An earlier PIE proposal that engineers said could reduce flood levels at Mellen Street in Chehalis from 7 feet to 1 foot was criticized by Chehalis Councilor Wayne Galvin because it did not relieve flooding in Chehalis in the Highway 6 area. PIE engineer Harry Hosey said the new alternative also could eliminate all flooding in Chehalis up to the 100-year flood level. We have to show we can do it on a financial basis. That money would be available in 2000.
Construction is estimated to take two to three years.
A proposed traffic signal on Highway 6 at Interstate 5 exit 77, which could reduce traffic delays from nearly two minutes to 15 seconds. Centralia, which already taxes at the maximum rate, was asked to contribute 2 percent of what it now collects on room taxes. If the museum can't come up with the money by the end of the year to purchase the surrounding property, including a portion of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad right of way, Schroeter said the county could lose the museum building. Chandler and Brooks, an Olympia marketing company working with the Lewis County Tourism Council and the county and cities, recommended a unified five-year marketing plan and a coordinated advertising campaign to bring tourists to the area. Chehalis Chief of Police and Fire Services Randy Hamilton explained how the countywide emergency medical services system works and asked Centralia officials to commit to participate in that system.