At a May 28 Columbia County Board of Commissioners meeting, staff and commissioners discussed a permit request from the City of St. Helens to hold concerts on the county plaza on June 5 and June 12 and whether plaza staging would block access to the courthouse.

County staff said the proposed stage placement would sit in the middle of Strand Street and vendor booths along the north side of the plaza could block traffic that normally exits onto Plaza Street. Staff drafted a permit requiring that the vehicular and pedestrian access remain open until 5:15 p.m., while the event is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m.

The permit language is intended to preserve access to the courthouse and nearby state operations, which staff said may still be active until about 5 p.m. “Our main concern is making sure there's access to get to the courthouse and drive away from the courthouse,” an unidentified board member said.

Staff described organizers' alternative proposals: allowing access starting at noon and rerouting traffic through a visitor parking lot, and assembling and disassembling the stage on the same day of events. Staff said they told organizers the county would consider such alternatives if the organizers submit a traffic and safety plan but had not received a plan as of the meeting.

“The stage would take a while to build,” staff said, noting the difficulty of both constructing the stage and keeping access open during the short window between setup and the event start time. An unidentified board member also raised liability concerns: “I don't think we wanna take on that liability,” they said when discussing whether the county should create the traffic safety plan itself.

Staff proposed two options to the board: approve the permit as drafted with the 5:15 p.m. access requirement, or hold the permit until organizers present an alternative traffic/safety plan. One commissioner suggested staff send another email to organizers stating the board is prepared to approve the permit as drafted but would consider an alternative if delivered before the next Wednesday meeting.

No formal vote on the plaza permit was recorded at the May 28 meeting. Staff said they would follow up with event organizers and bring the item back to the board next week if organizers provide an alternative plan.