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Columbia County authorizes chair to sign master MOU, work order with U.S. Forest Service for road repairs
Summary
The board authorized the chair to sign a master MOU and a follow-on work order agreement with the United States Forest Service to carry out three identified road repairs after the March 13 flooding. Staff cited an estimate of $313,938 and said the county expects full reimbursement; contract language and final attachments must be completed prior to signature.
Columbia County's board authorized the chair to sign a master memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the United States Forest Service and a related work order agreement to carry out road repairs identified after the March 13 flood.
County staff described three repair locations—two repairs on Tucana/Toucanon roads and one at Mile Post 25 near Beaver Watson/Camp Luton—and gave a latest estimate of $313,938. Staff said the repairs are expected to be reimbursed at 100%. Contractors and suppliers discussed included Barker's (supplying riprap at a revised price of $20 per ton), use of some debris material from local roads, and possible assistance from Garfield County for materials and equipment.
The board moved to authorize the chair to sign the master MOU and a work order agreement "provided it is the same as what we see today." The chair called the question and the motion carried; the transcript records 'Aye' and 'Motion carries' but does not include a detailed vote tally on the record.
During discussion, staff emphasized liability and insurance requirements for rental equipment and clarified that jurisdictional responsibility for particular road segments remains with the party that has legal authority over the route. Several procedural clarifications were made about attaching cost estimates and schedules before finalizing the work order.
Board members and staff noted the master MOU itself is not an emergency action, although the board's separate emergency resolution grants some departments temporary authority to enter contracts needed for flood response. County staff said final signatures should wait until the completed attachments and any edits agreed by legal counsel are attached to the MOU.
The authorization clears the path for the county to begin finalized contracting and reimbursement steps once the supporting documents and schedules are attached and verified.
