Bainbridge to make environmental committee permanent.

Testimony by Ken Sethney on behalf of Bainbridge Shoreline Homeowners
at the COBI City Council Land Use Committee 10/20/09
re: Resolution 2009-27 making ETAC a permanent volunteer committee

Bainbridge Shoreline Homeowners is happy that the Council is working to make the Environmental Technical Advisory Committee (ETAC) permanent. We support the notion that there will be a core committee and a pool of experts available for consultation. That said, we have some suggestions after reading proposed resolution #2009-27 (full text below).

Section 1 seems very comprehensive in its scope. However, while item E references the Growth Management Act, there is no reference to the Shoreline Management Act. Since the legislature, the governor and the courts have made it clear that local Shoreline Master Plans are be governed by the SMA and not the GMA, it may be prudent to reference the appropriate language here to avoid future complications.

Section 2 lays out the qualifications and terms of those who will serve on the committee and in the consulting pool. WAC 365-195-905(4) sets forth the appropriate scientific expertise. However, we are concerned about balance on the committee and in the pool of experts.

Strawberry Plant Park meeting November 7.

from Dee Endelman, on behalf of the City of Bainbridge Island

Dear Community Members:

This e-mail is to encourage you to attend a community meeting hosted by the City of Bainbridge Island on (Saturday) November 7, 2009, regarding the Strawberry Plant Park Project. The purpose of the meeting is to include all members of the community who want to engage in an honest and respectful conversation regarding their interests regarding the Strawberry Plan Park project and to provide useful input to the Bainbridge Island City Council on ideas to meet these interests.

Oct 21: Eagle Harbor open water marina options on the table.

The City Council will discuss options for a design for an Open Water Marina to house both residential and transient vessels within Eagle Harbor. The City’s Harbormaster and representatives from Washington Dept. of Natural Resources will also be present to answer any questions.

Wednesday, October 21
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Council Chambers at City Hall, 280 Madison Avenue

The proposed marina options and description of the project are available for review and download at the City’s website. To obtain a hard copy, please contact Kelly Dickson, Department of Planning and Community Development, 206-780-3725.

A few words about “Scoop the Poop”

Opinion by Rod Stevens

“Class, get out your books and turn to the environmental psalm on page 121: ‘I drop mine eyes from the hills, from whence come the streams, to the blue plastic New York Times bag at my feet, with which I will pick up after my dog.’”

I’ve made this up, but this is the kind of text that might be employed in an educational program called “Scoop the Poop”, on which the Bainbridge Island School District will have spent $12,300 in 2009 to have fourth graders make signs about properly disposing of dog waste. This is part of a larger curriculum on storm water management in which the school district is teaching children to be careful about what runs into Puget Sound. This year the spending on this program will include:

• $15,450 for Eagle Harbor students to create a BITV announcement.
• $10,300 for Odyssey students to create a calendar.
• $10,700 for sixth graders to design door hangers.
• $5,150 for Sakai students to lead tours of the school’s storm water run-off features.

All told, the School District plans on spending $79,000 this year on such storm water “education’, the equivalent of one teacher’s salary for an entire year.

Winslow Way reconstruction coming next Spring.

by Ken Sethney, Chair, Bainbridge Shoreline Homeowners

Earlier this week, I attended a presentation at City Hall on the status of the Winslow Way Reconstruction project. On the way in, I believed that replacing the utilities was a project that must be done soon, but feared that the project would be devastating for many Winslow Way businesses.

By the time the meeting was over, I had much more hope that downtown businesses would survive and that the project was in good hands. I would like to thank Chris Wierzbicki, deputy planning director and acting city engineer, for leading us through the many facts, figures and timelines.

If funding can be solidified in time, Phase 1 of construction will start on Winslow Way between Madison and Ericksen in March 2010 and the contractor will have incentives to finish in time for our July Fourth celebration. Phase 2, from Ericksen to Hwy 305, and Phase 3, from Madison to Grow, will proceed in due course. The entire project should be completed by the end of November 2010, that’s 9 months total.

Why am I optimistic for Winslow Way businesses? Because major impacts will be felt for a total of four months in Phase 1 and downtown will be open next summer. During that time, sidewalks will remain open, one traffic lane will remain open from West to East, parking for shoppers and employees will be available. And, most important, I think islanders will make an extra effort to support them during this difficult time… I know that I will.

Geoduck update.

Thanks to council member Barry Peters for relaying some information from the city’s planning office about the geoduck harvesting permits we discussed in a recent article — Commercial geoduck harvesters coming to your beach?

The staff report below outlines an application by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources for a Shoreline Conditional Use Permit (SCUP) and their recommendation to accept it with a number of conditions.

If your home is adjacent to one of the dark red areas on the map, this information may be of interest to you. (Click the map to enlarge it.)

It may be that the decision by the planning department was totally appropriate. It may be that it was simply a formality, that the City had no real choice in the matter, but was obliged by State or Federal law to approve the paperwork.

Unfortunately, few of the people most affected by the decision — shoreline homeowners — were aware of the process until it was a fait accompli. We asked all council members and candidates if they think this the way things should be, or if public processes be more “public”.

Commercial geoduck harvesters coming to your beach?

Report by Steve Schmitz, Shoreline Homeowner

On Thursday, September 17, 2009 my wife and I attended a public hearing to review a shoreline conditional use permit application. The application is for commercial harvesting of wild geoduck clams from State owned subtidal bedlands around Bainbridge Island.

We accompanied five other community members and listened to polished presentations by the Washington Department of Natural Resources and treaty tribes in addition to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.

There have been three other use permits for this purpose in the City of Bainbridge history and all permits were approved. It is likely this permit will also be approved by the Hearing Officer as the City of Bainbridge Planning Department approved the permit on August 24, 2009.

On Bainbridge Island this permit includes bedlands in the following areas: Battle Point North/Manzanita (306 acres), Restoration Point (141 acres), Murden Cove (222 acres), and Skiff Point North (40 acres).