Shedding light on a problem

While driving back to Washougal after an early morning indoor cycling class in east Vancouver on March 14, Lori Reed couldn’t help but notice the stark contrast between the lighting in downtown Camas and downtown Washougal. To her, the difference was literally night 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,” said Reed, president of the Washougal Business Association.

Washougal streets, in contrast, were not so inviting, Reed said. Her perceptions align with the general consensus about downtown Washougal: It’s just too dark at night.

Washougal City Councilor Molly Coston is trying to change that.

Coston is advocating for the city to improve street lighting in its downtown core by applying for funding from a Washington State Department of Commerce program that provides money to communities for capital facilities projects.

“It just seems like there is a path forward,” Coston said. “If we want people to populate and enjoy our downtown, we’ve got to have lighting.”

Coston recalled walking out of Takumi-ko Japanese Cuisine restaurant in downtown Washougal earlier this month and said she was greeted with “pitch black” despite the fact that it was only 7:30 p.m.

Fellow Washougal City Councilor Ernie Suggs agrees downtown is too dark.

“The way it’s not lit up, it looks like a graveyard,” he said during the council’s March 10 meeting.

Other efforts to upgrade lighting in Washougal have been stymied, Coston said.

“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 said. “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 turning to its well-lit neighbor for advice.

The Downtown Camas Association received $291,000 of reimbursement funding from the state in 2024 to install “strategically positioned” lighting on commercial buildings. The work is part of the association’s ongoing Downtown Camas Lighting Transformation Project, said Carrie Schulstad, the group’s executive director .

Coston is pushing for the city of Washougal to apply for similar state funds. She said she hopes Washougal Mayor David Stuebe, who also serves as a Republican representing the 17th District in the state House, can help the city “facilitate that grant.”

Trevor Evers, the city’s public works director, said city staff would look to see if there are any incentives or rebates available for downtown lighting upgrades.

Coston also hopes to work with Reed and the Washougal Business Association.

“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 said. “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.”

Doug Flanagan: 360-735-4669; [email protected]