Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022/03/01 - Belfair Sewer Public Comment Belfair Sewer Extension Public Comments Master List Ed Amick—Against Eddie Amick—Against Erlene Amick—Against Joe Amick—Against Shannon Kaznakoff—Against Anthony Kaznakoff—Against Steve&Pat Degracia—Against Kevin Duffie—Against Marc Emmons—Against Franklin Knott—Against Adrian Lartz—Against Brian Petersen—Against William Price—Against Damian Reid—For Greg Stensrud—Against Thomas Straub—For Kim Van Hoover—Against Elita—Against Against: 16 For:2 McKenzie Smith From: Ed Amick <eamick1963@aol.com> Sent: Monday, January 31, 2022 6:14 PM To: Randy Neatherlin Subject: Question Received from the Mason County Website - From: Ed Amick Dept Sent To: Commissioner Dist 1 Message: Randy= We are opposed to the sewer system for any private company that wants to use public tax money. Sincerely ED Amick Eddie Amick ErleneAmick Shannon Kaznakoff Anthony Kasnakoff Joe Amick McKenzie Smith From: StevePat Degracia <stevepatdegracia@gmail.com> Sent: Saturday, February 5, 2022 9:57 AM To: McKenzie Smith Subject: Please don't let this happen!! Follow Up Flag: Follow up Flag Status: Flagged We moved in here with a brand new septic system and we're forced into this sewer system after one year, which had increased in monthly charges over the many years. Where will this stop?? We are retired and living on a fixed income Steve and Pat Sent from my iPhone McKenzie Smith From: Kornorstone Pictures <surfacewarrior2012@gmail.com> Sent: Wednesday, February 2, 2022 10:29 PM To: McKenzie Smith Subject: Sewer Extension funding and Direction As a Journalist not living in Belfair,I feel your Sewer problem has a stink that emanates and resonates beyond your small- town borders.The big Guy pushing the little guy around and taking what they can,until forced to stop and that can be traumatic, depending upon the wealth one is messing with. Our own Government is displaying very childish behavior and influencing"The People"down the same road. COOPERATION is Key in 99.99 percent of situations, involving human conflict and yours is no different.A small town can do something trivial and that can blow into a major story that goes out to the entire world as a good or bad effort.You now have that choice.You can either cooperate with the opposition and either stop the project OR reroute the system to benefit the entire population of Belfair.Work with your commissioner,to find a viable solution,that justifies using the taxpayers money.As a Journalist of Military Special Operation,I have enjoyed Covering many special events. I will keep my eye on this situation as it developes,just to see if everyone can act like adults and work this stinky situation out.Thank You,Kevin Dine McKenzie Smith From: marc@olympicwildernessbasecamp.com Sent: Tuesday, February 1, 2022 12:30 PM To: Randy Neatherlin; Kevin Shutty; Sharon Trask Subject: Belfair sewer system comments Good Afternoon Commissioners, I would like to thank you for the meeting last night and your time. Unfortunately, I had to leave the meeting prior to the comment section so I thought I would email in my feedback. Please feel free to forward to the appropriate parties if it is not you. For the record I have been a resident of Mason County (Hoodsport area)for about 6 years and a landowner for 10. It was said several times last night that Mason County is one of the more economically strained counties in Washington so I do believe it is critical that we all try and ensure the county is only taking on debt liabilities that are absolutely necessary. Overall, my recommendation is to wait on the loan. I heard nothing during the meeting that indicated that this loan was critical right now or somehow related to providing further environmental protection to the Hood Canal.While it was my first time seeing the data what I took away was that a loan wasn't needed until 2026 and that was due to the capital project. I would propose that the county take the next year and assess the following: • How long will it take Richard working with Ecology to get to a more firm number on the 2026 project? • How many additional ERU's would be added if the code was changed from 200'to 500' for connections? • The additional 144ish ERU's that was forecasted was based on the current development but prior to that what was the year over year ERU growth? • What is the forecasted growth for the Belfair area and specifically around the new pipeline? • In the area around the new pipeline how many project ERU's are there?While this isn't an easy number to get to you could make some assumptions around lot size and historical growth to get within+- 20% • Finally and not nearly as important but it seems like we could develop a forecast that included some assumption of future costs.To not assume any larger projects between 2026 and 2046 seems slightly unreasonable. Thanks for your time, effort, and considerations. Marc Marc Emmons Chief Camper 360-401-5688 w o marc(a)olympicwildernessbasecamp.com OLYMPICWILDERNESSBASECAMP ® www.olVmpicwildernessbasecamp.com 1 McKenzie Smith From: Frank Knott <fknott68@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, January 31, 2022 5:06 PM To: Randy Neatherlin Subject: Belfair Sewer Expansion Hi Randy My name is Franklin R Knott and my wife and I live on Harstine island here in Mason County. I firmly believe your position on the sewer expansion is correct! I am a retired general contractor with over 40 years of running a small business. I believe that all developments need to be able to support there own expansion.There is no public good that comes to the general public by taking on new or additional debt! The existing business owners and home owners will see their sewer rates going up and see no benefit to them self's. Please hold firm!!! Thank you Frank Knott Sent from Mail for Windows McKenzie Smith From: Adrian Lartz <alartz@wavecable.com> Sent: Friday, February 4, 2022 3:57 PM To: Randy Neatherlin Subject: Fwd: New development, sewers, other stuff! hope this goes thru! Adrian -------- Forwarded Message-------- Subject:New development, sewers, other stuff! Date:Fri,4 Feb 2022 15:50:56-0800 From:Adrian Lartz<alartz@wavecable.com> To:Randy<Randy@masoncountywa.gov> Randy, thank you for your support in North Mason County.Thank you for sharing in Belfair paper about sewer for new development in North Mason, behind Macdonalds. I don't pay property taxes, being a resident at the Belfair Apartments across from QFC. I don't understand why the developer is "getting away" wanting Belfair folks to pay for sewer for his development. Folks will wonder if he "paid" someone to do this- he should be paying for development of sewers himself! Also, concerns about all the traffice from the development. A friend from my church works at John L. Scott and said the development wasn't able to get a variant to use round a bout near railroad tracks so I assume people living in new development will have to enter and exit past macdonalds and post office. My question, why was developer allowed to build when variant was not issued - I feel this should have been done before an inch of dirt was removed and building should have not been allowed. So, did he or someone pay off so development was still allowed?This is being done on the backs of those of us who work and live in Belfair, causing more congestion to us and the environment, back up of traffic on Clifton Road, back to Gorst and onto Allyn. What a mess this is becoming. I feel all this should have not been allowed. So, how are emergency vehicles going to get up to new development across Hwy 3, how long do we have to wait to get to Kitsap Bank and the Post Office. Where and when are the senior/low income housing coming and going to be bult in North Mason. I'm sure the developer is not building housing for those on fixed incomes. Sad what is going on! Appreciate you, Randy! I am thankful for you! Adrian Lartz 1 McKenzie Smith From: BRIAN PETERSEN <drbrian@hctc.com> Sent: Thursday, February 3, 2022 3:35 PM To: Sharon Trask; Kevin Shutty; Randy Neatherlin Cc: Mark Neary Subject: Sewer Subsidy Commissioners, Thank you for NOT moving forward with another debt loading sewer subsidy plan. This plan, leveraged on the backs of the locals, did not feel real well thought out. When I discussed this with other county Dept. Heads,there simply seamed to be too much excitement over grabbing low interest money....just because you could. Not all money, low interest or not, is wise to grab just because you can... or just because you have been lobbied to do so by a large landowner... and lets be honest,to suggest this was for many many landowners is not being really intellectually honest with your constituents. It may have been planned to go by/near some other landowners... but this project was FOR one landowner and only one landowner. In general, I understand the desire to invest in more infrastructure to foment more growth... but in most counties, growth pays for growth... developers pay for development. In this case, especially with the leveraging on the backs of the existing local rate payers again...this didn't feel right for anybody downtown or anybody who is actually hooked up to the system. I saw comments from developers, I saw comments from folks from Allyn and I saw comments from a few of Overton employees, like Ken VanBuskirk but we really need to remember what happened here before with this sewer system. This system was effectively pushed on us by David's buddy Commissioner Tim Sheldon and a couple others working on his behalf. They worked with David 0.to place the$56 million dollar facility just outside the UGA boundaries so as to effectively circumvent GMA law which stated "You can't take infrastructure from inside a UGA and service lands outside the UGA." They then built a system big enough to service Bellevue when other consultants were saying we didn't need a system half it's size... as we see now- it barely has enough effluent to run correctly. Mr. Sheldon insisted privately that this was not ever going to serve lands outside the UGA... then he stated his support publicly to run it out to SKIA- (Now simply Port of Bremerton). This was the plan all along since the Overton family owns nearly all the land all the way to the Bremerton airport. The new local rate payers felt even more wronged when it came time to calculate ERUs. When the county realized how few ERUs were actually within the sewer district,they decided to erroneously fabricate more ERUs by decreasing the gallons per ERU. In most municipalities, the ERU is calculated to be between 150- 165 gallons per day. This calculation exposed a problem however... a math problem... a money problem. So Emmitt Dobey, who ran the department, cherry picked which local systems he would use for comparables, refused to use other comparables that didn't support his narrative, and came up with his fabricated value of 135 gallons per ERU: Hence, more ERUs and more fees, particularly on the businesses which may have multiple ERUs per business. Now you can see how, why many responded so loud and clear, not only about the sewer loan (or gift of public funds) but the leveraging against a rate bump of$87 more per ERU. We've seen this movie before. Maybe it's time to consider some other approaches to this or other infrastructure planning. 1 • Years ago we discussed creating a LAMIRD (Local Area of More Intense Rural Development) up here to add more sewer connections and assist the fecal coliform issues for the Hood Canal This was going to run sewer a couple miles down North Shore to pick up 1200 plus homes in Lynch and Beards Cove. Costly? Yes of course... but you also instantly connect to 1200 more rate payers. Maybe this should be revisited? • Ecology wanted the Phase 2 of sewer to go down Old Belfair Hwy because GMA/sewer is about the environment and protecting areas such as the water quality along the Union River. I don't disagree with the decision to pull out of that plan... it's not the best place to foment future growth, but let's not forget that initial intent of GMA and sewer-the environment. Maybe revisiting the LAMIRD isn't a bad idea? • If you still intend to use the $8 Million -just because you can -then how will you recapture it-within a dedicated funding approach? You apparently aren't investigating some type of TIF approach. Why would you just give it away and then we all pay on it for 20 years without a specific recapture plan from the developer? Some municipalities engage a ULID. We all know this wouldn't fly because the property owners pay for it... in most cases, including interest on the project. This particular property owner doesn't want to pay for any of his own infrastructure. That's his M.O. And keep in mind, he's not developing anything-or at least thus far he hasn't. He's simply subdividing and selling the property for speculation and subsequent development by others. If you spend $5M on his land... he simply sells it for more and keeps the extra $5M in his coffers. • If you insist on spending money, maybe break it up a bit? Run a 'Purple Pipe" project to our industrial lands. Invite industrial development too. Push water, sewer and 'Purple Pipe' over to and under SR3 to the west to foment growth and investment in our industrial lands on that side of the highway too. Run a stub up the remaining distance up Romance Hill and out/ under the RR tracks there for future extension. I saw Rick Kreuger's note that he has another 100 homes to connect immediately. 35 are already built. Why should David Overton alone receive all the benefits? Speaking of Romance Hill, put some of the funds towards the road construction connecting of Romance Hill to the future bypass alignment. There's an approach that will also foment growth, improve traffic flow and assist in preserving the downtown business core all at the same time. Maybe you should create a menu of items/projects to look at with costs attached to each? • Maybe you simply do nothing. Stop adding debt and simply allow growth in the market to drive the development? That's how they do it in most places. Again, developers pay for development. Again, I don't mind some speculative investment but it's typically done different than this current proposal. Let's make sure it's not simply a gift of public funds for just one landowner. If you do still intend to move against public opinion and push forward regardless, at least make sure there's a stated plan for recapture. Shouldn't he have to pay for a good portion of it at the very least? Partial recapture? I'm about to make a new construction connection, are you willing to pay for my line and connection fees. I'll be adding AV to your tax rolls and an additional 10- 12 jobs with my connection. Can we waive that? 2 I'm obviously being facetious but the point is, I'm paying for my own infrastructure. I've calculated those costs into what I need for rent from my tenants. That's how it's supposed to work. I sincerely hope you don't simply go back to the drawing board, make slight tweaks to the legislative language & accepted project description and come back and move forward again. That feels disingenuous and tone deaf to the reaction of this community. Again, review the history above before piling on more debt right now. Thank you for your time, Sincerely, Dr. Brian Petersen Petersen Chiropractic (360) 275 8727 3 McKenzie Smith From: William Price <wppprice485@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, January 31, 2022 5:43 PM To: Randy Neatherlin Subject: Belfair sewer project If one land owner is reaping the profits from a public funded project it would seem to me that the commissioners who vote for this are getting some benefit from the vote. Kickbacks, donations to campaign or outright cash. Please vote against this thievery Thanks Bill Price 2/22/2022 To: City of Bremerton Engineering & Mason County Public Works Subject: Comments on the Extension Service Proposal for the Future PSIC Basins Alpine Evergreen is following the proposed service extensions that include future Basins C, D, E, and F, identified in the Proposed Extension Service Area map.This extension would be a welcomed achievement, as Alpine continues to monitor our industrial property ownership in the area, and options for development. The largest hurdle to development in this geographic area is the utility infrastructure, particularly the water and sewer. Installation of these utilities is beyond the scope of what private landowners will be able to achieve on their own. Alpine Evergreen views the extension going into Mason County as a logical solution with less construction and maintenance costs than other alternatives. Alpine Evergreen encourages the City of Bremerton and Mason County to continue to work towards a joint resolution to enhance and expand upon the existing infrastructure. As a stakeholder in the area, Alpine Evergreen would enjoy being involved in future discussions. Thank you, Damian Reid President Proposed Extension Service Area Kh Sd - Bremorlon v Square Lake National a Coulter Creek Star Fork ka'7e Cam Airport Hep Park P Cglwtnwsrd , SWta Park uture PSIC - Basins C, D, E, and F �" Tto phy Lake I ©oll And l Casting Club , I,� 3 -- A r r � Wicks Lake v'> Pre eafv* -� I � � , � r I GCcnk ¢ca Sb'+i Lake Helena Rd C'00\'L t -40 47 � v fi 'C �t 1/24/2022, 9:55:25AM 1:48,917 elfair UGAZoning 0 0.4 0.8 1.6 mi B 13 County Boundary Festival Retail ❑ Filled Low Density Residential General Commercial 0 0.5 1 2 km Sources:Esri,HERE,Garmin,Intermap,increment P Corp.,GEBCO,USGS, Business Industrial FAO, NIPS, NRCAN, GeoBase, IGN, Kadaster NL, Ordnance Survey, Esri General Commercial&Business Industrial Mason County WA GIS Web Map Application County of Kitsap,Bureau of Land Management,Esri Canada,Esri,HERE,Garmin,INCREMENT P,USGS,METI/NASA,NGA,EPA,USDA I McKenzie Smith From: GREG STENSRUD <stens1@wavecab1e.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 1, 2022 6:36 PM To: Randy Neatherlin Subject: sewer is this the same landowner who tried years ago to get commissioner Bill to put a business road thru this property and call it a bypass? I am against this. If they want to borrow money, a Belfair bypass would be a much better investment. Greg Stensrud 360 275-4397 stensl@wavecable.com i McKenzie Smith From: Thomas Straub <raftislandtom@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, February 4, 2022 10:56 AM To: Kevin Shutty Subject: FW: Belfair sewer project Sent from Mail for Windows From:Thomas Straub Sent: Friday, February 4, 2022 10:33 AM Subject: Belfair sewer project Sent from Mail for Windows I watched the zoom meeting on the Belfair sewer project and staff did provide an excellent view on the project. What is there recommendation that is what they are payed for? It is past time to move forward on this project money is cheep and at some point this project must move forward.The longer you put this off the more costs will increase OSS systems are relics of days gone by.The County owns the sewer system and should be responsible for the costs.When the developers hook up they will pay for those costs and future use of the system. When the homes come the Tax base will increase and provide the County additional revenue something the County desperately needs. My only thoughts are that the County should apply impact fees to the developer to help pay for the sewer system along with police, fire ,schools,and road use from the added population that is sure to come. Tom Straub, Allyn X ==- Virus-free. www.avast.com 1 McKenzie Smith From: Kim VanH000ver <kim.vanhoover@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 1, 2022 7:22 AM To: Randy Neatherlin Subject: Sewer expansion After watching the zoom meeting last night I am more opposed to expansion than ever. Please do not do this at this time.Thank you for fighting for us Randy. 1 McKenzie Smith From: Kim VanH000ver <kim.vanhoover@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 1, 2022 7:28 AM To: Kevin Shutty Subject: Sewer expansion After watching the zoom meeting yesterday I am more opposed to the sewer expansion at this time that I was previously. Until the freight corridor goes through I see no benefit to the community in general to do this. Higher taxes and general expenses drive businesses away from a community. Mason county can hardly afford losing more businesses. Unless it can be demonstrated that this development will bring sustained jobs into our community I am against it. 1 McKenzie Smith From: loceangirl@aol.com Sent: Thursday, February 3, 2022 4:58 PM To: Randy Neatherlin Subject: Belfair Sewer Good Afternoon, I just finished reading your article about the sewer project. Keep fighting! Please! You are absolutely correct. Mason county taxpayers should not bear this debt burden. Well of course, the owner/s of the property are responsible for the cost of improvements. Unless... they sign an agreement to repay the taxpayers/county for the improvements upon sale of the property! Keep fighting this. There are more people than you think that are totally against this tax burden!! Thank you, elita 1