Whereas driving again to Washougal after an early morning indoor biking class in east Vancouver on March 14, Lori Reed couldn’t assist however discover the stark distinction between the lighting in downtown Camas and downtown Washougal. To her, the distinction was actually evening and day.
“In Camas, I was amazed that even though it was in the early hours of the day before dawn, the town still felt welcoming and inviting due to the lighting that was on even if shops were not yet open,” mentioned Reed, president of the Washougal Enterprise Affiliation.
Washougal streets, in distinction, weren’t so inviting, Reed mentioned. Her perceptions align with the overall consensus about downtown Washougal: It’s simply too darkish at evening.
Washougal Metropolis Councilor Molly Coston is attempting to alter that.
Coston is advocating for town to enhance road lighting in its downtown core by making use of for funding from a Washington State Division of Commerce program that gives cash to communities for capital amenities tasks.
“It just seems like there is a path forward,” Coston mentioned. “If we want people to populate and enjoy our downtown, we’ve got to have lighting.”
Coston recalled strolling out of Takumi-ko Japanese Delicacies restaurant in downtown Washougal earlier this month and mentioned she was greeted with “pitch black” even supposing it was solely 7:30 p.m.
Fellow Washougal Metropolis Councilor Ernie Suggs agrees downtown is just too darkish.
“The way it’s not lit up, it looks like a graveyard,” he mentioned through the council’s March 10 assembly.
Different efforts to improve lighting in Washougal have been stymied, Coston mentioned.
“Previously, we had been trying to work with city staff on getting street lights on trees, or upgrades to the posts with electrical outlets,” Coston mentioned. “And that has to be budgeted, both in terms of money and resources. That’s really been the challenge, trying to bridge that gap.”
So Washougal is popping to its well-lit neighbor for recommendation.
The Downtown Camas Affiliation acquired $291,000 of reimbursement funding from the state in 2024 to put in “strategically positioned” lighting on industrial buildings. The work is a part of the affiliation’s ongoing Downtown Camas Lighting Transformation Mission, mentioned Carrie Schulstad, the group’s government director.
Coston is pushing for town of Washougal to use for related state funds. She mentioned she hopes Washougal Mayor David Stuebe, who additionally serves as a Republican representing the seventeenth District within the state Home, can assist town “facilitate that grant.”
Trevor Evers, town’s public works director, mentioned metropolis employees would look to see if there are any incentives or rebates obtainable for downtown lighting upgrades.
Coston additionally hopes to work with Reed and the Washougal Enterprise Affiliation.
“In contemporary life, well-lit streets are a visual cue to those driving through that there is indeed a presence or something going on in town as opposed to darkness, which makes a town feel ‘closed’ or like a ‘ghost town’ void of activity,” Reed mentioned. “When the city of Washougal has the holiday tree lit during the Christmas season, it brings a bit of light and brightness and holiday spirit that would be great to be able to experience throughout the rest of the year, perhaps in different lighting form.”
