Cowlitz County Looks to Congress for Help With Ryderwood Water, Tower Road Bridge

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Cowlitz County commissioners Tuesday approved an $81,000 one-year agreement with a company for federal lobbying services to help with matters pertaining to Mount St. Helens; assistance with Washington, D.C., visits by county officials; and federal grant support.

The county is working with CFM Strategic Communications to ask for help paying for a permanent replacement for the Tower Road bridge, a new water reservoir for Ryderwood, and an all-inclusive play area and accessibility upgrades to paths at Riverside Park.

The commissioners Tuesday approved letters to U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez proposing the three projects for congressionally directed spending, or earmarks, which allow federal lawmakers to request funding for projects at home, for the next fiscal year. The county is prepared to provide the local match if required, letters state.

The county has contracted with Vancouver-based CFM since October 2019. The commissioners approved an increase to the contract amount last year to include pursuing federal infrastructure grants.



Commissioner Arne Mortensen said he was interested in going after the grants for “decent infrastructure solutions” with a high up-front cost and a long-term payoff, such as improving the water supply in Ryderwood.

CFM worked on getting a yearly appropriation for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to monitor sediment from the Mount St. Helens eruption in the Cowlitz and Toutle rivers, Commissioner Rick Dahl said.

Mortensen and Dahl spoke in favor of continuing the contract and agreed that CFM’s lobbyists for the county are “honest people.” Commissioner Dennis Weber was absent.