Cowlitz County commissioners on Wednesday heard that emergency crews are repairing Barnes Drive after crews discovered an unexpected underground fiber line, and that county engineers are seeking board authorization to submit a suite of fish-barrier removal grant applications for the next biennium.

County Engineer Susan Genes told the board the contractor, Quig Brothers, began digging on the Barnes Drive emergency repair and encountered a surprise fiber line; crews are coordinating with the fiber company and expect 2½–3 weeks to get the site filled before paving is scheduled when the county’s asphalt plant has capacity. "They started digging down yesterday and we found a surprise fiber line," Genes said, noting weather and plant availability will affect final paving timing.

Genes also walked commissioners through the fish-barrier grant package. She said the county will submit one construction application — a box-culvert replacement on North Fork Goble Creek that she called "approaching end of life" — and several design applications for other culverts that are priorities for the Lower Columbia region. "The estimated construction cost is $2,900,000," Genes said of the North Fork Goble Creek project.

The grants are state-funded with local match: Genes reported the program is typically about 85% state-funded with a 15% local match and noted applications must be coordinated with the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board. She asked the board to grant the chair authority to sign the applicant-authorization resolution that will allow project engineers and the public services director to submit and execute necessary agreements; commissioners signaled assent during the discussion but no formal roll-call vote was recorded in the transcript.

The engineers said design applications include culvert work on Latham Road, Wyant Creek, South Toodle Road and multiple sites on Delameter/Delimeter Creek; some of those projects ranked higher in the regional prioritization than others. Genes emphasized this is a multi-step process: applications are due this round, evaluated through August, recommended by the recovery board to the governor and then considered in state budget deliberations.

What’s next: staff will file the applications before the deadline and return to the board for final approvals and any agreements the county must sign.