[{"_1":2,"_103":-5,"_104":-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",[32,73,83,93],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":-5,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":66,"_70":71,"_72":71},"mediaId",6095152,"mediaKeyId","2840386-c06ec23823a02e4ad09f8a3d13577948","parentId",2840386,"title","Chamber and regional EDD brief commissioners on tourism, loans and brownfields; EDC warns of possible state funding cuts","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",6080000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2840386-c06ec23823a02e4ad09f8a3d13577948&start=6080&end=6080","thumbnailUrl","https://d352y6ypj4mjo3.cloudfront.net/AudioPlaceholder.png","articleUrl","/articles/6095152/Skamania-County/Washington/Chamber-and-regional-EDD-brief-commissioners-on-tourism-loans-and-brownfields-EDC-warns-of-possible-state-funding-cuts","mediaUrl","author","Skamania County, WA","date","2025-03-11T00:00:00Z","article","The Skamania County Board of Commissioners heard quarterly updates from the Chamber of Commerce and the Mid‑Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD) on tourism promotion, small‑business lending and brownfields planning.

Chamber update: Angie Martin, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, told the board the chamber holds a county contract to provide tourism promotion services and is updating print and web materials for the spring season. The chamber is offering a new cooperative advertising program (Datify) that halves a $5,000 buy‑in for small tourism businesses and is organizing seasonal events including the May \"Sip & Stroll\" and a business resource fair. \"We do have a contract with the county to provide tourism promotion services,\" Martin told the board.

Regional and local economic development: Jessica Miller and Brianna Kim from the Mid‑Columbia Economic Development District described MCEDD’s five‑county work—loan programs, brownfields grants and technical assistance for infrastructure projects. MCEDD staff said the agency manages revolving loan funds, helped secure brownfields assessment funding used on local properties and manages regional planning documents that federal grant programs reference when awarding funds.

EDC finance update and funding risks: Cindy Bradley, EDC finance manager, told commissioners the county’s scenic‑area loan pool administered via USDA remains difficult to access and that the EDC has been unable to close several otherwise qualified loans. Bradley also warned that proposed state action could cut ADO (economic development) funding by about 50 percent, a change that would substantially reduce available grant and program dollars for local economic assistance.

Springboard cooperative: Bradley and other presenters described a new cross‑agency cooperative—the \"springboard\" group—that aims to coordinate counties, cities, school districts, ports and other stakeholders to vet and pursue large, countywide economic projects. The group is still organizing bylaws and membership but the presenters said it is intended to pool expertise and funding to pursue multi‑million‑dollar projects that no single local entity could deliver alone.

Brownfields and downtown redevelopment: MCEDD staff described how Brownfields assessment grants can fund site assessments and planning work that clears the way for redevelopment; staff cited a local former industrial site where assessment work helped move property toward sale and redevelopment.

What’s next: Chamber staff will deliver a written first‑quarter report to the board and continue outreach to businesses countywide. MCEDD and the county EDC said they will keep the board informed about loan‑fund availability, brownfields opportunities and the springboard group's next steps. Commissioners asked staff to coordinate when proposals require county sign‑off or letters of support.","mediaType","Audio","parentTitle","Skamania County meeting 03-11-25 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Chamber of Commerce and regional economic development representatives updated commissioners on tourism promotion, cooperative advertising, loans and brownfields work; county economic development leaders warned state ADO funding could be cut roughly 50 percent and described a new cross‑agency 'springboard' cooperative to pursue larger projects.","taxTitle","Skamania County, Washington","taxId",68745,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":74,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":75,"_41":76,"_43":77,"_45":78,"_46":79,"_48":49,"_50":80,"_52":-5,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":81,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":82,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":66,"_70":71,"_72":71},6095156,"Court staff: county invited to pilot new statewide enterprise judicial system; state covers onboarding costs",307,219000,526000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2840386-c06ec23823a02e4ad09f8a3d13577948&start=219&end=526","/articles/6095156/Skamania-County/Washington/Court-staff-county-invited-to-pilot-new-statewide-enterprise-judicial-system-state-covers-onboarding-costs","County court staff told the Board of Commissioners that the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) will move county courts statewide to a new enterprise judicial information system and that Skamania County has been offered an opportunity to volunteer as a pilot court.

The court staff member reported the state gave courts until early 2027 to complete onboarding and that volunteering as a pilot would bring AOC training teams to the county for intensive, one‑on‑one training. Staff said the new system will be web‑based and replace the legacy system the courts have used since the 1990s. The AOC will cover the direct cost of the enterprise system implementation; local costs are expected to be limited to minor hardware upgrades and peripheral equipment such as signature pads.

Why it matters: the enterprise system will be the statewide standard for e‑filing, case management and information sharing between courts, probation and superior court. County staff said the change will require scanning and digitizing legacy court records, some hardware upgrades and additional staff preparation during implementation.

Discussion and details: staff said the state will provide on‑site integration and training for roughly one week during full implementation, and that some desktop upgrades already budgeted should meet system requirements. Staff estimated signature pads and a few small peripherals will be needed at roughly $150–$200 each. Staff also described anticipated slower system response times due to volume of statewide data, but said the web interface will be more user friendly for staff.

No formal board vote was required; staff asked for direction about whether to volunteer Skamania County as a pilot court. Commissioners did not record a final decision in the transcript, but staff noted Judge Rainier prefers an earlier onboarding date if the county volunteers.

What’s next: court staff will continue preparations (scanning legacy files and coordinating with IT), and will return with any specific budget requests for small hardware purchases if needed.","County court staff reported the Administrative Office of the Courts will require county courts to join a new enterprise judicial information system by early 2027; staff say Skamania County has the option to volunteer as a pilot court and that the state will cover implementation costs.",{"_33":84,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":85,"_41":86,"_43":87,"_45":88,"_46":89,"_48":49,"_50":90,"_52":-5,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":91,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":92,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":66,"_70":71,"_72":71},6095161,"Skamania County board approves $280,443.34 in vouchers",112,1668000,1780000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2840386-c06ec23823a02e4ad09f8a3d13577948&start=1668&end=1780","/articles/6095161/Skamania-County/Washington/Skamania-County-board-approves-28044334-in-vouchers","The Skamania County Board of Commissioners approved county vouchers dated March 11, 2025, totaling $280,443.34.

The board took a single voice vote to approve the vouchers, which included a current expense amount of $91,681.52 and covered warrant numbers 202644 through 202713.

Why it matters: voucher approval authorizes payment for goods and services already incurred by county departments. The board’s approval clears the way for vendors and staff to be paid and for county accounting to close the associated obligations.

The motion to approve the vouchers was made and seconded and passed by voice vote; no recorded roll call was taken in the meeting transcript.

What’s next: Finance staff will process payments and complete the warrants for the vendor payments listed on the voucher register.","The Skamania County Board of Commissioners approved vouchers dated March 11, 2025, totaling $280,443.34, including a current expense amount of $91,681.52 covering warrants 202644 through 202713.",{"_33":94,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":95,"_41":96,"_43":97,"_45":98,"_46":99,"_48":49,"_50":100,"_52":-5,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":101,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":102,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":66,"_70":71,"_72":71},6095166,"Skamania County approves supplemental agreement for high‑cost bridge inspections",203,1692000,1895000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2840386-c06ec23823a02e4ad09f8a3d13577948&start=1692&end=1895","/articles/6095166/Skamania-County/Washington/Skamania-County-approves-supplemental-agreement-for-highcost-bridge-inspections","Skamania County commissioners voted to approve Supplemental Agreement No. 2 with Pickett Structural Solutions to finish high‑cost inspections on six bridges in the county.

The supplemental agreement covers additional inspection work on a set of bridges that was not completed in the previous contract period. County staff said the work is being paid for with grant funding and will allow the county to apply for bridge replacement funding where the inspections show that to be necessary.

Why it matters: high‑cost bridge inspections produce the documentation engineers and grant programs require to place a structure on replacement lists and to qualify for state bridge funding. County staff said one bridge inspected last year showed more issues than earlier reports, prompting annual follow‑up inspections for that structure and a push to finish the outstanding work for all six bridges.

Board discussion focused on timing and whether the supplemental work represented new inspections or simply completion of work already started. Public works staff said the inspections are primarily carry‑over work from the prior year and not an expanded scope beyond finalizing work on the listed bridges. Two of the bridges are in partnership with nearby cities (the city of Stevenson and the city of North Bonneville), county staff said.

The board made and seconded a motion to approve the supplemental agreement and voted to approve it without recorded opposition.

What’s next: County staff said inspection results will inform applications for bridge replacement funding in future cycles; the county expects to include the worst‑condition bridge in its 2026 funding request.

","The Skamania County Board of Commissioners approved Supplemental Agreement No. 2 with Pickett Structural Solutions to complete high‑cost inspections on six county bridges; the work is grant‑funded and aims to support future bridge‑replacement funding requests.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Chamber and regional EDD brief commissioners on tourism, loans and brownfields; EDC warns of possible state funding cuts

Court staff: county invited to pilot new statewide enterprise judicial system; state covers onboarding costs

Skamania County board approves $280,443.34 in vouchers

Skamania County approves supplemental agreement for high‑cost bridge inspections