Forestry & Parks committee approves Timm’s Hill weather station, outlines timber sale and multiple park projects

Price County’s Forestry & Parks division on March 10 approved a request from Open AWS, a nonprofit network of automated weather stations, to install a weather station at Timm’s Hill for climate monitoring and visitor weather updates. The committee voted to approve the installation under the Forestry and Parks Administrator’s jurisdiction; the motion was made by Michelle Drobnik and seconded by Patricia Stephan and was recorded as carried.

The committee also discussed a proposed timber thinning of roughly 130 acres at Timm’s Hill aimed at removing ash trees before emerald ash borer arrives; staff noted mulching or chipping of leftover treetops as disposal options. Members referenced prior timber activity in the park (around 2010 and tree removals near the tower in 2015).

Dam repairs and grant timelines were a second area of focus. The Steve Creek Dam plans were submitted with a design that uses part of Wolf Creek Lane within the dike; the Town of Kennan signed a road easement permitting the county to maintain a higher road elevation. County staff said some pool-level data must be reanalyzed and the Department of Natural Resources must approve plans before the project can be bid. Engineering for Cranberry Creek Dam has been redone and submitted to the DNR, but staff cautioned that costs have risen since the project’s 2018 grant and the grant is now five years old.

Other items covered included the Smith Lake ATV Trail, which remains closed after the ORV council declined a decking-replacement grant; staff removed damaged 2"x6" decking and plan to reapply in April 2026 for 3" decking. Staff reported that carbon-credit paperwork is signed and the county has listed credits for sale, with nearby sales reported and market prices noted at about $20–$26 per credit. The committee presented multiple bid awards: two gravel projects to Haas Sons Inc. (Blueberry Block and Old 13 to Hicks Landing at $6.01 and $6.30 per yard), pit toilets at Big Falls to Huffcut ($85,410.00), and Solberg Expansion concrete work to Ruby Ridge Trucking & Excavation ($21,377.00). Staff said internet service will be installed at Solberg Lake Park this spring, playground equipment and pickleball courts will be completed soon, and a small pavilion is planned by the playground.

The committee approved Forestry & Parks vouchers totaling $32,069.99 (Dec 2025), $86,522.40 (Jan 2026) and $35,393.09 (Feb 2026), and Buildings & Grounds vouchers totaling $8,194.00 (Dec 2025), $23,647.13 (Jan 2026) and $7,424.05 (Feb 2026). The minutes record the voucher motion as carried but do not include a roll-call tally.

Next meeting was set for April 7, 2026.