KALAMA — Plans to restore the Lelooska totem poles at the Port of Kalama took a step forward Wednesday when port commissioners accepted the donation of the landmarks.
Eight members of the Wineberg estate donated the poles to the port, which had been leasing them for $1 per year.
Eric Yakovich, economic development director, said the port has been waiting to complete the donation before moving forward with restoring the totem poles. The poles were appraised at $600,000 in 2016, he said.
The tallest of the four poles was taken down in September 2018 because engineers found it was so decayed a 40 mph wind gust could take it down. The port plans to get advice from an engineer on whether the 140-foot pole can be re-raised, but Yakovich said it seems like a “long shot.”
According to a press release Thursday, the port will work to restore the artifacts, located just south of Port administrative offices and the McMenamins Harbor Lodge. The port says it will consult with the Lelooska Foundation and other experts on refurbishing the existing poles and determining the best way to preserve and display the 140-foot pole.
Restoration of all four poles would include taking the remaining three down one at a time for drying, rot removal, filling of cracks, carving structural fill, weatherizing, re-painting and re-erecting, according to the release. No cost estimates have been developed.
Chief Don Lelooska carved the poles in the early 1960s. The 140-foot pole was commissioned by William Wineberg for display at the World’s Fair but was not completed. The poles lay on the ground for several years before a local effort to finish the job and erect them at Marine Park in 1974.
