Skamania County commissioners withhold immediate support for Beacon Rock road realignment grant, ask for more information

The Skamania County Board of Commissioners discussed whether to provide a letter of support for a federal grant application to realign the entrance road at Beacon Rock State Park but declined to send an immediate letter and asked county staff for more information and engagement with State Parks.

The commissioners said the project could improve safety at the Highway 14 entrance but questioned whether the conceptual design — including a proposed roundabout — would address the root causes of collisions and whether the parking shown in preliminary plans would meet demand. “I don’t think the parking they have in that plan is going to … be sufficient,” said Commissioner (unnamed, speaker 3). Commissioner (unnamed, speaker 4) added, “I just don’t wanna send the message that we’re gonna say, no. We’re not here to play. We wanna be involved,” saying the board needed more time and direct engagement before committing to formal support.

Why it matters: Beacon Rock State Park is a frequently used recreation site on U.S. Highway 14. Commissioners framed the question as balancing public-safety improvements with community input and clarity about what the grant would fund. Board members noted the grant package includes more than a roundabout — items mentioned in the discussion included parking reconfiguration, a tunnel under Highway 14 and rehabilitation of park facilities — and worried the public would focus only on the roundabout if the county simply supplied a letter of support.

Details from the meeting: Commissioners said they had not seen a final plan and that the county received the request on short notice. One commissioner said a letter deadline had been given as the 17th; another said the application referenced the 25th, and a separate comment noted the application was addressed to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Commissioners also said they had been told by county contacts that state transportation committees had funding available and that earlier planning work had surfaced a roundabout option.

County staff member Lisa (county staff) offered to contact State Parks manager Annie McHale to request more information and to ask that the county be included in project briefings. “You can definitely do either one, but it sounds like you’re wanting more engagement and more information,” Lisa said, offering to draft a message to request that State Parks provide updated plans and a timeline for public engagement.

Board action and next steps: The commissioners did not take a formal vote to send a letter of support. Instead they directed staff to request additional details from State Parks, ask for more time for local review, and invite the project lead to update the commissioners so the board can “be involved” as the design advances. The meeting record shows no formal action to endorse or oppose the grant at this time.

Other business: The board briefly noted that a representative for the Centennial project had stopped by and requested a one-on-one Zoom meeting with at least one commissioner; the board said no decision was required at the current meeting and encouraged staff to schedule a briefing. The board adjourned at the close of the session; a motion to adjourn was made and seconded and the chair declared the motion carried.