rental in 2025.

When a commissioner asked Maricle how much he paid for the home and when, Maricle replied he bought it in 2019 for $575,000. He told commissioners the assessed value rose by about $700,000 year‑over‑year (about a 44% increase) and that his tax bill rose about 66% from the previous year. He said the property has been rented three times.

Maricle said he and at least 17 other people plan to seek relief from the county board of equalization. He framed the issue as a financial hardship and urged review of assessment methods.

Why this matters: property assessments determine tax bills; large year‑over‑year increases can prompt appeals and affect taxpayers’ monthly costs and decisions to seek relief through the county’s appeal procedures.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about purchase year and price; the transcript records no immediate action by the board on Maricle’s request during the meeting. Maricle said he intends to continue the appeal process.","Resident Rob Maricle told Lewis County commissioners his property’s assessed value jumped to $2,237,000 and said similar nearby properties were assessed much lower; he said he intends to pursue relief at the county board of equalization.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6108699,"Gifford Pinchot officials brief Lewis County on timber plans, Spirit Lake safety and road projects",865,128000,993000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2767557-e1f1c0f226ab301bb79e737ecaf0f93f&start=128&end=993","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2767557-e1f1c0f226ab301bb79e737ecaf0f93f/thumbnail_128000.jpg","/articles/6108699/Lewis-County/Washington/Gifford-Pinchot-officials-brief-Lewis-County-on-timber-plans-Spirit-Lake-safety-and-road-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6108699-4b280addcd605a86068f7b73681f28bb/orig.mp4?Expires=1775694805&Signature=XXUTVSCazd4-bg8-PL7cp1AOYoiAT3kW-V06bc1jiQi2ElPaP6~IQNdVEujE3QMwJaLDow8lR3LqcrWDZlplnTDEHUWzvnx-P553iEz0QcXnQVa74Z-WpZYekfUrlmAwQDeCjEozqELuQQz-7KGiPC1DM5BjbD3haDYrenGSzF3SuB-GsqCEulAQmDy7Rzf-WiysZZocUlJz-waywCqJ3jWpHWf4cHI6vJptvhtjXQARQMgnQXcww6bII2IBZ6ptSPqOGjspvbSLxv6Wuif9N3IxHo2omOKNwH0-PUNRTrdKnJ~rJYmj~VOzvY3BRuXuHO6foeoASmdWLL-~DCxl~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Johanna Kovarik, Forest Supervisor for the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, updated the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners on March 25 on wildfire outlook, forest planning and local projects that will affect timber supplies and travel corridors in the county.

Kovarik said the Northwest geographic area is \"expected to have a normal or low significant fire potential through June,\" and described several planning and implementation efforts now underway across the forest. \"We're hoping to get the draft out for comment, fairly soon,\" she said of the forest-wide plantation-thinning environmental assessment that covers roughly 156,000 acres of plantations under 80 years old and about 500 miles of potential control-line treatments.

The plantation-thinning and potential control-line (PCL) effort is intended to increase wildfire management options and to produce timber for sale. Kovarik said the first sales from that project are likely in fiscal year 2027, \"coming from the East Fork Lewis area near Kalama.\" She also told commissioners that on March 19 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service signed what Kovarik described as \"the largest programmatic biological opinion in the state of Washington\" covering commercial plantation thinning, fuels reduction, routine road and trail maintenance, and special-use permitting for several national forests. Kovarik said the programmatic biological opinion should help move projects forward more rapidly.

Teresa Tanner, district ranger for the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District, said the Yellowjacket environmental assessment is complete and that timber sales tied to it are beginning to be offered. \"For fiscal year '25, we're looking at 1 Forest Service sale and 3 more through DNR using our good neighbor authority or GNA,\" she said, estimating roughly 13,000,000 board feet for FY25 and about 14,500,000 board feet tied to Yellowjacket for FY26. Tanner said the forest-wide plantation-thinning EA could support substantially higher annual volumes once implemented.

The supervisors also reviewed transportation and infrastructure investments affecting Lewis County communities. Tanner described the Skate Creek Road project as a major corridor investment with roughly $4,100,000 spent to date, including replacement of 13 culverts, 53 deep‑patch repairs to the roadbed, construction of a mechanically stabilized earth wall and about 1.5 miles of new asphalt. She said repair work at Elk Pass on Forest Service Road 25 — a roughly $4,000,000 project — should be completed by August, and a Huffaker–Bridal replacement project near Iron Creek Campground will cost about $5,000,000 and could cause closures for most of the summer.

Kovarik said the forest is coordinating with Washington State Department of Natural Resources on planning and implementation and is evaluating different partnership models to increase delivery of timber sales. She also described ongoing work on Spirit Lake: the forest and partners have moved toward a nationally standardized emergency action plan after the South Coldwater slide in May 2023, held a tabletop exercise with county and federal partners, and are conducting pre‑NEPA stakeholder engagement for the Spirit Lake Outflow Safety Improvement Project. The notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement was issued in September 2024, and Kovarik said the record of decision is scheduled by the end of 2025. She noted a virtual public meeting was scheduled for the evening following the March 25 county meeting.

Why this matters: the planning decisions, road repairs and emergency‑planning work affect timber supply, seasonal access for residents and recreation users, and public‑safety preparations tied to Spirit Lake. Several projects also carry multi‑million‑dollar implementation costs and require coordination with state and federal partners.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions; no formal county action was taken on forest projects during the briefing. Kovarik and Tanner described the near‑term schedule for public comment and sale offerings and said more detailed NEPA documents and maps will be posted online as they become available.

Closing notes: Kovarik thanked the county for participation in Spirit Lake planning and said the forest values its working relationship with DNR and other partners as projects advance.","Forest Supervisor Johanna Kovarik and Cowlitz Valley District Ranger Teresa Tanner updated Lewis County commissioners on pre-season fire outlook, large-scale plantation-thinning planning, the Spirit Lake outflow EIS schedule and multiple road and timber-sale projects affecting the north zone.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Lewis County commissioners approve road closures, interlocal coroner agreement and procurement updates

Packwood resident says assessor overvalued home, plans appeal to board of equalization

Gifford Pinchot officials brief Lewis County on timber plans, Spirit Lake safety and road projects