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By Sharon Michael, The Chronicle, 6/27/98
ROCHESTER - Now that the Chehalis Basin Partnership has some cash, it has to decide exactly how the money will be spent
Last week, the state Department of Ecology awarded the watershed management group $453,956 to create a plan to assess water supply, water quality and fish habitat in the upper and lower Chehalis River
''We're trying to figure out how to use the money,'' said Marc Duboiski, Lewis County shorelines administrator. ''It was easy to get it.''
Ecology was under pressure to award $1.4 million in grants by June 30, or lose the money
Friday, the partnership continued to work on membership and organizational issues, including final details of the formal agreement between the counties, cities, tribes, and other public and private organizations making up the group
Members agreed some issues need to be decided before the group can set priorities and hire project consultants
A subcommittee will work to set up procedures for selecting technical advisory and citizens advisory group members
Four citizen partnership representatives have yet to be appointed by commissioners in Lewis, Thurston, Mason, and Grays Harbor counties
But Dave Palmer of the Chehalis River Council asked for three more citizen positions so all watershed geographical areas would be represented
''The water doesn't know the political boundaries,'' Palmer said
But some members seem to feel the group is getting too large to function efficiently
''We have mayors here, and county commissioners, and they do represent the citizens,'' said Brian Shea, Aberdeen city planner
C.S. Sodhi, who represents the Chehalis Confederated Tribes, said the ''government-to-government relationship is really important to the tribe.''
''If we have to come down to the level of John Doe coming from the street and listen to him every day, I think the tribe will back off,'' said Sodhi
Chehalis Mayor Bob Spahr suggested the subcommittee also decide on the appropriate number of citizen partnership members
Chairman Dick Nichols said the elected officials are the ''critical mass of getting things done in this group.''
''This is not an attempt to be exclusive,'' he added. ''We are the most inclusive group around - and that's good.''
But the group needs to have all official members sign the final partnership agreement so the group can move forward. Nichols said the agreement, including some clarifications of the Quinault tribe's role in the process, will be sent to members before the July meeting
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