01-09-10 Meeting Minutes

UPPER COWLITZ COMMUNITY AWARENESS COMMITTEE


MEETING – JANUARY 9, 2010

Agenda: Committee membership and leadership

The CMZ …looking to document what, when, why, where, by who.

Flood district

Recent proposals

Setting dates and times for future committee meetings and also community meetings

Attendees: John Anderson Doug Lageson Bill Legler

Novella Legler Wanda Steichen John Berry

Robert Steichen Michael Claus Elise Lindberg Meagen Johnson Lee Grose Gary McCarty

Lenny LeSarge Keith Hodges Steve Mansfield

Discussion:

The meeting was called to order by John Anderson. He then reviewed the proposed agenda. John also referred to the UPPER COWLITZ COMMUNITY AWARENES COMMITTEE web page (uppercowlitz.info) which will communicate the committee activities, items of interest as well as links to other sources of information. One key item on the web page is CODE RED an emergency telephone notification system. Directions for signing up for CODE RED are available on the web page.

John stated that the committee has been formed to provide informal input to the CMZ regulations during the input stage. John suggested that the committee needs to find out who is pushing the CMZ, the reasons for the CMZ regulations, what is to be included, when the law is to be promulgated and where the new regulations will be applied. He suggested that the driver for the formation of the committee is the protection of property and the value of property. Gary McCarty suggested that the focus should be directed at protection of property based on the recommendations of the NRCS study. That study provides risk evaluations, specific mitigation recommendations and a cost benefit analysis. Jim Brazil has already done preliminary engineering of the Cannon road revetment recommendation and presented that to the County (see notes on the High Valley Country Club web site).

Several people on the committee expressed opinions on the situation including:

A suggestion that since dozers were used in the Nisqually to return the river to its channel, the upper Cowlitz should be treated the same (ignoring environmental regulations).

Legally challenge the CMZ based on the fact that lives and property are at risk.

Be ready to implement the NRCS recommendation at the next flood event.

A Flood Control District (FLC) was discussed. Lewis County has promised to look into the formation of a FLC; Lee Grose will follow up to determine the status. A FLC would be a legal entity and provide a means of obtaining money to proceed with mitigation alternatives.

The process for changing the CMZ red zone boundaries was discussed. There was not a good understanding of the process by the committee; Lee suggested that data would be needed to support a request for changing the red zone. Lee will ask Fred Chapman to attend the next committee meeting to explain the process in detail. Fred will also be asked to explain the who, what, why, where and when of the CMZ.

Follow up:

1. Lee Grose – Status of FLC county efforts

2. Lee Grose – Emergency response plan detail

3. Lee Grose – bring plans on Franklin Bridge protection

4. Lee Grose – Ask Fred Chapman to attend next meeting and explain who, what, why, when, where of the CMZ

5. Gary McCarty – Continue to try and locate funding sources for mitigation alternative.

6. Gary McCarty – Information on EIS planning

7. John Anderson – Locate a Chairman for the Upper Cowlitz Committee

8. EliseLindberg – set up a blog on the web site

9. Gary McCarty – Bring more information on HV 8/11 revetment

10. Lenny LaSarge – Draft on defining input into CMZ

The next meeting of the Committee will be: February 27, 2010, location to be announced.