Cowlitz County engineers told the Board of Commissioners they have mobilized a contractor to repair an emergency failure on Barnes Drive and are seeking the board’s permission to submit multiple fish‑barrier grant applications.

County engineer Susan Genas said Quig Brothers moved in on the Barnes Drive emergency repair and discovered an unexpected fiber line that the contractor is coordinating with the carrier to protect. She told commissioners she expects roughly 2½ to 3 weeks to backfill the repair and that paving will depend on the asphalt plant’s schedule.

Genas also presented the county’s planned applications to the Brian Abbott fish‑barrier removal board for the 2027 biennium and asked the board to authorize the chairman to sign the applicant‑authorization resolution. “So we have used this funding program quite often. It's an 85% state funded grant with 15% local match,” Genas said. She listed one construction application — a North Fork Global Creek box culvert replacement, estimated construction cost $2,900,000 — and multiple design applications for culverts on Latham Road (Wyant Creek), South Toodle Road (Outlet Creek and Studebaker Creek), and two Delameter Road locations.

Genas said Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board ranked several of the county’s candidate culverts as regional priorities and that applications must be submitted by the end of the month as part of the biennial cycle; award decisions are made the following summer and then incorporated into the governor’s and legislative budget processes. She asked the board to sign a resolution mirroring prior rounds to designate the project engineer to submit applications and the public services director to sign agreements so the board can provide final approval later.

Commissioners indicated verbal support during the discussion; no formal roll‑call vote was recorded in the transcript. The board will receive the final resolution for signature and approval as part of routine packet follow‑up.