LONG BEACH — City officials are seeking financial assistance to replace a sewer line that could bring about “catastrophic” results if it were to fail, and they’re hoping for some help from Uncle Sam.

Earlier this year, the City of Long Beach submitted an application for $2.5 million in congressionally-directed spending to U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Skamania County) to help the city replace an aging sewer main along Oregon Avenue that runs 11 blocks north of the main lift station at the Long Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant. If it fails, city officials say that groundwater would be contaminated and keep other collector sewers from getting to the treatment facility.

The city had the backing of several Pacific County entities, with the cities of Ilwaco, Raymond and South Bend, as well as the Pacific County Economic Development Council, Port of Peninsula and Joint Pacific County Housing Authority penning letters of support. The letters cited the age of the main line pipe — over 65 years and made of asbestos concrete — and the fact that it services the entirety of the city’s north end, including Driftwood Point Apartments, the affordable homeless housing complex.

They also noted that federal assistance would save local ratepayers from being hit with a large increase to their sewer bill to otherwise fund the needed work, and that replacing the line would increase capacity for additional connections to residences and businesses and is needed for the growth and expansion of Long Beach.

The city’s submission was one of 15 in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District that Perez ultimately requested be included in the federal budget for the 2024 fiscal year. The congresswoman highlighted the fact that, without outside funding, “the cost of repairs would be borne by their ratepayers, many of whom are elderly and living on a fixed income.”

Long Beach Mayor Jerry Phillips said that Perez was “really impressed” with the city’s infrastructure and how it spends its money during her visit to the peninsula in late February.

“It was very worthwhile having her come out here and show her around and everything,” Phillips said at the May 15 city council meeting.

The federal budget for the 2024 fiscal year is still several months away from being passed and signed into law — for reference, the 2023 budget was adopted in late December 2022, and the 2022 budget was not adopted until March 2022.

Chip sealingCity councilors at that May 15 meeting OK’d an agreement between Long Beach and Pacific County for chip sealing work that will almost entirely be covered by a state grant.

The county, in conjunction with the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board, secured $200,000 in grant funds for Long Beach to perform chip sealing work on city roads. The state dollars come with a 5% match — $10,000.

Long Beach Public Works Director Brian Loos told councilors that a “big chunk” of the chip sealing will occur on a stretch of Ocean Beach Boulevard from Sid Snyder Drive to Pioneer Road.

The upcoming chip sealing work comes after crack sealing work took place last summer. During crack sealing work, sealant is placed above or into cracks to prevent the intrusion of water and other fluids, preparing them for chip sealing, which involves spreading a layer of small stone chips over a layer of asphalt. The chips are then compacted with heavy equipment, helping preserve the road surface for several more years by protecting it from weather and traffic.

City websiteAt a meeting earlier this month, councilors also unanimously voted to have Mayor Jerry Phillips enter into agreement with CivicPlus, a web development company, to redesign and host the city’s website for a cost of $4,645. The city’s current website is obviously dated, harkening back to an earlier era of the internet.

Long Beach City Administrator David Glasson said the city has had recent struggles with website support and was looking to contract with a company that specializes in designing and hosting municipal websites.

“It’s just one of those things where I think it’s time that we move to what other cities are doing,” Glasson said.

City officials received a presentation from a CivicPlus representative and, after reaching out and receiving positive feedback from current CivicPlus clients like Clatsop County, recommended contracting with the company.

Phillips said he thinks the city’s website “really drastically needs some help.”