Chelan County Public Works Office Open by Appointment Only

Low-Risk Private Construction will be allowed to re-start

Information and photo released by Chelan County Public Works

With the governor’s recent announcement that low-risk private construction will be allowed to re-start, Chelan County Public Works will re-open its office to the general public by appointment only.

Public works will begin taking calls for appointments on Monday, April 27.

Gov. Jay Inslee, in a press conference April 24, announced an agreement has been met between his office and construction industry groups that will allow low-risk private construction to re-start if COVID-19 safeguards, such as social distancing, are met at construction sites. Private construction has been prohibited in Washington since late March, when the governor initiated his Stay at Home order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The order allowed for public construction projects to continue. In Chelan County, public works contractors have been working on a roadway improvement project on West Malaga Road as well as the replacement of the West Cashmere Bridge on Goodwin Road.

“We are very pleased that private construction is able to re-start with COVID-19 safety practices in place,” said Eric Pierson, director/county engineer of Chelan County Public Works. “By re-opening our office by appointment for those who need it, we will be able to serve the public while emphasizing social distancing and instituting other safety precautions for the public and our staff.”

People are reminded that all public works applications are available online and can be submitted via email or fax.

Permits handled by public works include applications for an approach to a county road, address and road name requests, applications for work in the county right-of-way, and applications for directional signage. The public works office also handles stormwater design related to new construction.

For those people who need to make an appointment, public works asks that the following guidelines be met:

Fill out the permit application online and submit it to public.works@co.chelan.wa.us before requesting to make an appointment. Staff will go over the application and determine if they can answer your questions, or if an appointment is necessary.

Be prepared to pay for the permit via check or credit card at your appointment.

If you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough or shortness of breath), do not visit the office. If you have a mask, we ask that you wear it to a scheduled appointment in the office.

Making an appointment with public works does not mean you’ve made an appointment with Chelan County Community Development. A separate appointment will need to be made with the building apartment. If you need to see both county agencies, let us know this information when scheduling an appointment.

“We still strongly encourage people to use the phone and email for submitting permit applications, or just getting an answer to their questions,” Pierson said. “Nearly all of this application work can be done without face-to-face encounters between staff and the public. Safety is still our No. 1 priority during this time.”