Cowlitz County approves consent agenda; wastewater plant improvements, Cloverdale easements and contract extensions included

The Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners approved a lengthy consent agenda at its Jan. 6 meeting that included project bids and contract amendments, executed easements for the Cloverdale project, and notices from federal agencies.

Included in the consent packet was authorization to solicit bids for the Toutle wastewater treatment plant improvements project. County staff said the planned improvements are intended to extend the existing plant's life and maintain permit compliance; the bid opening is scheduled for Feb. 5, 2025 at 1:30 p.m. County materials estimate the improvements will hold capacity for expected growth “for probably another 20 years or so,” according to remarks offered during consent discussion. The record shows the county charges connection fees for new hookups; the exact fee amount was not specified in the meeting record.

The board also approved extensions of professional-plan-review agreements with West Coast Code Consultants and Townsend & Associates through December 2025, and accepted a memorandum of agreement allowing law-enforcement firearms training at the county shooting range with updated sublease language that would permit short-term events by outside agencies.

The consent package included executed permanent and temporary easements and contracts for the Cloverdale project; county staff reported those documents are in place and the project is cleared to proceed to construction. County vouchers were presented as part of consent; the transcript records a voucher total that appears garbled in the audio record and is not stated here because the precise amount is not specified in the minutes.

During the public-comment period, several residents raised questions tied to consent items: one asked whether planning has accounted for future users joining the Toutle sewage system and whether connection fees fully cover lifecycle costs; another urged the county to advise law-enforcement users of the shooting range to avoid firing in directions that could send shot toward the Toutle River, citing fishermen who reported pellets reaching the riverbank; a speaker who lives near the Olakwa stream asked whether the Bureau of Indian Affairs trust acquisition for the Olakwa property would limit local fishing access; staff said they would seek information from the Bureau of Indian Affairs but had no immediate answer.

County staff clarified that many of the easements in the Cloverdale packet are temporary construction easements used to allow access during grading and driveway reconnections, and that those temporary rights revert to property owners when projects complete.

The board approved the consent agenda by voice vote; commissioners recorded aye votes and no dissent was entered on the record.