County staff updated the Board of County Commissioners on wetland mitigation options for the Kenner Road 522 project, saying the price per mitigation credit recently quoted to the county is ‘‘nearly double what we were previously given.’’ The staff presentation said the site currently offered about 10 credits on a 28.5-acre property, and that key cost drivers include NEPA compliance, a forest plan amendment, permitting, engineering design and long‑term monitoring.

"Unfortunately, it's nearly double what we were previously given," the county staff member said, and added that the National Forest Foundation was examining whether it could expand the number of available credits. County staff said their wetland consultant is preparing a memo for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and that, at a 1.9-to-1 mitigation ratio reported by staff, the project would require roughly 7.5 acres of mitigation.

Staff reminded commissioners that earlier estimates still suggested credit purchase could be a cost savings compared to other mitigation approaches. The county cited a prior land-acquisition example west of Fraser that cost about $315,000 just for the parcel; staff said that figure did not include excavation, implementation, or long-term monitoring costs. County legal and outside attorneys were also reported to be preparing or refining testimony tied to other, related water and road proceedings.

The update included two near-term items: (1) county staff will continue diligence and follow up with the National Forest Foundation on whether the credit supply can be expanded, and (2) staff will return with quantified costs and options. No formal decision or vote on purchasing credits was recorded in the meeting transcript.

Commissioners were told the county's goal is not to lose the opportunity to purchase credits while they complete additional analysis; staff noted they had raised that point with the National Forest Foundation in recent meetings.