The Hoh Rain Forest is one of the most unique, special and popular destinations within Olympic National Park, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

Amazingly enough, this anchor for international tourism — located in the remote west end of Jefferson County — can only be accessed via a county road!

When this tiny road washed out after a storm event, blocking access to the Hoh Rain Forest and putting a damper on prospects for this year’s tourist season, a simple question could be posed: Can’t the county just fix the road?

As I’ve learned in my tenure as a county commissioner, nothing having to do with counties is simple. Roads are both a primary reason for existence and an ongoing challenge for counties.

Counties own the majority of road miles and bridges in Washington. Counties are responsible for all aspects of maintenance of these roads and bridges.

With gas tax revenue on the decline since 2019 and property tax revenue capped at a 1% annual increase, counties struggle to keep up with basic maintenance for their road systems and we fall a bit further behind each year. It would be difficult for most any small or mid-sized county in the state to come up with more than $600,000 for an unanticipated road repair, but this is only one of several major washouts facing important Jefferson County roads right now.

Jefferson County’s professional staff and commissioners began working at the local and state level attempting to find a solution. Clallam County staff and leadership provided support given the anticipated impact on West End businesses. Programs were explored; conversations with state agencies were held; and our regional state legislative delegation tried to help identify possible solutions. Advocates from the tourism industry across both counties worked hard to generate awareness and raise concern.

Unfortunately, by the time that Jefferson County Commissioner Heidi Eisenhower and I were in Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago for a national gathering of county officials we had hit a dead-end. No local or state funding pathway had been identified so as part of our work in DC we highlighted the challenge at hand when meeting with members of our federal delegation and their amazing staff teams.

Through these conversations we learned that there were no federal dollars that could be allocated in the short amount of time we have between now and the beginning of this year’s tourist season. However, we did hear from some of those staff members that they would reach out to the governor’s office and other state contacts to discuss ideas.

By the time we arrived back in Washington State a few days later we received word from Gov. Ferguson that an appropriate (and available) state funding source had been identified. Gov. Ferguson shares both a deep love for the area and a real concern about the economic impact that an extended road closure would entail, and we are grateful for his decision to allocate $623,000 from the state’s Strategic Reserve Fund to ensure the road gets rebuilt immediately.

But the work was not yet done! Due to the specific nature and requirements of this Strategic Reserve Fund, private matching dollars were required. An organized and engaged community raised more than $27,000 in pledges in a few short days to ensure the work would get done in time.

Finally, with all of the pieces in place, Jefferson County is on track to have this key county road rebuilt in time for visitors.

This story highlights several fundamental requirements for good governance and problem solving: Strong individual communication and ongoing relationship between governments, the importance of experienced professional staff, the need for persistence and creative thinking and the key element of broad community involvement. Thanks to all who pitched in!