07/16/2008: "Tip of the Iceberg"

A lot of money has been spent with the intention of building a new Solid Waste Transfer Station. If you count the $1.8 million purchase price of the Kellsey South property, and add the cost of a $150 thousand Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), plus approximately $338 thousand in materials, staff, and administration this is already a really big investment and we haven’t even started building yet. With this kind of financial commitment it becomes hard to change course. But is this ship headed for disaster?

Yes. There is an iceberg right off the bow of this Titanic. What lies below the tip is the hidden cost of the new facility. I have always thought it made sound financial sense to begin with a cost vs. benefit analysis. In this case the essential part of the equation, estimated cost, is unknown. The public has not even been given a ballpark figure for this new facility.

Five sites are being studied in the EIS. Did you know that the county has no written agreements with the property owners of 3 of the sites? Concerning the Golf Course Rd, Daniel Lane, and Egg Lake sites our County information spokesman stated, “The owners were informed that their properties would be considered and Public Works obtained verbal permission to access the properties to perform inspections and studies for the EIS.”

If the Public Works Department was serious about the potential use of these sites wouldn’t it be in the public interest to at least have an option agreement so the potential purchase price would be known? If the county didn’t even take the first step toward making a serious deal with owners of these sites we can conclude that they were included as red herrings to be tossed aside in favor of the new site that we are already heavily invested in.

If you consider that the cost of studying 5 sites for $150k we just blew $90 thousand to evaluate 3 sites where the County has no formal agreements with property owners, no financial investment in, and no intention to purchase. County leaders are treating our tax dollars like solid waste!

That leaves us with two sites for comparison, the existing site at Sutton Rd. and (drum roll please) the obvious favorite choice of Public Works, the Kellsey South property off Beaverton Valley Road. The truth is even though we have a huge investment in this site we can’t afford it.

It defies common sense to move the transfer station from its present location. The existing site has utilities and permits in place and the zoning is appropriate. The impacts and expectations of surrounding property owners are known. It is wrong to trash another site in a residential neighborhood and create two transfer stations on our island.

Building a new facility does not make financial sense. We are in a situation where the existing tipping fees do not provide us with much of a capital reserve. If we build it with all the bells and whistles and fill it with County workers the tipping fees will be astronomical! If the rates are set too high the Town of Friday Harbor may find it in their best interest to continue using the existing site. That will remove their cash flow contribution from the County operation leaving a big budget shortfall. If the County can’t subsidize operations self haul customers will be forced to make up the difference. The County could potentially end up with an expensive site that few people can afford to use.

We need to change course before we hit the iceberg. Our top priority should be to improve the existing site and find ways to consolidate loads into more efficient trips to the site that reduce traffic, improve safety, and limit the impacts to the existing Sutton Road neighborhood. A separate site for recycling should be a priority.

The public really needs to be engaged in this process. It is not just a NIMBY issue. Before tipping fees go up all around the County to pay for this Titanic failure it is in everyone’s interest to find a solution we can afford. We simply can’t keep treating tax dollars like solid waste.