PORT ANGELES — Clallam County has inked an agreement with Public Health-Seattle & King County to provide prepackaged medications at a discounted rate.
The pact approved by the three commissioners Tuesday includes a $500 setup fee and a $7 per-item cost to the county with a maximum of $10,000. Clallam County will pay the fees with money in its existing vaccine budget.
The unanimously approved agreement allows Clallam County to secure cheaper medication through the larger health department’s pharmacy program, Health and Human Services officials said.
“This is really an efficiency move,” board Chairman Jim McEntire said.
“It will make the dollars go further.”
In other action from a routine business meeting, commissioners approved a one-year lease with Ask Juan Networks LLC to continue to rent the space above the public health offices in the county-owned Third Street Professional building at 111 E. Third St., Port Angeles.
Sunday expiration
The county’s existing agreement with Ask Juan Networks expires Sunday.
“He’s actually been there since we acquired the building in 2008,” said Joel Winborn, county parks, fair and facilities manager.
“Because he’s interested in finding a place that he owns himself, he’s interested in just signing a [one-]year agreement with an option that if he leaves before the end of that year, there’s no penalty, and we’ve agreed to that.”
Rent to the county will continue to be $540 per month.
Commissioners also signed a contract amendment with the Clallam County Public Utility District that increases reimbursement to the county from $7,500 to $25,000 for widening and other work on Old Olympic Highway between Gunn Road and the McDonald Creek bridge.
PUD power lines were moved to accommodate the county road. The contractor completed additional work that benefited the county and the PUD, officials said.
“Basically, it’s for some additional construction work that came up during our road building,” Assistant County Engineer Joe Donisi said.
The costs are being split evenly between the county and the PUD, Donisi said.
Commissioners also signed a letter support for a Clean Cities grant to install several fast-charging stations for electronic vehicles on the West End of Clallam County to enable electric cars to get around the Olympic Peninsula.
Clean Cities is a U.S. Department of Energy program that works to reduce petroleum use in transportation.
Letter of support
Former Commissioner Mike Doherty pitched the letter of support in a meeting with County Administrator Jim Jones last week.
“They’re not asking for any money from the board at this point,” Jones said in the commissioners’ work session Tuesday.
“They’re just saying this is a just letter of support for this grant. That’s basically it. They’re looking to make a tourism loop for electric vehicles.”
Olympic National Park has encouraged visitors to reduce pollution, Jones said, but you can’t drive an electric car around the park because there are no charging stations between Port Angeles and Grays Harbor.
“It’s further than [electron] vehicles can go,” Jones said.
“They want to go all the way out to Neah Bay. They have like five [charging] stations in this phase one that they would like to put in, and they have some matching monies already and some ideas.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
