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Developers
Urge Mayor and Council to approve taxpayer-supported
TRANSCRIPTION EXCERPT of Developers' Statements (from Dec. 6, 2006 Council Meeting)
Mayor Tolson: I do need to inform you that this is a special business meeting and we are not allowed to make any additions to the agenda. At this point in time, though, we would like to receive comments from the public. I have a number who have signed up to speak. We are requesting that you keep your comments to a three-minute maximum to allow time for everyone to speak. And if you have not filled out a form we would ask you to please do so. When your name is called, please come to the podium, state your name and address and speak slowly and clearly. First up this evening is Rusty Drivstuen. Rusty Drivstuen (Owner of Mountainview Chevron in Sultan; also has financial development interests in Sultan and Gold Bar): Yeah, Rusty Drivstuen [pronounced, "driv-struen"], 33902, SR 2, Sultan Washington (business address). I'm just here tonight to speak on the sewer. But, um, I hope you adopt the plan for the loans and get that going. I'm a businessman up there. I built this store up on the four lanes 12 years ago and I just think Sultan's on the verge of a lot of good things happening. The momentum's going. And, um, I talk to a lot of people. I've talked to all of the Jack-in-the-Boxes and the Wendy's, and Sultan has got (unintelligible) on the map with everybody. And I think it's [an] exciting time. I'm pro-growth and I think the city needs to grow for the revenue to fund the departments and the parks, and I just see a lot of wonderful things happening in Sultan. And I would just like to encourage everybody. I know they're tough decisions and, and they're important votes, but I would hope that you guys are being in support of that. Mayor Tolson: Thank you. Neil Latta. Neil Latta** Hi, good evening. My name is Neil Latta with Web Engineering, 149 West Kellogg Road in Bellingham, Washington. First off, this is [from] Craig Sears of the Sultan 144 LLC asked me to introduce this letter, uh, this evening. It's in response--or in support of the funding of the sewer plant, and, uh, he'll back you for that plan of moving forward of expansion of the plant. Mayor Tolson: Is that—was that [unintelligible] to the attorney? City Attorney Thom Graafstra: Do you have a copy so the city clerk can maybe circulate this evening? Neil Latta So in addition to that letter, um, my firm represents a number of development groups, uh, that are contributing to this area, Skyridge…Mr. Anderson, who are in attendance tonight, represent a sizeable stakeholder in the community. Their commitment to the sewer plan is, in terms of potential developer contributions related to the development moving toward preliminary plat approval and providing funding at some point to aid and contribute to the capital funding of the plant. So I'm just going to briefly re-introduce (sic) that positive relationship and their strong interest as a stakeholder to contribute and to be a part of the plan. Mayor Tolson: Thank you. Mr. Wayne Fjelstad. Wayne Fjelstad Good evening. I'm Wayne Fjelstad, 13823 – 80th Street SE, Snohomish. I'm the President of the Skyridge Estates, LLC. I am, uh…requesting that the council vote in favor of acceptance of the Public Trust Fund, uh, loan for the design of the wastewater treatment plan upgrade and authorize the mayor to sign it and [unintelligible] view to the future of Sultan. Thank you. Mayor Tolson: All right. Mr. Matt Anderson. Matt Anderson I'm Matt Anderson, 6003 – 29 th Avenue NE, Seattle. As Neil Latta said, I am a stakeholder in the properties that would be affected by the new sewer plant. Uh, I know as council members you have a represent—residency(sic) of, of the people here in Sultan and you have a little concerns (sic) as far as committing yourselves, spending that much money for this plan, and the long-term planning [unintelligible word]. Those of us that are committed to, uh….needing this plan, uh, have, uh, an interest in, in seeing the financial plan go through and contributing a share in advance for the necessary funding. Thank you. Mayor Tolson: All right.
Excerpt from L. Storm (closing public comments at the end of this meeting):
"And as far as the – I've heard this, uh-h-h term, "Development Committee," "Developer Committee"? Just wondering how one might be able to, um, become part of that committee to provide maybe a little bit of measured input as opposed to, um….what looks like what's happening. Thank you."
NOTES ON DEVELOPERS' STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT AND THEIR $30,000 BEHIND-THE-SCENES "DONATION" (Who the players are, the city's possible culpability, and backdoor meetings)
**Neil Latta was the project engineer for Timber Ridge and holds financial interests in that development. His name is also connected to the proposed 200-home development planned for 124th St. SE's dead-end northern side (dubbed by the City, "Skyridge Estates"), on land abutting the east side of the Sultan Water Treatment Plant.
Mr. Latta and other Sultan development proponents Rusty Drivstuen and Tim Albers, participated in at least one private meeting between the City and Snohomish County's Planning Dept. on March 27, 2006 to "sell" Sultan's UGA remand request to the county.
During early 2006 and until the County Council's vote to approve an enlargement by 100 acres of Sultan's UGA (Urban Growth Area, several city-county meetings were held to determine Sultan's ability to adequately finance sewer improvements if its request to expand was approved. The City's and developers' requests were granted when the county council approved Sultan's enlargement of its UGA, including the 60 acres known as Skyridge Estates, a 200-home community long-proposed by these development consortium interests.
In addition to the March 27th meeting, Mr. Latta also attended what was slated to be (but not yet confirmed) to be a small, informal April 13, 2006 meeting between Brown & Caldwell (the City's sewer plant redesign consultant), and the County's Chief Engineering Officer, Randy Sleight (PE, PLS, ASCE). The City caught the county off-guard: Not only did Bill McCarthy and Bill Pearson of Brown & Caldwell show up at this meeting, but a phalanx of developer interests tagged along, among them, Neil Latta, Courtney Flora (an attorney representing the City of Sultan's interests in these matters), Mark Lomack (or "Lonack"), "Land devel. consultants", John Wilson of Berryman & Henigar, , and City of Sultan Public Works Director Connie Dunn.
Wayne Fjelstad, President of Skyridge Estates of Snohomish, is the developer of the Skyridge Estates proposal, but he either did not attend that April 13th City-County meeting, or did not sign in. He did, however, write a letter to the county on Skyridge Estates, LLC as its president (dated April 27th, 2006) which was a plea to the county to approve the City's request to expand its UGA by the 60 acres required for the Skyridge Estates 200-home project to become a reality. In part, Mr. Fjelstad states in that letter, "The City of Sultan has some $4.8 MM in funds set aside for anticipated sewer plan improvements." We attend every council meeting and most of Sultan's workshops and hearings, and believe that Mr. Fjelstad was either terribly misinformed by the City, or either purposefully, or inadvertently, misrepresented Sultan's financial situation to the County.
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