Wahkiakum schools in Cathlamet receive seven-year, $30 million facilities grant

The Wahkiakum School District received a seven-year grant totaling $30 million for facilities improvements in Cathlamet, including electrical updates, replacement of the grade-school roof and installation of a new heating and cooling system.

Wahkiakum County Health and Human Services meeting minutes dated Feb. 19, 2026, said the electrical work was planned for summer 2026. The district’s K-12 schools are located in Cathlamet, making the facilities program relevant to students, families and school employees in the community.

Electrical work planned first

The county minutes identified three areas for the grant: electrical systems, the grade-school roof and a new HVAC system. The minutes did not identify the grantor, award date, contract terms or schedule for releasing the $30 million.

Summer 2026 was the only specific project timing identified in the county minutes. Planning the electrical work during the summer could place that portion of the work outside the regular school year, but the minutes do not say whether the project was completed, delayed or changed.

The seven-year grant term places the facilities work on a multiyear timeline. The county minutes do not divide the $30 million among the electrical, roofing and HVAC projects, and they do not state when the roof or heating and cooling work will occur.

The projects could affect building conditions and energy reliability at the schools as work proceeds. They could also bring construction activity to Cathlamet, although the county minutes do not provide a project schedule beyond the planned summer 2026 electrical work.

School levy passed across the county

The same county minutes reported that the school levy passed in every Wahkiakum County district. The result was described as the largest passing margin in more than 16 years.

The levy vote represents local operating support for the county’s school districts, separate from the multiyear facilities grant. The county minutes do not provide the levy percentage, tax rate, dollar amount or vote totals, so the result does not establish the size of any change for property owners.

Together, the grant and levy result describe two forms of school support: a long-term capital program for buildings and systems, and voter approval of local school funding. For residents of Cathlamet, the grant identifies the major facility areas and the first planned construction season, while the levy result records countywide voter approval without specifying a tax amount.