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08/06/2007: "County & Town Councils Adopt Rd Plans"

(Dr. Chris Clarke observes Attorney Amy Trainer testifying to County Council)

With few in attendance, and even less comment from the public, two six year road plans were adopted this week that have set the stage for possible action. The plans set the goals that will guide the public works departments of the two governments.

The six year plans are a list that identifies those projects that government has decided are the ones that they expect to work on in the six year period; if they actually do or not, will be determined by any number of factors, such as environmental permitting, engineering considerations, and of course, obtaining and budgeting funding.

While the Town of Friday Harbor was able to pass their plan quickly, and with little discussion, the County Council had a little harder time of it, due to public comment on a proposal by Public Works to build a road down to LaFarge Beach, (aka “the gravel pit”) for a future barge landing.

Chris Clarke, representing a home owners group, and the Griffin Bay Preservation Committee, reminded the Council members of the controversy and legal actions surrounding the proposal for a barge landing site (Project No. 17 on the list) at the site. Dr. Clarke submitted a published report on the sensitive environmental nature of the LaFarge beach, and expressed his concerns that since the proposed site is a man-made beach by of gravel fill extended into Griffin Bay, the fill was now eroding, and will continue to erode. He also questioned the wisdom of doing any development on a Class-1 beach, let alone using it for paved road and a barge landing. He also questioned why it was now being put forward as a project to be discussed, since it has been under discussion for over three years.

His comments were expanded on by Friends of the San Juans attorney Amy Trainer. In her prepared remarks, she also questioned the inclusion of the LaFarge road on the list, and responded to staff comments that the list of projects simply signified they were projects selected for future planning, and were not permit proposals, and at that time would again be a public comment period.

Trainer pointed out that the LaFarge project had been in the planning stage for years, and questioned why a Public Works SEPA Checklist for the project had received a “determination of non-significance” by the County’s Planning department. In her written comments she stated: “The SEPA Checklist submitted by Public Works is inadequate and wholly fails to comply with the intent, letter or spirit of SEPA”. Trainer said the County “must remove Project No. 17 from consideration”

Speaking in support of the building a road on the beach, and in favor of a commercial barge landing site, was Patricia McKay, Co-owner of Island Concrete Products. The McKays’ have used the beach to bring in sand and gravel in the past, and she expressed her concern that San Juan County is the only major island that does not have a public barge landing site.

Councilman Lichter and Peterson both expressed some concern about leaving the project on the list, but in the end it remained, with Lichter casting the lone dissenting vote. It is expected the LaFarge barge landing issue will continue to be topic of discussion and debate when Public Works presents their budget in November.