Packwood residents ask Lewis County for help after emergency river revetments

Packwood residents told Lewis County commissioners on May 26 that emergency river revetments built to protect homes after flood damage now require costly engineering studies and after-the-fact permitting.

Donna O'Claire, who said she retired to a family home in Packwood, told the board she and neighbors raised money to construct "the very large revetment to protect the homes of the community" and asked the county for help navigating what she called an expensive process. "I feel a responsibility to protect it and also my neighbors," O'Claire said.

Geneva Hallett, whose property sits below the repaired embankment, said she and others wrote checks from retirement savings to pay a nonprofit to respond during the emergency. Hallett said the next steps will require "tens of thousands of dollars for engineering studies" and that engineers must certify work that was done in an emergency. "Without your help, we will lose our nonprofit, and our community will lose its faith in the process," she said.

Rob Maricle asked whether any commissioners had contacted state officials to reduce costs tied to shoreline-management requirements and suggested the county’s post-construction notices were intended to protect the county from liability if the Department of Ecology asked questions. "What I'd like to know is, if any progress has been made by any of the commissioners to contact people up above in state to mitigate the costs and the requirements," Maricle said.

Janelle Stoneback, president of the High Valley Country Club, said her organization has two affected properties and asked commissioners to "work with us on getting High Valley…addressing" the required follow-up and to help keep costs down for residents.

A commissioner asked the Packwood speakers to meet briefly after the meeting so staff and an individual commissioner could discuss options and next steps. The meeting record does not show a formal county commitment to fund repairs or an immediate action; commissioners instructed staff to follow up.

The public comments cited several practical clarifications: the work was completed as an emergency, property owners paid for immediate response costs, the county has issued after-the-fact permitting notices, and engineering certification is required to meet permitting rules. A written public comment from Kyle Wheeler was noted as included in the meeting packet but was not read aloud.

Next steps announced in the meeting included an offer by a commissioner to meet with the citizens and staff to discuss permit, funding, and engineering options; no formal motion or vote on funding or enforcement was recorded at the session.