[{"_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",6162115,"mediaKeyId","5440069-c7241428a8684789fdaa1c4f2abf66bd","parentId",5440069,"title","BOCC approves July minutes and the day’s consent agenda","audioSeconds",401,"startMs",2794000,"endMs",3195000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5440069-c7241428a8684789fdaa1c4f2abf66bd&start=2794&end=3195","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5440069-c7241428a8684789fdaa1c4f2abf66bd/thumbnail_2794000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6162115/Cowlitz-County/Washington/BOCC-approves-July-minutes-and-the-days-consent-agenda","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6162115-c5f476fab966ea5e1151726fbc3977a1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771009105&Signature=TrVj~eteoxe07PbLVwba7loI3OHd8XwBrrmwq~xBHyphP9ohaBNhz8NifxJ-mO5oOHNibScnk~-V3ctFJEq0tARQ9zAWNFg5artcMdrrkQH6mAFgiiilx-Up7TaWI2SFtPZB5FScbOMSXvc50~xXbSoG1vbM9qblQWyCqt9~WOmhGgFN69CUn4EC6n3O-kRFB1w8hRfPgOu8-5dsPRSEfogZLoh2JLjOyY8-nDgClgLmfrHvNeP5yVsQWp76rjyC81D1u3-nPlGp9uTaLGWJVXohtjAhd5~PcmzGdZx3bUgoKUcmwBs2okNe51X2gtZsXXT52q~uf9LmczqrbXkLDQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Cowlitz County Commissioners, Washington","date","2025-07-22T15:15:36Z","article","During the Tuesday session the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners voted to approve the minutes of their July meeting and to accept the day’s consent agenda.

The consent agenda items described in the meeting included two public‑hearing notices (an amendment to Cowlitz County Code Chapter 1104 addressing traffic signage and fines, and a comprehensive plan map amendment affecting roughly 51.5 acres near Kildeer Road outside Castle Rock), a materials purchase (pipe for landfill work), a guardrail contract award to Durden Aggregate Inc. for a countywide guardrail project, a right‑of‑way easement with a public utility district for Fairgrounds gateway work, an equipment purchase for desktop and ruggedized laptops, and routine vouchers. Specific dollar amounts and detailed vote tallies were not consistently stated in the public transcript and are recorded below as “not specified” when the meeting text did not provide clear figures.

The transcript records the motions and unanimous “Aye” responses but does not provide a roll‑call list of voters or a detailed numeric tally in the public transcript.

Items listed on the consent agenda (as discussed in the meeting):
- Public hearing to amend Cowlitz County Code Chapter 1104 (traffic signage/fines) — hearing set for 08/12/2025 at 9:45 a.m.
- Public hearing on comprehensive plan map amendment (approximately 51.5 acres, Kildeer Road, Castle Rock) — hearing set for 08/12/2025 at 10:00 a.m.
- One‑time purchase of high‑density pipe for landfill use — linear footage reported (7,300 linear feet) but purchase pricing not specified in transcript.
- Contract award to Durden Aggregate Inc. for 2025 countywide guardrail project — total amount not specified in the transcript.
- Right‑of‑way easement with public utility district for Fairgrounds gateway project — described as required to move a power pole to relocate a fairgrounds entrance.
- Equipment purchase (Dell) for desktops, laptops and 50 ruggedized laptops to support the Sheriff’s Department — purchase cost not specified in the transcript.
- Drainage Improvement District No. 1 voucher (May 2025) — $1,330.51 (reported in transcript).
- County regular vouchers — total reported in the transcript in garbled form; amount not specified here.

Commissioners moved, seconded and voiced “Aye” for both motions as recorded in the transcript; the clerk’s minutes should be consulted for official roll call and numeric tallies.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cowlitz County Commissioner Open Public Meetings","oneSentenceSummary","The Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners accepted the minutes of July and approved the consent agenda, which included hearings, contracts and routine vouchers; the transcript does not record a detailed roll call or named vote tallies.","taxTitle","Cowlitz County, Washington","taxId",5122,"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},6162121,"Developers, operators outline plan for 16‑bed crisis unit and larger behavioral‑health campus in Longview",2769,10063000,12832000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5440069-c7241428a8684789fdaa1c4f2abf66bd&start=10063&end=12832","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5440069-c7241428a8684789fdaa1c4f2abf66bd/thumbnail_10063000.jpg","/articles/6162121/Cowlitz-County/Washington/Developers-operators-outline-plan-for-16bed-crisis-unit-and-larger-behavioralhealth-campus-in-Longview","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6162121-a0070801af7ed912b2d585e25250de5a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771009105&Signature=elbev-hO5ViCsT1fanDiNzrXmNY8qle1rhnNr~nyecO6Dufmw65nRSfRGYppGlxBQ5gG3sW8Etnr7RP0fhVhNXsVZlG5r5KgZfGCRQZSOTh2enveX39JrdrF3twb6ZCuKBl5Ai5vSJuuGaAb0bk7QCkAuR4LQ96-5wl48u3MoFuOWtMzxib0Bm7FKEYufbN2ULVp3SkNCZQMQ5kLp2GDCyhC6bRicz0HRAy7v5KuI0d12hlEgvwRiSA0FfIRBqT8sD9uJLMuWP7Mp3vFF6xuVVuG1StMZFGvykubwm~ETbSS8u3KgYgZ~nx71sl9tRpo6sWGD9Wmfr0mbw-ylZTpLQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, operators and developers seeking to expand behavioral‑health capacity in Longview presented a two‑phase plan: an initial, locally focused 16‑bed crisis stabilization and evaluation unit and an eventual larger behavioral‑health campus that could include an inpatient hospital for civil commitments now served by Western and Eastern State Hospitals.

Claudia Johnston, who identified herself as the operations lead for MLC Behavioral Health, said the smaller 16‑bed facilities are designed to “support your community” and provide crisis stabilization, short‑term evaluation and step‑down services tied to outpatient care and substance‑use treatment. “The 16 bed facilities are specifically designed to support your community,” Johnston said.

A developer and finance representative on the project said the team has a site under contract at 1826 First Avenue (the former Charlie’s restaurant, near the Hall of Justice) and is designing a small facility there; if state or federal grant funding becomes available they will apply, but owners have committed to continue the deal. “We didn’t get that grant, but the owners are excited enough about what our plans are that they’re gonna stay in the deal, and we think we can build it without a grant. We’re designing it anyways,” the speaker said.

Presenters and county health staff described how the planned units would be funded and used. Gina James of Cowlitz County Health and Human Services explained that most payment for these services comes through Medicaid and managed‑care organizations (MCOs) and that placement and reimbursement rules mean short‑term beds are prioritized for people from the local community and for patients referred through the state system. \"The 16‑bed facilities are specifically designed to support your community,\" James said, reiterating that community residents would have priority for local placements when appropriate.

Presenters said the proposal also looks to larger, hospital‑scale solutions. They described the former hospital campus in Longview (an 88,000‑square‑foot facility identified in the meeting record) as a potential site for phased reuse or for a new ground‑up hospital; the team said it will schedule civil engineering and architectural reviews to test feasibility. The group also said the state’s financial penalties and settlement funds tied to the Trueblood litigation and state obligations to move civil commitments into the community create a potential funding avenue; presenters said they will coordinate with the Health Care Authority (HCA), Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and the governor’s office on larger proposals.

Commissioners, county staff and members of the public asked about bed prioritization, local access, zoning and the project’s economic impact. County staff and presenters noted jail capacity and single‑celling of inmates with mental‑health needs as immediate local burdens that a crisis stabilization resource could relieve.

Supporters in the audience said a centralized campus could reduce repeated, fragmented care and create local health‑care jobs. Presenters estimated that health‑care wages would be competitive and said the integrated model could bill Medicaid for many services, reducing reliance on local tax funding.

Presenters closed by saying they will pursue site evaluations and keep county officials informed. \"We’ll definitely be keeping you in the loop and make sure that you’re informed of everything we’re doing. And we’ll start the process with looking at the hospital and looking for something probably close by to the hospital for the next civil commitment center,\" the developer said.","A group proposing a behavioral health campus described plans for a 16‑bed crisis stabilization unit at 1826 First Avenue and a longer‑term vision for a larger hospital‑scale facility; presenters said the proposals would help move civil commitments out of state hospitals and create billable outpatient services.",{"_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},6162126,"Restoration groups tell Cowlitz commissioners nature-based projects can cut sediment costs and aid habitat",3512,6577000,10089000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5440069-c7241428a8684789fdaa1c4f2abf66bd&start=6577&end=10089","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5440069-c7241428a8684789fdaa1c4f2abf66bd/thumbnail_6577000.jpg","/articles/6162126/Cowlitz-County/Washington/Restoration-groups-tell-Cowlitz-commissioners-nature-based-projects-can-cut-sediment-costs-and-aid-habitat","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6162126-d0b77162d847052dd68063c9e6a44a0d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771009105&Signature=SvGV8sgvkFn59vPjTNcoEHbwrdsdLi16NI2pDJfND7q9G99E~ZXdE3zCGL5bT~roLIkAFSN6xsQQ35~wqeluHtjl-LimqJex9oFc8DV5oA0yWyU1FtBFEVSCqSRhmeDS4n4KOkaUgqvlGKwlZ~e8gijR8YXeIyTs2t2BZCchKiDrKXV85Jt7oHxB9g2JIipDohYXzURI9ZmyZnxsu5sWuuKRs1Mc5AXjnUGDxjHUXK4nLJK1p2Td5B6cxQcZ8blwqXWSrjzsYfNrhUZ~95oRvRlz8hq1T94Wld~1p8gCQCxU8PXETJHY2za-H6vsd6GWC8h9vbHIMxjG5idv1jUp3w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a Tuesday meeting of the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners, representatives of three regional restoration organizations described multi-year projects in the Toutle and upper Cowlitz watersheds and urged continued interagency coordination through the Spirit Lake–Toutle–Cowlitz River collaborative.

The presentations, from the Lower Columbia Fish Enhancement Group, the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership and the Mount St. Helens Institute, outlined projects that place large wood and other nature-based measures in upper tributaries to retain sediment, create fish habitat and hire local contractors. They said those activities complement — but do not replace — downstream dredging and larger sediment retention works.

Speakers said the collaborative provides a recurring forum for local sponsors, tribes and state and federal agencies to review projects and permits together. That regular convening, they said, speeds decisions on permits and on use of local materials and contractors while helping agencies and communities weigh tradeoffs between restoration, flood risk and navigation.

Morgan, director of the Lower Columbia Fish Enhancement Group, told commissioners that the group has focused restoration work in the South Fork Toutle and other upper reaches and that the projects are intended to “deal with the problem at the source.” She said the group’s internal cost estimate for retaining a cubic yard of sediment with in‑river, wood‑based structures is about $2.50 compared with roughly $12 per cubic yard for dredging. “Our projects for [a] cubic yard of sediment cost about $2.50. Dredging cost about $12. So we’re dealing with the problem at the source with these projects, sediment wise,” Morgan said.

Morgan described projects that increase channel roughness on lahar deposits so riparian vegetation can establish, slow flows and hold sediment in place. She said projects will continue “every year for the next five years on this scale, hopefully,” and that local loggers and contractors are already being hired for work described in the materials distributed to the commission.

She also described a practical cost-saving: using native, locally sourced wood where possible. Morgan said the group purchased a timber sale from the Washington Department of Natural Resources this year and is negotiating with other landowners; she said a major private timber company has not made wood available to them. “They have a kind of a blanket no on us. But we were able to buy a timber sale wholesale from DNR this year,” she said.

The presentations acknowledged limits and uncertainties. Commissioners pressed for measurable results: when asked whether salmon numbers are higher now than five years ago, Morgan said she did not have exact fish counts but that South Fork indicators moved “from a high risk to a medium risk in the recovery board’s assessment in the South Fork,” a habitat‑focused measure of viability. She added: “We’re not counting fish. We’re not WDFW. But our goal is to provide the habitat to enable them to eventually show a greater level of viability.”

Elaine Placido, executive director of the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, described community engagement and larger estuary work, noting the program is a bi‑state, EPA‑authorized National Estuary Program. “Over the last 30 years … we restored 35,000 acres of floodplain along the Lower Columbia, and have worked with 100,000 students,” Placido said, and she described past projects that paired community input with federal project authorization through the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA).

Alisa Hoyt, co‑executive director of the Mount St. Helens Institute, described the institute’s education and visitor‑services work and said the collaborative helps the institute coordinate with the U.S. Forest Service and other federal partners. She also noted the Forest Service is expected to publish an environmental impact statement for the Spirit Lake outflow project in early August; the commission and presenters emphasized the significance of that process for downstream flood and sediment risk.

Speakers and commissioners agreed that no single tool solves the region’s sediment issues. Several commissioners said the county and collaborative should press for broader policy and Army Corps attention to legacy sediment in upstream floodplains and to authorization and funding pathways for dredging and larger retention works. Morgan and Placido said the collaborative helps keep local voices and technical questions in front of state and federal agencies and can show where nature‑based actions reduce downstream needs.

The meeting record shows technical and policy questions remain: specific, countable fish returns were not provided, long‑term effectiveness percentages were not claimed, and presenters said nature‑based measures are one element of a larger toolbox.

Commissioners thanked the presenters and said they would continue to bring federal and state partners into the collaborative meetings so local concerns about flood risk, navigation and habitat can be heard together.","Local restoration organizations told the Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners that upper-watershed, nature-based projects can retain sediment more cheaply than dredging and provide fish, recreational and economic co-benefits, while urging a multi-tool approach that includes dredging and retention structures.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

BOCC approves July minutes and the day’s consent agenda

Developers, operators outline plan for 16‑bed crisis unit and larger behavioral‑health campus in Longview

Restoration groups tell Cowlitz commissioners nature-based projects can cut sediment costs and aid habitat